Michele Marcoux – Biography

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MICHELE MARCOUX is an artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She received a BA Fine Art (cum laude) from Bennington College, Vermont, and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. She completed a Masters of Letters Fine Art Practice (distinction) at Glasgow School of Art in 2016. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio she lived in Vermont, Philadelphia, California and New York City before moving to Scotland in 1990.

In the 1980’s Michele lived in New York City, in Tribeca, Harlem, the Lower East Side, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She worked to support her creative practice, as a waitress, bookbinder, wood finisher, plant maintenance person, jewellery designer, painter of wildlife figurines.

In 1990 Michele left New York City living on a sheep farm in Angus, Scotland before moving to Edinburgh. After having two children she retrained as a Web Designer and was a Web Producer then Account Director in Edinburgh and London. From 2006 – 2020 she was Project Manager of Screen Academy Scotland, a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art which delivered postgraduate filmmaking.

In 2010 she collaborated with award-winning US Disability Poet Sheila Black on Continental Drift an exhibition of painting, poetry, and performance at Patriothall Gallery, Edinburgh. In 2013 she produced blood/MarcyAV at the Ambulance Depot in Edinburgh again with Sheila Black and NY sound artist Lynne Thermann. In 2014 Michele was invited to do a solo exhibition of painting, installation and video Hag-ridden, in the Lower Church at Summerhall, Edinburgh. In 2015 Michele created Fan of Memory/Profane Illuminations, a site-specific installation for the Hidden Door Festival in Edinburgh combining 1970’s porn, reclaimed glass, moving image. Sound installation by Haftor Medboe and Graham Coe. In 2018 Michele developed GYRE, an installation of found objects and drawings created from hundreds of PET plastic balloons she collected over an 8-year period from a beach on Block Island, Rhode Island. 

In 2019 Michele was one of 6 international artists selected for the Taking Time/Prendendo Tempo residency at The Museum of Loss and Renewal, Collemacchia, Italy, where she developed the project Casser Maison.

In 2021 Michele received a grant through Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for, Creating a Pandemic Imaginary, a residency at MERZ Gallery, Sanquhar Scotland.

In 2021-22 Michele was selected for Ecologies of Displacement, a British Council/Creative Scotland funded international residency between Scotland and Pakistan which involved a digital collaboration with Pakistani artist Farrukh Addnan and a month’s travel in Pakistan. The work from the residency was exhibited at two exhibitions at Koel Gallery, Karachi and Summerhall, Edinburgh.

In 2023, Michele spent two months solo travelling on a self-directed residency in Aragon, Spain. The work from this residency was developed into ETERNAL RETURN, a solo exhibition at The Scottish Arts Club in April 2024.

In May 2024 Michele was awarded an RSA Residency for Scotland to develop work on the Isle of Lewis in collaboration with An Lanntair in Stornoway. The residency will take place in May 2025.