Lyn Hodnett

Biographical Notes

Summary

Lyn Hodnett trained at Sheffield Hallam University, gaining a BA(Hons) in Fine Art in 1985 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Printmaking from Brighton Polytechnic 1989. She has won several national art prizes including the British Airways Young Achievers in Art Award, resulting in a commission to create a 5ftx8ft painting for Heathrow Airport.

Story and myth are important influences in Lyn's work and she was commissioned to produce a series of illustrations/front covers for Sheffield Academic Press and Continuum books relating to feminist theology. She has also produced posters for The Crucible Theatre and a range of illustrated advertisements for commercial galleries.

Since 1985, she has taught in a wide variety of educational contexts, covering a broad range of ages and abilities. This includes arts residencies, schools' arts projects, art training initiatives, regional arts/healthcare projects, commissioned banners and murals. Lyn has also worked with Tate Britain and Sheffield Galleries and Museums, running workshops and residencies alongside selected touring exhibitions, e.g., William Blake, Tate Sculpture, William Roberts. She is currently running Printmaking workshops for Sheffield Children's Festival and is an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and Thomas Rotherham college.

Lyn is available as a consultant and to deliver talks and demonstrations about her art practice.

Selected Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

(2010) Cuppola Gallery, May - June, 'Fish and Fowl'.

(2009) Wirksworth Festival

(2009) Solo Show - Open Up Sheffield, Bloc Studios.

Open Up exhibition 2009 - Bloc Studios, Sheffield

(2008) Solo Show - Open Up Sheffield, Sheffield Cathedral.

(2007) Wirksworth Arts Festival.

(2007) Solo Show - Open Up Sheffield, Hilton Hotel, Sheffield.

(2007) Solo Show - Francis Burrows Gallery, The Custard Factory Birmingham.

(2006) Solo Show - The Forge Gallery, North Yorkshire.

(2006) Solo Exhibition, Recent paintings - Cupola Gallery Sheffield.

(1998/2000) Solo Touring Exhibition - Shropshire Schools, Theatres and Arts Centres.

(1998) Solo Show, Paintings and Prints - shown in Manchester Airport.

(1997) Solo Show - Cupola Gallery Sheffield.

Group Exhibitions

(2007) Selected Artists - Cupola Gallery Sheffield.

(2007) Group Exhibition Mixed Disciplines - Hayfield Gallery Lincoln.

(2006) "Affordable Art Fair" - Inclusion in the Cupola Gallery exhibition at the London Arts Fair.

(1997/1999) Paula Rego and selected women printmakers - Leicester City Gallery Touring Exhibition.

(1997) "Strange Stories, Tall Tales" - The Crucible Theatre Sheffield.

(1997) "Strange Stories, Tall Tales" - Doncaster City Art Gallery.

(1995) Princes Youth Business Trust Art Competition/Exhibition - Royal Society of Art.

(1986) "City Life" - Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester.

Prizes

(1997) Painting Award Open Exhibition - Peterborough Museum / Art gallery.

(1995) First Prize (Painting category) - British Airways Art Award in conjunction with the Princes Trust held at The Royal Society of Arts London.

(1995) Painting Prize - Open Competition - Cupola Gallery.

(1994) First Prize - National Print Making Prize - Angel Row Gallery (Nottingham).

(1992) Painting Prize - National Westminster Bank Award - Manchester Academy Open.

(1989) Printmaking Award - Redfern Gallery, Cork Street, London.

Conferences

(2007) The Art House Conference and AGM, Leeds City Gallery. Guest Speaker.

(2007) 'Jobs Creative', Arts Education Conference, Sheffield City Hall. Exhibition and workshop Sessions.

(2005) Sheffield Arts Education Conference, St Mary's Conference Hall. Guest Speaker.

(2002) Sheffield Arts Education Conference, 'The Heart of Visual Arts' held at the Sheffield Centre for Popular Music. Guest Speaker.

(1997) Princes Youth Business Trust Event, NEC Birmingham. Exhibitor.

