Graduating from BA (hons) Embroidery (MMU) in 2004, Helen continued to develop her interest in the material culture of craft studying MA Designer Maker (UAL) which she completed in 2012.

Helen was the 2013-14 artist in residence with Visual Arts in Rural Communities (VARC) and has lived in the North East ever since. In 2018 following on from her experience in community-based project management, she became Project Director of the Charity.

In 2019 Helen completed an AHRC funded, practice-based PhD from UoS (based at National Glass Centre) entitled ‘Recrafting Waste Using a Stitch-Based Methodology: A Collaboration Between Makers and Matter’. She has work in private and public collections including The V&A and National Glass Centre.

Awards/Residencies/Publications
01.2022 NGC Glass Prize Bursary, National Glass Centre, Sunderland
06.2021 V&A Museum acquisition of Recrafting Waste artwork for public collection
06.2021 NGC acquisition of Recrafting Waste artwork for public collection
05.2017 Stitched, New Glass Review 38, The Corning Museum of Glass
09.2016 Crazy Paving: Masterclass with Richard Wentworth, North Lands Creative Glass
03.2016 Reflections: glass water, art, science. Residency, The Haining, Selkirk
10.2015 AHRC funded Postgraduate Research Studentship
08.2015 Royal British Society of Sculptors Bursary Award
08.2015 Arts Council Grant Glass Stitch Knitting & Stitching Show
2013/14 Artist in Residence Visual Arts in Rural Communities
09.2012 UAL China Summer School Residency, Beijing
05.2007 MacDonald Egan Award Bursary, Deptford X, London

Selected Group Shows
03.2023 Brooches, Collect Open, Collect, Somerset House, London 09.2022 NGC Glass Prize, Helen Pailing & Cath Forsyth, National Glass Centre 06.2021 Re-Purpose, National Glass Centre, Sunderland
09.2019 Loud and Clear, New Brewery Arts, Cirencester
09.2019 Coastal Contaminations, The Bridge Gallery, Tynemouth
09.2019 Cluster, ArtHouses, Whitley Bay
04.2018 Loud and Clear, The Harley Gallery, Welbeck
05.2018 m2 (at) 15, A.P.T Gallery, London
09.2017 Materiality, Holy Island, Northumberland
09.2017 British Glass Biennale 2017, Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge
04.2017 Thoughtful Planet, The Thought Foundation, Birtley
03.2017 Materiality, The Gymnasium Gallery, Berwick Upon Tweed
04.2016 Reflections, The Haining, Selkirk
04.2016 #workshopassemblage, Knitting & Stitching Show, Edinburgh
04.2016 IN View, Highgreen, Tarset
03.2016 RBS Bursary Award Exhibition, Royal British Society of Sculptors, London
11.2015 VARC in the CITY, Abject Gallery, Breeze Creatives, Newcastle upon Tyne
09.2015 Glass Stitch, Knitting & Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, London
06.2015 Fresh Air Sculpture, The Quenington Sculpture Trust, Cirencester
09.2012 MA Final Show, Camberwell College of Arts, London
04.2012 Work in Progress Show, Hotel Elephant, London
02.2012 The Sense of Order, LBi, London
07.2011 Eleven, Lee Song Gallery, 798 Art District, Beijing, China
06.2008 OMSK, Cable Street Studios, London
12.2007 The Curse of Me, Truman Brewery, London
09.2007 Deptford X Festival, London
05.2006 Ivory Street installation, Craft Queensland, Brisbane
06.2005 Radical Embroidery, The Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane

Solo shows/Other
01.2023 Rare Bird, The RePUBlic Gallery, Blyth 05.2018 Sunderland Glass Heap Challenge, Roker Pier and Lighthouse, Sunderland
07.2017 Adorn Chandelier, Atrium, National Glass Centre
07.2017 Recrafting Waste, Research Gallery, National Glass Centre
09.2015 Playing with Process, The Gallery, Gateshead Library
01.2015 Line, Space, Gravity & Encounter, The SHED Gallery, Haltwhistle
10.2014 Object a Day Window Collection, NCCD, Sleaford
09.2014 warp: A year as artist in residency, The Queen’s Hall, Hexham
08.2014 warp, End of VARC residency show, Highgreen, Tarset
07.2013 The Force of Things, The Other Gallery, London
01.2010 Defunct, m2 gallery, London

Talks
09.2019 Invited Speaker, Making Futures, Plymouth College of Art
01.2018 Course Leader, Recrafting Glass, The Creative Dimension Trust
02.2016 Guest Speaker, The University of Sunderland
02.2016 Guest Speaker, Thinking Through Making Week, Newcastle University
10.2014 Guest Lecturer MA Designer Maker, UAL, London
03.2014 Guest Speaker, Friends of the Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
01.2014 Guest Lecturer & Tutor Contemporary Crafts Practice, Sussex Coast College

Education
2016 – 2019 University of Sunderland, AHRC funded PhD Glass & Ceramics
2010 – 2012 University of the Arts London MA Designer Maker
2001 – 2004 Manchester Metropolitan University BA Hons Embroidery