CLARK BIOGRAPHY

Sandra Russell Clark, a native of New Orleans, began her photographic career in 1978. Ms. Clark was Director of Photography at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans from 1980 to 1985 and in the early 90’s she taught photography at Loyola University. Clark’s photographs have appeared in numerous magazines including Vogue, Elle, Mirabella, The Traveler and American Artist.

During the 1980’s Clark’s work was represented and exhibited by A Gallery for Fine Photography, NOLA, Benteler-Morgan Gallery, Houston, Texas, Witkin Gallery, New York , N.Y. and Virginia Miller Gallery in Coral Gables, Fla. Her work was included in exhibitions at S.E.C.C.A, Winston Salem, NC, Guild Hall Museum, Easthampton, NY, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans Museum of Art and Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans, and Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco, Ca.

In 1985 Clark received a grant from private sponsors to fund her European garden project “Gardens of Reflection”. A solo exhibition from this series opened in New Orleans at Julia Gallery in 1987. Ms. Clark’s “Garden” series was selected to represent the Houston Fotofest at the 1989 Torino Fotografia Biennale Internationale in Torino, Italy.

During the 1990’s Clark’s work was included in many important exhibitions, such as, “Inspired Visions 1840-1990, Master Photography from N.O.M.A.” and “Figure/Ground; Louisiana Photography Today” at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Her work was also exhibited in “Touched by Man, Landscape Photographs from Around the World”, Corpus Christi State University, Texas, and “Louisiana Contemporaries”, University Art Museum, Lafayette, Louisiana, as well as many group and solo exhibits.

Ms. Clark’s exhibits abroad included the 1991 traveling exhibition “Bilder Lust”, Erotic Photography from the Uwe Scheid Collection, which was presented at the Altes Museum, Berlin, Galerie Rhanitzgasse der Landeshauptstadt Sachsens, Dresden and Museum Ludwig, Koln. Later that same year, her work was presented at the Braga Fotofestival in Portugal. Ms. Clark had a solo exhibit of her Louisiana landscapes in 1993 at the Museu du Imagem e do Som in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Between 1993 and ‘94, under the sponsorship of patrons, both corporate and private collectors, Ms. Clark spent four months in Italy photographing “Venice, A Vanishing Light”. An exhibition, sponsored by the Consul of Italy, opened in New Orleans at the Breeden Dawson Gallery.

While in Venice Clark was inspired by the haunting cemetery island of San Michele and in 1995 she turned her focus to the unique aboveground cemeteries of her native New Orleans. In the Fall of 1997 Louisiana State University Press published Ms. Clark’s book of photographs, “Elysium, A Gathering of Souls, New Orleans Cemeteries.” An exhibition, sponsored by a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, opened at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans and has been traveling for the past ten years to museums and universities throughout the Southeast region through the Southern Arts Federation. In 1998 Clark was invited to lecture and exhibit “Elysium” at the William Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Conn. Clark’s work was also selected for presentation at Place du Forum for the 1998 edition of “Le Festival Off” which is presented at the Recontres Internationales de la Photographie d’Arles in France.

In 1999 Ms. Clark is began working on a new series “In Search of Eden”. Selected images were presented at A Gallery for Fine Photography in New Orleans, during the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Exhibition in 2000, and at AIPAD NY 2001 by Fay Gold Gallery from Atlanta, Ga.

In Summer 2001, Ms. Clark’s new work was exhibited at the Mississippi Museum of Art’s, Mississippi Invitational, a survey of contemporary Mississippi artists curated by Loius Grachos, Director of SITE Santa Fe.

Ms. Clark’s exhibitions for 2003 include East End Gallery, Nantucket, MA, Work in Progress; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS; Tulane University; Carroll Gallery, New Orleans; Phototroph Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO.   In 2004 Ms. Clark had a solo exhibit at Evans Gallery in New Orleans, La. and Gallery 119 in Jackson Ms.

In May 2005 Clark was invited to exhibit “In Search of Eden” at Stephanie Hoppen Gallery in London. Three months later Sandra lost her home, studio and most of their contents in Hurricane Katrina. Sandra spent two years in Long Island, NY, then returned to Bay St. Louis, MS, and now divides her time between there and New Orleans.

Exhibitions for 2006 include “Women in Focus”, Vicki Bassetti Gallery, New Orleans; “Surviving the Hurricane”, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans; and solo exhibit “In Search of Eden” at Gallerie BMG in Woodstock, New York, Raven Studio in Amagansett New York and Andrew Smith Gallery in Sante Fe New Mexico.

Ms. Clark was also invited to be a Artist in Residence at the Santa Fe Art Institute, September 15th through October 15th 2006 and was the keynote speaker at “The Creative Edge “ conference sponsored by the Sante Fe Center for Photography in September.

In 2007 Sandra’s work was included in “The Mississippi Story” exhibition and book at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. Sandra was also guest lecturer for her exhibition ”Elysium” which was presented at the Rome Area History Museum.

Sandra’s work in 2008 was chosen by the Art in Embassy program to be included in a 3 year exhibition at the U.S. Embassy in Ciaro. In September 2008 Sandra again participated in a month long artist residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute.

In 2009, Sandra's work was included in "Photography 2009" at Highlands Gallery in Jackson, MS; "The Push Pin Show," Photo Alliance, New Orleans, LA; and "Shrines and Alters," Gallery Project, Ann Arbor, MI. Clark previewed her new color work "JuJu" in September, 2009 at Loyola University Diboll Art Gallery in New Orleans.

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Selected collections:

Museum

New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, La.

Ogden Museum, New Orleans, La.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Tx.

Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS

Memphis Brooks Museum, Memphis, Tenn.

Guild Hall Museum, Easthampton, N.Y.

William Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Conn.

Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans, La.

Pennsylvania Art Conservatory, Pa.

Corporate

Paine Webber, New York, Chicago, Florida, New Orleans IBM, Washington, D.C. R.J. Reynolds, N.C. AT&T, Tx. Prudential Insurance Company, N.J. Atlantic Richfield Banana Republic, Ca. Saks Fifth Avenue, NY.

Collections abroad

Uwe Scheid Collection, Germany Alumni, Brazil

Honors:

1983 “Artist Fellowship” Louisiana State Arts Council

1985 American Photographer magazine “New Faces” nominee

1988&1998 “Artist Profile” film from WYES-TV

1996 Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities-Research and Publication Grant

1997 Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities-Mini Grant

1997 The Mary Ellen LoPresti Award for Excellence in Art Publishing from the Southeast Chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North America for “Elysium, A Gathering of Souls, New Orleans Cemeteries”

2006 Artist Grant,Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans,La.

Artist Grant, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston,Texas

Artist Residency,Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe,New Mexico

2007 Alternate, Artist Residency, La Napoule Art Foundation, France

2008 Artist Residency, Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Please email: sandrarclark@earthlink.net for more information.

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