Teaching

Since October 2001, Lyn has been teaching AS/A-Level Fine Art at Thomas Rotherham College.

She is an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and has been involved in the delivery of induction workshops, introducing students to the Department's facilities and helping them to develop skills and ideas through the medium of printmaking.

Lyn also works freelance for Sheffield Galleries and Museums, running workshops alongside selected touring exhibitions. The workshops are based in the gallery's education facility, or on outreach.

In 2004-5 she worked with the Tate's William Blake collection. This resulted in:

  • An exhibition of student work at the Graves Art Gallery and at the Tate Britain.
  • 'Inspiration and Illustration', a film commissioned by the gallery and aired on the education channel and Showcomotion 2004 film festival Sheffield.
  • William Roberts Retrospective at the Graves Gallery.
  • "Urban Myth" Exhibition at The Millennium Gallery Sheffield.
  • "Create" a national initiative; to encourage 16-19's to independently use exhibitions as a starting point to creativity through a workshop environment.

Since 1995, she has regularly worked with Sheffield Children's Festival as a visiting artist, researching themes, planning, delivering painting and printmaking sessions for public exhibition of students work.

Lyn has gained extensive freelance experience working with many regional arts organisations devising residencies, delivering creative projects, providing evidence of assessment, giving lecturers about her own practice and teaching. These include Doncaster Arts (DARTS) working with homeless adults and arts training for staff. Rotherham and Sheffield Councils and health departments, The Art House Wakefield, Open Up Sheffield, Wirksworth Arts Festival, Creative Partnerships and Sheffield Arts Education.

Collections

Lyn has work represented in both private and public collections e.g. Doncaster Gallery, The Graves Gallery Sheffield and British Airways and undertakes a variety of painting commissions for private buyers.

Public Art

(2003/2005/2007) Three 4m x 3m banners for the Sheffield Town Hall.

(2001/2002/2007) Lamppost banners for the Peace Gardens Sheffield and City Centre.

(2001) Sheffield Children's Festival, Sheffield Central Library. Two, 9m x 2m painted, canvas banners. 2001. Sheffield Children's Fest.

(1999) Springfield School, Mural.

(1996) The Princes Business Art Awards led to British Airways commissioning a large painting for Heathrow Terminal.

(1994) Hunters Bar School, Mural.

Illustrations

(2001-2006) Sheffield Academic Press and Continuum Books London commissioned 5 cover images for a series of feminist theology research, plus other theological academic hardback publications.

(1997-2007) Cupola Gallery Sheffield, Various posters, flyers and promotional artwork.

(1997) Green Scene Magazine. Illustration work for front cover.

(1989) Crucible Theatre, Poster for 'The Little Mermaid.

Reviews and Comment

Various reviews and local newspaper articles for exhibition and residency work over the last 20 years including:

  • Guardian Newspaper, The Guide (Robert Clark, Nov 1997)
  • Various Metro reviews
  • Ian Souter and David Bockingford, Sheffield Telegraph
  • Stephen McClarence at the Yorkshire Post
  • The Sheffield Star
  • Northern Exposure
  • Art Scene
  • What's on Guides
  • Sheffield Gallery website and publications.
Radio

Guest on several occasions for BBC Sheffield Radio's, Rony Robinson Show, to talk about forthcoming exhibitions and ideas behind the work. I also have been invited to contribute thoughts on contemporary art issues in the newspaper reviews programme on BBC Radio Sheffield. She has been interviewed on several other arts programmes over the last ten years, discussing the Arts Council Loan Scheme, Open Up Sheffield and Sheffield Children's Festival.

Video/TV

(2004) William Blake - 'Inspiration and Illustration' by Gorilla Films. Commissioned by the Graves Gallery/Tate Britain, following my residency at Waltheoff Secondary School, Sheffield. It aired on the Education Channel and the Showcommotion documentary Film Festival Sheffield.

(2004) Inclusion and interview in the Arts Council film promoting the Loan Scheme Initiative.

(1998) Interview and discourse with audience input on the live contemporary arts and politics programme, Trial By Night' BBC Glasgow.