Sarah-Joy Ford
Artist & Independent Scholar
sarah_joy_ford@hotmail.co.uk
Education
2018 - 2023 PhD Art and Design | Manchester School of Art
2020 Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
2017-2018 MA Textile Practice | Manchester School of Art, Distinction
2016-2017 The School of the Dammed |Year of the Monkey
2013-2014 Printmaking | The Hungarian University of Fine Art
2011-2015 BA Hons (Int) Fine Art | The University of Leeds, First Class
Solo and Duo Exhibitions
2023 [Forthcoming] RABBIT | Bury Art Gallery and Sculpture Center
2023 [Forthcoming] HARE | Bobinska Brownlee Gallery, London
2022 Quilting the Lesbian Archive | See Through Gallery, Manchester
2022 Looking for Lesbians | One Archives Gallery, West Hollywood, Los Angeles
2022 Beloved: crafting intimacies with the Ladies of Llangollen, Plas Newydd Historic House and Gardens
2021 Oranges are not the only fruit, Accrington Library, British Textile Biennale
2021 Archives and Amazons: a quilter’s guide to the lesbian archive | HOME, Manchester
2021 Log Cabin | Digital Exhibition in Collaboration with Jordan Taylor, Commissioned by Superbia
2018 Hard Craft | Vane Gallery, Newcastle
2018 Queen | COLLAR, Manchester
Commissions
2023 Embroidering Heritage Oral Histories | Elizabeth Gaskel House [Double Helix History Project, University of Manchester]
2023 The Fabric of Science and Technology [Site Specific Textile Installation] | BASE: Manchester Science Park, Bruntwood Sci Tech
2022 A Tall Order [Quilt] | Touchstones Rochdale
2022 Queering the Whitworth [Manifesto Banner Quilt] | The Whitworth Manchester
2021 A Terrible Accident [Memorial Quilt] | Islington Mill Heritage Project
2021 Pandemic Diary | [Digital Project], Decorating Dissidence
2019 Log Cabin | [Digital Project] Superbia, Manchester
2019 Beyond the Binary [Quilt] | Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
2016 Yorkshire Year of the Textiles [Installation]| Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery, University of Leeds
Selected Community Co-Design & Collaborative Workshops
2023 Lesbian Textiles Traditions | Tate Modern
2023 LGBTQ Banner Making | Story House, Chester
2022 Feminist Banner Making with the Bronte Sisters | The Bronte Parsonage Museum
2022 Collaborative Banner Commission: Targeted Youth Support LGBT+ Group Banner Barnsley Civic
2022 Ladies of Llangollen: crafting identity workshop, Plas Newydd & St Collens Churches
2022 LGBTQ Mini Banner Making Workshop Series, The Whitworth, Manchester
2022 Aberrations LGBTQ Mini Banner Making Workshop, Aberystwyth Arts Center
2021 Oral History Pennants Workshop | Metro Woolwich Equality Community Hub & Bijou Stories
2019 Collaborative Banner Commission: Women’s March Banner Making, Loughborough Arts.
2019 Workshop: There is no place like home, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
2019 Workshop: Lesbian History Miniature Banners, L Fest
2018 Collaborative Banner Commission: Processions: 100 years of suffrage [Banner] Artichoke Productions
2018 Collaborative Banner Commission: Rebel Girls Banner, Art School for Rebel Girls. Pavilion, Leeds
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 A Tall Order | Touchstones, Rochdale
2023 (Un) Defining Queer | The Whitworth, Manchester
2022 Archives at Play | Castlefield Gallery
2022 Queer Lives and Art: Radical Textiles | The Woodland Pavillion, London
2021 Rebel Dykes | Golden Thread Gallery, Outburst Festival, Belfast
2021 Change Everything | Depot, London
2021 Proximity | Abingdon Project space, Blackpool
2021 Rebel Dykes Art and Archive Exhibition, Space Station Sixty Five, London
2021 Janome Fine Art Textiles Award Finalists Exhibition | The International Festival of Quilts & Knit and Stitch Show London / Harrogate
2021 Women Making History, Scottish House in London
2021 Beyond the Binary | The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
2020 Manchester Open Exhibition | HOME, Manchester
2019 Proximity | Paradise Works, Manchester
2019 Weave it | Sour Space, London
2019 This way up | The Wrong Biennale
2019 Banner Culture | The British Textile Biennale, Brierfield Mill
2018 Strange Perfume | South London Gallery
2017 Weaving Europe | Shelly House, Paphos, Cyprus
2017 Superyonic | Copeland Gallery, London
2017 Wish you were here, Stryx Gallery, Birmingham
2017 100% Absolutely Genuine Certified Degree Show | The Royal Standard, Liverpool & Set Space, London
2016 Lives, Love and Loss: Traces | Fenton House National Trust, London
2016The etiquette required for keeping still is similar to playing dead| Stanley Audrey Burton Gallery, Leeds
2016 Ebc006 Exhibition | East Bristol Contemporary Gallery, Bristol
2016 SNAKE/HORSE/GOAT/MONKEY | Guest Projects, London
Grants and Awards
2022 Develop Your Creative Practice Grant | Arts Council England
2022 Emerging Artist Award | Cheshire Life Magazine, Cheshire Art Fair
2022 PhD Partner Placement Funding & Residency | NWCTDP, AHRC [ONE Archives, USC]
2022 PhD Partner Placement Funding & Residency | NWCTDP, AHRC [Plas Newydd]
2021 Short List | Janome Fine Art Textile Award, The Quilt Festival
