I'm an odd bird

Named Elizabeth

I do make work about mental illness, anxiety, chronic pain and social status. I do work exclusively with the self-portrait. I don’t make money or have representation.

I’ve been doing embarrassing and expensive things for a long, long time.

My art-making is best described as a quote from my five year-old self who desperately wanted to be seated at the adult table, HOW EMBARRASSING AND EXPENSIVE!

A few expensive and recent-ish accomplishments

  • My first art residency at SPAO.

    I paid for it. My artist talk is below.

  • Co-founded, 44.4

    I co-founded, 44.4 a feminist art mommy group in Ottawa, Ontario that I no longer participate in because that Groucho Marx thing about not wanting to belong to any club... also mania was involved also shame.

    Hyperallergic write-up. Who cares, right? Totally.

  • Residencies, Workshops & Panels

    SPAO Artist-in-Residence, 2020. Ottawa, Ontario. Read More Here

Education

Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana. 2006. MFA, Full-ride, btw!
Columbia College. Chicago, Illinois. 2003. BA, Concentration Fine Art Photography and Creative Non-fiction Writing.
Put myself through– took FOREVER (I had to drop out and had no $$$, became a live-in nanny and this was my first foray into, HOW EMBARRASSING AND EXPENSIVE. $75,000 in college debt is gone thanks to my generous donors/in-laws, Linda and Jerry Griffin.

Awards

  • Work-Study Scholarship Recipient. Penland School of Crafts. Penland, NC.
    (2003–2004)
  • SoFA Graduate Fellowship Recipient. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana.
    (2003–2004)
  • Best in Show. Women’s Photographers’ Competition. Dreambox Foto Gallery. Chicago, Illinois.
    (2004)
  • Juror’s Award. Photography Midwest. University of Wisconsin Union Gallery. Madison, WI.
    (2004)
    Juror: Keith Carter.
  • Grant-in-Aid of Research. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana.
    (Spring 2004)
  • Arts and Sciences Scholarship. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana.
    (2004–2005)
  • Grant-in-Aid of Research. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana.
    (Fall 2004)
  • Arts and Sciences Scholarship. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana. Full-ride and I got two year teaching experience!
    (2004–2006)
  • Friends of Art Graduate Award. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana.
    (2005)
  • Grant-in-Aid of Research. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana.
    (Spring 2006)
  • Hon. Mention, Silver Eye Fellowship Competition. Silver Eye Center for Photography. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Juror: Rod Slemmons. So much potential, sigh.
    (2006)
  • Exhibition Assistance Grant from Ontario Arts Council
    (2020)
  • Honerable Mention, Project X Photography Award. Ottawa Arts Council
    (2021.)
  • Far far away, behind the word
    (Apr 2018)
  • Dolor interdum nulla
    (Nov 2017)
  • Varius enim in eros elementum tristique
    (Jan 2017)
  • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
    (Jul 2016)

Publications

Motherhood. Pittsburgh, PA. 2009.
FULL STOP.

Lapse in art making or exhibiting, constant breastfeeding, and no sleeping- still a professor though– barely.

Selected Exhibitions

  • Texas Photographic Society. San Antonio, TX. Alternative Process Traveling Exhibition.
    (Juror: Christopher James)
    (2009–2011)
  • Carnegie Museum of Art. Works on Paper Gallery. Pittsburgh, PA. Digital to Daguerreotype: Photographs of People curated by Linda Benedict Jones. This was such a cool thing for me. I thought it was the beginning,  it was really the end and the beginning.
    (2009)
  • Irma Freeman Center for Photography. Pittsburgh, PA. Through the Pinhole
    (2012)
  • Potter Gallery, Missouri Western State University.Saint Joseph, MO. Thread and Patchwork
    (2016)
  • Pittsburgh Filmmakers Gallery. Pittsburgh, PA
    (2016)
  • SPACE Gallery. Pittsburgh, PA. 2016 John Riegert
    (Curated by Brett Yasko)
  • Mine Factory Gallery. Pittsburgh, PA. 2016 No Vacancy: Mine Factory Artists
    (2016)
  • NECTAR Mainworks Gallery. Ottawa, ON. 2018 NECTAR Artists Group Show.
    (2018)
  • SPAO Gallery,  ‘I Don’t Know How to Connect To You' Ottawa, ON
    (October, 2020)

Residencies, Workshops & Panels

  • SPAO Artist-in-Residence, 2020. Ottawa, Ontario
    Frick Art & Historical Center. Pittsburgh, PA. (Panelist) Depth of Field, Processing the Work of Women Photographers. April 2015. Linda Benedict-Jones, moderator. Frick Art & Historical Center. Pittsburgh, PA. (Instructor) Platnium/Palladium Workshop, April 2015. Pittsburgh Filmmakers (Instructor) Contemporary Tintypes. June, 2012. F295 Symposium. Pittsburgh, PA 2008 (Assistant) · Wet Collodion with France Scully Osterman
  • Contemporary Tintype with Jill Enfeild Indiana University Overseas Program. Venice, Italy. Studied Printmaking and Bookmaking techniques at the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica. Summer ‘05. Photographer’s Formulary. Condon, MT. Summer 2004. Daguerreotypes: A Contemporary Approach with daguerreotypist and photographer, Jerry Spagnoli. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana. 2004. Organized and assisted artist lecture and salt/albumen print workshop with photographer Dan Estabrook. Penland School of Crafts. Penland, NC. Summer 2003. The Constructed Image with photographer Jim Henkel. Jobs

Teaching

Carnegie Mellon University. College of Fine Arts. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 8.2007–present. Adjunct Instructor
  • B&W Photography I
  • Color Photography & Digital Output
  • Alternative Photographic Processes! I HAD GREAT ASSITANTS LIKE: DOM
  • DAGRADI, JEFFREY KRSUL AND FABIENNE HUDSON.
  • Antiquarian Avant-Garde/Large Format Photography!
  • Photo Documentation for Industrial Design Students

Contact me.

I'm currently seeking residency, exhibition, and artistic opportunities.

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