The sense of belonging to a particular landscape and community has always been present in my work. So far, I’ve lived at twenty-one different addresses, not including the separate list of places where my dad lived after my parents’ divorce. Transitioning between my parents’ houses for years left me with a keen ability to make a space my own. I also developed a distinct distaste for waiting, and a desire to stay put.
In each place I’ve lived, I’ve put down roots no matter how temporary the address.
When I was in kindergarten in Peterborough, each day we would go play outside, or if it was raining we played in the amazing red barn. Mrs. Brous had the barn set up in an oval, with a “track” for our tricycles and pogo sticks. In the center were cardboard houses, shops, and other structures, our own little community. I loved that barn and I loved kindergarten. I belonged there.
For six weeks each summer, I traveled to Ireland with my dad and my brother, to the house he bought for 6,000 dollars. I would pack my clothes, and enough stuff to “outfit” my room like a bowerbird--cassettes, art supplies, photos, an empty bottle of White Linen, which then was my mother’s perfume.
When I was 29, I inadvertently moved back home. I moved to a drafty house where it felt like I was heating a tent, but I had a roaring fire every night in my beautiful fireplace. I slept with a hat on in winter and couldn’t use the oven because of the mice, my studio was the sunny glassed-in front porch, and I had an outdoor shower, which I loved. Here I learned to garden with my mom, by making lots of mistakes, and was reminded of what life in a small town is like.
Throughout my career I’ve been creating private and public spaces within “galleries” that invite visitors to think about their own idea of home and the architecture or landscape associated with it. The work for this exhibit started with a simple writing assignment I completed in 2008 that listed all the addresses where I’ve lived. I started a taxonomy of images based on ten of the locations, which resulted in one hundred pieces of work. In these new pieces, I am exploring the abstracted memories, sounds, and smells of these places. I am considering landscape, the things we carry, the memories of the people at these addresses, and what I would bring with me if I had to leave my home suddenly.
I think often about the place I might live in the future.
Erin Sweeney
2024
OWNER/OPERATOR, Lovely in the Home Press, Peterborough, New Hampshire
2009-present
2021-present Art Education Coordinator and Assistant Professor of the Practice, Plymouth State University
EDUCATION
2009 MASTER OF FINE ARTS, Book Arts/Printmaking
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia
1994 BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS, Sculpture
Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine
RELATED STUDY
2023 SKETCHING FOR TEXTILES, Tansy Hargan
2019 DROP FORGE & TOOL, Hudson, New York
Make Your Own Garment with Cal Patch (February and September)
2018 NORTH COUNTRY STUDIO WORKSHOPS, Bennington College, Vermont
Paper Structures with Hedi Kyle (studio assistant)
2016 NORTH COUNTRY STUDIO WORKSHOPS, Bennington College, Vermont
Greek and Centipede Binding with Daniel Essig
2012 PAPER AND BOOK INTENSIVE, Ox-Bow School of Art, Saugatuck, Michigan
2007 NORTH COUNTRY STUDIO WORKSHOPS, Bennington College, Vermont
Concrete Sculpture with Lynn DiNino
2006 PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFTS, Penland, North Carolina
Altered Books with Aimee Joyaux
ART NEWENGLAND, Bennington College, Vermont
Low Tech Printmaking with Jim Cambronne
Book Arts: Merging Old with New with Valerie Carrigan
2005 ART NEWENGLAND, Bennington College, Vermont
Sculptural Boxed Memories with Stephanie Stigliano
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2021- ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE, ART ED COORDINATOR, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH
2019-20 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, New England College, Henniker and Manchester, New Hampshire
2018-19 CHAIR, Foundations, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire
2016- FACULTY, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire
2013-16 ADJUNCT FACULTY, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire
2013-14 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, Massachusetts
2014 BOOK ARTS INSTRUCTOR, North Bennett Street School, Boston, Massachusetts
2013 VISITING ARTIST, Pittsfield Elementary School, Pittsfield, New Hampshire
2012 VISITING ARTIST, Maine College of Art
2011 RESIDENT ARTIST, Rye Elementary School, Rye, New Hampshire
2011 RESIDENT ARTIST, Harold Martin and Maple Street Schools, Hopkinton, New Hampshire
