MARY COURTNEY
ART - POETRY
drawing n digital with a poetic twist
"My philosophy is curiosity and experiment - to enjoy and nurture the creative spark in myself and others."
Poetry Awards
Cambridge University
International Hippocrates Prize for Poetry
in Medicine (twice)
Workshops/Events
Libraries, Universities
Primary Schools
Escape Community Arts
Instigated an Arts Trail
The Herbert, Saltaire Festival
with Rahila Hussain: winner
of ITV Food Glorious Food
Exhibits and Awards
Compton Verney, Tate Modern
Media City UK, Friswells
George Eliot Hospital
University of Warwick
Earlsdon Library
Lewis Gallery, City Arcadia
Spon Spun Visitors' Choice Award
Coventry Drawing Prize (twice)
Fellowships, Residencies, Education
Random String Digital Art
Artist in Residence for the Positive Images Festival
Fellowship with Ludic Rooms
Leverhulme Artist in Residence at Warwick University Chemistry Dept
Artist in Residence at Nuneaton Library
Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University
PGCE Teaching Qualification
MA Health Care Research
BA Hons Nursing (RGN)
Distinction in Foundation Art
More About
I'm a Coventry artist and poet from Irish roots; lover of libraries, medieval maps, community activism, elephants and gargoyles. Currently co-producing Sitting Rooms of Culture, a grassroots group supporting and showcasing creativity in Coventry, and Coventry Grotesque, on Instagram.
As well as the fizz of ideas, I've an open nature and the ability to keep deadlines, ingrained from former lives as a nurse, policy analyst, Access tutor and manager. I like the freedom to experiment that my new life brings. Collaboration is fuel for creativity. Do get in touch if you'd like to!
Mixing art with words
Mixing people and ideas
2023
Exhibition: Stained Glass. Close-up photos taken in Coventry Cathedral, set to music and projected on screens. Photos by Mary Courtney. Projection by Alan Denyer. LTB. Above the Litten Tree, Warwick Row, Coventry. January 3 -20, 2023
Dream Engine. Workshops and Installation for Escape Arts, Nuneaton and Stratford. Collaboration with Fablab, Coventry
2022
Ring Round the Sun. Meditative video made with stained glass inspired drawings. By Josh Leach and Mary Courtney. Screened at the LTB. July 2022
Portraits at the LTB. Co-produced the exhibition, with Toni Peach as curator, featuring 90 local artists. An LTB and Sitting Rooms of Culture Collaboration. LTB, Coventry. April 29-May 19, 2022
Read poems at Coventry Cathedral as part of the Creative Lives UK Awards. April 2022
Coventry Dragons Coventry Observer feature, 20 April 2022
Sponnie Returns. Weekend of Spon End songs and community fish display at Moira's Wet Fish Shop, Coventry, with Christopher Sidwell. March 2022
Bling-Road. 2mx2m Bling-Road based on the map of the Coventry Ring-Road and made of donated bling. Mary Courtney and Karen Johnson. Exhibited at LTB Coventry
2021
Poetry Bridge with Ludic Rooms. Random String Festival, Coventry Canal. November 2021
Bling-Road. 2mx2m Bling-Road based on the map of the Coventry Ring-Road and made of donated bling. Mary Courtney and Karen Johnson. Exhibited at LTB Coventry. From 21 August 2021. BBC CWR video of the Bling Road - over 13k views
Artist in Residence for the Positive Images Festival. Coventry Central Library. August-October 2021.
