Dawn Cole

Kent-based artist Dawn Cole works primarily as a printmaker using numerous techniques that utilise personal archives and national collections to explore themes of recollection, memory and memorial. Dawn founded the Pushing Print Festival in Margate and was the first Artist-in-Residence in Canterbury Cathedral 1500 year history. The V&A 2011 Print Prize winner, Dawn has received several Arts Council England awards.

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Dawn's main body of work has centred on the archive of her Great Aunt, Clarice Spratling, a World War One VAD nurse.

The Fourth Portal residency centred around the Gravesend's historic papermaking industry and resulted in The Versatility of Paper project. The accompanying call-out resulted in 65 artwork responses being sent from across the UK and exhibited at the Fourth Portal. A printed newspaper has been produced to commemorate the versatility of paper and the stories it uncovered.

Dawn’s work with Fourth Portal will continue as she works on her ​ongoing ‘Monotype Compositions’ project. The work will eventually conclude with an audio sound artwork created from a seemingly waste product of the retired Monotype printing process.