2011 VISITING ARTIST, Green Meadow School, Maynard, Massachusetts
2011 VISITING ARTIST, Bath Village School, Bath, New Hampshire
2010 VISITING ARTIST, New Boston Central School, New Boston, New Hampshire
2010 VISITING ARTIST, Josiah Haynes School, Sudbury, Massachusetts
2010 VISITING ARTIST, Montserrat College, Beverly, Massachusetts
2010 DEMONSTRATOR, Southern Graphics Council Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2009 TEACHING ASSISTANT for Carol Barton and Jude Robison, Book Structures
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2008 TEACHING ASSISTANT for Marisha Simons, Letterpress Printing, Denise Carbone, Bookbinding Methods, Laurel Schwass- Drew, Screenprinting, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TEACHING ASSISTANT for Hedi Kyle, Book as Structure, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
2004- BOOK ARTS WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR, Lovely in The Home Press, Peterborough, New Hampshire
Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire
Philadelphia Center for the Book, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, Massachusetts
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Translations Gallery, Canton, Ohio
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, New Jersey
NH Art Educator’s Conferences, Franconia and Laconia, New Hampshire
Cló Ceardlann Na Gnoc, Donegal, Ireland
Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire
Stone House, USM’s Summer Book Arts Intensive, Freeport, Maine
Lawrence Academy, Groton, Massachusetts
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine
New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio
JustAJar Design Press, Marietta, Ohio
Pickwick Independent Press, Portland, Maine
Book Arts Guild, Burlington, Vermont
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
Drop Forge & Tool, Hudson, New York
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, Washington
Monson Arts, Monson, Maine
LECTURES AND TALKS
2011-2014 Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, Massachusetts
2012 Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine
2012 Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine
2013 Kate Cheney Chappell Center for the Book at University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine
2014 Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio
2015 Teti Library, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire
2016 Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
2017 NHIA's MFA Programs Pecha Kucha, Manchester, New Hampshire
2018 College Book Arts Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2019 Monson Arts, Monson, Maine
2020 Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine
2023 Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
THE PHILADELPHIA FREE LIBRARY, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ERIC KUNSMAN, Booksmart Studio, NY
BRIDWELL LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, Louisville, Kentucky
KATE CHENEY CHAPPELL '83 CENTER FOR THE BOOK, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine
TETI LIBRARY, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Invitational
2023 CUT IT OUT!, Twiggs Gallery, Boscawen, New Hampshire
2023 CHEF'S KISS, Kimball Jenkins Gallery, Concord, New Hampshire
2022 STITCHES IN TIME, Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, Rhode Island
2019 A NEW TERRAIN, Erin Sweeney, Lyceum Gallery, Derryfield School, Manchester, New Hampshire
2019 EXPLODING THE CODEX: BOOK ARTS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, Hill Memorial Library, Louisiana State University
2019 ART...A FAMILY AFFAIR, Depot Square Gallery, Peterborough, New Hampshire
2019 VARIATIONS OF THE ARTIST BOOK: Philadelphia Center for the Book Member Exhibition, City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2019 ON BOOKS, Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine
2018 FORTY-TWO HOMES, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hampshire
HOME AND AWAY, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hampshire
DOUBLE EXPOSURE, Joseph Paxton Gallery, Canton, Ohio
2017 CULTURE SHOCK, Jupiter Hall, Manchester, New Hampshire
GROWING UP GIRL, Roger Williams Gallery, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire
2016 LITTLE LEXICONS, Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
CONTEMPORARY BOOK ARTS: 100+ Works in the LLC, St. Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire
2015 ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATIONS: CELEBRATING THE STRUCTURES OF HEDI KYLE, The University of the Arts,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
IDEATION EXPERIENCE, Abecedarian Gallery, Denver, Colorado
