www.maggiejames.info
Maggie James studied Fine Art at Newcastle Poly and the Royal College of Art, Painting School, 1979 - 1982 where she was awarded the John Minton Scholarship.
Early exhibitions include 1982 JP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London and in 1987 Artists who studied with Peter de Francia, Camden Arts Centre, London. On return to Wales Maggie was elected to the 56 Group Wales, exhibitions included 1985 ‘Life and Landscape from Scotland and Wales’ Newport Art Gallery and touring exhibitions to Czechoslovakia in 1986 and 1991. Jenny Spencer Davies commissioned ‘Inscape’ 1990 Oriel Cardiff, curated by David Briers, with Sue Williams and Deborah Jones, which resulted in ACW funding to create new work, the same year she was joint prize-winner at the National Eisteddfod of Wales 1990. In 1994 as a result of a Setting Up grant from ACW, Maggie created a series of work - shown at The Bridge Gallery USW and at Aberystwyth Art Centre ‘Interior View’ 1997 with Ian Westacott. In early 2000 Maggie was invited to show work at 6 Chapel Row, Bath and ’New Artists’ Martin Tinney Gallery 2003, followed by numerous group shows at the Martin Tinney Gallery.
Between 2007 and 2018 Wales Arts International opened up many opportunities for Maggie to develop her work, especially in relation to her participation in Open Books, a project she was invited to join in 2012. Open Books: artists and the Chinese folding book, Sanshang Museum of Contemporary Art, Hangzhou, China 2013.
Painter Emrys Williams invited Maggie to take part in Change at Crewe 2014 in his studio / gallery in Llandudno along with Rachel Busby, Gordon Dalton, Jeffrey Dennis, Neil McNally, Phil Nicol, and Andreas Rüthi. Another exhibition in North Wales followed ‘By Invitation’, Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy 2016
In 2016 Maggie Co-curated Open Books. À Livre Ouvert, LAC, Ottawa, Canada and has subsequently travelled to China in 2017 and 2018 to meet Chinese colleagues. In 2019 Paper Exchange will take place at BayArt and China Academy of Art in Hangzhou as a result of these journeys.
Born and lives: Cardiff, Wales.
Education:
Newcastle Polytechnic
Royal College of Art, London
Solo Exhibitions
Two & three people exhibitions
Selected Group Exhibitions
Awards
Maggie James studied Fine Art at Newcastle Poly and the Royal College of Art, Painting School, 1979 - 1982 where she was awarded the John Minton Scholarship.
Early exhibitions include 1982 JP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London and in 1987 Artists who studied with Peter de Francia, Camden Arts Centre, London. On return to Wales Maggie was elected to the 56 Group Wales, exhibitions included 1985 ‘Life and Landscape from Scotland and Wales’ Newport Art Gallery and touring exhibitions to Czechoslovakia in 1986 and 1991. Jenny Spencer Davies commissioned ‘Inscape’ 1990 Oriel Cardiff, curated by David Briers, with Sue Williams and Deborah Jones, which resulted in ACW funding to create new work, the same year she was joint prize-winner at the National Eisteddfod of Wales 1990. In 1994 as a result of a Setting Up grant from ACW, Maggie created a series of work - shown at The Bridge Gallery USW and at Aberystwyth Art Centre ‘Interior View’ 1997 with Ian Westacott. In early 2000 Maggie was invited to show work at 6 Chapel Row, Bath and ’New Artists’ Martin Tinney Gallery 2003, followed by numerous group shows at the Martin Tinney Gallery.
Between 2007 and 2018 Wales Arts International opened up many opportunities for Maggie to develop her work, especially in relation to her participation in Open Books, a project she was invited to join in 2012. Open Books: artists and the Chinese folding book, Sanshang Museum of Contemporary Art, Hangzhou, China 2013.
Painter Emrys Williams invited Maggie to take part in Change at Crewe 2014 in his studio / gallery in Llandudno along with Rachel Busby, Gordon Dalton, Jeffrey Dennis, Neil McNally, Phil Nicol, and Andreas Rüthi. Another exhibition in North Wales followed ‘By Invitation’, Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy 2016
In 2016 Maggie Co-curated Open Books. À Livre Ouvert, LAC, Ottawa, Canada and has subsequently travelled to China in 2017 and 2018 to meet Chinese colleagues. In 2019 Paper Exchange will take place at BayArt and China Academy of Art in Hangzhou as a result of these journeys.
