About Cathleen
Cathleen Cohen was the 2019 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, PA. A painter and teacher, she founded the We the Poets program at ArtWell, an arts education non-profit in Philadelphia (theartwell.org). Cathleen holds a PhD in Special Education has led various workshops and classes on poetry, art and literacy. Her writing appears in journals, anthologies and three collections of poetry. Cathleen received the Interfaith Relations Award (Montgomery County PA Human Rights Commission, 2003) and the Public Service Award (National Association of Poetry Therapy, 2004). Her paintings are on view at Cerulean Arts Gallery (ceruleanarts.com) and online at cathleencohenart.com.

Memberships & Affiliations

Cerulean Arts Collective

Yetzirah Poets

Experience

2019-2020 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County

2001-2015 ArtWell Education Director (theartwell.org); Founder, We the Poets Program

1991-2022 Workshops and courses on poetry, art and literacy: ArtWell, Cerulean Arts, Interfaith Philadelphia, Jewish-Arab Center of Haifa University, Main Line School Night, Penn Literacy Network, Montgomery County Poet Laureate Caesura Conference, National Association of Poetry Therapy, National Liberty Museum, Penn Center for Educational Leadership, Penn Studio School of Art, Ritualwell.org

Education

1997 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Phila, PA; certificate, painting and printmaking
1981 Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; Ph.D. in Learning Disabilities
1976 Teachers College, Columbia University; M.A. in Learning Disabilities
1975 The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; BA

Poetry Awards

2022 Jewish Chronicle Poetry Contest (winner)

2017 Moonstone Press Chapbook Contest “Camera Obscura”, 2nd Place

2013 Raynes Poetry Prize, on “Justice”, 2nd Place

2011 OSV Magazine Contest, 1st Prize

2007 Palabras Press Poetry Contest Honorable Mention

2004 Public Service Award from the National Association of Poetry Therapy

2003 Interfaith Relations Award from the Montgomery County Advisory Board to the PA Human Rights Commission

Painting Awards

2015 Art for Action Award, Inliquid Collaboration with the Peoples’ Paper Co-op

1997 Cuff/Samak Prize Special Notice, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
1997 Deena Gu Award, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
1997 Estelle Barenbaum Rubens Painting Prize, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
1997 Susan Carlen Brown Special Notice, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
1996 Kaiserman JCC Painting Competition, First Prize

Books and Journals

Apiary, Autum Sky Poetry Daily; Babganewz, Babel Fruit The Breath of Parted Lips (Anthology, Cavankerry Press 2005); Baltimore Review; Bridges: A Jewish Feminist Journal; Cagibi; Camera Obscura (Moonstone Publishing 2017); Chrysalis Journal; Coffin Bell: Cumberland Poetry Review; East Coast Ink; Harrisburg Review; Etching the Ghost (Atmosphere Press, 2022); From the Depths (Anthology, Ritualwell, Reconstructing Judaism, 2022); Glass Poetry Press; Global Poemic; The Ismaili Magazine; Layers of Possibility (Anthology, 2007); Minyan Magazine; Moment; OSV Magazine Contest; The New Verse News; North of Oxford; One Art Poetry Journal; Palabras Press Poetry Contest Passager; Piedmont Literary Review; Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle; Philadelphia Stories; Response; Ritualwell; River Heron Review; Rockvale Review; Rogue Agent; 6ix; Teaching About God and Spirituality, (A.R.E. Press, chapter, 2002); Poetry and Jewish Prayer: A Handbook for Teachers (ArtWell, 2002); Schuylkill Valley Journal; Solstice; Sparks and Disperses (Cornerstone Press, 2022); Toho Journal; Waterways Magazine

Solo Exhibitions

2019 Caesura Festival, Camphill Soltane, Glenmoore, PA

2019 St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, N. Wales, PA

2017-Current Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2015 Ladies Night: Connecting Women Through Art and Dialogue, InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA
2011-2014 SOHO20 Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY

Group Exhibitions

2022 Eclipse Gallery, Lansdale, PA

2012 New Hope Arts Savoir Fare, New Hope, NJ
2012 The Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Am I My Brother’s Keeper?, Annenberg Center, Lankenau Hospital Exhibit
2009 Chestnut Hill Academy Poetry and Art Exhibition
2008 Realism in Paintings and Sculptures, Sherry French Gallery, New York, NY
2005 Morpeth Gallery, Hopewell, NJ
2004-2012 Riverbank Arts, Stockton, NJ
2004-2005 Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Collections

Adler Silber Associates

2010-2016 Soho20 Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY

Children’s Village, New York, NY, permanent collection