ABOUT | Sarah Bracken Soper

Sarah Bracken Soper is an artist, designer, activist and educator based in Dublin. She creates work using digital illustration, embroidery, linoprint, zines, ceramics, animation, street art and interactive sculpture. Her work has been highly commended by the National Gallery of Ireland and she holds a masters degree in art and design education from the National College of Art and Design. She comes from a background in artistic event management. Sarah is passionate about women’s rights, Irish identity, climate action and animal rights. "I believe that creation of art is an essential process in our understanding of the world and a crucial tool for change and recovery."

In 2022 Bracken was commissioned by Crumlin Creative Climate Action, to project manage, design and install a large scale mural on Seagull House flats in Crumlin, inspired by a community workshop she conducted with local children about the climate crisis, the project was funded by Creative Ireland. In 2018 and 2020 her embroidered portraits were selected for exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland, as part of the Zurich Portrait Prize. Her piece "Trailblazer" a portrait of activist Ailbhe Smyth was Highly Commended in 2020. In 2021 her design was shortlisted in An Post's Saorstat Eireann Stamp Design Competition, the printed design was sold to Business to Arts. Sarah has produced and exhibited stop motion animations for The Ark, children's art centre and was commissioned to complete a new animation for Light Up Dún Laoghaire by DLR Arts Office and Creative Ireland in 2021. The finished animation was projected on the LexIcon Library and Cultural Centre. Her animation "So Low" won Best Animated Short at L-Dub Film Festival in Florida, USA in 2019. Her project Letterbox Dublin, an interactive street art project was featured on Sky Atlantic show Urban Secrets and in several publications. Several of Sarah's projects involve activism and fundraising for charities such as DRCC, Together For Yes, Saoirse Women's Refuge, Women's Aid, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and WWF.

She has years of experience as an educator, sharing her passion for art and design with people of all ages and backgrounds, at third level, post-primary & primary school, with community groups and children with additional learning needs.

During college Sarah ran Rosie's Rags, a small business selling embroidery kits to craft lovers around the world. She sold kits to 26 countries worldwide and racked up over 1000 sales before wrapping up to spend more time on other projects. During that time Sarah regularly wrote embroidery tutorials for UK's Sew Magazine and US magazine Craft Ideas.

Sarah has been publishing zines and artist books since 2006 under the name Baby BEEF and has exhibited her work at publishing events locally and internationally. Her zines and artist books are archived in the National Irish Visual Arts Library in the National College of Art and Design.

In 2011 Sarah founded the Dublin Zine Fair, an annual event that aimed to support, promote and celebrate independent DIY publishing. The fair ran successfully for 5 years.

Sarah works as a full time professional artist from her studio in her creative and colourful home in Crumlin, that she shares with her husband musician, producer and songwriter Wayne Soper (Midnight Wayne/The Hot Sprockets), their son Beau James, daughter Phoebe Violet and cat Pepper.

SELECTED CLIENTS

Dublin City Council, National Gallery of Ireland, Creative Ireland, The Ark, Science Gallery Dublin, Wicklow County Council, South Dublin County Council, Facebook, Irish Film Institute, Electric Picnic Music & Arts Festival, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Business to Arts

CV & EXHIBITIONS

Education

Professional Masters in Art and Design Education at the National College of Art & Design (NCAD), 2015-2017
Diploma in Online Marketing and Digital Strategy, from Dublin Business School, Distinction (DBS), 2013
Level 5 Certificate in Bookkeeping Manual and Computerized, 2013
2:1 Honours Degree in Fine Art from the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), 2005-2009
Fetac Level 2 Certificate. 7 Distinctions & 3 Merits in Art, Design and Mixed Media from (BCFE), 2004-2005

Awards

"The Weight" Climate Action Mural accepted into the 100 Archive 2022 (100Archive.com)
"The Weight" large scale mural, commissioned by Crumlin Creative Climate Action, funded by Creative Ireland 2022
Commissioned by DLR Arts Office & Creative Ireland to create an animation for Light Up Dún Laoghaire 2021
Highly Commended in the Zurich Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland, 2020
Best Animated Short, L-Dub Film Festival, Florida, USA, 2019
Shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland, 2018
Commissioned by The Ark to make stop motion animation 'Spectrum' 2015
The Lorna Brett Jordan Annual Memorial Bursary in Printmaking, 2009

