HELEN O’TOOLE

EDUCATION

1989    Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME
1989    Master of Fine Arts, Painting/Drawing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
1986    Bachelor of Arts, Painting/Drawing (1st class honors)
                                                            National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland
1985    National Diploma in Fine Arts, Painting/Printmaking (distinction)
                                                            Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025   Rupture, J. Rinehart Gallery, Seattle, WA (scheduled February)
2022   What Was: unmarked, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, WA
2014    Ground, The Hamilton Gallery, Sligo, Ireland
2013    Between the Rural and the Void, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
2008   Mór, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
2007   Beag, The Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland
2006 Dwellings, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
2002 Paintings, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
2000 Western Light, Woodland Art Gallery, Chatham College, Pittsburgh, PA
            Paintings, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
1999    Paintings, Sligo Art Gallery, Yeats Memorial Building, Sligo, Ireland
1994    Toher-Lumen, The Cultural Center, Chicago, IL

1992    New Paintings, Sazama Gallery, Chicago, IL
Fellowship Work, Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Fine Arts Work Center,
                   Provincetown, MA
1991     Paintings, Sazama Gallery, Chicago, IL

SELECT TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS

2013    Rebecca Cummins/Helen O’Toole, The Jacob Lawrence Gallery,
                            University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2010    Lorraine Wall/Helen O’Toole, The Claremorris Art Gallery, Ireland
2009 Helen O’Leary/Helen O’Toole, Beverly Art Center, Chicago, IL
1988    Natalie Clark/Helen O’Toole, Gallery 2, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL

SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023   Everyone We Know is Here, The Hudson D. Walker Gallery,
                 The Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA
            Mostra Corale Da Cajeta a Circe, Choral Art Exhibition from Cajeta to Circe
            Pinacoteca Comunale, “Antonio Sapone” di Gaeta, Italy
2022   Passages: 8 Women Painters, Stedman Gallery,
                 Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts, NJ
2019    Unforseen Thereness, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
            A Contemporary Irish Art Exhibition, Embassy of Ireland, Berlin, Germany
2017    Crazy Jane, The Hamilton Gallery, Sligo, Ireland
2016    Contemporary Northwest Art Awards, Portland Art Museum, OR
2015    Impressions and Portraits of WB Yeats The Hamilton Gallery, Sligo, Ireland
2012    Amid a space Between: Irish Artists in America, SFMOMA Gallery,
                        San Francisco, CA
2011     Inside the Collection, Institute of Contemporary Art, Singapore
2009 Gathering Image, Fugitive Form, The Kittredge Gallery,
                  University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
2005 The 2005 Neddy Artist Fellowship, Washington State
                  Convention and Trade Centre, Seattle, WA
            Ten Years of Excellence, Neddy Nominees, Tacoma Art Museum, WA
2003   Dreams, Sligo Art Gallery, Yeats Memorial Building Sligo, Ireland
2001    Ann Gale, Louise St. Pierre, Helen O’Toole, Jacob Lawrence Gallery,
                  University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2000 Mirabilia Artis, University of Washington Summer Arts Festival, Meany Hall,
               Seattle, WA
1999    From Here to the Horizon: Artists of the Rural Landscape
1998    Paul Harcharik, Helen O’Toole, Jill Sabella, Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA
1995    Living Landscape ’95, West Cork Arts Center, Skibbereen, Ireland
            Fine Arts Faculty Exhibition, La Salle Gallery, Singapore
1993    Emerging Chicago Abstraction, Rockford Museum of Art, Rockford, IL
1991     Contemporary Fine Arts Invitational, Augustana College Gallery, Rock Island, IL
1990    The Chicago Show, The Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
Springboard, Selected Graduates of Ireland's Art Colleges, 1985-1988
                                    Irish Life Exhibition Center, Dublin, Ireland
1989    Surrounding Abstraction, Five Painters from Chicago, Armstrong Gallery,
                     Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA

SELECT AWARDS AND HONORS

2024   Floyd and Jones Endowed Chair in the Arts (three-year term)
                        University of Washington, WA
2022   Kreielsheimer Research Grant, University of Washington, WA
2021    Wyckoff Milliman Endowment Fund, University of Washington, WA
2016    John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, New York, NY
            Contemporary Northwest Art Awards, Portland Art Museum, OR
2013    Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship, Pollock-Krasner Foundation, New York, NY
Jack and Grace Pruzan Endowed Faculty Fellowship (2013-2015)
                                    University of Washington, WA
2009 Jack and Grace Pruzan Endowed Faculty Fellowship (2009-2012)
                                    University of Washington, WA
            Junior Faculty Development Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
                                                                        University of Washington, WA
1999    Graduate School Award, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
            Junior Faculty Development Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1992 The Bemis Foundation Residency (1992-1993 The Bemis Foundation, Omaha, NE
1992    The Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency
            The Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan, Ireland
1991     FAWC, Kenneth Stubbs Fellowship (1991-1992)
                        Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA
1991     Community Arts Assistance Program Grant, Chicago Office of Fine Arts, Chicago, IL
1989    Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Fellowship
                                    Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, ME
            The Art Council of Ireland Travel Award, Dublin, Ireland

ARTIST RESIDENCIES

1992    The Bemis Center (1992-1993)
            The Bemis Foundation, Omaha, NE
1992    The Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig
                                    The Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan, Ireland
1991     FAWC, Kenneth Stubbs Fellowship (1991-1992)
                                    Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA

COLLECTIONS

Portland Art Museum, OR
Capital One, Richmond, VA
Swedish Hospital, Seattle, WA
Mc Kinsey &CO., Chicago, IL
Amdahl Corporation, Hinsdale, IL
Tuthill Corporation, Hinsdale, IL
National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland
Regional Technical College Sligo, Ireland

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

2022   Bryant, Elizabeth. Gail Grinnell, Helen O’Toole, Tom Gormally. Review.
                        Art Access. May
2019    Lennon, Joseph, Weathered Together
                        Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, May 3-June 29 (catalog)
2016    Laing-Malcolmson, Bonnie, Contemporary Northwest Art Awards
                        The Portland Art Museum (catalog)
2013    Pollman, Lisa. Oil Paintings Uncover Ancient Connections and Mysteries
                        The Seattle Vine. February
            Rumold, Danila. Beyond The Void. Contemplative Process. February
2012    Bigman, Alexander. Irish Art in America: ‘Amid a Space Between’ at SFMOMA Artists Gallery.
            ZYZZYVA, April
            Rumold, Danila. Amid a Space Between.
            Contemplative Process. March
2009 Davidson, Dave R. A quartet of evocatively murky painters muddy the
                  wall of Kittredge Gallery. Tacoma Weekly. November
2006 Hackett, Regina. Review, Seattle Post Intelligencer. March 17
1999    Ó Cuív, Ruairí. A few thoughts provoked by painting.
            Sligo Art Gallery Exhibition brochure. August
1995    McQuaid, Sali. Atmospheric. Review. Artist Writer. February
            Ewart, Mark. Living Landscape. Review, Irish Times, August
1994    Artner, Alan G. Two more Chicago painters are guided by the light. Review.
                                    Chicago Tribune. December 2
1992    Teevan, Colin. New Paintings. Sazama Gallery Exhibition Brochure. September
            Yood, James. Chicago. Helen O’Toole. Sazama Gallery. Review Art Forum. December
1991     Hixon, Kathryn. Chicago in Review. Arts Magazine, June
            McCracken, David. Gallery Scene. Review. Chicago Tribune, April 5
1990    Fallon, Brian. “Springboard” of Irish Life. Review. The Irish Times, February 8
1988    Anderson, Tonnia L. Review. Gallery News, SAIC, November
            Lautman, Victoria. Artistic License. National Public Radio. November
1987    Dunne, Aidan. Irish Women Artists, From the Eighteenth Century to the Present Day. P69
1986    Fallon, Brian. GPA Awards Exhibition. Review, Irish Times. October
            Dunne, Aidan. Art Student Vision and the Restorer’s Art. Irish Times. June

VISITING ARTIST AND LECTURES

2023               La Salle College of the Arts, Singapore University, Singapore
2022               Two Artist Museum Talks, San Juan Islands Art Museum, WA
2021                Artist talk, Massachusetts College of Art, MA
2016                Artist Talk, Portland Art Museum, OR
2014                “What Makes its Presence Known”, panel -
                       Josephine Halvorson and Emily Gherard , Puget Sound University, Tacoma, WA
2013                Promotion Lecture, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, WA
Conversations with Painters, artist talk and discussion on “The Sublime”
             with Gary Carpenter, Helen O’Toole Workshop, Olympia, WA
                        Artist Talk, Visiting Artist, Puget Sound University, Tacoma, WA
2012                Artist Talk, Conversations with Painters, Jordan Wolfson Workshop, Olympia, WA
                        Artist Gallery Talk, SFMOMA Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2009              Artist Conversation, Kittredge Art Gallery, University of Puget Sound, WA
2007               Visiting Artist, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK
                        Artist Talk, Errew National School, Co. Mayo, Ireland
2000              Artist Talk, Chatham College, Pittsburgh, PA
1998               Columbia Basin College, Pasco, WA
1996                Artist Talk, Faculty Lecture Series, School of Art, University of Washington, WA
1995                Malaysian Institute of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2014 -present            Professor, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2002 - 2014               Associate Professor, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1996 - 2002               Assistant Professor, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1993 - 1995                Full-time lecturer, LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore
1999/2004/2024       University of Washington Rome Program in Art and Art History