helen gerritzen
  • Home
  • News
    • News MAIN PAGE
  • Portfolio
    • Portfolio MAIN PAGE
    • diseases peculiar to women
    • trachea and the hero and other such stories...
    • from the enclousure series and other paintings
    • untruths and other portfolio prints
    • ffi
    • Dissection of the principal organs and arterial system of a woman (verso), 1998 to 2014
    • Ana Mendieta--where are you?
    • digital print/encaustic works
    • drawings and books
  • About
    • Biography
    • Artist Statement
    • CV
    • Reviews
  • Contact

return to Biography



BORN
Manitoba, Canada. Currently lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta.

EDUCATION
1999     Master of Fine Arts (Printmaking), University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
1997     Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2016     censor,
Nicole Longnecker Gallery, Houston, TX, USA
2013     Survey 1999-2013, Avis Frank Gallery, Houston, TX, USA
2007     trachea and the hero, and other such stories..., Open Studio, Toronto, ON, Canada
2006     trachea and the hero, and other such stories…, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton, AB, Canada
2001     exhibition of small prints, New Leaf Editions, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2001     untruths: an exhibition of prints and paintings, Keyano College Art Gallery, Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
2000     untruths: an exhibition of prints and paintings, Harcourt House, Edmonton, AB, Canada
1999     ffi MFA Exhibition, Fine Arts Building Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

PUBLIC ART COMMISSION
2023-24 SUPERTRAIN, temporary public art project with Kyla Fischer created through an initiative led by SNAP (Society of Northern Alberta Print-artists),  
             Edmonton Arts Council and Pattison Outdoor Advertising. Included two month residency at SNAP.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022    SNAP 40th Anniversary Portfolio exhibition and fund raiser, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2021    Artists in the Fallow, Part II, 5 Floors of Art/Installation/Performance at Brighton Block, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 
2019    Printed Matter,
works by the faculty, staff and graduate students from the Department of Art & Design/Printmaking at the University of Alberta
            Galeria Kobro | Kobro Gallery, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych im. Władysława Strzemińskiego w Łodzi, The Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts Łódź
2019    Open Books – Chinese Folding Books and Works on Paper Exhibition, Art Central Gallery, Town Hall, King Square, Barry, Wales
2018    Brains and Breasts: Omitted Anatomies: Helen Gerritzen and Mariléne Oliver, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2016    International Print Exhibition: Canada and Japan, 2016, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Japan, and University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
2017    PrintAustin Invitational, LInk & Pin, Austin, TX USA.
2016    Open Books, exhibition of books by invited artists from U.K., China and Canada, National Library and Archives, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (upcoming
            September to November)
2016    International Print Exhibition: Canada and Japan, 2016, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto, Japan (upcoming October)
2016    Rock, Paper…  Keyano Art Gallery, Keyano College, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
2015    Brain Storms: UAlberta Creates, Enterprise Square Galleries, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2015    From Time to Time, portfolio honouring Professor Emeritus Walter Jule, Fine Arts Building Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2015    Connections: Edmonton & Houston, An international exchange of art prints between the Society of North Alberta Print-Artists and PrintMatters,  
            Houston, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX, USA (traveling to Edmonton in 2016)
2015    ART Houston: May the Rainbow Always Touch Your Shoulder, with artists Ricky Armendariz, and Meredith Jack, Nicole Longnecker Gallery,            
            Houston, TX, USA
2015    Connections: Edmonton & Houston An international exchange of art prints between the Society of North Alberta Print-Artists and PrintMatters
            (Houston), Galveston Art Center, Galveston, TX, USA
2015    IMPRESSIONS 2015  PrintMatters membership exhibition, curated, The West Loop Gallery of Houston Community College Southwest, Houston,
            TX, USA
2015    “Ink + Print, A PrintAustin Invitational" Curated by Annalise Gratovich, Link and Pin Gallery, Austin, TX, USA2015

2014    PRINTHOUSTON: NEXT 2014  Juried by Yizhak Elyashiv, Rhode Island School of Design, Nicole Longnecker Gallery, Houston, Texas, USA

