Beca Jennie Speirs
Jennie Speirs Grant is an Anglo/Scottish European artist, working prmarily in the UK and on selected international projects. My principal studio is in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England.
I trained initially in Drawing at Edinburgh College of Art, with Foundation Diploma completed in Art & Design York College of Arts & Technology. I have a first degree in Fine Art, specialising in Sculpture during the era of Polytechnic education, and an MA Fine Art also from the University of Northumbria. Later professional development in the glass studios at the National Glass Centre evolved into a further degree in Glass at the University of Sunderland,
My studio practice encompasses sculpture, cast glass, object making, installation, drawing, print and environmental works under the wider definition of Conceptual Materialism. This is approached from a workshop base, informed by material, theoretical and academic research, regular fieldwork and contextual residencies in non arts settings.
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I hold a PhD from the Unversity of Sunderland in the field of studio glass and contemporary drawing. This practice orientated work encompasses an evidenced taxonomy of drawing, pedagogical approaches to the teaching of drawing and the intersection of drawing to the field of sculptural studio glass practice.
ISeveral important awards in sculpture include The Fredericke Bushe Sculpture Bursary, an early career bursary from the Royal Society of Sculptors, and recent support from Arts Council England to develop new work in sculpture and printmaking. Research awards include AHRC academic funding, The National Glass Centre and the Robert R Mincoff Symposium award.
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