BIO & CV
BIO
Nurgul Rodriguez is an artist with an interdisciplinary practice. She has an active individual practice of disciplines and media including porcelain, installation, handmade paper, printmaking, three-dimensional pieces, and more recently socially engaged and collaborative projects. Her work is social, political and personal with a focus on issues of immigration, diasporas, borders and cultures. She explores becoming a diasporic individual during identity formation within a new culture. Nurgul settled in Calgary in 2009 after many nomadic years of living in Turkey, the United States and Spain with her family. She received a Visual Arts and New Media individual project grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in 2018, Calgary Arts Development Individual Art Project and Canada Council for the Arts. She holds an MFA from the University of Calgary and she recently completed a residency program at Medalta in Medicine Hat and another at AUArts in Calgary, Calgary Allied Alberta Foundation Residency, Esplanade Artists in Residency. Her work is seen in Remai Modern, borderLINE: 2020 Biennial of Contemporary Art, and Esplanade Arts and Heritage Museum, Landed.
EDUCATION
2017 MFA Master of Fine Arts, Printmaking (combined with Sculpture)
University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Spring 2013 - Winter 2015: Open Studies Student,
University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Completed and achieved six (6) half art history courses, and two (2) full course (studio practice)
2013 English for Academic Purpose (EAP) Program, University of Calgary,
2001 Multimedia Studies and Graphic Design Studies Certificate Program,
City College of San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
1999 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ceramic and Glass Art and Design, Faculty of Fine Arts,
Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey,
1994: Ceramic Technician Degree, Professional Technical College, University of Trakya, Edirne, Turkey.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020: “This Land”, cSpace, December 2020, Calgary, Alberta
2020: “Out of Place”, large-scale and socially engaged porcelain installation art, Alberta Biennial 2020, September2020 – January 2021, Remai Modern, Sakatoon
2020: “Words on the Walls”, the Calgary Louise Riley Library, Calgary, Alberta, during April.
2019: “On the Wall”, The Calgary Public Library, The Central Library, November – December.
2018: “hundreds of THEM”, site-specific and large-scale porcelain installation, Medalta’s Hive Kiln#2, Historic Clay District, Medicine Hat, Alberta, December
2017: In a new land…Be longing, The Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary, August 11-September 24, 2017, Calgary, Alberta.
2017: Becoming Words “I am going to die in this country as an immigrant”, The Little Gallery, University of Calgary, January 9-13, Calgary, Alberta
2016: Becoming Words: on Process, +15 Window, University of Calgary, Arts Commons, August 1- September 30, 2016, Calgary, Alberta
2016: DESigual, Gallery 621, University of Calgary, March 21-25, Calgary, Alberta
2007: las Formas por la Tierra, San Lucar City Hall Art Gallery, June, Cadiz, Spain
PERFOMANCES
October 20, Placemaking: site-specific performance practices with students, Faculty of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey
August 19, 2019, “on the wall”, one-hour durational performance at the closing reception group exhibition with a performative print work
August 1, 2019, Placed –performance with performative porcelain object: artist’s English dictionary, Luke Lindoe Library-Academic Library, Alberta University of the Arts
February 26-March 2, 2018: Yorgan/Quilt: Stiches and Conversations #MeToo movement in English, one-week workshop and exhibition, socially engaged performative craft, The Little Gallery, University of Calgary,
2018: IKG LIVE 2, A LOT TO LEARN…, 30 minutes duration, socially engaged performing art, ACAD, Calgary, Alberta
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
LANDED, three-person exhibition, Esplanade Art Gallery, curated Xanthe Isbister, December 2020 - February 2021, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Diversity and Inclusion, The Ceramic and Glass Museum, Fall, 2021 (confirmed)
