Paula McCartney (1971) gained an MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute in California (2002). She has been the recipient of the Aaron Siskind foundation Individual Photographer's Fellowship Grant (2004), the Women's Studio Workshop Artist's Book Production Grant (2005), an Artist-in-Residence at Minnesota Center for the Book Arts (2006) and an MCP/McKnight Photography Fellowship (2007). Her work has been shown in several exhibitions, including Galeria Luisa Strina (Brazil), Oakland Art Gallery, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Tinhorn Public Works (San Francisco) and Photographic Center Northwest (Seattle) amongst others. Her work appears in many collections including Deutche Bank, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Paul Sack Collection, Walker Art Center and Yale University. Paula McCartney lives and works in Minneapolis.

Bird Watching combines varied natural settings with carefully placed craft store songbirds to create an enhanced landscape. This works explores how nature and fabricated elements can combine to create a scene that questions what is natural, and whether being so holds any intrinsic importance. Photography is used to explore the idea of constructed landscapes, with natural history illustrations, botany journals and scientific specimens acting as starting points.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

Klompching Gallery, New York (2010), Rochester Arts Center, Rochester (2008), Electro Lift Artworks, Minneapolis (2006), Minnesota Center for Photography, Minneapolis (2006), Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale (2005), 364 Hayes Street Contemporary Art, San Francisco (2003).

Selected Group Exhibitions

Humble Arts Foundation/Affirmation Arts Foundation, New York (2010), Herron School of Art & Design, Indianapolis (2009), Houston Center For Photography, Houston (2009), Klompching Gallery, New York (2009), Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle (2008), Contemporary Art Galleries, U of CT, Storrs (2008), Rooke Gallery, Johannesburg (2008), Minnesota Center for Photography, Minneapolis (2007), Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis (2007), Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle (2007), Chicago Arts District Exhibition Space (2007), San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco (2006), Pingyao International Photography Festival, China (2006), Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul (2005), Metropolitan State University, St. Paul (2005), Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids (2005), Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco (2005), Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland (2004), McBean Gallery, San Francisco (2002), 80 Washington Square East Galleries, New York (1999), Galeria Luisa Strina, Brazil (1998).

Awards & Residencies

Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant (2010), MCP/McKnight Photography Fellowship (2008), Artist-in-Residence at Minnesota Center for the Book (2006), Women's Studio Workshop Artist's Book Production Grant (2005), Aaron Siskind Foundation Individual Photographer's Fellowship Grant (2004).

Publications & Press

Spot, Houston Center for Photography (Fall 2009), Ag, The International Journal of Photographic Art (Spring 2008), 6x6, Society of Photographers (2007), Photography Now: One Hundred Portfolios (2006), Photo Bravo (2006), Practice: New Writing + Art Issue 1 (Spring 2006), Neomu 8 (Fall 2005), Matrix Magazine Issue 61 (Spring 2002), Fotophile Issue 35 (Spring 2000), The Photo Review Volume 22 No. 3 & 4 (Fall 1999), Green Mountains Review Volume 11 (Fall/Winter 1998-99), Latent Image Journal of Photography volume 6 (October 1998).

Collections