Maria Cooper Exhibition
Maria Cooper: Colour, Print and Motion. Exhibition Preview event at the Dead Dog Gallery.
Staff, students and the public thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition preview of ‘Colour, Print and Motion’ by Maria Cooper at the Dead Dog Gallery. Maria Cooper is a printed textile artist and designer based in County Durham. A graduate of both the Royal College of Art and the Northern School of Art, her practice is deeply rooted in the materiality of textiles, handcrafted processes and the expressive potential of colour.
Through the interplay of line, form, and colour, Maria distills the movement and expression of dance by elongating and abstracting the dancers’ forms capturing both the elegance and inherent awkwardness of bodily motion. Her work conveys instinctive gestures—expressions of feeling and sound—using colour to evoke the joy of dance and movement.
Maria has worked with Durham Sixth Form Centre over the past academic year and this is her first solo exhibition. She has contributed hugely to the experiences of the Visual Arts department by delivering workshops to students about her industry experience, career path and her current studio practice. Year 12 Fashion and Textiles, Year 12 Graphic Design and Foundation have been taught how to use Adobe Illustrator with Maria’s guidance and shown samples of her work.
She has also delivered practical community class workshops including screenprinting, and has recently taken part in the Primary school Programme, which has involved teaching 200+ children skills based on her own exhibition.
Speaking to Maria about her experience at Durham Sixth Form Centre, one of the best parts for her was “being in amongst the students and the community here, as well as the Durham Sixth Form Centre staff. I also now have the confidence to show my textile works as an art form in themselves, especially after being given the opportunity to fill the entire Dead Dog Gallery with my art”.
The exhibition is open in the Dead Dog Gallery Thursdays and Fridays 10 – 4pm and runs until July 18th.
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