Jessamyn Lovell
Biography:
Jessamyn Lovell (b. 1977) is a visual artist working with photography, video, and surveillance as tools to document her own life experiences making connections between class and personal identity. Holding a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MFA from California College of the Arts Lovell lives in Albuquerque, NM where she is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Art Department at the University of New Mexico. Lovell’s work has been exhibited nationally, and she is the recipient of several awards, including the Aperture Portfolio Prize and the CENTER Excellence in Teaching Award. Lovell has received international recognition for her most recent work "Dear Erin Hart,” for which she found, followed and photographed her identity thief and she is currently working towards getting her private investigator’s license as a conceptual art piece. Like previous works, her D.I.Y.P.I project explores the territory where life and art overlap.
Statement:
Remnants from an Archive of Surveillance
Project Statement
I use surveillance in various forms as an integral part of my artistic practice. From 2007-
2010 I photographed my estranged father for the book and exhibition No Trespassing and from
2011-2014 I surreptitiously photographed the woman who stole my identity for the book and
exhibition Dear Erin Hart,. In early 2016 I discovered that as a result of the investigative work I
did for these projects I had 3,000 of the 6,000 hours needed to apply for a private investigator’s
license in the state of New Mexico. For The P.I. Project I have been training to be a private
investigator putting in as many hours as I need to in order to apply for the license by the end of
2017. The P.I. Project is a conceptually driven, multifaceted art project that uses surveillance,
photography, performance, and investigation to reveal parallels between private investigation and
art. In pursuit of this ambitious undertaking I have taken thousands of photographs using many
different cameras. While some of theses images document the process of becoming a private
investigator directly or frame the narratives of my other projects, the collection of images I draw
from for Remnants from an Archive of Surveillance are much more subtle and obscured views. The
photographs in this ongoing series range from carefully composed and exposed photographs taken
on film to snapshots taken quickly with my phone or Polaroid camera. The spectrum reflects the
different tools needed for the range of investigative work and reveal evidence of my perpetual
search for the potential beauty in even the most mundane activity or within a complex
investigation.
Résumé:
Education
California College of Arts and Crafts (Oakland, CA), MFA, Photography, May 2001
Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY), BFA, Photographic Illustration, May 1999
Select Awards, Grants, and Residencies
2017 Recipient, Center for Teaching Excellence Fellowship, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Finalist, Headlands Center for the Arts Artist Residency, San Francisco, CA
2016 Scholarship Recipient, La Pocha Nostra Intensive Performance Workshop, Santa Fe, NM
2015 GuatePhoto Book Award Finalist, Guatemala City, Guatemala
CENTER Review Santa Fe Scholarship recipient
2014 dFlux Artist in Residence, Detroit, MI
Art in Public Places Purchase Award, New Mexico Arts, Santa Fe, NM
2013 CENTER Excellence in Teaching Award recipient, Santa Fe, NM
2012 InFocus Photographers Award recipient, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
2011 Recipient for Friends of the Orphan Signs, Sprout Microgrant, Albuquerque, NM
PX3 Official Selection Recipient, Prix de la Photographie, Paris, France
2010 Artist in Residence, PLAND Residency, Taos, New Mexico
2008 Aperture Prize recipient, New York, NY
2007 CaDre Grant recipient, San Francisco, CA
2003 Artist in Residence Light Work, Syracuse, NY
2002 Serpent Source Foundation grant recipient, San Francisco, CA
Third Wave Foundation grant recipient, New York, NY
2001 Barclay Simpson Award Recipient, CCA, San Francisco, CA
Dennis Leon Award, CCA, San Francisco, CA
Recent Solo Exhibitions
2017 The P.I. Project, Central Features Contemporary Art, Albuquerque, NM
Catastrophe, Crisis, and Other Family Traditions, Ridley Gallery at Sierra College, Rocklin, CA
