Karen Donnellan

Karen Donnellan was born in Wicklow, Ireland and recently graduated from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. She now lives in Rochester, New York where she is earning her Master’s of Fine Art at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Since 2007 she has co-organised the re-establishment of the Glass Society of Ireland e-zine as well as the running of a lecture series, which began in 2007.

Having completed a student exchange placement at Southern Illinois University under assistant professor Jiyong Lee in 2008, she seized the opportunity to travel to Seattle, where she could immerse herself in the expansive studio glass community. Her skill and abilities have allowed her to work for many glass studios and artists not only in Seattle, WA, but also in Ireland, Scotland and France.

Donnellan has won numerous national awards and scholarships for her creative abilities, including the Craft Coucil of Ireland Future Makers Award 2009, the Tommy McLoughlin Memorial Award 2009, and the Engineer’s Ireland Trophy Design Competition in 2006.