EDUCATION
1988 MFA, Painting and Drawing, The School of The Art Institute of Chicago
1985 BFA, Painting and Drawing, University of Colorado, Boulder
AWARDS
2022 Catwalk Artist Residency, Catskill, NY
2019 Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, Wanderlust Residency, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
2018 Studio Art College International (SACI) Artist-in-Residence, Florence, Italy
2013 Studio Art Centers International (SACI) Consortium Residency, San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy
2003 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award
Arts Council of Ireland, publications grant for New Potatoes, a collaborative book of photographs with Helen O’Leary, published by Coracle Press
2002 Arts Council of Ireland, grant award for the production of Silage, a collaborative artist's book, with Helen O'Leary
2001 New American Paintings #33, Winners of the Sixth Mid-Atlantic Competition, The Open Studios Press, Wellesley, MA
Institute for the Arts and Humanities Grant, University Park, PA.
2000 The Tyrone Guthrie Center Award, Annaghmakerrig, Ireland
1999 Heinrich Boll Foundation Award, Achill Island, Ireland
1997 The Ballinglen Foundation Award, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland
1991 CAAP Grant, Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Chicago, IL
1985 Maria Elkin Memorial Prize University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Antic, The John Sloan Art Center, Loch Haven University, Loch Haven, PA
2016 Psychotopia, Juniata College Museum of Art, Huntingdon, PA
2015 Late Harvest, Unsmoke Systems Artspace, Braddock, PA (two-person show, with Rudy Shepherd)
2014 Tectonica, Future Tenant, Pittsburgh, PA
2006 Imagined – Visions of Architecture, The Dock Art Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland
2003 Selected Works, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL
2002 La Citta' Ideale, Spazio Arte, Perugia, Italy
2001 Recent Works, Scott Pfaffman, New York, NY
2000 On Painting and Fighting, Look Aloof, The Linenhall Arts Center, Castlebar, Ireland
1999 Paul Chidester, Recent Work, Sheetz Gallery, Penn State, Altoona, PA
Two Visions, Paul Chidester and Lynne Campbell, Rose Lehrman Arts Center Gallery, Harrisburg, PA. (two-person show)
1993 Views of Vegetables, Zolla-Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, IL
1991 CORN, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022. HOME/STUDIO, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, PA
2020 At Three Miles an Hour, Strondin Studio Gallery, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
2018 Please, save the date! Lendroit Editions, Rennes, France
2016 Dolce Vita, Benjamin Dineen and Dennis Hull Gallery, Hudson County Community College, Jersey City, NJ
2015 Art from Excess, Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts, Gary, IN
2014 Summer Group Show, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL
2012 New Paintings, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL
10th Anniversary Show, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL
Studio Practice: Recent Work by SoVA Faculty, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, PA
2011 The Civility Show, Amelie Wallace Gallery, SUNY, Old Westbury, NY
2009 Beacon, The Ballina Arts Centre, Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland
2008 Fantastical Imaginings, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE;
(traveling, 2008-09) Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD (Catalog)
2007 Group, Zg Gallery, Chicago
Bridge Art Fair, Miami, FL
2006 Reclamation, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL (four-person show)
CLUSTER, Participant Inc., New York, NY (traveling, 2006); Espacio El Particular, Mexico City;
FOUR, Dublin, Ireland
Art Chicago, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL
Summer Show, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 New Images from North Mayo, Courthouse Gallery, The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, Ireland
2004 Trunk Show, The King House, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, Ireland; Traveled to London Metropolitan University Gallery, Whitechapel
2003 Ballinglen Fellows Exhibition, Community Arts Center, Wallingford, PA
