On The Verge submission - clerval78

Bridget Conn earned a BFA in Studio Art from Tulane University in 2000. Her continued exploration into visual art earned her an MFA from the University of Georgia in 2003, focusing in photography, mixed media and installation. During those years she managed to travel to England, Russia, Mexico, Italy, and Ghana. Having received a Master’s degree, she promptly moved to Australia to travel and pick fruit. She returned in 2004 and participated in six group and solo shows in this year, including “Gathering” at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, GA alongside outsider-artist Thornton Dial.

In 2005 Bridget moved to the small town of Swainsboro, GA, in order to work towards creating an artist community with the Stillmoreroots Group, an artist collective based in the idea of bringing art opportunities to underserved communities. In three and a half years she taught Art at East Georgia College, worked closely with the Emanuel Arts Council to create workshops, festivals and summer camps, taught after-school classes at the local middle school, and served as the web designer and exhibition preparator at Gallery RFD. In 2008, Stillmoreroots’ efforts were recognized by an article in Southern Living Magazine.

Since 2003, Bridget has taught Photography and Foundations at five colleges/universities in the state of Georgia, and has participated in over 60 shows, ten of which have been solo. These have ranged from the Southeast into the Midwest, as well as Italy, Hungary and South Korea. She has been a resident at Elsewhere Artist Collaborative in Greensboro, NC, and the Hungarian Multicultural Center in Budapest.

In August of 2009, Bridget relocated to Asheville, NC in order to focus on her artwork and graphic/web design skills. She hopes to be able to teach classes and hold workshops at BookWorks and at the Phil Mechanic Public Darkroom later this winter and spring. She continues to exhibit widely, with six solo or two-person shows in 2010 from Virginia and North Carolina to Utah and Arizona. Her work is available at Atelier 24 Lexington in downtown Asheville and at www.countingbirds.net.