Coventry Grotesque. Collection of face-pullers, tongue-pokers, demons, skulls, gargoyles, wounded statues and green men on the buildings of Coventry. Instagram page with Danny Reed. Grotesque Digital Map launched October 2021 with over 15k views. Coventry Grotesque 100 on You Tube. Coverage includes BBC Online
To Coventry by Sun. Title of a Poetry Anthology, and postcard design for the BBC Contains Strong Language Festival. Nine Arches Press. September 2021. Postcard design was also displayed at the Herbert
The Odd Sock Opera. Five original songs based on Spon End stories, Coventry. Christopher Sidwell and Mary Courtney. Played on Abbey Radio 22 June 2021 and BBC CWR October and November. CD Released September. Spon End Mermaid sculpture and mermaid and fish-making workshops in February 2022
To Coventry. Giant Handmade picture book. Forthcoming 2022
2020
Yesterday's Diary: An Anthology of Coventry in Lockdown. A Sitting Rooms of Culture production with Cathy Cassidy. 117 contributors to the book and many volunteers behind the scenes. (Instigated and organised the project). Fair Acre Press. November 2020
Cov Made Me. Art-Film with Dana Alexandra Chis. A Creative response to research by Vishalakshi Roy and Victoria Barker. Coventry Creates: University of Warwick and Coventry University. 5 October 2020
Phoenix. A Poetry-Film collaboration with Tara Rutledge. Screening at Coventry Cathedral on 4 October 2020. Featured as the Cover Video for March-Dec on the Coventry Cathedral Facebook Page. Funded by Coventry City Council. March 2020. (Over 20k views). Audio of the film played on BBCCWR on 29th June 2020
Sitting Rooms of Culture Facebook Group. Co- Founder and Co-Producer. March 2020 - ongoing
Secret Knock Artzine Coventry. 3 Page Feature about Sitting Rooms of Culture. June 2020
BBCCWR 12 May 2020 Creative Journal. Talking about my creativity during lockdown and the Sitting Rooms of Culture Group.
BBCCWR, Hillz FM and Abbey Radio shows guest, with presenters Trish Adudu, Vic Minett, Rachel New, Lorna Bailey, Gaylita and Neil and Paul Sanders, talking about Sitting Rooms of Culture, arts and culture and Yesterday's Diary. March and May 2020 and every few weeks after that
Portrait of my Sofa. Drawing. Homezine. April 2020
COGS of Coventry. Painting Commission for a zero waste stall in Coventry Market. End of March 2020.
BBC CWR Favourite Moments of 2019. Dave Marshall Barrett and Sandra Godley relive their favourite moments of the past year. New Years Day 2020. A clip from an interview with Mary Courtney on the Culture Club show is one of the favourite moments
A Story of Energy. Exhibition of 8 paintings with haiku poems. Endocrinology Unit. George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton
To Coventry. A giant, hand-made, tactile picture book. Forthcoming - End of 2020/Jan 2021 Launch
The Beaudesert Road. Animation. With Alan Van Wijgerden. Forthcoming. End of 2020/early 2021
2019
Digital Projection on the walls inside Coventry Cathedral. Two items selected for the Open Projections. Sneaky Arsenic animation: collaboration with Alan Van Wijgerden and Four Characters of the Elements: collaboration with Laurence Campbell.15 November
Poem: It could never get out, selected for publication in the Here Comes Everyone magazine. Cassified Issue. December
Project Coventry, a Projection-based exhibition. One of 12 exhibiting artists. An animated poem live projection onto a human body. Poem "It was written all over her" by Mary Courtney, with text animation and projection performance by Sherrie Edgar. The Classroom, Holyhead Studios, Coventry. 20 June
Digital screening of The Cullen Jig animation, The Turning Taps animation and the Lips Projection. Curated by Edie Jo Murray. University of Warwick Piazza 19 June
Night off the Tiles. Animation inspired by the Cullen mural in the lower precinct in Coventry. Made with Alan Van Wijgerden