STRUCTURES AND STORIES: CONTEMPORARY BOOK ARTS in the ArtMobile, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
BOUND, LOOPED, STITCHED AND PINNED, Carroll House Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire
MY CRUMMY VALENTINE, Translations Gallery, Canton, Ohio
MINIS ON MAIN, 30 Main Street, Peterborough, New Hampshire (co-curator)
2014 MINIS ON MAIN, 30 Main Street, Peterborough, New Hamphsire (co-curator)
RECENT AND PAST WORKS: ALUMNAE & TEACHING ASSISTANTS, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2013 ERIN SWEENEY: PRESERVATION, The Gallery at WREN, Bethlehem, New Hampshire
MINIS ON MAIN, 30 Main Street, Peterborough, New Hampshire (co-curator)
CON(TEXT), Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hamphsire
NATIVITY, Translations Gallery, Canton, Ohio
A SENSE OF PLACE, Kimball Jenkins Estate, Concord, New Hampshire
WANDERING MINDS, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hampshire
NARRATIVE THREADS, Abecedarian Gallery, Denver, Colorado
FASHIONABLE BOOKS, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine
PROCESS AND PLACE, Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine
2012 KATHY FEIGHERY AND ERIN SWEENEY: IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS, Isaac Dyer Galleries, Gorham, Maine
PRINTIVALE!, Translations Gallery, Canton, Ohio (guest curator)
PRINTIVALE!, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hampshire (guest curator)
READING, WRITING AND DEFINING: USM BOOK ARTS AT STONE HOUSE FACULTY EXHIBITION, USM,
Lewiston-Auburn, Maine
SMALL FAVORS, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ILSSA: EVERY DAY WORK, Hammes Gallery, St. Mary’s College, South Bend, Indiana
2011 MANNICON, Anderson Creative, Canton, Ohio
EXQUISITE CORPSE, Anderson Creative, Canton, Ohio
THE ART OF THE BOOK: SIXTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF HANDMADE AND ALTERED ARTIST’S BOOKS,
Donna Seager Gallery, San Rafael, California
HOME::RUMINATIONS ON PLACE(MENT), Anderson Creative, Canton, Ohio
2010 2D OR NOT 2D: ART INSPIRED BY POETRY, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hampshire
UNBOUND: A NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF BOOK ART, Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts,
Walnut Creek, California
THE ART OF THE BOOK: FIFTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF HANDMADE AND ALTERED ARTIST’S BOOKS,
Donna Seager Gallery, San Rafael, California
DEMOCRATIC MULTIPLES, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2009 HOME SWEET HOME, Off The Wall Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
THE ART OF THE BOOK: FOURTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF HANDMADE AND ALTERED ARTIST BOOKS,
Donna Seager Gallery, San Rafael, California
2008 EMERGING ARTISTS DECEMBER EXHIBITION, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
HOME AND RETREAT, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hampshire
FACULTY AND TEACHING ASSISTANTS’ WORK, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
THE ART OF THE BOOK: A COMPREHENSIVE EXHIBITION OF NEW ARTISTS,
Donna Seager Gallery, San Rafael, California
Juried
2019 TANGIBLE ASSETS, Kelley Stelling Contemporary, Manchester, New Hampshire
2018 UNBOUND VIII, ArtisTree Gallery, Woodstock, Vermont (Juror's Choice Award)
2017 BUILT, 23 Sandy Gallery, Portland, Oregon
2015 FLOCK 2015, Flock Gallery, Manchester, New Hampshire
SELF-PORTRAITS, Verge Gallery, Manchester, New Hampshire
ARTISTS' BOOK CORNUCOPIA VI, Abecedarian Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2014 UNBOUND, VOL. IV, ArtisTree Gallery, Woodstock, Vermont
79th REGIONAL EXHIBITION, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
2013 78th REGIONAL EXHIBITION, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
2012 ARTISTS’ BOOK CORNUCOPIA III, Abecedarian Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2011 BLIND DATE, Anderson Creative, Canton, Ohio
2010 INVENTIVE STRUCTURES: BOOKS BEYOND THE CODEX, Creative Arts Workshop, New Haven, Connecticut
GRANDE, Printmaking Council of New Jersey, Branchburg, New Jersey
2009 UP & COMING PRINTMAKERS, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, New Jersey
GREEN, Off The Wall Gallery, Dirty Frank’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2006 FIRST NATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION, UCSD Libraries, La Jolla, California
CHOOSE TO REUSE: BEAUTY IN BUILDING MATERIALS, JP ArtMarket, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
SMALL WORKS, 80 Washington Square East Galleries, New York Group
Group
2019 FRAMEWORKS, Unrequited Leisure, Nashville, Tennessee
2019 BITCH SALAD: 25 YEARS, Knitting Nook, Portland, Maine
2013 AL-MUTANABBI STREET STARTS HERE, Center for the Book, New York, New York
2012 PROJECT MYWAY, Launch Art, Peterborough, New Hampshire (co-curator)
2011 PROJECT MYWAY, Launch Art, Peterborough, New Hampshire (co-curator)
2009 M.F.A. THESIS EXHIBITION, Skybox Gallery, 2424 Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2008 THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, Topstitch, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ARE WE THERE YET?, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MISTAKES WERE MADE, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
THE GREAT MFA KIT EXCHANGE, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2007 BROADSIDE BATTLE, Space 1026, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
BOOK IN A WEEK, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2005 GRAND RE-OPENING, Front Room Gallery, South Portland, Maine
COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCES
2018 REALISTIC JONESES (set design), Peterborough, New Hampshire
2015 GOOD DIRT, Farms across Vermont and New Hampshire
2012 THE DESTINATION, Burlington City Arts, Burlington, Vermont
2011 Self-ADDRESSED, University of Vermont, Burlington
Self-ADDRESSED, Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire
2010 SIGNIFICANT OTHERS, AN EXPLORATION OF THE SOLO PIECE, Flynnspace, Burlington, Vermont
RESIDENCIES
2019 IN CAHOOTS, Petaluma, California
2018 AIR AIR, Atlanta, Georgia
NORTH MOUNTAIN, Shanghai, West Virginia
2017 DROP FORGE & TOOL, Hudson, New York
2016 DROP FORGE & TOOL, Hudson, New York
2011 MAINE COLLEGE OF ART’S PACE HOUSE RESIDENCY, Stonington, Maine
2011 CLÓ CEARDLANN NA GNOC, Donegal, Ireland
PRINT EXCHANGES
2017 NOISE, NHIA, Manchester, New Hampshire
2016 MIGRATION, Damsel in the Press, Missouri
2012 PRINTIVALE!, Peterborough, New Hampshire
2011 20:20, Hot Bed Press, Salford, England
2011 WEATHER PATTERNS, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2010 THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2009 THE ROBERT F. LOONEY PRINT EXCHANGE, The Philadelphia Free Library, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2008 COLORFUL CHARACTERS, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES/COMMUNITY SERVICE
2016- PLANNING COMMITTEE, North Country Studio Workshops, New Hampshire
2010-12 BOARD OF TRUSTEES, Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, New Hampshire
2007-14 BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, Peterborough, New Hampshire
2004-07 BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, Peterborough, New Hampshire
2004-07 BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Children In The Arts, Peterborough, New Hampshire
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Maine College of Art’s Alumni Council
Impractical Labor in the Service of the Speculative Arts: www.impractical-labor.org
State of New Hampshire Certified K-12 Art Educator, License Number: 53126
JURYING
2013 UNBOUND, VOL III, ArtistTree Gallery, Woodstock, Vermont
2020 EWING ART AWARDS, Keene Sentinel, Keene, New Hampshire
AWARDS
2021 NH ART EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION, Award for Outstanding Service in New Hampshire
2019 RUTH AND JAMES EWING AWARD, Excellence in the Arts, 3D Category, Keene, New Hampshire
2018 JUROR'S CHOICE AWARD, ArtisTree Gallery, Woodstock, Vermont
2012 BRIDWELL LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE PURCHASE AWARD, Louisville, Kentucky
2009 THE ELIZABETH C. ROBERTS PRIZE FOR GRADUATE BOOK ARTS, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2008 HARRY EABY/PICCARI PRESS SCHOLARSHIP, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2008 TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP SCHOLARSHIP, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
2007-09 GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2006-07 WORKSTUDY SCHOLARSHIPS, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
PUBLICATIONS
1,000 ARTISTS’ BOOKS by Sandra Salamony and Peter and Donna Thomas
THREAD LOVES PAPER by Emily Marks
500 HANDMADE BOOKS, VOLUME 2 by Lark Books
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WACHUNAS, TOM. "In Praise of Impracticality." Artwach. N.p., 4 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.
http://artwach.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-praise-of-impracticality.html
KREW, JUDI. "Are Spiders Deaf?." SnarkyArt. Ed. Judi Krew. N.p., 4 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.
http://snarkyart.blogspot.com/2011/02are-spiders-deaf.html
BEAN FOSTER, NANCY. "Home. It's Usually Where You Find It." New Hampshire Sunday News 7 Sep. 2008: E1. Print.
GENOCCHIO, BENJAMIN. "By Invitation Only." The New York Times 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 21 Aug. 2009.
