Biography - Chara Lewis

BFA 1987-1990
The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art
Oxford University

MA 1995-1997
Manchester Metropolitan University

PGCE (Further Education) 2001
City College and MMU

Selected Exhibitions

2003

Look to this Day Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Manchester Portfolio London Print Studio and The Lowry, Manchester – artist editions
Artranspennine03 Curated by Nick Crowe & Ian Rawlinson
Thermo 03 The Lowry, Salford
Eve of Destruction International 3 Summer Fete, Manchester
The Brewster Project, Brewster, New York, curated by Jane Benson
Seesaw, Atelier Grammophon, Hannover, Germany, exchange curatorial project

2002

No-place at Leeds Metropolitan University Gallery, a collaborative body of work produced with Kristin Mojsiewicz and Anneke Pettican
Fight at Leytonstone Centre for Contemporary Art, curated by Bob & Roberta Smith. Jessica Voorsanger and David Mackintosh.

2001-02

Pneuma video piece shown in Die Kunst video showreel, venues including Ormeau Baths, Belfast, Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool.

2001

Ich Bin at 2YK Galerie Kunstfabrik am Flutgraben, Berlin.- Nick Crowe& Ian Rawlinson, Pat Flynn, Chara Lewis, Anneke Pettican, Kristin Mojsiewicz. Curated by Brass Art
CF 01 Communication Front Symposium, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Medi@terra Micro museum archive touring program- Lavrion, Athens, Sofia, Plovdiv, Moribor, Frankfurt.

2000

Paradise Revisited curated by Brass Art at Bury Museum and Gallery, Lancashire
Creation of Destruction: Videomedeja Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia
Man MoMA Annual Programme Summer Fete, International3, Manchester
Autoparts ‘Phantasmagoria’ commissioned by IDEA
Box project Turnpike Gallery, Leigh, Greater Manchester and Museum of Installation, London

1999

Dream Inspires Ove Arup Manchester, site specific installationfor the Better World Space
STALK Mart ( visual arts festival, Manchester): Brass Art group exhibition at Piccadilly Plaza

1998

local 02-banal ground, Gallerie in der alten Schule, Art and media center Adlershof, Berlin.
Cathedral City video projection of ‘Terra Incognita’ at Manchester Cathedral ( an Annual Programme commission)
Brass Art presents: Our Night at The Palace
digital media event at The Palace Hotel, Manchester. Part of Digital Summer ’98 ( coordinator and participant )
History on tour to :The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh

Teaching – Further and Higher

February 04 – present
University of Chester 0.2 Lecturer B.A Fine Art New Media

April-May 03
University of Chester Visiting Lecturer, Fine Art M.A. & B.A

Sept 00 –present
Sheffield Hallam University, Sculpture and T.B.Arts. B.A. Associate lecturer

April 02
University of Central Lancashire, Visiting lecturer B.A. Fine Art

October 99
M.M.U. visiting lecturer on M.A. Fine Art course.

October ’98 – June 00
University of Salford Visual Arts B.A. course, part time lecturer, lens based.

Nov ‘97- June’98
M.M.U Teaching practice on Interactive Arts B.A. course.

Gallery Education workshops

June 02 – present
Manchester Art Gallery Freelance Gallery educator, community and Gallery projects

September 01- present
Tate Liverpool freelance Gallery educator - NOF project, working with West Derby Comprehensive School, based on ‘Emotional Ties’

Oct & Nov 01
Cornerhouse Manchester photography workshops: with NE Manchester Gifted and Talented students & related workshop with Art teachers from MMU Didsbury

Publications

Life is Good in Manchester –The Annual Programme 1995-2000 ( Trice publications) 2001 Editor – Simon Grennan

Autoparts cat. IDEA digital commissions. Essays: Jen Southern & Emma Posey. May 2000

Stalk – Brass Art contributors – Sue Hubbard, Tracey Sanders Wood and Nick Fry sponsored by Ove Arup, Edaw, NWArts Board, National Lottery through the Arts Council of England. published Oct ’99 ( Manchester Metropolitan University )

Our Night at the Palace - Introduction by Sean Cubitt published Dec ’98 ( Trice publications )

History - The Mag Collection exhibition catologue published Nov ’97 ( Kingston upon Hull City Museums, Art Galleries and Archives )

Divers Memories The Company of Things - exhibition catologue published Mar ’96 (Manchester University Press )

Press

Art Monthly – Review of Ich Bin by Axel Lapp Sept 01

Museums Journal – Paradise Revisited Sue Latimer August 01

AN Magazine – Paradise Revisited preview January01

Flux Magazine – Brass Art by David Mackintosh – Utopia issue Dec 00

News North West – Pradise Revisited by Martin Vincent 14th Nov 00

AN Magazine - Credit Card Interface Sept 00

City Life – Autoarts by Tim Birch 14-29 June issue 408

i D Magazine – elevator issue Oct 99

City Life Magazine – For Art get Mart Tim Birch 29 Sept – 14 Oct 99

Contemporary Visual Arts - issue 17 article Urban Myths by Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt.

Art Monthly - Nov ’98 review of Cathedral City

City Life Magazine – Review of Cathedral City Oct 98

City Life Review – Our Night at the Palace Daniel Brocklehirst 9-24 Sept and Digital Summer supplement26 Aug – 10 Sept 98

Community Art

August 1997 Visual Optimism
Organised exhibition of Platt Lane artists and others supported by joint learning disability service.

April 1994 – June 00
Set up art group for adults with learning difficulties in Platt Lane Community Centre, with occupational therapists, running weekly. Secured funding from Social Services

February 1994 - September 1994
Varna adult education - Weekly group art sessions with Horizon club, Gorton. Exhibited work in two venues.

October 1993 - September 1994
One to one art sessions with adults with learning difficulties.