Brigitta Varadi is a Hungarian-born, Carpatho-Rusyn and Transylvanian heritage, self-taught artist, based in the Hudson Valley, New York, since 2018; lived and worked in Ireland (2001–2017).

Varadi is a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in the Interdisciplinary category, a 2026 NYSCA/NYS Rural and Traditional Arts Fellow, a grantee of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Arts Council of Ireland, the Leitrim and the Roscommon County Councils, and Culture Ireland. Brigitta was recognized in 2007 by President Mary Mc Alesse for her contribution to the arts in Ireland.

She has received residencies and fellowships at MacDowell (2023 & 2027), the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2022), the Museum of Arts and Design (2019), the Marble House Project (2017), the Leitrim Sculpture Center (2015), the NARS Foundation (2014), and the LOCIS-European Cultural Program (2014), among others.

Varadi has had solo exhibitions at Al Held Foundation, commissioned by the River Valley Arts Collective, Civitella Ranieri, Burlington City Arts Center, Westbeth Gallery, Budapest Gallery, Leitrim Sculpture Center, and others. Selected group exhibitions include: Katonah Museum, Spartanburg Art Museum, Equity Gallery, Marfa Open, Hunt Museum, National Design and Craft Gallery, and Culturel Irlandais, and many others. 

Her work can be found in public collections, including a site-specific government commission administered by the Office of Public Works for the Department of Education and Science in Athlone, Ireland; a public art commission by Sligo County Council; and a public art commission by Roscommon County Council, Ireland.

Brigitta Váradi is a social practice artist working with county councils, the Prison Education Service, and EU Peace III projects in Ireland. Alongside her independent practice, she develops commissions, exhibitions, and participatory projects with people of all ages and abilities across community settings, schools, prisons, and arts organizations.

She has served as a visiting artist and lecturer at SUNY Purchase, School of Art+Design (2026), Pratt Institute’s MFA Fine Arts program (VALS, Dock 72, Brooklyn, NY, 2025), Ithaca College (Department of Art, Art History & Architecture, 2023), Fort Hays State University (2021), and National College of Art and Design (2016).

Brigitta Váradi is a current member of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Artists’ Advisory Committee (AAC). She has been the Residency Director of ChaNorth, a nonprofit organization in the Hudson Valley, NY, since 2018, fostering interdisciplinary exchange and community through the arts.

Download CV: click here.  

HUNIA—Permission To Be, 2023
Still from single-channel video, 13.5-minute loop.
Filmed at MacDowell, Peterborough, NH, 2023.

SELECTED AWARDS & GRANTS

2026 NYSCA/Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship, administered by Shake On The Lake, NY

2024 Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Emergency Grant, New York, NY

2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Category, New York, NY

2017-2006 Leitrim County Council, Individual Artist’s Bursary, Ireland

(Five-time recipient: 2017, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2006)

2016-2012 The Arts Council of Ireland, Artists in Prison Scheme Award, Ireland

(Five-time recipient: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

2016-2012 The Arts Council of Ireland, Travel and Training Award, Ireland

(Four-time recipient: 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012)

2010, 2006 Culture Ireland Award, Ireland

2008 Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Research & Development Bursary, Ireland

2008 Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, purchase award, Ireland

2007 President, Mary McAleese, acknowledged for contribution to the arts of Ireland

2007 Roscommon County Council, Individual Artist’s Bursary, Ireland

2005-2002 The Arts Council of Ireland, Artist in the Community Scheme Award, Ireland

(Three-time recepient: 2005, 2004, 2002)

SELECTED FELLOWSHIPS & RESIDENCIES

2027 MacDowell Fellowship, Peterborough, NH

2026 Windgate Artist in Residence (WAIR) program, SUNY Purchase, NY

2025 VALS Residency, Pratt Fine Arts, Dock 72, Brooklyn, NY

2023 MacDowell Fellowship, Peterborough, NH

2023 Transborder Art Fellowship, Governors Island, New York, NY

2023 Saltonstall Fellowship, Ithaca, NY

2022 Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship, Umbertide, Umbria, Italy

2019 Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) Studio Residency, New York, NY

