Katherine Russell earned her BFA from the Alberta College of Art as a Glass Major and went on to further her training in Black Diamond, then Perth, Australia for several years. Internationally, she has exhibited, attended glass conferences and taken master glass courses. Katherine has been awarded many grants and awards including those from the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Columbia Basin Trust.
Katherine currently lives in Elkford BC where she has a kiln studio and coldshop. She teaches art projects in schools and offers workshops from her studio, which is open by appointment to view the gallery space. Katherine blows glass out of a studio in Calgary, AB. Both her blown and kiln-formed work can be found in galleries across Western Canada and can be recognized by its bright colours and whimsical nature.
CV:
EDUCATION
2006 Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, AB, Canada
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with Distinction, Major in Glass
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 “Hot & Cold: Glass Art in Three Parts” Fernie Museum, Fernie, BC
2019 “Memories Are Malleable” Craft Council of BC Gallery, Granville Island
2019 “Memories Are Malleable” Revelstoke Art Gallery, Revelstoke, BC
2014 “Along These Lines” Fernie Arts Station, Fernie, BC
2013 “Held” Fish Creek ELC, Calgary, AB
2009 “Head Space”, Glass Manifesto Gallery, Perth, Australia
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 “Wonderstruck” H2 Gallery, Fernie, BC
2024 “Noctalgia: Guided by Stars We Can No Longer See” Elevation, Canmore, AB
2024 “New Perspectives: Landscapes of the Kootenays” Cranbrook Art Gallery, BC
2023 “Ornament & Crime” Alberta Craft Gallery, Edmonton, AB
2020 “Personal and Material Geographies” Vancouver, BC
2020 “Exhibit Eh” Glass Art Association of Canada, Online Exhibition
2018 “Landmarks” Centre 64, Kimberley, BC
2018 “Process: Thinking Through” Alberta Craft Gallery, Edmonton, AB
2018 “Accord” Passion for Glass, Calgary, AB
2017 “Landmarks” Alberta Craft Gallery, Edmonton, AB
2014 “Formative” Leighton Arts Centre, AB
2014 “Coming Up Next” Alberta Craft Council, Edmonton, AB
2012 “Elemental” Elkford Conference Centre, Elkford, BC
2011 “Kaleidoscope” Ausglass Conference, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2010 “Round Trip” Calgary, AB
2010 “Touch of Glass” Old Bakery on 8th Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia
2009 “Furnace”, Deloraine, TAS, Australia
2009 “30th Anniversary Exhibition”, Ausglass Conference, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2008 “Australian Glass Artists Exhibition”, Katanning, WA, Australia
2008 “Open Slather”, Ausglass Conference, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2007 “The Works Art and Design Festival”, Edmonton, AB
2007 “Lucent: A Survey of Contemporary Canadian Glass”, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary
2007 “Coming Up Next”, Nextfest, Alberta Craft Council, Edmonton, AB
2006 “National Glass Graduate Exhibition”, Material Matters, Toronto, ON
2006 “Member’s Exhibition”, GAAC, Red Deer, AB
2006 “Graduating Exhibition”, ACAD, Calgary, AB
PUBLIC ARTWORKS
2019 “Pass In The Clouds” Community Conference Centre, Elkford BC
2017 “Canada 150” Visitor’s Centre, Sparwood BC
2017 “Becoming Grizzlies” Rocky Mountain Elementary School, Elkford BC
AWARDS/ GRANTS/ SCHOLARSHIPS
2023 Project Grant, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
2022 Arts Across Canada Grant, Canada Council for the Arts
2018 Travel Grant, Canada Council for the Arts
2017 Major Project Grant, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
2016 Project Grant, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
2014 Project Grant, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
2012 Project Grant, Canada Council for the Arts
2012 Project Grant, Calgary Arts Development 2012
2007 Arts Award for Career Development, Alberta Scholarship Programs
2006 Visual Arts Project Grant, Alberta Foundation for the Arts
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2025 Artist in the Classroom, Rocky Mountain Elementary School, Elkford BC
2014-2021 Board Member of the Elkford Arts Council (various roles)
2021 Artist in the Classroom, Sparwood Secondary, Artstarts in Schools
2017-2019 Board Member of the Glass Art Association of Canada: Director
2016-present Instructor for the Elkford Arts Council
2015-2016 Art Instructor for the District of Elkford
2016 Artstarts, Rocky Mountain Elementary, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
2015 Artist in the Classroom, Elkford Secondary, Artstarts in Schools
2015 Artstarts, Rocky Mountain Elementary, Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance
2013 Panel Discussion: “Life as a Practicing Artist” abrACADabra, Calgary AB
2013 Exhibition Coordinator for Month of Glass 2013
2011 Glassblowing Instructor, ACAD Extended Studies, Calgary, AB
2010 Curator “Round Trip” Calgary, AB
2007-2011 Full time Studio Assistant for Peter Bowles & Anne Clifton, Glass Manifesto, Perth, WA, Australia
2007 Member of “Poleturners Union”, Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, USA
2006-2007 Exhibition Coordinator for “Lucent”, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary, AB
2006-2007 Full time Studio Assistant for Julia Reimer and Tyler Rock, Black Diamond, AB
2005 Teacher Assistant for Tyler Rock, Foundation Glass Class, Calgary, AB
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2025 “Confluence: A Shared Path” Canadian Glass Conference, Whitehorse, YT
2017 “Re:Do Canadian Glass Conference” Oakville, ON
2014 Nathan Sandberg’s workshop: “Vitrigraph Murrini” Portland, OR, USA
2013 “abrACADabra Symposium” ACAD, Calgary, AB
2011 “Peripheral Vision: Australian Glass Conference”, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2010 Katherine Grey’s glassblowing workshop, Jam Factory, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2009 “Glass Roots: Australian Glass Conference”, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2008 “Open House: Australian Glass Conference”, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2006 “Intermediate Glassblowing” with Pamina Traylor and Eddie Bernard, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning NY, USA
2006 “Looking Within, Reaching Out: Canadian Hot Glass Conference”, Red Deer, Canada
2006 “An In-depth Introduction to Venetian Techniques” with William Gudenrath, Calgary