2014    THE RULE OF LAW AND THE RIGHT TO BE HUMAN, Curated by Thalia Vrachopoulos and Bill Pangburn, Director, Andrew and Anya Gallery
            (New York), Athens School of Fine Arts, Nikos Kessanlis Exhibition Venue, Athens, Greece

2013    IMPRESSIONS: PrintMatters Members’ Exhibition, Washington Printmakers Gallery, Washington, DC, USA
2012    Expressing the Social Conscience: Art Prints and Human Rights, curated by Thalia Vrachopoulos and Bill Pangburn, John Jay College, New York,   
            NY, USA
2012    IMPRESSIONS 2012: PrintMatters Members’ Exhibition, The Museum of Printing History, Houston, Texas, USA
2012    Houston PrintMatters Invitational, DesignWorks Gallery, Galveston, TX, USA (curated)
2012    What’s in Store, UNIT at Gallery Sonja Roesch, Houston, TX, USA
2012    SNAP: thirty artists celebrate 30 years, Art League of Houston, TX, USA
2012    Luck of the Draw 2012, Diverseworks Art Space, Houston, TX, USA
2012    Steamrolled II: Wonderland, Gallery M Squared, Houston, TX, USA
2010    Gambol. Juried Member's Exhibition , Art League of Houston, Houston, TX, USA (Juror Miranda Lash, Curator of Contemporary and Modern Art, 
             Museum of Art in New Orleans)
2009     Synergies 2009: Prints from the University of Alberta, Osmanhamdi Bey Gallery, Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul, Turkey
2008     edmonton prints, SNAP/Red Strap Market, Edmonton, AB, Canada 
2008     Agave, University of Alberta Centenary Portfolio, Fine Arts Building (FAB) Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
2007     Illinois State University Printmaking Faculty: Five Decades and Border Crossings: an International Portfolio Exchange, University Galleries, 
             Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
2005     Recent Work (two-person), Malaspina Printmakers Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2005     Collaborative Print Exhibition between Silpakorn University, Tama Art University and the
             University of Alberta, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand / Tama Art University Tokyo, Japan, 2006
2005     4th Novosibirsk International Biennial of Contemporary Graphic Art, Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Krasny Prospect, Novosibirsk, Russia
2005     Synergies: Prints from the University of Alberta, Westfalische Gallerie, Kloster Bentlage, Rheine, Germany
2005     Re:search Visions: Department of Art & Design staff exhibition, Fine Arts Building (FAB) Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
2004     Quintessence (five person), Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
2004     How to Become a Mirror, Juried SNAP members show, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton
2003     Lines of Site 2003, Sherman Gallery, Boston University College of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
2003     Sixieme Triennale Mondiale D’Estampes Petit Format in Chamalieres, Auvergne, France            
2003     Interconnection - Japan & Alberta, Gallery San Chun, Calgary, AB, Canada
2003     Junge Kunst Im Fokus, Waldhof Museum, Bielefelder Kunstverein, Bielefeld, Germany
2003     SNAP member exhibition, Print Arts Northwest, Portland, OR, USA
2003     Sojourn: An Exhibition of Members’ Works from SNAP, Malaspina Printmakers Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2002     2nd Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition (BIMPE), Vancouver, BC, Canada (award)
2002     1st LUC Print Biennial, juried national print competition, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA (first prize)
2002     Surface & Mettle, an exhibition of prints pertaining to vernacular culture, Fine Arts Building (FAB) Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, 
             Canada
2001     Faculty Biennial and New Faculty Exhibition, University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
2001     Third Biennial of Engraving in Ile-de-France, Versailles, France
2001     standing room only juried members’ show, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton and Keyano Art Gallery, Keyano College, Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
1999     Lines of Site: Ideas, Forms and Materialities, curated exhibition of printworks from the division of printmaking, Department of Art & Design, 
             University of Alberta
            - Gulbenkian Galleries, Royal College of Art, London, UK (March-April, 1999)
            - Musashino Art University Galleries, Tokyo, Japan (May-June, 1999)
            - Alberta College of Art, Calgary, AB, Canada (December, 1999)
            - FAB Gallery, Edmonton, AB, Canada (May-June, 2000)
            - Old Town Hall Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic (October, 2000)
1997     Alberta Print Artists, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton, AB, Canada
1996     SNAP Members Exhibition, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton, AB, Canada
             Centred – In, SNAP Members Exhibition at the Works Visual Arts Festival, Edmonton, AB, Canada
1995     How Does It Smell?  3rd Annual Members Exhibit, Latitude 53 Gallery, Edmonton, AB, Canada
1995     Posters as prints, prints as posters, Fringe Gallery, Edmonton, AB, Canada

EXHIBITIONS CURATED AND/OR CHAIRED
2012     Co-Chair, PRINTHOUSTON: NEXT, A national biennial of Contemporary Print, 4411 Special Events Gallery, Houston, TX, USA
2008     re-drawing the line: Works from the University of Alberta Graduate Studios (co-curator) Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton (catalogue)
2007     Visual Thinking: The Practice of Drawing from the Graduate Studios at the University of Alberta (co-curator) Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton  
2005     Here and Now: Current Drawings, drawings from graduate students in the Department of Art & Design (co-curator), Art Gallery of Alberta

 
PUBLIC LECTURES
2024     Confluence presented by Art & Life Foundation, Yorath House, Edmonton; presentation on SUPERTRAIN Project with Kyla Fischer
2018     Artist talk, in conjunction with Brains and Breasts: Omitted Anatomies: Helen Gerritzen and Mariléne Oliver, SNAP Gallery, Edmonton 
2016     University of Houston Clear Lake, Department of Art & Design; public lecture on current research
2015     University of Calgary, Department of Art, Nickle Gallery Theatre; public lecture on current research
2005     The Power of Representation: Drawing as a Contemporary Artistic Practice. Part of a lecture series presented by the Art Gallery of Alberta,  
             Edmonton in conjunction with the exhibit, French Drawings from the National Gallery. 
2001     Keyano College, Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Fort McMurray, Alberta. Lecture on current research. 


SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
            National Library of Wales, U.K.
            Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Krasny Prospect, Novosibirsk, Russia
            University of North Texas, USA
            Gallery San Chun, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
            Normal Editions Workshop, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
            The Print Study Center, University of Alberta, Canada
            Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists, Edmonton, Alberta

COMMISSIONS/PRINT PORTFOLIOS
2022     SNAP 40th Anniversary Portfolio
2015    
Connections: Edmonton & Houston, international exchange of art prints between the Society of North Alberta Print-Artists and PrintMatters
2014     From Time to Time, portfolio honouring Professor Emeritus Walter Jule
2013     Burning Bones Press Cooperative Portfolio
2012     Portfolio: A Tribute to James D. Butler
2012     SNAP 30th Anniversary Portfolio
2007     Agave University of Alberta Centenary Portfolio
             Border Crossings: an International Portfolio Exchange
2006     Student/Faculty Portfolio Exchange between the University of North Texas and University of Alberta
2003     Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP) Newsletter Artist
2000     SNAP Millennium Portfolio

SELECTED AWARDS/GRANTS/NOMINATIONS
2016     
Edmonton Arts Council Travel Grant
2010     2010 Faculty of Arts Contract Instructor Teaching Award, University of Alberta
2006     University of Alberta Celebration of Teaching, Teaching Unit Award (Printmaking)       
2006     Faculty of Arts Awards 2006, University of Alberta, Unit Teaching Award (Printmaking)
2002     First prize, 1st LUC Print Biennial, Loyola University, Chicago, IL
             Honourable mention, 2nd Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition, Vancouver
2004     Nomination to Jury, Ernst & Young Great Canadian Printmaking Competition
1998     KPMG Graduate Award for Excellence in Printmaking, Edmonton, AB, Canada
1997     University of Alberta Master of Fine Arts Scholarship