Dear Erin Hart, Carol Calo Gallery at Stonehill College, Easton, MA
Catastrophe, Crisis, and Other Family Traditions, Ridley Gallery at Sierra College, Rocklin, CA
2015 Dear Erin Hart, Sorenson Center for the Arts, Babson College, Babson Park, MA
Dear Erin Hart, CENTER, Santa Fe, NM
Dear Erin Hart, Central Features Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Dear Erin Hart, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver, CO
2014 Dear Erin Hart, San Francisco Camerawork, San Francisco, CA
Domestic Landscape, Pacific Exhibits, Albuquerque, NM
Dear Erin Hart, installation, Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM
Lomas On-site Listening Station, site-specific public art installation in collaboration with
Shores and Friends of the Orphan Signs, Lomas Boulevard, Albuquerque, NM
2012 A New Age, Caldera Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Spooky Little Landscapes, CENTER, Santa Fe, NM
Catastrophe, Crisis, and Other Family Traditions, City College of San Francisco Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Recent Group Exhibitions
2017 Two Truths and a Lie (three person exhibition with Weegee and Zoe Crosher), Jacki Headley University Art Gallery at Chico State University, Chico, CA, curated by Kelly Liner
History / Her Story group exhibition, David Richard Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, Curated by New Mexico 20th Anniversary Committee, David Eichholtz, and Howard Rutkowski
Tondo, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM, curated by (s)and
2016 Sanitary Tortilla Factory Group Exhibition, Zendo, Albuquerque, NM, curated by Sheri Crider
Outer Local, David Richard Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, curated by SCUBA
Dispatch, Trolley Barn Gallery, Las Vegas, NM, curated by Stanger Collective and SCUBA
Dispatch, Art.i.fact, Santa Fe, NM, curated by Stanger Collective and SCUBA
UNM Art Education Faculty Invitational, Masley Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2015 Stealth Investigations (three-person exhibition with Trish Stone and Lee Montgomery), SCA Contemporary Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
(s)and: An Introduction, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
2013 Friends of the Orphan Signs Tradewinds Sign Rally, Albuquerque, NM, curated and organized by Ellen Babcock as part of High Desert Test Sites Tour
Fear and Loathing, Art Photo Index Photo Eye, Santa Fe, NM, curated by Kate Ware
Autophotography, Axle Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
Postcards from New Mexico: CENTER Review Santa Fe Alumni Exhibition, Santa Fe, NM, curated by Laura Pressley
2012 Time Pieces: Friends of the Orphan Signs, 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM, curated by Ellen Babcock
Collaborative Group Projects and Performances
2017 D.I.Y. P.I, an interactive performance, University Art Gallery at Chico State University, Chico, CA
D.I.Y. P.I., an interactive dinner performance presented in collaboration with Central Features Contemporary Art and Vivac Winery, secret location, Dixon, NM
_____ Stand (two-person exhibition with Lee Montgomery), Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2016 The P.I. Project: A Speakeasy Performance, an interactive dinner performance presented in collaboration with Central Features Contemporary Art and Dig & Serve Speakeasy
Supper Club, Central Features Contemporary Art (gallery), Albuquerque, NM
2013 Friends of the Orphan Signs Tradewinds Sign Rally, Albuquerque, NM, co-curated and organized with Ellen Babcock as part of High Desert Test Sites Tour
2012 Time Pieces: Friends of the Orphan Signs, 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM, curated by Ellen Babcock
2011 Artist in Residence with Topographia Collective, PLAND Residency, Taos, NM
2002 Girls in the Hall traveling art exhibition, ArtShip Windows Project, Oakland, CA; Gutman Library at Harvard University, Boston, MA; San Francisco Public Library San Francisco,
CA; Richmond Art Center exhibit, Richmond, CA
Recent Select Bibliography
Artist monograph Watched!: Surveillance, Art, and Photography, co-edited by Louise Wolthers, Dragana Vujanovic, and Niclas Ostind, the Hasselblad Foundation, June 2016
Artist Monograph, Dear Erin Hart, San Francisco Camerawork, San Francisco, CA
Autophotography Catalog, Axle Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM, 2013