2019 Burlington City Arts, commissioned research-based residency, Burlington, VT

2017 Marble House Project Residency, Dorset, VT

2016 Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY

2016 Education Fellowship, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY

2015 Leitrim Sculpture Centre Fellowship, Manorhamilton, Ireland

2014 Sewing Seeds Fellowship, Textile Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY

2014 LOCIS Fellowship, European Cultural Program (Sweden, Poland, Ireland)

2014 New York Art Residency & Studio Foundation (NARS), Brooklyn, NY

2011 TRADE Residency, Leitrim County Council Arts Award, Ireland

2007 KulttuuriKauppila Residency Fellowship, Ii, Finland

2006 Tyrone Guthrie Centre Fellowship (Regional Bursary), Newbliss, Ireland

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025 Every Sheep Farmer Needs an Artist, Pratt Fine Arts, Dock 72, Brooklyn, NY

2024 A Cloak of Red, Slow as a Carpathian Rock, Al Held Foundation, commissioned by River Valley

Arts Collective, curated by Marisa Espe, Boiceville, NY

2022 We Are Not Meant To Be Seen–Angela, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Umbertide, Umbria, Italy

2020 Exploring the Invisible, Burlington City Arts, curated by Heather Ferrell, Burlington, VT

2018 Markings, Westbeth Gallery, New York, NY

2017 Jelölés, Budapest Gallery, curated by Zsuzsa Szegedi-Maszák & Tamás Török, Hungary

2015 Markings, Leitrim Sculpture Centre, curated by Sean O’Reilly, Manorhamilton, Ireland

2015 Trace, Serbian Church Gallery, curated by Zsolt Zolnyánszki, Balassagyarmat, Hungary

2014 EXIT, Signal Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

2014 Seeds Fabricated, site-specific installation, Textile Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY

2013 Decoding Time, Silver River Images Gallery, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland

2007 Crossroads II, Town Hall Arts Centre, Charlestown, Ireland

2007 Sunnuntai Aamu, KulttuuriKauppila, Ii, Finland

2006 Crossroads, commissioned by Sligo Art Gallery, curated by Robert McDonald, Sligo, Ireland

SELECTED TWO- OR THREE-PERSON* EXHIBITIONS

2026 Animal Bodies: The Works of Elana Herzog, Jean Shin, and Brigitta Váradi, curated by Yasmeen Sidduqui, Minerva Project, Athens Cultural Center, Athens, NY *

2026 Material Resilience, Brigitta Váradi and Peter Fulop, curated by Clare Watt, Earshot, New York, NY

2025 Brigitta Váradi and Amy Podmore, curated by Henry Klimowicz, The Re-Institute, Millerton, NY

2024 Váradi-Fulop, Kapow Gallery, curated by Kourosh Mahboubian, New York, NY

2019 Contemplating OTHER: I know you are, You know I am, The Works of Alicia Escott, Linda Gueneste, Brigitta Varadi, curated by Patricia Lee Watts, Point Reyes, CA *

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2026 Ecstasy in the Barn, curated by Bill Arning, Then Barn Farm, Ghent, NY

2026 In ter/situ, curated by Lauren Hirshfield, NA Project Space, New Paltz, NY

2026 Connective Threads, curated by Hayley Ferber, BronxArtSpace, Bronx, NY

2024 Women Heavy, Gardenship, curated by Donna Kessinger, Jersey City, NJ

2023 Who’s To Say I Am Awake; Are You? curated by Tara Foley, Geary Gallery, Millerton, NY

2022 Forbidden Boundaries, curated by Kapow and Filosofiarts, Marfa Open, Marfa, TX

2022 Making Sense Without Consensus, Equity Gallery, New York, NY

2021 Cladogram: International Biennial, Katonah Museum, juried by Yasmeen Sidduqui, Katonah, NY

2020 Crowded Thresholds, curated by Fiona Mulholland, Touring Exhibition

National Design and Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland (2019)

Farmleigh Gallery, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland

Luan Gallery, Athlone, Ireland

2017 Bare Root, Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford, Ireland, curated by Catherine Bowe, Wexford, Ireland

2017 Currently 80, Sculptors Guild, Westbeth, New York, USA, curated by John Yau, New York, NY

2016 Apatite for Destruction, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY

2016 Et si on s’était trompé ?, Curated by Nora Hickey M’Sichili, Touring Exhibition,

Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, France (2015)

F.E Mc William Gallery & Studio, Banbridge, NI, UK

Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford, Ireland

Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Manorhamilton, Ireland

West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Ireland

2016 Boyle Arts Festival, Celebrating 27 years of Irish Arts and Culture organized by Former President Mary McAleese, curated by Paul McKenna, King House, Boyle, Ireland