2002 CLUSTER, Studio 6, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin, Ireland
New Images from North Mayo, Courthouse Gallery, The Ballinglen Arts Foundation Ballycastle Ireland
Inaugural Exhibition, Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL
Visual Leitrim, Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Photographs by Artists Made for a Variety of Purposes, Artists Image Resource, Pittsburgh, PA
2nd International Artist’s Book Triennial, Vilnius ’00, Gallery Arka, Vilnius, Lithuania (and) Gallery 5020, Salzburg, Austria Lithuania (and) Gallery 5020, Salzburg, Austria
2000 sva2000, Palmer Art Museum, University Park, PA
Trunk Show, Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA
1999 Figuatively Speaking, The Painting Center, NYC
8 Hour Drawings, The Bowman and Penelec Galleries, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA
1998 Images from North Mayo, Courthouse Gallery, The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, Ireland
1997 Landscape & Recollection: The Ballinglen Experience, Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Dublin, Ireland (catalog)
1995 Beyond Circumstance, Hunter College, New York, NY (catalog)
1994 Art Expo, Zolla-Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, IL
Faculty Exhibition, Penn State University, Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA
Elastic Visions, Penn State University, Zoller Gallery, University Park, PA (travelled to Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA (catalog)
1993 Futura Book Collection, Nice, France. Curated by Florence Bonnefous
Penn State Faculty Exhibition, Owen Patrick Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Artlantic City, Randolph St. Gallery, Chicago, IL
Paul Chidester, Irene Hardwicke, Joe Smith, Janet Samuel, John Post Lee Gallery, New York, NY
1991 Randy Alexander Gallery, New York, NY
Immagini Proittate, Curated by Laurie Palmer and Frederica Thiene. VIAFARINI, Milan, Italy
conTEXTual, Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, IL
TREES, MWMWM Gallery, Chicago, IL
1990 Thresholds, Tracts and Thinwhinels, Rezac Gallery, Chicago, IL
Vital Signs, N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago, IL
1989 Direct Object, Ten In One Gallery, Chicago, IL
Anatomy Theater, N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago, IL
1985 Young Denver Painters, CORE Gallery, Denver, CO
Patterns, CORE Gallery, Denver, CO
PUBLISHED WORKS/ ARTIST'S BOOKS
2005 New Potatoes, Collaborative book of photographs with Helen O’Leary, published by Coracle Press, Ireland
2003 Silage, Collaborative Artist's book with Helen O'Leary, designed by Mermaid Turbulence, Ireland (self-published)
2000 A Primer for the 21st Century, Collaborative artist's book with Charles Cave (self-published)
1995 Wildflowers of the 17th Century English Landscape, Mudlick Editions (self published)
1991 Lunar Calendar, Mudlick Editions (self published)
MARS, a travel journal, Mudlick Editions. Printed in India (self published)
1990 "The Jay Pee Chaff Museum of Prairie Grasses", WHITEWALLS, A Journal of Artist’s Writings #21, Chicago, IL
REVIEWS/ARTICLES
2022 David Higgins, Paul Chidester Exit Interview, Dead Center Magazine, Fall/Winter 2022-23
2018 David Higgins, The Art of the Walk, Paul Chidester, Dead Center Magazine, Spring 2018
2017 Emily Burns, Conversations, Interview, Maake Magazine, Issue #5, 2017
2014 Pittsburgh City Paper “Tectonica by Paul Chidester”, Pittsburgh Magazine, Short list for the week of 9/4-9/11/2014
2001 Ellen Wilson, "Photos give insight into artistic process", Pittsburgh Post Gazette Magazine, October1, 2001
1999 Mary Thomas, “14 artists unleash creative spirit directly onto gallery walls,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 6, 1999
1997 Brian Fallon, Review of The Ballinglen Experience. ‘“Five Years in Mayo,” The Irish Times, November 25, 1997
1991 David McCracken, “Text and Image can work hand in hand,” Chicago Tribune, July 12, 1991
1990 Laurie Palmer, Review of CORN, ARTFORUM, April 1991
Editor’s Choice, Review of CORN, Crain’s Chicago Business, Feb. 11-17, 1991
Michael Bulka, Review of direct object/crafted image, New Art Examiner, April 1990
1989 Victoria Lautman, Review of Anatomy Theater, WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio