Bernie Joyce

BIOGRAPHY Bernie Joyce

Born in Reading, Bernie Joyce moved from the United Kingdom to Ireland as a small child. Once she finished her secondary education, she emigrated to London. In 1998 she enrolled at Southwark College and achieved a diploma in fine art. Bernie returned to Connemara with her husband and two children in 2002. She has continued her education at GTI and is currently a part-time contemporary art student at ATU.

Employed occasionally by GRETB and Forbairt Chonamara Láir, she teaches various workshops for community groups. Bernie’s first solo exhibition was during Pléaraca’s Festival in 2006. In recent years she has participated in and curated numerous group exhibitions and art collectives in Connemara. In 2016 with her travelling exhibition Pearse’s Footprints, she exhibited at schools, day centres and Irish colleges around Connemara, reaching an audience of 3,000 people and participating at Féile Phobail, Belfast. Her book that accompanied the exhibition is for sale at Pearse’s Cultural Center in Ros Muc, and her paintings are on show in its interactive exhibit. In 2020 Bernie was awarded an Arts Bursary from Éalaín na Gaeltachta. During the lockdown, Bernie opened a virtual exhibition Pathways, which featured on many global websites, including the Discover Ireland website and was part of the Oulu Irish Festival in Finland.