2015 A Dyeing Art, Contemporary Textile and Fiber Arts, The Spartanburg Art Museum, SC

2015 In The Making, Fermanagh County Museum & Higher Bridges Gallery, Enniskillen, NI, UK

2015 International Textile Biennial, The Foundation KSP, Haacht, Belgium

2014 LOCAL, LOCIS European Cultural Program, The DOCK, Carrick on Shannon, Ireland

2014 Hidden in Plain Sight, curator Carolyn Sickles, Projekt 722, New York, NY

2014 Parallel Shift, New York Art Residency & Studio Foundation (NARS), Brooklyn, NY

2014 CultureCraft, Culture in the Making, Touring Exhibition, curator Seliena Coyle, opened by president Michael D Higgins

National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland (2013)

Londonstreet Gallery, Derry, NI, UK

Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK

2011 Talk About Fracking, TRADE 2011, curated by David Michalek, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland

2010 Inter-Changes: Craft and Context, Mason Hayes and Curren & Fulbright, Dublin, Ireland

2010 Craft and Context: Influx, Irish Museum of Contemporary Art, Dublin, Ireland

2010 Sustainable Future, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland

2010 Felt Conference, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

2009 Designers and Makers, FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge, Ireland

2008 Crafts Council of Ireland, SOFA Chicago, Sculpture Objects Functional Art & Design, Chicago, IL

2008 Image of Longing, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland

2006 Sculpture in Context, Botanical Garden, Dublin, Ireland

2005 Artist as Traveller, Traveling Exhibition curated by

Sirius Arts Center, Cobh, Ireland

King House, Boyle, Ireland,

Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK

PERMANENT PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

2016 Sligo County Council, Percent for Art Scheme Award (Two-Stage Application) Public Art Commission, “Pathway”, Nazareth Housing Estate, Sligo, Ireland.

2008 Office of Public Works, Site-Specific Goverment Commission (Two-Stage Application) Department of Education and Science, “Lough Ree”, Atrium, Athlone, Ireland.

2003 Roscommon County Council, One Percent for Art Scheme Award (Two-Stage Application) N5 Public Art Programme, Strokestown, Ireland.

VISITING ARTIST LECTURER

2026 SUNY Purchase, School of Art + Design VALS, Purchase, NY

2025 Pratt’s Fine Arts MFA program VALS, Dock 72, Brooklyn, NY

2023 Ithaca College, Department of Art, Art History & Architecture, Ithaca, NY

2021 Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS

2016 National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland

SELECTED LECTURES & PRESENTATIONS

2026. Guest Speaker, Biophilic Experiences, NYU ITP, New York, NY,

2023-26 Workshop, “Writing and Talking About Your Work,” New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), Brooklyn, NY,

(Recurrent guest speaker, panelist: 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)

2024 Public Artist Talk, Kapow Gallery, moderated by Arash Saedinia, film maker,New York, NY

2023 Public Artist Talk, “Permission To Be, Hunia” Geary Gallery, Millerton, NY

2022 Public Artist Talk, “Interwoven Practice”, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Umbertide, Italy

2022 Presenter, “Matting, Felting, Bonding”, East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) contemporary, Manchester, UK

2019 Public Artist Talk, “Exploring the Invisible”, Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) New York, NY

2017 Public Artist Talks, “Pathway’ Sligo County Council Arts Office, Sligo, Ireland

2017 Workshop, 5-day intensive, Climate Change - People change? Erasmus + Programme, Strategic Partnership Project between Ireland, Croatia and Italy.

2016 Presenter, “Markings, Wool Symposium, Selvedge, Makers Guild, London, UK

2016 Public Artist Talk, Entrée/Encode”. New York Art Residency & Studio Foundation (NARS), Brooklyn, NY

2016 Public Artist Talk & Workshop, Felt Makers of Ireland, National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

2015 Public Artist Talk, Crossover: The World of Textile, The Model Arts Centre, Sligo, Ireland

2014 Panelist, LOCIS Seminar, European cultural program, The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland

2013 Workshop, 3 days intensive, Creative Lab, United Nation Framework Convention on Climate

Change, Sustainable Development Mechanisms (SDM) Programme, Bonn, Germany

2011 Keynote Speaker, Felt Conference, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

2011 Panelist, TRADE 2011 Conference, charied by Declan McGonagle, The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland

2010 Presenter “An Artists Exchange with Communities in North West Ireland”, Inter-Changes: Craft and Context Symposium chaired by Glenn Adamson, National College of Art and Design, Ireland