Teaching | Lectures | Workshops | Talks

Graphic Design Lecturer at Dublin Design Institute 2017-2023
Children's Community Workshop as part of Crumlin Creative Climate Action 2022
Masterclass for National Gallery of Ireland 2021
Art Teacher at Le Chéile Secondary School 2017-2018
Development Education Artist Talk to Professional Masters of Education Students at NCAD
Workshop Facilitator for NCAD Access Day 2017
Artist facilitator for Irish Film Institute (IFI) mural project with 12 young adults, 2016
Student teacher at St Mac Dara's Community College, 2016-2017
Special Educational Needs (SEN) project at St Josephs School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 2016
Arts and Crafts Teacher at Centre of English Studies (CES), Summer 2016
Book binding and zine making workshop at Dublin Zine Fair 2011-2015
Student teacher at Castleknock Community College, 2015-2016
Craft workshops with staff at Facebook HQ, 2016
Kids zine-making workshop for Irish Film Institute’s Family Fest, Dublin, 2016
Artist talk at Science Gallery Dublin, 2015
Embroidery workshop with Image Magazine, 2015
Artist talk on artistic entrepreneurship at Champlain College, Leeson St, Dublin, 2015
Lecture & zine workshop at Limerick International Publishers Salon, Ormston House, 2014
Artist talk at the Laydeez Do Comics meeting, 2013
Black Church Print Studio Outreach Programme: teaching print workshops at Griffith Barracks Multi-denominational School, 2011

Event Management & Curation

Founder and Organiser of the Dublin Zine Fair -annual independent publishing fair 2011-2015
Venue & Events Coordinator and Curator at Centre for Creative Practices, May 2013 - February 2015
Artistic Director and Curator at Ranelagh Arts Centre and Festival 2011-2012
Publications Intern at Visual Artists Ireland 2011

