Headshot of Brittany Nelson

Brittany Nelson

Associate Professor of Photography and Extended Media
Curriculum Vitae

  • Profile

    Brittany Nelson (b. 1984, Great Falls, Montana, USA) explores 19th-century photographic chemistry techniques and science fiction to address themes of loneliness, isolation, and distance within the queer community and its parallels with space exploration. She is the recipient of a Creative Capital Foundation Grant in Visual Arts (New York, NY) and a Theo Westenberger Foundation Grant for advancing women in the arts (New York, NY). Her work has been exhibited at Bonniers Konsthall (Stockholm, Sweden), Die Ecke (Santiago, Chile), Sonnenstube (Lugano, Switzerland), The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (Detroit, MI), The Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York, NY), The Cranbrook Art Museum (Bloomfield Hills, MI), The Newcomb Art Museum (New Orleans, LA), The International Print Center (New York, NY), among many others. She has upcoming solo presentations at Le CAP - Centre d’art Saint Fons, France and Fotogalleriet in Oslo, Norway in 2022. Her monograph “Out Of The Everywhere” was released in 2019 by Mousse Publishing (Milan, Italy), and her sculptural book “Monuments to the Conquerors of Space” was released in 2017 and published by Small Editions (New York, NY). Her work has been featured in publications such as Art in America, Frieze, and The New Yorker.

    Selected Solo Exhibitions:

    2020    
    The Starry Rift, curated by Stefanie Hessler, Die Ecke, Santiago, Chile 

    2019    
    10,000 Light Years From Home, Patron Gallery, Chicago, IL 

    2018    
    Warm Worlds and Otherwise, Harnett Museum of Art, Richmond, VA (with sound installation by Danishta Rivero. 

    Science Fictions, Crush Curatorial, New York, NY 

    2017    
    Conjectures In A Related Field, Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA           

    Monuments, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 

    2016    

    The Year I Make Contact, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY           

    Controller, Patron Gallery, Chicago, IL           

    Alternative Process, David Klein Gallery, Detroit, MI           

    Monuments to the Conquerors of Space, Sadie Halie Projects, Minneapolis,  MN

    Selected Group Exhbitions:

    2020    
    Shapeshifters, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI 

    An Infinite and Omnivorous Sky, curated by Kendra Paitz, University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal, IL 

    2019    
    Urania, curated by Zoë De Luca, Sonnenstube, Lugano, Switzerland 

    Cosmological Arrows, curated by Caroline Elgh, Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden 

    Parallels and Peripheries, curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI           

    Pulled In Brooklyn, International Print Center New York, curated by Roberta Waddell and Samantha Rippner, New York, NY 

    2017    
    Unfamiliar Again: Contemporary Women Abstractionists, Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, LA           

    New Geometry, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA           

    Out of the Ether, True/False Film Festival with Sager Braudis Gallery, Columbia, MO           

    2016    
    New Photography: Next Wave Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, curated by Holly Shen, Brooklyn, NY           

    Surface of Things, Houston Center of Photography, Houston, TX

    Expand All
    • Grants and Fellowships

      2016: Theo Westenberger Foundation Grant, New York. NY

      2015: Creative Capital Foundation Grant, Visual Arts, New York, NY

    • Awards

      Headlands Center for the Arts, Artist In Residence, San Francisco, CA, October 2017

      Teton Art Lab, Artist In Residence, Jackson, WY, July 2016

      Phoenix Art Museum, Stacy Zuber Photography Award, Juror’s Choice Honorable Mention, Phoenix, AZ, 2015

      The Print Center, Fish/Pearce Prize for excellence in process based work, Philadelphia, PA

      Minneapolis Institute of Art + Site Santa Fe, Collector’s Tour, Minneapolis, MN, 2013

      Minneapolis College of Art + Design, Faculty Grant, 2013

      Vermont Studio Center, Artist in Residence, Johnson, VT, July 2012

      Cranbrook Art Museum + Cranbrook Science Museum, commissioned work, Bloomfield Hills, MI

      The Print Center, 86th International Competition, Philadelphia, PA (juror Jennifer Blessing, Curator, Guggenheim)

    • Presentations

      2020
      Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Studies, Photography, Parsons, The New School, New York, NY, June 15-16 

      2019
       Panel Discussion and book launch for “Out Of The Everywhere” with Miguel Lopez and Stefanie Hessler, Casa Canibal, Spanish Culturual Institute, San Jose, Costa Rica

      Panel discussion and book signing, Out Of The Everywhere, with Stefanie Hessler and Lauren Thorson, Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU, Richmond, VA

      Book signing, Out Of The Everywhere, published and sponsored by Mousse Publishing, New York Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1, New York, NY

      Guest Lecturer, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA, March 21

      Juror and Visiting Critic, “2, 3 and 4 Dimensional Photography: Alternatives Photography Biennial,” University of Ohio, January 24 

      2018
      Fall Lecture Series, sponsored by the Photography Department, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, November 29

      Book signing, Monuments, published by Small Editions, New York Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1, New York, NY 

      2017
      Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Department of Glass, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, September 20

      Panel Discussion, “Contemporary Women Abstractionists,” Amy Ellingson, Brittany Nelson, Anne Vieux, moderated by Monica Ramirez Montagut, Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, LA, September 6

      Distinguished Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Studies, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz,  NY, February 1

      Artist Lecture, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, February 9

      2016
      Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Department of Media Arts and Graduate Studies, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN, September 22

      Artist Talk, Creative Capital Artist Retreat, Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Troy, NY, July 30

      Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Studies, Photography, Parsons, The New School, New York , NY, June 16-17

      Artist in Residence Lecture, Teton ArtLab, Jackson, WY, July 14

      Invited Speaker, “Science Fiction,” Constructed Realities, Society for Photographic Education National Conference, Las Vegas NV, March 12

      Visiting Assistant Professor Lecture, Department of Art Foundations, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, February

      Video feature and interview, Creative Capital Foundation, New York, NY, online

      Video feature and interview, GalleryLOG, New York, NY, online

      2015
      Visiting Artist Lecture, Graduate Studies, Photography, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, September 17

      Artist Talk, Creative Capital Artist Retreat, Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Troy, NY, July 24

  • Publications
    Books

    2019 Out of the Everywhere, Mousse Publishing, Milan Italy. Edited by Stefanie Hessler, new texts from Lars Bang Larsen, Quinn Latimer, Stefanie Hessler, script by Gordon Hall, with original artworks Danielle Dean, Gala Porras Kim. Designed by Lauren Thorson of Studio-Set

    2018 Monuments, risograph printed publication, edition of 100, published by Small Editions, New York, NY

    2017 Monuments to the Conquerors of Space, Halochrome and Gelatin Silver prints bound in a sculptural book, Edition of 3, published by Small Editions, New York, NY

  • Links
    Personal Website