Biography
Rosie Deegan is a contemporary artist with a fascination for tools and their inherent links to narratives of creation, craft and use. She has a background in jewellery making and kiln cast glass and is passionate about using precious and fragile materials to create conceptual artworks that explore aspects of luxury, purpose, function, and craftsmanship heritage.
Shortly after graduating in 2014, Rosie exhibited her degree show collection ‘For a Man of Substance’ (a collection that challenged traditional gender stereotypes and explored the notion of value) at Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery, where it then was purchased by a significant private collector and Crafts Council Trustee.
Since graduating, Rosie has shown work at Mint, Kensington as part of London Design Festival, the New Art Exchange in Nottingham, the National Glass Centre in Sunderland and Talente 2019 in Munich. She has been featured in Crafts magazine as their 'Talent Spot' in 2015 and has had her work published in Mark Fenn’s book; Narrative Jewelry: Tales from the Toolbox. She is currently working on a new project in collaboration with her father with a focus on endangered craft skills, in particular early keyboard instrument making. In addition to working on her art practice, Rosie also runs an ethical jewellery business under the name ‘Elouise Makes’, where she creates earth-friendly, animal inspired jewellery out of recycled silver and gold.
Rosie is the one of the department’s two part-time visual arts technicians. Her specialism is within 3D materials and she works alongside Natasha, who is the Print, Textiles and Fashion Technician.