Claire Weetman is an artist who makes drawings, prints, installations and public interventions that visualise how we navigate through spaces, connect with others and observe the traces of things that are difficult to see.
Since 2005 Claire has developed projects where she lives in St Helens, including co-founding Platform Studios in 2012 that has led to her supporting and advocating for other artists practices in programmes such as Reside*; developing projects since 2016 with people from global communities; and working with local organisations to create works that add a new layer of space where people can connect with each other. This work manifests as objects (Many Uses of a Blanket), performances (What are you waiting for?) or documents (Walking Together/Walking Apart).
Residencies in Shanghai, Istanbul, Linz and Stuttgart between 2009-2018 provided time and space to develop her practice. Her work has been supported by The Bluecoat, Castlefield Gallery, Airspace Gallery, The Harris, METAL, Heart of Glass and Arts Council England.
Claire has recently collaborated with; Cultured, where she is working with schools on projects connected to kindness; St Helens Libraries Cultural Hubs, where she is the lead artist for Artists Together; Heart of Glass as producer of their Prototype Projects; Wonder Arts on their Dreams of Wonder programme in Sutton Manor; in Greater Manchester with Curious Minds and CAN as a mentor on the Pushing Boundaries Project; with Edsential and Chester Contemporary on their schools engagement programme.
| Selected Exhibitions |
| 2024 |
| Finding Solitude, online and St Helens |
| 2023 |
| We Reside* Here, St Helens The Art of Motherhood, Stretford Public Hall, Manchester (M)other is having a baby, Deansgate, Manchester |
| 2022 |
| Drawn In, Turnpike Gallery, Leigh |
| 2018 |
| Project Zei, Rathaus, Stuttgart (D) |
| Linienscharen, artist book project. Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart (D) |
| St Helens – Tokyo, artist book project. Launchpad gallery Yokohama (JP), & Paper Gallery, Manchester |
| Interval 2, Markmakers, Ordsall Hall, Salford |
| 2017 |
| Public View: The Bluecoat, Liverpool |
| Curiouser and Curiouser: Masham Gallery, Yorkshire |
| 2016 |
| Landscapes and Boundaries: The Brindley Arts Centre, Runcorn & The Gallery at St George’s House, Bolton |
| 2014 |
| Residual Projects: South Square Gallery, Yorkshire |
| A landscape of marginal encounters: Solo exhibition, The Brindley Arts centre, Runcorn |
| The Drawing Project: Castlefield Gallery, Manchester |
| Urmson-Burnett Photogram Open 2014: Urmson-Burnett Gallery, Salisbury and Silverprint, London |
| 2013 |
| The Vide at the Bluecoat, two installations: ‘A remarkable architecture of stairs” and “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here” |
| Art:Language:Location, Cambridge |
| small CHANGE, Airspace Gallery, Stoke on Trent, Curated by Sevie Tsampalla |
| Through: Process in art. Neo:Gallery 22, Bolton |
| I am awaiting the arrival of night: Gallery at Bank Quay House, Warrington |
| 2012 |
| dis)Orientation: an online exhibition of work made in Shanghai. claireweetman.co.uk/shanghaigallery.html |
| TRADING STATION: POST Liverpool, Artist initiated exchange with Istanbul – Curve Gallery, Liverpool. |
| Trace: Artists that explore the idea of an outline, an indication, a smidgen – Motorcade/Flashparade, Bristol |
| Animated Drawings: screening of works by emerging artists, Parasol Unit, London |
| Journeys: Artists critique the ways in which humankind is perpetually on the move – Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk. |
| 2011 |
| State of Perception: An experiment in artists exchange – METAL, Liverpool |
| Invisible City: Performance Interventions, Schiedam (NL) |
| 2010 |
| ‘Latitude’ – artist map making: Manchester Modernist Society |
| How much exchange can you stand?: Female artists from Linz and Liverpool, MAERZ, Linz (AT) |
| Global Studio: Examining global projects initiated by Liverpool Artists, The Bluecoat, Liverpool |
| 2009 |
| Next Up: Liverpool Art Now: 35 artists living and working in Liverpool, The Bluecoat, Liverpool |
| 2008 |
| Move: Albert Dock: Drawing, photography and installation, curated by Claire Weetman |
| Liverpool International Artists:Curated by Terry Duffy, Novas CUC, Liverpool Independents Biennial |
| Directions in Drawing:Artists who experiment with drawing in their practice, The Brindley, Runcorn |
