Margot Fagan
About
Lives in Toronto, Ontario. Studied printmaking and textile design at The Ontario College of Art – AOCA 1983. She began working as a textile designer for Canadian manufacturers, and moved on to her own studio work with an artists’ residency at Harbourfront Centre’s Craft Studios in Toronto for three years. Her work included producing printed fabrics and textiles for public commissions, gallery and museum exhibitions. She has received recognition through awards and grants, and her work has been exhibited across Canada, in the UK, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, the US and Italy. Her textile work is held in the permanent collection at The Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec, and Craft Ontario, Toronto.
She began making Artists’ Books in 2017, this work has been included in international book exhibitions at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, The San Francisco Center for the Book and Museo Leone in Vercelli, Italy. Fagan’s publications are held in The Museum of Modern Art Artists’ Book collection in New York City and UCLA Arts Library, Los Angeles, along with many other university libraries.
Margot completed an artists’ residency at The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Leighton Studios Banff, Alberta in 2023.
Exhibitions (selected)
2024
Kindred Spirits: The L M Montgomery Legacy, The Canadian Bookbinding and Book Artists Guild, Canadian Tour through 2026
2023
Making Waves, Upright Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
2022
46: Artists’ Books from Franklin Furnace Archive, 1976-2022, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Art of the Book – International Artist Books Exhibition, Rochester Public Library, Rochester, NY
Magellan’s Voyage of Discovery, Liverpool Book Art, Liverpool Central Library, UK
2021
Reclamation: Artists Books on the Environment, San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA Exhibition Catalogue
Nature Works – Artist Book, Upright Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Postcards For Perec, University of Western England, Bower Ashton Library, Bristol, UK, Traveling to international venues through 2024 Exhibition Catalogue
2019
8th International Artist’s Book Triennial Vilnius “Momento Mori” Exhibition Tour: Globus Galerie + Edition Lebensretter, Leipzig, Germany; Urbino e le Città del Libro, Urbino Italy;
Città di Vercelli & “Museo Leone”, Vercelli, Italy; Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL; Reed Library, SUNY Fredonia, New York, NY Exhibition Catalogue
WORD | IMAGE | OBJECT, Abecedarian Artists’ Books. Denver Central Library, Denver, CO
Engaging Color, Philadelphia Center for the Book, Philadelphia Free Library, PA
Hard Twist 14: “Entwined”, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, ON
2018
Art of the Book – International Artist Books, Rochester Public Library, Rochester, NY
2017
Bright Hill Press 25th Anniversary Book Arts Exhibit, Honourable Mention, Treadwell, NY Exhibition Catalogue
BUILT: Juried exhibition of book and paper art. 23 Sandy Gallery, Portland, Oregon Exhibition Catalogue
2016
Hard Twist 11: “Spin”, Fibre Art Show, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, ON
2013
International Miniature Print Exhibition, Center for Contemporary Printmaking Norwalk, CT
2001
Duologue, York Quay Center, Case Studies, Toronto, ON
1999
spaceCRAFT, Uncommon objects, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON
1996
Fibreworks, Biennial Juried Exhibition, The Library and Gallery, Cambridge, ON
1995
Twentieth Anniversary Invitational Exhibition, The Museum for Textiles, Toronto, ON
Black and White, Prime Gallery, Toronto ON
1994
Small Works + Big Ideas, The Museum for Textiles, Toronto, ON
1993
In Our Hands, International Textile Exhibition, Kyoto, Japan, Exhibition Catalogue
1992
Fibreworks, Biennial Juried Exhibition, The Library and Gallery, Cambridge, ON
1991
Cold Comfort: Contemporary Canadian Quilts, The Auckland Art Gallery, NZ, New Zealand Tour, Exhibition Catalogue
Ontario Craft 91, The Ontario Craft Council, Toronto, ON
1990
Contemporary Canadian Quilts, Juried Exhibition, The Museum for Textiles, Toronto, ON
Interior Motives: Fabric for Interiors, The Ontario Craft Council, Provincial Traveling Exhibition
1989
Virtu IV, Annual Canadian Design Competition, Dominion Building, Toronto, ON,
Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Montréal, PQ, Exhibition Catalogue
1986
Virtu, Canadian Design Competition, Queen’s Quay Terminal Building, Toronto, ON
Public Collections & Commissions
Banff Centre For Arts and Creativity, Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, Banff, Alberta
Museum of Modern Art: Franklin Furnace/MoMA Artists’ Books Collection, New York City, NY
University of California, Los Angeles, Art Library, Los Angeles, CA
Savannah College of Art & Design, Jen Library, Savannah, GA
Reed College Library, Portland, OR
University of Michigan, Hatcher Graduate Library, Ann Arbor, MI
The Free Library of Philadelphia, Book Arts Collection, Philadelphia, PA
Lesley University Library, Cambridge, MA
CAMH Public Art Acquisition, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Permanent Collection, Gatineau, QC
The Art Gallery of Ontario, Commissioned Textiles for Dr. Mariano Elia Hands-On Centre, Toronto, ON
Metro Hall, Commissioned Textiles for Chairman’s office. Toronto, ON
Ontario Crafts Council, Chalmers Building, Commissioned Textiles and Permanent Collection, Toronto, ON
©2023 Margot Fagan. All rights reserved.