Freedom of Expression. Library Poem. Commission from Coventry City of Culture for the #HumansofCov project. Text of the Poem projected at Fly the Flag for Human Rights Event, A Seat at the Table, Coventry, 25 June 2019. Poetry-film with Alan Van Wijgerden - Independently funded. Link to video
Random String Fellowship, with Ludic Rooms, (Post-Digital Arts). Coventry. November 2018 - March 2019
BBC CWR Culture Club Programme Guest four times this year, plus additional spot as Art-e-Facts guest
2018
Digital Projection at Coventry New Cathedral. With Alan Van Wijgerden. New Years Eve
For Oblivious Reasons. Poem. Here Comes Everyone. Ritual Issue
Coventry Artist of the Week, September, selected by Curating Coventry, for an image of Coventry Cathedral
The Grand Tour of the CET. Film animation with Alan Van Wijgerden, with music by Synthcurious. Launch 15 September, Holyhead Studios, Coventry
Sponnie and Friends. At Moira's Wet Fish Shop, as part of the Spon Spun Festival,15 September and City Arcadia Gallery, 5-20 October. Project leader. Collaboration with Christopher Sidwell, Andrea Mbarushimana, and Marie Sindel and Jack Shuttleworth of Coventry Fablab, along with Grapevine and Moira's family. Winner of Visitors' Choice Award
BBC CWR Culture Club Show. Guest contributor three times in the autumn
Tomorrow. Poem. Published in Here Comes Everyone. Coventry. Silhouette Press. July
Pop Din - Brain-waving animation. Created with Alan Van Wijgerden. Vimeo. Shown at the CET, Coventry. April
Art Workshops for the University of Warwick. Food and Culture
Art Workshop for Coventry Grapevine, in collaboration with Andrea Mbarushimana. Magical fish-making
Poetry-art workshops for children at Castle Vale Primary, Birmingham. Theme: Protest
Poetry Performance. Earlsdon Poetry Extravaganza. Royal Oak, Coventry. May
Poems drawing Photoshop
2017
Through the Wordrobe. Artist in Residence and Commission, Arts Council England, Warwickshire Poetry Voices and Warwickshire Libraries, Nuneaton Library
Poems on the Pavement with Spon Gate Primary School (with a drawing and poetry workshop with glitch artist Antonio Roberts)
Spon End Big Draw. Exhibited at Coventry Arcadia Gallery, Spon Spun Festival and CET
Workshops and talks at the University of Warwick, incl Mapping the Imagination for the Applied Imagination module and Academic Mobilities: Snakes, Ladders and Flying Carpets
Art-Poetry Workshops for Escape Community Arts, Nuneaton
The Coventry Elephantastic, Community Big Draw and Neuroscience event, with Professor Bruno Frenguelli and Professor Kevin Moffat from the University of Warwick Neuroscience Department. Earlsdon Library. Funded by the University of Warwick
Conference Drawing: The Intergalactic Cosmic Egg-Ship. Nexus Business
collaborative animation and film
2016
Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the University of Warwick Chemistry Department. A collaboration with Professor Patrick Unwin
Art of the Micronosphere, digital chem-art exhibition, University of Warwick and collaborative exhibition talk at the Herbert, Coventry
The Coventry Mappa Magnificellaneous. Community Big Draw Event, and chemistry public engagement event with Warwick University Chemistry Department. Earlsdon Library
Planet Biscuit: Into the Micronosphere, film with Laurence Campbell and images from Warwick University Chemistry
A Being Objective. Animation-film. Collaboration with Laurence Campbell, with drawings from academics and students at the University of Warwick. Funded by the Institute of Advanced Teaching and Learning, University of Warwick
Forest of Optics. Film with Laurence Campbell in collaboration with Vasilios Stavros, Laser Lab, University of Warwick
Guest Blogger for Outside In. Verse Reaction and Caption Chem
Abstract of War. Front Cover design and haiku inspired by a scientific research image and collaboration. Chemistry - A European Journal
We Have A Situation Coventry. Role as Community Consultant. Disruptive Media Learning Lab at Coventry University, coordinated by Rachelle Viader Knowles, with Helen Varley-Jamieson
Spirit of Ubuntu Drawing Event. ESRC Festival of Social Science. Manchester Metropolitan University