EXHIBITION CATALOGUES/PUBLICATIONS
2014    PRINTHOUSTON: NEXT 2014 
2014    THE RULE OF LAW AND THE RIGHT TO BE HUMAN
2011    Publication of works in Harvard Review, Number 39 (Fall/Winter)
2007    trachea and the hero, and other such stories… Open Studio Gallery, commissioned essay by Gilbert Bouchard
2005    nb.4 Novosibirsk Graphic Art Biennial, Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Russia, 75
2004    Quintessence, Nanaimo Art Gallery
2003    Sixieme Triennale Mondiale D’Estampes Petit Format in Chamalier
            Junge Kunst im Focus, Museum Waldhof, Bielefeld, Germany
            Lines of Site 2003 Confluent Visual Cultures at the University of Alberta, 27
            SNAPline, Fall 2003, essay on newsletter print by Anne Whitelaw
2001    Troisieme Biennale de la Gravure d’Ile de France
1999    Lines of Site: Ideas, Forms and Materialities, 91-93
1997    International Printmaking Cooperatives Symposium, article Alberta Print Artists
            MCMXLVII University of Alberta Art & Design Graduation Catalogue

EXHIBITION CATALOGUES EDITED   
2009     Synergies 2009: Prints from the University of Alberta, published by the Department of Art & Design, University of Alberta
2008     edmonton prints, published by SNAP
2008     re-drawing the line  Works from the University of Alberta Graduate Studios, published by the Department of Art & Design, University of Alberta

REVIEWS/PREVIEWS OF EXHIBITIONS
2006    Agnieszka Matejko, preview in Vue Weekly, August 31 - September 6, “Gerritzen branches out with trachea and the hero”
            Mary Christa O’Keefe, article in See, August 31-September 6, “Heroic measures: Helen Gerritzen explores the transformation impulse at SNAP”
            cbc radio One, Radio Active, August 30, segment on trachea and the hero... with host Peter Brown and visual arts and culture reporter, Gilbert 
            Bouchard (recorded in gallery)
            Gilbert Bouchard, preview in Edmonton Journal, August 25, “Recreating mythical stories on canvas”
            Mary Joyce, preview of SNAP solo exhibition in Galleries West magazine, Summer, 34
2004    Jennifer Lannan, review in The Nanaimo Navigator, Volume 35/Issue 14, March 31, “Quintessence redefined”
            Mia Johnson, Preview - The Gallery Guide, preview of Quintessence exhibition
2002    Gilbert Bouchard, Edmonton Journal, August 23 preview of Surface & Mettle, “finding the elegant in the everyday”
2001    Fort McMurray Today, February 27 article “True Story: untruths on display
            Maureen Fenniak, Vue Weekly, Jan 4-10 issue, “Guns bad, Jesus Good: 2000’s best visual art was free from millennium hype”
2000    Maureen Fenniak, review in Vue Weekly, July 13-July 19 issue, “Helen Gerritzen fabricates some untruths”
            Edmonton Journal, July 4 article “The Works: Here’s a short list of must-see work”
            Gilbert Bouchard, article in Edmonton Journal, July 2, “Playing Hooky at the Works: an artistic tour”
            Pheobe Dey, University of Alberta Folio, February 4, review “Artists at Work” for exhibition 113 Degrees West: In the Cross Hairs
1999    the scene, CBC TV News, coverage of MFA exhibition ffi

REVIEWS OF CURATORIAL WORK
2008    Mary Christa O’Keefe, Vue Weekly, January 17-23,review of curated exhibition re-drawing the line
2007    Mary Christa O’Keefe, Vue Weekly, February 15-21,review of curated exhibition Visual Thinking
            Paul Blinov, The Gateway, volume XCVII number 31,review of Visual Thinking
            Zoltan Varadi, Folio, February 2, review of Visual Thinking
            Amy Fung, See, review of review of Visual Thinking
2005    Gilbert Bouchard, Edmonton Journal, November 20, article “Back to the Drawing Board”
            Edmonton Journal, November 11, preview of Here and Now exhibition

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2015-2020  Academic Teaching Staff, Printmaking, Department of Art & Design, University of Alberta

2016           Instructor, Drawing, Printmaking and 3D Design, Winter Term, Visual Art & Design, Keyano College, Fort McMurray, Alberta
2012           Instructor, Printmaking, Glassell School of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
2011-12      Board Member, PrintMatters, Houston
2005-2010  Coordinator of Drawing Division, Department of Art & Design, University of Alberta
1999-2010  Contract Academic, Printmaking and Drawing, Department of Art & Design, University of Alberta
2001-02      Instructional Assistant Professor, Intaglio Printmaking, School of Art, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
2000-04      Board Member, Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP), Edmonton

return to Biography