Paula McCartney
with Leon Borensztein and Marna Clarke

Friday, February 12th, 2016 7:30 PM PST
San Francisco Art Institute Lecture Hall
800 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94133

This event is presented in partnership with the San Francisco Art Institute

About Paula McCartney:

Paula McCartney makes photographs and artists’ books that explore the idea of constructed landscapes and the way that people interact with and manipulate the natural world. McCartney earned an M.F.A. in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and has received grants from the Aaron Siskind Foundation the McKnight Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Her work has been exhibited across the US and is included in numerous public collections including the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Museum of Modern Art’s Artist Book Collection. She has created 11 artist books since 2002.  Princeton Architectural Press published her first monograph, Bird Watching, in 2010. Her second monograph, A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, was published by Silas Finch in 2014.  

“I am inspired by the studies of Karl Blossfeldt, James Nasmyth’s constructed lunar landscapes and August Strindberg's misinterpreted Celestographs- works by artists who collected and interpreted nature in their own peculiar ways.  I use the scientific practice of collecting and organizing specimens as a starting point for my work. My books explore the intersection of art and science where I can create in the world what is missing, or reinterpret and expand the ideas of various landscapes.  Influenced by traditional field guides and nature journals, the books represent my collaboration with the natural world. “

Interview on Wavepool

Leon Borensztein and Marna Clarke

These two Bay Area artists recently released new publications.  Introductory presentations will highlight these new arrivals and will be available for acquisition and book signing after the lecture.