| Six Artists from St Helens: Celebrating 60 years of town twinning, an exhibition at the Rathaus, Stuttgart (D) |
| 2007 |
| Prestival: A weekend of artist interventions across the city of Preston, Lancashire |
| Lines of Investigation: An exhibition of drawing and line at Albert Dock, Liverpool, curated by Claire Weetman |
| Journey, Movement and Place: Wolstenholme Projects, Liverpool |
| 2006 |
| Dyingfrog Presents…: Artists using performance to create their work, Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool |
| 2004 |
| Liverpool Open: Arena Gallery, Liverpool |
| 2003 |
| Flinch: Group show at Sevenseven Gallery, London |
| It Ain’t What You Do: A performance and video evening at 291 Gallery, Hackney, London |
| Residencies |
| 2023 |
| Wild Rumpus and (M)other Collective |
| 2018 |
| Project Zei, Yellow Door Artists at GEDOK Stuttgart (D) |
| 2014 |
| METAL Time and Space residency, Southend-on-sea (UK) |
| 2012 |
| METAL International residency Award: In partnership with Shanghai Fine Art University (CN) |
| TRADING STATION: Artist led residency in Istanbul (TR) |
| 2011 |
| AA2A (Artists access to art colleges) residency, Salford University |
| 2010 |
| Urban Interventions: Atelierhaus Salzamt, Linz (AT) |
| riPOSTe: Artist-led residency in Linz (AT) |
| Commissions & Public Interventions |
| 2023 |
| Dreams of Wonder, Outdoor communal drawing, Wonder Arts. (April 2023) |
| 2022 |
| Artist-led in St Helens: Creative Activity in Empty Shops. St Helens Council funded by ERDF Welcome Back fund. |
| 2021 |
| The Many Uses of a Blanket, Heart of Glass |
| 2020-2022 |
| Artists Together, Lead Artist. St Helens Libraries Cultural Hubs |
| 2020/2021 |
| Walking Together/Walking Apart, collaborative project with women from Refugee Women Connect, commissioned by Heart of Glass |
| 2018-2022 |
| Cultured, St Helens Cultural Education Partnership. Artist Educator |
| 2017/8 |
| What are you waiting for? Performative interventions in Runcorn, Stuttgart & St Helens, part-commissioned by Cultural Hubs St Helens Libraries. |
| 2016 |
| Prototype project, Maze of Displacement – Heart of Glass, St Helens (UK) |
| 2013 |
| Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival. Public realm intervention |
| 2012 |
| Watermark. An intervention on Barbaros Park, Istanbul (TR) |
| The Big Broughton Poem. Animation – Salford University Outreach Team (UK) |
| 2010 |
| Chatham Road (Eventually Everyone had moved), Animation – Art for Places, Liverpool Biennial (UK) |
| Passing, Watching, Waiting, Following II; interactive drawing – Arts council grants for the arts funded project |
| 2009 |
| Sculptural & Public Realm artworks – The Robins Children’s Centre, Huyton, Knowsley |
| Passing, Watching, Waiting, Following; interactive drawing – Attitudes in drawing, The Bluecoat, Liverpool |
| 2008 |
| Wilkommen im Rathaus, interactive drawing – Six artists from St Helens, Stuttgart (D) |
| Sandy Lane Nursery, Warrington – Artwork for nursery windows, developed with children and families |
| 2007 |
| Feeling a little up and down: Drawing Intervention in the lift of Manchester City Art Gallery |
| Awards |
| 2018 |
| Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts. A Maze of Displacement |
| 2016 |
| Liverpool-Ireland Cultural Corridor travel bursary |
| 2013 |
| A-N Re:View Bursary |
| 2012 |
| METAL International residency Award |
| Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts. POST, TRADING STATION exchange |
| 2011 |
| Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts. New work in Schiedam |
| Grundtvig Adult Education Training Bursary – Intergenerational Practice |
| Creative Arts Award (Professional Practice), St Helens Cultural Awards |
| 2010 |
| Austrian Cultural Forum bursary – POST Linz – Liverpool project |
| 2009 |
| Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts. POST Linz-Liverpool project |
| NAN Go and See Bursary |
| 2003 |
| Norman Moores Fellow – Liverpool John Moores University |
| Education and Training |
| 2003, BA(hons) Fine Art, (First Class), Liverpool John Moores University |
| 2016, The Faculty for socially engaged arts |
| 2020, Arts Award Discover and Explore |
| 2021, Introduction to Permaculture, Small Things Creative |
| 2021, Oral History Society training course |
| 2022, Trauma Awareness Training, Kazzum Arts |
| 2023, Neurodiversity Training, Starling CIO |