Born and lives: Cardiff, Wales.
Education:
Newcastle Polytechnic
Royal College of Art, London
Solo Exhibitions
- 2012 ‘Peripheral Spaces’ St Davids Hall
- 2002 Maggie James Small Paintings Six Chapel Row, Bath
- 1994 ‘Roof Somersaults’ Bridge Gallery University of Glamorgan
- 1989 ‘Interiors’ Andrew Knight Gallery, Cardiff
- 1987 ‘Interiors’ 39 Steps Gallery, London
Two & three people exhibitions
- 2003 ‘New Artists’, Martin Tinney Gallery, Cardiff
- 1997 ‘Interior View’ Aberystwyth Art Centre
- 1990 ‘Inscape’, James Jones and Williams Commissioned by ACW, Oriel, Cardiff
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2023 LLE Gallery pop up exhibition and zine event Kingsgate projects, London
- 2023 PAX, MOMA Machynlleth
- 2022 Y Silff, Canfas, Cardigan
- 2022 Welsh Group Turner House
- 2022 Across Two Valleys, Red House, Merthyr Tydfil
- 2022 Celebration ofContemporary Welsh Painting, Found Gallery, Brecon
- 2021 Thoughts on Paper Oriel Y Bont, USW
- 2021 OpenBooksOnline The GoDown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 2021 Welsh Group at Art Central & Attic Gallery Swansea
- 2020 Fortieth Anniversary of Butetown Artists Studios
- 2020 A View from the Edge Contemporary landscapes in the Digital Age. MADE
- 2019 The Welsh Group at 70 Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy
- 2019 Philip Nicol. Maggie James The Studio Llandudno
- 2019 National Eisteddfod of Wales Conwy
- 2019 Paper Exchange BayArt, Cardiff (Co –curator)
- 2019 Open Books Art Central, Barry
- 2018 ‘Fields of Vision’ Boundary Art, Cardiff
- 2017 ‘Open Books. Artists and the Chinese Folding Book’ Rajasthan Lalit Kala
- Akademi Jaipur . Ravindran Manch Art Gallery, Jaipur
- 2016 ‘Open Books. A Livre Ouvert’ LAC, Ottowa, Canada (Co –curator)
- 2016 ‘By Invitation’ Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy
- 2016 Art@CBTC Phil Nicol & Maggie James, Cardiff
- 2016 ‘Paintings from the Studio Wall’ The Shed, Insole Court, Cardiff
- 2015 ‘Open Books’ Wenzhou Contemporary Art Museum, China
- 2015 ‘Open Books Plus’ Art Museum, Institute of Chinese studies,
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- 2014 ‘Open Books Plus.’ Artists and the Chinese Folding Book, UNSW, Canberra, Australia
- 2014 ‘Open Books Plus’ Artists and the Chinese Folding Book, Logan Art Gallery, Queensland
- 2014 Stewart's Law RCA Secret 2014, RCA London
- 2014 'Change at Crewe' Llandudno, Wales
- 2014 Autumn show Fiveways, Wales
- 2013 ‘Open Books Plus.Artists and the Chinese Folding Book’. Sanshang Museum of Contemporary Art, Hangzhou, China
- 2013 'Gaeaf' St Davids Hall, Cardiff, Wales
- 2013 National Eisteddfod of Wales, Denbighshire
- 2012 The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, London,
- 2012 ‘Welsh Artist of the Year Exhibition' St Davids Hall
- 2012 ‘Open Books 16 Artists and the Chinese Folding Book’ National Library of Wales
- 2012 Gallus launch, Vyner St, London
- 2011 ‘Welsh Artists of the Year 2011 Exhibition’ St Davids Hall
- 2011 ‘Ten Years in’ BayArt
Awards
- 2020 ACW Create Award - Curator/Artist. OpenBooksOnline - OpenBooks and The GoDown KL
- 2019 Creative Wales Ambassador Open Books /Paper Exchange Wales China