Exhibitions

2022-23 "The Weight" large scale mural at Seagull House Flats for Crumlin Creative Climate Action and Creative Ireland
2022 to present Phil Lynott "Old Town" garden mural, Crumlin, Dublin 12
2021 Light Up Dún Laoghaire -Stop motion animation projected on the LexIcon Library and Cultural Centre
2021 Sculpture In Context, National Botanic Gardens of Ireland
2020/2021 Zurich Portrait Prize, the National Gallery of Ireland & Crawford Gallery, Cork
2020 Christy Brown Mural, Crumlin, Dublin
2019 HALFTONE: Print Fair, The Library Project, Temple Bar, Dublin
2019 "So Low" Animation, L-Dub, Film Festival, Florida, USA
2018 Zurich Portrait Prize, the National Gallery of Ireland
2018 Canzine Festival by Broken Pencil, Canadian Tour
2017 & 2016 Dublin Canvas Project, Dublin City Council
2017 Art Auction in Aid of Rape Crisis Centre, Dublin
2016 "Spectrum" Animation, Art Trail, The Ark, Dublin
2016 1916 Sackville Project, Botanic Gardens, Dublin
2016 Threshold Animation screened at Capital Irish Film Festival, Washington DC, USA
2016 Trauma Exhibition at Science Gallery Dublin. Project Bandage -Commemoration of 1916 Battlegrounds
2016 I curated & organised an exhibition of my students 1916 commemorative work in Cabra Library, Dublin
2016 Visev Festival de Cultura Urbana, Portugal
2015 Letterbox Dublin exhibition at "Dark Secrets" event, Science Gallery Dublin
2015 Dublin Zine Fair, The Chocolate Factory, Dublin
2015 Dublin Art Book Fair, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin
2015 Letterbox Dublin Billboard Street Exhibition
2015 Letterbox Dublin "Dublin Confessions" Exhibition as part of CFCP's New Voices Series at Dublin Design Institute
2015 Threshold Animation screened as part of Disrupting Realities Exhibition at Spectrum Art Centre, Belfast
2015 "Spectrum" & "Threshold" Animation Installations shown in "Once Upon a Picture" Exhibition at The Ark, childrens art centre, Temple Bar, Dublin
2014 Dublin Zine Fair, Centre for Creative Practices, Dublin
2014 Dublin Art Book Fair, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, Dublin
2014 Limerick International Publishers Salon, Ormston House, Limerick
2014 Zine! Zine! Roos Art, New York
2014 Public Zine Library Tour, Cardiff Contemporary, Wales
2014 Public Zine Library Tour, Wise Words Festival, Canterbury, England
2014 The Public Zine Library at Interrobang, Free Word Centre, Clerkenwell, London
2014 Intercultural Winter Arts Fair, Centre for Creative Practices, Dublin
2014 "Threshold" Stop Motion Animation, Trailer Park Area, Electric Picnic Music & Arts Festival, Co Laois
2014 Love Letters Exhibition, Centre for Creative Practices, Dublin
2014 Whitstable Biennale, Kent, UK
2013 Dublin Zine Fair, The Exchange, Temple Bar, Dublin
2012 Mural Painting in The Grand Social music venue, Dublin
2012 "Birdbox Village" Installation for the Body and Soul Area, Electric Picnic Music and Arts Festival
2012 Letterbox Dublin Exhibition, Supafast Building, Dublin. Filmed by TwoFour for Sky Atlantic HD television show "City Secrets", hosted by Alan Cummings
2012 Dublin Zine Fair, Supafast Building, Dublin
2012 “Knockanstockan Mailbox” project, Knockanstockan Music and Arts Festival
2012 "Love Lomo" Lomography Photography Exhibition, Ranelagh Arts Centre, Dublin
2012 Fermanagh District Council: Easter Small Works Exhibition at The Higher Bridges Gallery, Enniskillen, Fermanagh
2012/2011 Dublin Art Book Fair, Temple Bar Gallery and Studio, Dublin
2011 Ranelagh Arts Winter Salon, Ranelagh Arts Centre, Dublin
2011 Sculpture In Context, Botanic Gardens, Dublin
2011 Berlin Zine Fest, Werkstatt der Kulturen, Berlin, Germany
2011 “The Mary Wishing Tree” installation. Body and Soul Area at Electric Picnic, Stradbally, Co.Laois
2011 Dublin Zine Fair, Ranelagh Arts Centre, Dublin
2011 Ranelagh Arts Summer Salon, Ranelagh Arts Centre, Dublin
2011 "Something About Mary" Exhibition, Ranelagh Arts Centre, Dublin
2011 Crafty Market, Shebeen Chic, Dublin
2011 & 2010 My Letterbox Dublin project was featured in Designing Dublin’s map 100 exciting things you didn’t know about the city centre. It was exhibited in Filmbase, Temple Bar in November 2010 and in Dublin City Council’s Atrium at the Civic Offices in January 2011
2011/2010 Dublin Flea Market, Newmarket Square, Dublin
2010 “Daydream” Projected Weekends, The Digital Hub, Dublin. Projected on the Walting Street wall of Bank of Ireland
2010 “Black Books” book fair as part of the “Out to Lunch” Arts Festival, Belfast
2010/2009 “Independents Day” fair, The Food Co-op. Newmarket, Dublin
2010/2009 “Summer Edition” independent publishing fair, Filmbase, Dublin
2010/2009 “London Zine Symposium”, The Rag Factory, London.
2009 Graduate Show, Dublin Institute of Technology, Portland Row, Dublin
2009 “Transmission Part 4”, Broadcast Gallery, Portland Row, Dublin
2008 “Interim”, Broadstone Gallery, Dublin, curated by Mark Garry
2007 “8<20” , The Backloft Gallery, Dublin, curated by Linda Mc Quinlan and Mark Garry
2005 Graduate Show, Ballyfermot College of Further Education, Dublin