2020 Artist Bursary | Curator Space
2020 Greater Manchester LGBTQ artist programme Project Funding | Superbia
2020 Cohort Development Fund | NWCTDP, AHRC [Queer Research Network]
2019 Explore and Develop Award | HOME, Manchester
2019 Cohort Development Fund | NWCTDP, AHRC [Proximity]
2019 PAHC Student Initiatives Fund | [Queer Research Network]
2018 National Lottery Project Grant | Arts Council England (Hard Craft)
2018 Full PhD Scholarship: North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership Award| AHRC
2017 National Lottery Project Grant | Arts Council England (Cut Cloth: contemporary textiles and feminism)
2015 Artist development award | Yorkshire Visual Arts Network
2015 Berkofsky Arts Award | Leeds University
2014 Santander Research Award | Study abroad research awards, Leeds University
2014 Leeds for Life Foundation Grant | Leeds University Union
Selected Curatorial Projects
2017 Cut Cloth: Contemporary Textiles and Feminism | The Portico Library, Manchester
2015 Paste | Public poster exhibition, Leeds
2015 The Guild | Temple Works, Leeds
2014 Pretty Vacant | Contemporary Architecture Institute, Budapest
2015 Leeds Inspired Funded Project: Paste | Public poster exhibition, Leeds
Residencies
2023 Practice / Writing Proximity Residency | Bloc Projects Meanwhile space, Sheffield
2022 Artist in Residence | ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries
2022 Artist in Residence | Plas Newydd Historic House and Gardens, Llangollen
2021 The Coast is Queer Artist Residency | UKNA & Abingdon Studios
2020 Image Maker in Residence | The Sociological Review
2019 Proximity Residency | Paradise Works, Manchester
2019 Proximity Residency | Islington Mill, Manchester
2018 Artist in Residence | Strange Perfume, Chetham’s Library, Manchester
2016 SOTD Group Residency | New Bridge Gallery and Studios, New Castle
2016 SOTD Group Residency | Hotel Elephant, Leeds
2013 Summer Artist Residency | Larnaca College of Art, Cyprus
2011 Young Artists In Tuscany Residential | Contemporary Arts Space Chester, Italy
Permeant Collections
The Whitworth, Manchester
The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
The ONE Archives, Los Angles
The V&A [Artist Book collection], London
The Bishopsgate Institute, [Rebel Dykes Collection] London
Selected Lectures, Talks and Conference Papers
2023 Dreaming up the past | Aberystwyth Arts Center
2023 Beloved & Chase of the Wild Goose | Bookbag, Exeter
2022 Guest Artist Talk | Artist Union England
2021 Gust Lecturer: Textiles in Sculpture Workshop | The University of Leeds
2021 Guest Artist Lecture | Blackpool School of the Arts
2021 Chair | A Not Un Ruffled Surface: Contemporary Sculpture and Dress, Henry Moore Institute
2020 Textiles for our futures (co-authored with Alice Kettle & Mary Stark) | Textile for Future International Conference, Academy of Arts Kaunus
2020 The Lesbian Quilt Manifesto | Global New Voices, Association for Art History’s DECR
2020 Rebel Dykes and Arrow Heads: quilting in the Pitt Pivers museum | Textile Society of America’s 17th Biennial Symposium
2019 Queering Quilting | Queering Memory ALMS Conference, Berlin
2019 Queering Suffrage | Lesbian Lives Conference, University of Brighton
2018 Queer Quilts: Toward an exhibitionist domesticity |Textiles and Place Conference, MMU
2018 Quilting the Archive: Patch working Lesbian Lives | Life on the Outskirts Conference, MMU
2016 Visiting Artist Talk | SEIZE PROJECTS, Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds
2016 Panel Member | Education: finding an alternative, Art Licks Festival, London
2016 Panel Member | Dark Matter Symposium, The Royal Standard, Liverpool
2016 Panel Member | Uncovering the Marshalls, The University of Leeds
2016 Panel Member | Anti University Summit, Guest Projects, London
2014 Guest Speaker | Contemporary Architecture Institute, Budapest
Employment, Boards, Directorships
2023 Editorial Board | Journal of Lesbian Studies, Taylor & Francis
2021-2022 Associate Lecturer | Body Sexuality and Culture Unit, Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University
2020 Committee Member | Equality and Representation, The Portico Library, Manchester
2019-2021 Associate Lecturer | Contextualizing Practice Units, Manchester School of Art
2019 to present Harts online Editorial Assistant, Post Graduate Arts and Humanities, MMU
2018 to present Member | Proximity: practice led research collective
2018 to present Co-director | Queer Research Network Manchester
2013 - 2018 present Co-director, Seize Projects, Leeds
2014 – 2015 Gallery Assistant | &Model Gallery, Leeds
Publications
2021 In the Mud: Lesbian Trauma and the Reparative Quilt in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society, Palgrave
2021 Queering Suffrage: Embroidering the Lesbian Life of Vera Holme, MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture, Special Issue on Craft
2020 Practice-Based: Quilting the Lesbian Archive, Decorating Dissidence, Special Issue on Queer Craft
2017 Cut Cloth: contemporary textiles and feminism | PO Publishing, Leeds (Editor)