2009 Presenter, Surface Design Association European Conference, Crossing Borders, Tilburg, Netherlands

SELECTED REVIEWS & ARTICLES

2025 Espe, Marisa. ‘A Cloak of Red, Slow as a Carpathian Rock’ Surface Design Association, Spring 2025 pp 12-17

2024 Valdés. Emireth Herrera. ‘Metaphors of Transformation: Varadi and Fulop at Kapow Gallery’, Exhibition Review by By Transborder Art online July,13,2024

2024 Sharma, Ambika. Brigitta Váradi and Peter Fulop at KAPOW Gallery, NYC, Review by ARTFUSE, July 08, 2024

2024 Aronoff, Amy. Tips for Effectively Writing and Talking About Your Work, NYFA, June 12, 2023

2024 ‘Women Heavy at Gardenship Gallery’, Art Spiel, June,14, 2024, BY ART SPIEL

2023 Teng, Ya Yun. ‘Finding Solitude and Building Community: Brigitta Varadi on the Artist Residency’, NYFA, online, March 24, 2023,

2022 Stout, Christopher. ‘Making Sense Without Consensus’ Art Spiel, online, March 31, 2022

2021 New York Artists Receive $616,000 in Grants HYPERALLERGIC, online, June 13, 2021

2019 Morley.Hilary. Playful, evocative and a little bit kinky, Review of Crowded Thresholds MAKING.ie Aug 28.2019

2017 Ceramic globes at Nazareth House, Irish Indipendent, August 11th, 2017

2016 Tucker.David. Climate change exhibition at county hall’ Irish Indipendent, Jun3dh.2016

2016 Climate change art - what if we got it wrong? Irish Indipendent, June 24th, 2016

2015 Tipton, Gemma. ‘Sugar and Scale and all things frail in climate change show’ Irish Times, 4th nov.’15, p 14

2015 ArtNews TV, Television, ’Et si on s’était trompé ?’Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, France

2015 Dun Television, Television interview and review, aired 5 pm, 6th February 2015.

2013 Carroll, Stella. ‘The Memory of Art’, Leitrim Observer, March 15, p 23

2013 Flynn, Dara. ‘A piper calls the tune', The Sunday Times, Home, 17 March, p 9

2010 Flegg, Eleanor. ‘Interchanges: craft+context’, STOPRESS, Issue 29, pp 14-15

2010 Fitzgerald, Alexander.‘Design to lift your spirit’ The Irish Times Magazine,May 8,pp 1415

2010 Flynn, Dara.‘New kids on the blocks’ The Sunday Times,Home section, May 23, pp 1819

SELECTED BOOKS & CATALOGUES

2019 Mullholland, Fiona.‘Crowded Thresholds’ National Design & Craft Gallery, Ireland pp23-24

2016 Alessi, Andrea. ‘The ArtSlant Prize’ BRIGITTA VARADI: MARKING MEMORY By pp4-9

2014 Backman, Annali.‘LOCIS’ European Cultural Art Program, pp 164-165, ISBN 978-91-982281-0-6

2013 Coyle, Selina. ‘CultureCraft Culture in the Making’ pp 134-135,

2012 Mornu, Nathalie. ‘500 Felt Objects: contemporary explorations of a remarkable material’, New York, NY, USA, Lark Publishing, p 235, ISBN 978-1-60059-705-3

2012 Dube, Colleen. ‘Interchanges’, Fulbright Commission, Gallery Zozimus, Dublin, Ireland, p 15

2012 Feltmakers Ireland. ‘Profiles in FELT’, Dublin, Ireland, Craft Council of Ireland, pp 83-84

2011 Dube, Colleen. ‘Interchanges: craft+context’, Fulbright Commission, Mason Hayes+Curren, Dublin, Ireland, pp 5051

2009 Coulter, Riann Dr. ‘Designer & Makers’ F.E.McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge, NI,UK,pp 03 & 26

2008 Lyman Mark & Meszko Anne, ‘SOFA2008’ Sculptural Object and Fine Art 2008 Chicago, IL, USA, National Craft Gallery, pp 194-195

2008 Betman, Karel. & Haveman, Martha. ‘Image of Longing’ National Craft Gallery, Ireland, pp 56-57

SELECTED RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2026-2029 Member, Artists’ Advisory Committee, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY

2018-Present Residency Director, ChaNorth Residency, Pine Plains, NY

2001-2017 Social Practice Artist, County Councils, Prison Education Service & EU Peace III Projects, Ireland