Placemaking, Thematic Summer Residency’s group of artists, Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts), Calgary, August 19 – September 9, 2019
CLAY LAND, Emerging Artists’ group exhibition, EXPOSURE Alberta’s Photography Festival, February 2019
DIASPORA, The Fish Creek Library, Calgary, November 2017
Faculty Exhibition, The Little Gallery, University of Calgary, September 2017
Beauty of Printmaking. The Little Gallery, Calgary, November 2015
"Looking for a New Land". The Little Gallery, Calgary. Contributors: MFA First Year Students Group Exhibition, October 2015
Between Two Worlds, two-persona exhibition. The Little Gallery, Calgary, May 2015
“The lost girl” PUSH, Calgary, March 2015
“Colours on Canvas” Acrylic painting, Ostberg Art Gallery, Calgary, Canada, May 2010 “San Francisco” Water-colored, Diego Rivera Art Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, June 2009
“Raku-fired,” The Coffee Gallery of Fort Mason Campus, City College San Francisco, CA, May 15 – August 27 2009
“Ties,” Diego Rivera Art Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA , January 2009 “Couple,” Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA, August 2008
“Pottery” Patio de la Victoria Cultural Center, Solo Exhibition, Cadiz, Spain, May 2007 “Red and Blue,” Café Doñana, Cadiz, Spain, September 2006
“Plates,” Patio de la Victoria Cultural Center, Solo Exhibition, Cadiz, Spain, June 2006
“The True Colours with Ceramic” Akademi Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey, May 2004
“The Tall Bowl” Jewelry and Metal Art Department Exhibition, City College of San Francisco,
San Francisco, CA, USA, December 2001
“Alone,” The State Art and Sculpture Museum of Izmir, Izmir, Turkey, May 2000
“In Fire”, Raku firing technique workshop and exhibition, VITRA Ceramic Arts Studio, 1999 “Anatolia” and “Flowers,” AKCIA, Bratislava, Slovakia, September 1999
“Final Project Exhibition,” Ceramic Department Art Gallery, Faculty of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylül University, May 1999
GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND AWARDS
2020: Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) Explore and Create grant for Remediation Room, by Alana Barthol, Project Coordinator ($3,600)
2020: Calgary Arts Development, 2020 Project Grant Program - Individuals & Collectives $10,000)
2020: ArtSearch, Calgary Arts Development, Calgary Investment ($ 3500)
2018: Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) Visual Arts and New Media Individual Project Grant ($ 10,900)
2017: Queen Elizabeth II (Master’s) Scholarship ($10,800)
2017: Alberta Graduate Student Scholarship
2016: Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship ($3,600)
2016: University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association Travel Grant ($1000)
2015: Alberta Graduate Student Scholarship/Study Grant, Department of Art/MFA Program, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada ($ 13,000)
1994-1999: Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education Scholarship, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
1992-1994: Awarded Bachelor of Fine Art Degree in Ceramic and Glass Department Republic of Turkey Ministry of Youth and Sport Scholarship
1994: Awarded Ceramic Technician two-year degree program students grant
RESIDENCIES
2021: RBC Emerging Visual Artist Program and Ledge Gallery, March-April-May (exhibition and residency)
2021: Medalta, Historic Clay District, Flex Artist in Residency Schedule, Medicine Hat, Alberta, January-February
2020: Medalta, Historic Clay District, Flex Artist in Residency Schedule, Medicine Hat, Alberta, November
2020: Calgary Allied Arts Foundation, CAAF Residency, a non-profit organization @cSpace, September - October
2019: Medalta, Historic Clay District, Flex Artist in Residency Schedule, Medicine Hat, Alberta, December
2019: Thematic Summer Residency: Placemaking, Alberta University of the Arts, July 24-August 19
2018-2019: Medalta, Historic Clay District, Flex Artist in Residency Schedule, five months: September 2018-January 2019, Medicine Hat, Alberta
2003: VITRA Ceramic Arts Studio Artist in Residence, Istanbul, Turkey
1999: AKCIA, Two-month Residency, attending workshops as a student and teaching as well. Bratislava, Slovakia.
1997: ASSOS, Searching and working at archeologist dig in West Turkey. Researching on Anatolian ceramic forms from the Neolithic Period. Reproducing selected ceramics forms for the private collection exhibitions at Kale Group Art Museum.
TEACHING and COURSES
2018: Sessional Instructor, University of Calgary, Narrative Ceramics, Spring/Summer
2017: Sessional Instructor, University of Calgary, Narrative Ceramics, Spring
2017: Teaching Assistant, University of Calgary, Art History, Winter
2016 - 2017: Visiting Artist and Scholar Series Coordinator, Graduate Assistantship Teaching Appointment (ART 327-329: Art Now), Department of Art, University of Calgary.
2016: Teaching Assistant, University of Calgary, 3d Digital Imagining
2016: Teaching Assistant, University of Calgary, Art Fundamentals: 3d
2015: Teaching Assistant, University of Calgary, 3d Digital Imagining
2006-07: Teaching Art & Craft courses and workshops. City Hall Adult Programs. Sanlucar, Cadiz, Spain
2002-04: Teaching Ceramic and Sculpture to secondary students. Akademi Istanbul Private Art School, Istanbul, Turkey
1999: Assistant and Teaching Assistant, Archeology and Ceramic Studio to secondary school students. Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING HISTORY
2019 – Thematic Workshop: Placemaking, Department of Ceramics and Glass Design, Fine Art Faculty, Dokuz Eylul University, October 21-25
2019 – Fall: Lecture and Workshops: Handmade vessel forms, Art and Engineering Course Students, Department of Art, University of Calgary
2018: Online course: Socially Engaged Art Projects: Community and Participation, Node Art Centre, Berlin May 14 - June 16
2017: Emerging Teachers Development Badge for Graduate Students, Taylor Institution for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary
2017: Metal shop training and practice by Senior Technician Richard Calkins, Department of Art, University of Calgary.
2016 - 2017: Visiting Artist and Scholar Series Coordinator, Graduate Assistantship Non-Teaching Appointment (ART 327-329: Art Now), Department of Art, University of Calgary.
2016-2017: Clay Hand-building Workshops with Graduate Studies Association, Mental Health and Wellness Group Activities for Graduate Studies Students, University of Calgary Fall 2016-Winter 2017
2014: Community Engagement Assistant, SCIP Internship, TRUCK Contemporary Art Gallery
2007: Stained glass making, Vitrieras Justyna, Cadiz, Spain (six months)
PUBLICATIONS & REVIEWS
2020: 2020 Biennial of Contemporary Art: borderLINES, Remai Modern, Published bythe Art Gallery of Alberta + Remai Modern, 2020
2018: WRITING Interview with Nurgul Rodriguez (January24-25, 2018), by Anton Cu Unjieng, source link:
http://ikg.acad.ca/ikg-live-2/
2013: “Fine Lines” Nickle Galleries, Exhibition catalog writing participation, Art History 303 course project
1999: “Terra Siggilata,” Brick and Tiles International Magazine
1999: “Thesis,” “Neolithic Period Ceramics in Anatolia” published by the Dokuz Eylul University Library 1998: “AKCIA” Symposium, Hurriyet, national newspaper, Turkey, 1998
CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION
2021: Diasporic Narratives on Sea Borders and Migration, Panel: Migration/ Geography/Tourism, 12th International IAWIS Conference, Sea and Water in Word and Image, 5-10 July at University of Luxembourg (postponed date)
2020: Placemaking: Living in the (an)Other Language, presenter at the Panel: Interdisciplinary Pedagogies for Writing Visual Practices, chaired by Dr. Brian Rusted, UAAC-AAUC Conference 2018 Congrès, October 15-17 (online)
2020: Hidden Within Moments and Places, Memories as Trauma, Silence, and Trust: #MeToo, co-chaired Roundtable by Heather Leier and Nurgul Rodriguez, UAAC-AAUC Conference 2018 Congrès, October 15-17 (online)
2018: Visualizing violence through clay, presenter at the Panel: Visualizing Violence, chaired by Dr. Anuradha Gobin, UAAC-AAUC Conference 2018 Congrès, October 25-27, Department of Fine Arts, University of Waterloo, Ontario
2018: Narratives on Walls, Borders, and Boundaries: a creative practice, Chair of session, UAAC-AAUC Conference 2018 Congrès, October 25-27, Department of Fine Arts, University of Waterloo, Ontario.
2017: Performative Craft: broken English, session presenter, UAAC-AAUC Conference 2017 Congrès, October 12-15, Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta
2017: Cultural Practices and The Arts: Becoming Words in Immigration Process, 19th Metropolis National Conference, March 16-17-18, Montreal, Quebec.
2016: Becoming Words: Practice-led Research, Joint ACAD + University of Calgary Graduate Students Presentations, November 29, Calgary, Alberta
2016: (Ad)dressing Identity with Mixes-media Art Installation for the Transformative Identities of Immigrants: DESigual, University of Prince Edward Island-UPEI Multidisciplinary Graduate Research Conference, Charlottetown
2015: Identity and Belonging: “Looking for a New Land”, MFA Graduate Student Conference, Calgary, Alberta
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2019 - 2020: Rozsa Foundation Arts Leadership Certificate Programs: Rozsa Administration Fundamentals Training (RAFT), Rozsa Arts Management Program (RAMP), University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business. (completed)
2019: Workshop: Cleaning the House Workshops, Fall 2019, October 13 - October 18, 2019, Marina Abramovic Institute,
2019: Workshop: Mould Making at Medalta with Jeremy Hatch, Medicine Hat, Alberta July 15-19
2019: Ceramic Workshop: Sarah Pike: Ceramic slab building with handmade texture, North Mount Pleasant Arts Center, Calgary April 12-14
2018: Online course: Socially Engaged Art Projects: Community and Participation, Node Art Centre, Berlin, May 14 - June 16
2013: Setting a home-base ceramic studio in Calgary
2011-2014: Membership of Mount Pleasant Art Centre for Ceramic Studio
2008: Post Graduate Program, Life Drawing and Sculpture, San Francisco Art Institute, 2008-2009 Life Sculpting Workshops, City College of San Francisco,
2003: Teacher and Art Department advisor for Akademi Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey,
2000-2001: Multimedia Certificate Program Studies, City College of San Francisco, California
1994-1999 Student Assistant for Ceramic Studio and Factory of Mustafa Tuncalp
1997: Internship in Assos Excavation Site, lead Behramkale, leaded by Prof. Umit Serdaroglu
1996: Internship in Bayrakli (Old Symrna) Excavation Site, leaded by Prof. Ekrem and Meral Akurgal. Izmir
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND MEMBERSHIP
2020 – board member of Alberta Printmaking Society
2019 – member of Alberta Craft Council
2018 June - present, board member, COMTEMPORARY CALGARY, Calgary, Alberta
2016 - present, member of Universities Art Association of Canada (UAAC-AAUC)
2017 - present, member of Artists Society of Alberta
VOLUNTEERING
2018 January-February, EXPOSURE Photography Festival; installation art works, gallery attending, walking tours; Calgary, Alberta
2016 University of Calgary, Graduate Studies Association, Ceramic Workshops for graduate students for Mental Health Support for Graduate Studies Students
2010 - 2015 Capitol Hill Elementary School, Parent Council Meetings and in class art and craft activities,
2015/3 - 2015/6 Community Engagement Assistant, TRUCK Contemporary Art Gallery
2010/2 - 2010/5 Calgary Centre for Newcomers, administration and translation of immigration documents.
LANGUAGES
Turkish (native), Spanish (fluent), English (fluent), German (beginner).
Nurgul Rodriguez CV