Name : Jo Thomas
Creative Skills Summary :
- Arts Education
- Peer Mentoring
- Visual Artist
- Commissions and Residencies
- Research
Contact Details :
[email protected]
www.jothomas.net
Photograph credit: Salvo Toscano
Biography
I am a freelance artist and enjoy doing a number of creative things including researching and teaching. I was awarded a PhD in practice based Social Sculpture and Contemporary Art Practice from Oxford Brookes University (2014). My work explores the qualities of our being in the world.
Currently I lecture in Exploratory Practice and Work Related Practise in Creative Arts and Design at Reading College. Recently, I contributed as a student mentor with colleagues from the Social Sculpture Research Unit in Oxford to the Creative Challenge, a UCA initiative (University of the Creative Arts) in Le Havre and I am delivering an Artist CPD programme for In-site in Medway with artist led group Figure Ground.
I completed an MA in Contemporary Art and Music at Oxford Brookes University with distinction in 2004 and thrived in the interdisciplinary environment. At the same time I started to teach Fine Art at Thames Valley University (now Reading College).
I received a Whitley Arts Festival Major Commission to realise ‘hereabouts’ a project focusing on water meadows in Whitley, Reading. I have also received Artplus awards for my work relating to wells and springs in Oxford.
Inspired initially by a seminar given by Arthur Zajonc I draw on contemplative enquiry, meditative and mindful approaches. These practices are informing new work, particularly in response to an artist residency in Hontianski Tristny, Slovakia in 2014.
I am a founder member of Figure Ground with Katy Beinart, Jack Brown and Laura Krikke. Our current project is a Road Trip around Britain developing conversations with artists working in the public realm and is supported by Arts Council - England.
Until 2003 I was running an artist led studio gallery, curating exhibitions alongside this I learnt some of the other skills artists need including customer services, banking and telesales
I am a freelance artist and enjoy doing a number of creative things including researching and teaching. I was awarded a PhD in practice based Social Sculpture and Contemporary Art Practice from Oxford Brookes University (2014). My work explores the qualities of our being in the world.
Currently I lecture in Exploratory Practice and Work Related Practise in Creative Arts and Design at Reading College. Recently, I contributed as a student mentor with colleagues from the Social Sculpture Research Unit in Oxford to the Creative Challenge, a UCA initiative (University of the Creative Arts) in Le Havre and I am delivering an Artist CPD programme for In-site in Medway with artist led group Figure Ground.
I completed an MA in Contemporary Art and Music at Oxford Brookes University with distinction in 2004 and thrived in the interdisciplinary environment. At the same time I started to teach Fine Art at Thames Valley University (now Reading College).
I received a Whitley Arts Festival Major Commission to realise ‘hereabouts’ a project focusing on water meadows in Whitley, Reading. I have also received Artplus awards for my work relating to wells and springs in Oxford.
Inspired initially by a seminar given by Arthur Zajonc I draw on contemplative enquiry, meditative and mindful approaches. These practices are informing new work, particularly in response to an artist residency in Hontianski Tristny, Slovakia in 2014.
I am a founder member of Figure Ground with Katy Beinart, Jack Brown and Laura Krikke. Our current project is a Road Trip around Britain developing conversations with artists working in the public realm and is supported by Arts Council - England.
Until 2003 I was running an artist led studio gallery, curating exhibitions alongside this I learnt some of the other skills artists need including customer services, banking and telesales
Key Creative Projects
Presencing Place: A Research Journey (2013), Glass Tank Gallery, Oxford. An exhibition of documents and films showing 45 gestures completed during 5 years of practice based research.
Solar Noon Shadows for Cultivation Field (2012), Gilding shadows of small plants growing through tarmac. Exhibition curated by Kate Corder. Funded by Artscouncil South East. www.cultivationfield.org
Whitley Art Trail (2011) As curator/artist I worked with local people to bring artworks into their homes (Works were by Martin Creed, Mark Aerial Waller, Steve McPherson, Ann Rapstoff and TRIPOD). The occupants were able to live with the work before it was shared with a wider public on a one night art trail. Funded by Earley Charities. www.whitleyartsfestival.co.uk
Hereabouts x, Whitley Art Festival Major Commission 2010 - This culminated in a walk with over 60 people through urban edges into a local water meadow where we witnessed dusk on a constructed platform. Interventions and films were shown in an accompanying exhibition at Reading Museum. www.whitleyartsfestival.co.uk
LV21 Artist Residencies (2010/11). As part of artist group Figure Ground we developed and delivered 20 artist residencies on a light ship on the Kent coast. Funded by Arts Council - South East and Seeda. http://figuregroundprojects.co.uk
Presencing Place: A Research Journey (2013), Glass Tank Gallery, Oxford. An exhibition of documents and films showing 45 gestures completed during 5 years of practice based research.
Solar Noon Shadows for Cultivation Field (2012), Gilding shadows of small plants growing through tarmac. Exhibition curated by Kate Corder. Funded by Artscouncil South East. www.cultivationfield.org
Whitley Art Trail (2011) As curator/artist I worked with local people to bring artworks into their homes (Works were by Martin Creed, Mark Aerial Waller, Steve McPherson, Ann Rapstoff and TRIPOD). The occupants were able to live with the work before it was shared with a wider public on a one night art trail. Funded by Earley Charities. www.whitleyartsfestival.co.uk
Hereabouts x, Whitley Art Festival Major Commission 2010 - This culminated in a walk with over 60 people through urban edges into a local water meadow where we witnessed dusk on a constructed platform. Interventions and films were shown in an accompanying exhibition at Reading Museum. www.whitleyartsfestival.co.uk
LV21 Artist Residencies (2010/11). As part of artist group Figure Ground we developed and delivered 20 artist residencies on a light ship on the Kent coast. Funded by Arts Council - South East and Seeda. http://figuregroundprojects.co.uk