April Surgent
Artist processes
April Surgent’s art is rooted in observation and research, addressing climate change, vulnerable ecosystems, and the social issues surrounding these challenges, with a particular interest in marine ecology. Her projects have taken her from Antarctica, as part of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, to Southwest Alaska with the U.S. Geological Survey, and to Hawaii, where she worked as a field biologist for NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. She currently lives and works on Washington State’s Quimper Peninsula.
Surgent graduated with honors in 2004 from the Australian National University, majoring in glass. While her work spans many mediums, her primary focus is cameo engraved glass. Her journey with glass was profoundly shaped by Czech master engraver Jiří Harcuba, who introduced her to the technique of engraving in 2003. This method has since become central to her practice. For over two decades, she has redefined this traditional craft through contemporary approaches. Her work has earned notable accolades, including the 2009 Behnke Foundation Neddy Fellowship and a 2016 USA Ford Fellowship. Additionally, her pieces are part of esteemed collections, including Iowa State University, the Toledo Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Selected Collections:
2023 – ‘Outliving Glaciers’, Brunnier Museum, Iowa State University. Ames, IA.
2022- ‘Wave’, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
2019 – ‘Wind Sweep’, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS.
2018 – ‘Light on Water’, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS.
2015 – ‘Sea Ice Moves in Spring’ Toledo Museum of Art acquisition, Toledo, OH
2013 – ‘The Valley’, Museum of Glass acquisition, Tacoma, WA.
2011 – ‘Days Gone By’ Ulster Museum acquisition, Belfast, Ireland.
2010 – “Jiri”, Corning Museum of Glass acquisition, Corning, NY
2008 – “Don’t Wait for Me”, Chrysler Museum acquisition, Norfolk, VA
-“But You Wont Look Back” Museum of Glass acquisition, Tacoma, WA
2004 -Australian National University Public Artwork Program, Canberra, Australia
Selected Exhibitions
2024
- What Remains, The Byre Bullseye Gallery, Northlands, Scotland
- Future Unfolding, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2023
- Future Unfolding, Brunnier Museum, Iowa State University, IA
- Celebrating Pacific Northwest Artists: 25 Years of Neddy Awards, MOHAI, Seattle, WA
2022–2023
- This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
2022
- COLLECT, Bullseye Gallery, Somerset House, London, UK
2021
- The Sea Lives With Light, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
- A Long Ribbon of Strange Impressions, Heller Gallery, New York, NY
2020
- A New State of Matter: Contemporary Glass, Grand Rapids Art Museum, MI
2019
- In the Space Separating, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
- Drawn to Glass, Schantz Gallery, Stockbridge, MA
- Salmon School Ambassadors, Shack Art Center, Everett, WA
2018
- A New State of Matter: Contemporary Glass, Boise Art Museum, ID
- Portrait of an Ocean, San Juan Islands Museum of Art, Friday Harbor, WA
- Charlotte Potter and April Surgent: Cameo Glass in Context, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS
2017
- Of Sea and Sky, Solo Exhibition with Catalog, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
- Fired Up: Women in Glass, Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
2016
- Observations of Life on Ice, Solo Exhibition, Museum of Northwest Art, WA
- 32°: The Art of Winter, Shelburne Museum, VT
2015
- Life on Ice, Solo Exhibition, Heller Gallery, New York, NY
- Art Miami, Represented by Heller Gallery, New York, NY
2014
- 64° South, Solo Exhibition with Catalog, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
- SOFA Chicago, Represented by Heller Gallery
- Focus: April Surgent, Heller Gallery, New York, NY
2013
- But Mostly Air, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Australian Glass Now, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
- LINKS: Australian Glass and the Pacific Northwest, Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA
- SOFA Chicago, Heller Gallery, USA
2012
- April Surgent, Solo Exhibition, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
- Chromatic Fusion, New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM
- Fifty by Fifty: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Studio Glass, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI
- G8, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
- Images, Walter E. Terhune Gallery, Toledo, OH
2011
- SOFA Chicago, Bullseye Gallery, USA
- Into the Surface, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR
- Art MRKT San Francisco, Represented by Bullseye Gallery
2010
- Into the Surface, Solo Exhibition, Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA
- Reflect, Solo Exhibition, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR
- 15 Years of Neddy Artist Fellows, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
- Women in Glass, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
- Art Miami, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR
- COLLECT, Bullseye Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2009
- 2009 Neddy Artist Fellowship, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
- Art Miami, Represented by Bullseye Gallery
- COLLECT, Bullseye Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2008
- Traces of Ourselves, April Surgent and Jiří Harcuba, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR
- SOFA Chicago, Represented by Bullseye Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007
- COLLECT, Bullseye Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
2006
- A Meandering Tale, Solo Exhibition, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR
- Painting with Light, Palos Verdes Art Center, CA
2005
- Seeds of Light, School of Art Gallery, Canberra, Australia
- SOFA Chicago, Represented by Bullseye Gallery
2004
- Emerging Artists 2004, Tobin-Hewett Gallery, Louisville, KY
- Intersection: The Canberra Connection, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR
