THE ART OF MICHELLE BIRD

EXHIBITIONS & RESIDENCIES

Michelle Bird has exhibited her art at Galerie Cècile Charron in Paris, InGenio Arte Contemporanea Turin, Galleria d'Arte III Millennio in Venice, Gallery Knoerle Baettig Fine Art in Winterthur, Galerie Villa Mainau in Zurich, Zurcher Kantonalbank and AXA Winterthur. In the Netherlands, after finishing the Rietveld Academy’s Orientation year she apprenticed with the painter poet Anton Martineau for the next 3 years. In India, she practiced the lost-wax bronze casting techniques at the Honey Arts Modelling Center in Chamba. In Iceland, she was awarded: third prize at the University of Iceland's AWE Accelerator, 4 separate developmental & innovation grants from SSV Uppbyggingarsjóður Vesturlands, a project grant from the Children’s Art Foundation List Fyrir Alla, 3 event grants Viðburðir Markaðsstofa Vesturlands, and project funding from the Karolina Funds for the production of the documentary 'Porquois Pas Borgarnes'. She was selected for the AWE Academy of Women ́s Entrepreneur accelerator, the Fumkvæði initiative and completed art residencies at the Baer Art Center, Deiglan Gilfélagið Art Center, Akureyri Art Museum and Sím Association of Icelandic Visual Artists. Her art works are in the Swiss art collections AXA Winterthur and the Landbote.

TEACHING

From her art studio in Iceland, Michelle hosts exploratory painting workshops for artists, adults and children. She teaches art credit courses at the Menntaskóli Borgarfjarðar Junior College and hosts creative team-building workshops for companies and school districts Starfsdagar and Smiðjudagar. Special projects include teaching contained action painting at the Djúpavogsskóli creating art entries for the Barnamenningarhátíðinni BRAS Egilsstaðirs youth art exhibition and teaching artists at the Myndlistarfélag Vestmannaeyja and Símenntunarmiðstöð Vesturlands. Together with Creatrix, she established SUFA Stand Up For Art a culturally funded exhibition and credit course at the Menntaskóli Borgarfjarðar College, where the students created artwork and curated their own exhibition. As part of the Gleðileikur Happy Games in Borgarnes, Bird hosted dozens of youth at her art studio for blindfolded painting workshops. For 6 consecutive years, she taught art for the association Ungmennasamband Borgarfjarðar and Frístundir. And has been a coach at the vocational rehabilitation center Fræðsla Starfsendurhæfing Vesturlands.

Outside of Iceland, she has taught workshops for adults with disabilities for the Cíttá di Torino. Switzerland's Kanton Schule Zürich has invited her to host more than a dozen workshops for their program A Wie Atelier. She has given group workshops in experimental and blind painting to the engineers at Google Zürich, GIS-Zentrum Baudirektion Kanton Zürich and to the Integrative Psychiatric Clinic in Winterthur.

PROJECTS AND PUBLICATIONS

In 2020 the foundation List Fyrir Alla awarded her a project grant to create inspirational teaching videos. In 2018 her art was published in the limited edition of Maine’s Poetry Journal ´The Café Review´. She co-organised the Borgarnes Film Freaks Event for 2 consecutive years. Other community projects include the co-production of the documentary Pourquoi Pas Borgarnes. In Switzerland she co-founded and organised the artist platforms and events: Open Doors and Outside Inside. For 6 consecutive years she published the annual art publication MAP Magazine Artist Professionals in Winterthur. In the Netherlands, she co-produced and illustrated the book 'Closed Curtains Lives of de Wallen´, illustrated ´The Undutchables´ and ´Dear Henry' for White Boucke Publishers. Illustrations of hers have been published by the Dutch & Belgium publication Joie de Vivre.

GRANTS, PRIZES & RESIDENCIES
2022・Cultural Grant Menningarsjóðs Borgarbyggðar・Listagil Artist in Residency GILFÉLAGIÐ・Artist Residency at Akureyri Art Museum・Artwork selected for the Lunar Codex Time Capsule・Third prize in the team category Women's Innovation Project awarded at the University of Iceland's AWE Accelerator・2021・2018・2017・2016・Innovation & Development Grants Uppbyggingarsjóður Vesturlands Iceland・2021・Cultural Grants Viðburðir Markaðsstofa Vesturlands・2021・Frumkvæði initative・2017・Third Prize Photography award Borgarfjordur Museum・2016・Karolina Funds・Alternate Status Bogliasco Foundation・2012・Residency SIM Association of Icelandic Visual Artists・ Residency Baer Art Center Iceland ・ 2003・Winner Portrait Prize Contemporary Arts Center of Sacramento

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024・Litla Gallery Hafnarfjörður・Kirsuberjasétrið Reykjavik・2017・Knoerle Baettig Contemporary Fine Art Winterthur・2016・Borgarfjörður Museum・Doxa Design Lab Tampa・2015・ Borgarfjörður Museum・2012・Zürcher Kantonalbank・2011・Galerie Thomas Bäni Winterthur ・ Galerie Cécile Charron Paris・2009 AXA Oerlikon・AXA Winterthur・Galerie Artmonti Paris・2003・Art & Fashion Gallery Amsterdam

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022・Gallery Deglan Akureyri・Flæði Rusl Reykjavik・Art House Borgarnes・2018・Corners Gallery New York・Rauða Skáldahúsið The Poetry Brothel Reykjavik・ 2017・Sumarlist Museum For Agriculture Hvanneyri・ InGenio Arte Contemporanea Turin・ Borgarfjörður Museum・2016・Steðji Brewery Iceland・ Sumarlist Hjálmaklettur Borgarnes・2015・Listasalur Mosfellsbæjar・2013・SIM Reykjavík・ Dagur Myndlistar Reykjavík・ Open Doors Winterthur・ Arion Banki Menningarnótt Reykjavík・ Eulachhalle Winterthur・ M13 Kunst um Schloss Mörsburg ・2012・Kulturschiene Herrliberg・ Baer Art Center Hofsos・Xtreme Lab Antwerp・ART Seefeld Zürich・2011・Oxyd Kunsträume Winterthur・ AXA Winterthur・ Open Doors Winterthur・ Galerie Villa Mainau Zürich・2010・Alte Stadthaus Winterthur・ Open Doors Winterthur・ AWC Zürich・2009・Eulachhalle Winterthur・ Alte Stadthaus Winterthur・Kunsthalle Frauenfeld・Open Doors Winterthur・ Art Innsbruck・2008・Open Doors Winterthur・ Galerie Villa Mainau・ Galleria d'Arte III Millennio・2005・Kunst & Curiosa veiling KWF Vught・2004・ Walls Gallery Amsterdam・ Kunst & Curiosa veiling KWF Vught・2003・Galerie De Pomp Warmond・2002・ABC Treehouse Gallery Amsterdam・ Retort Art Space Amsterdam・Depot Mill Valley