Barclay Simpson Award Anniversary Catalog, San Francisco, CA, 2012
Personal Identities/Contemporary Portraits exhibition catalog, edited by Michael Schwager, University Art Gallery, Sonoma State University, May 2010
Recent Select Press
Interview with Maggie Grimason, The Alibi, May 2017
Interview with Sara MacNeil for The Free Albuquerque Press, December, 2016
Interview with Megan Kamerick on Women’s Focus, KUNM, When and Artist Becomes a Private Investigator, August 27, 2016
Best Wired Photo Stories of 2015 by Laura Mallonee, Wired Magazine Online, December 29, 2015
Interview with Ellyn Kail for Feature Shoot article 14 Photographers Discuss the Downsides of their work Going Viral, November 30, 2015
Interview for Crime Watch Daily, November 6, 2015
Podcast Interview with Dr. Linda Tucker for Challenge Your Thinking, August 3, 2015
Podcast Interview with Thomas Seely for Art Uncovered on Breakthru Radio, June 30, 2015
Interview with Mandi Woodruff, Yahoo! Finance, May 24, 2015
Story and interview with Miki Meek, This American Life on National Public Radio, Episode 556: The Haunter Becomes the Haunted, May 3, 2015
Article (and Weekly Alibi Pick) by Lisa Barrow, Weekly Alibi, Albuquerque, NM, April 8, 2015
Interview with Janet Shamlian on The Today Show, Identity theft victim turns crime into public art exhibit, March 20, 2015
Interview with Carol Boss on Women’s Focus, KUNM 89.9FM, March 14, 2015
Article by Melia Robertson on Business Insider, A Turned the Tables on the Woman who Stole her Identity, March 6, 2015
Article by Lisa Frieda Cossham in Sueddeutsche Magazin (print and web), Germany, March 2015
Article in Esquire Russia (print and web), Russia, March 2015
Interview with Rebecca Corral, KCBS, San Francisco, CA, February 24, 2015
Interview with Jakob Schiller for Wired, February 3, 2015
Article by Sarina Fink on Money.com (top story 2/3, 2/5, 2/6), February 2, 2015
Article by Matthew Irwin on Hyperallergic, What Happens When You Steal an Artist’s Identity, January 29, 2015
Interview and Television Report for News Corp Australia, Caroline Zielinski, December 12, 2014
Article by Kayla Chobotiuk on Feature Shoot, Photographer Has Identity Stolen, Decides to Slealthily Photograph Thief, December 8, 2014
Article by Nok On on PhotoBlog.hk (in Chinese), December 6, 2014
Article on Petapixel by Gannon Burgett, Photographer Has Identity Stolen, Gets Her Revenge with a Covert Photo Project, December 5, 2014
Interview and television report for Fuji TV (Japan), Scott Filipski, December 4, 2014
Article by Simone Sbarbati on FrizziFrizzi (in Italian), December 4, 2014
Article on MyNet (in Turkish), December, 2014
Article by Melanie Wolfmeier, Zeitjung.de, November 28, 2014
Article by Morat for Grafik Jager, Jessamyn Lovell Goes Dark, November 27, 2014
Article in Daily Mail UK, November 27, 2014
Interview and article by Jenny Zhang for My Modern Met, Artist Creates a Photo Series Featuring the Thief Who Stole Her Wallet and Identity, November 26, 2014
Article: Photographer Jessamyn Lovell Had Her Identity Stolen And Got Revenge With An Art Project, Booooooom.com, November 24, 2014 (Top 15 Posts in 2014)
Article: Artist Jessamyn Lovell Tracks Down The Person Who Stole her Identity And Gets Revenge, Beautifiul Decay, November 24, 2014
Exhibition review by Ana Velasco: How To Steal Your Identity Back, Milk Made, October 29, 2014
Exhibition review by Eileen Kinsella on Art Net, Photographer Turns Identity Theft into Art, Article by
Article by Sam Whiting for San Francisco Chronicle DateBook (print and online), Jessamyn Lovell builds gallery show out of her ID theft, San Francisco, CA, October 15, 2014
Article by Christine DiGangi for Business Insider, How One Artist Turned The Tables On Her Identity Thief, October 12, 2014
Article by Christine DiGangi for Credit.com, When This Artist's Identity Was Stolen, She Put On A Photography Show About The Thief, October 11, 2014
Article and interview by Sam Whiting for SF Gate, Identity Theft Revealed in Photo Exhibit, September 3, 2014
Article by Geneveive Quick for Art Practical Magazine, Editor’s Pick and Print Edition Article, San Francisco, CA, September 2014
Interview and article by Amy Touchette for Photo District News PDNEDU, Star Teacher: Jessamyn Lovell Blurring the Lines to Help Students Find Their Way, March 14, 2014