TOPOPHILIA STUDIOS // Claire Lange Putney
ARTIST STATEMENT
I come from a world of maps, mountains, and cross-country road-trips. My grandfather made maps, my mother followed them, and now they have been passed on to me. It is the space between a map and the location it describes that interests me most, where the identifications and connotations of a place are lost.
The relationship between human experience and geography is the focus of much of my work. Together, they form an intriguing narrative that gives evidence to one’s physical and emotional connection with a place and the histories that are created there.
Direct observation is at the core of my practice, whether creating prints, sculptural objects, or drawings. I record my initial observations of a location through sketches, photo documentation, and personal dialogues. Maps, charts, and diagrams are often combined with site-specific imagery to create works that express the affective bond between people and place.
CV
Equinox Studios
6555 5th Ave S #203
Seattle, WA 98108
CORE Gallery
117 Prefontaine Place South
Seattle, WA 98104
EDUCATION
2007 Master of Fine Arts, Fibers, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2004 Bachelor of Arts, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, San Diego State University
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 The Second Wake, CORE Gallery, Seattle, WA
2020 A Message from Time, CORE Gallery, Seattle, WA
2018 THREAD(s), CORE Gallery, Seattle, WA
2017 Origins of Progress, CORE Gallery, Seattle, WA
2016 The Inventor’s Wake, CORE Gallery, Seattle, WA
The Free Elwha, Shoreline Community College Art Gallery, WA
2012 Wish You Were Here, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL
New Drawings, Metro Galleries, Bakersfield, CA
Capture and Record, College of the Sequoias Gallery, Visalia, CA
2008 Charged Spaces, Haydon Art Center, Lincoln, NE
2006 Linear Translations, Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Seattle, WA
2003 Fender the Fall, Flor y Canto Gallery, San Diego, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2018 Layers, Sammamish City Hall, WA
Art Through the Lens, Yeiser Art Center, KY
2017 RESIST!, Perry and Carleson Gallery, Mount Vernon, WA
2015 Township and Range, Shoreline City Hall, Shoreline, WA
Attraction, Lynnwood Convention Center, Lynnwood, WA
2014 Inky Spokes, Tacoma Art Museum, WA
2013 Bike Art, The Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO
Open Door 9, Roselux Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2012 Drawing Show, LA Artcore Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2011 Energy, Method Art, Scottsdale, AZ
Highwire Act, Todd Madigan Gallery, Cal State University Bakersfield, CA
Convergence, Bakersfield Museum of Art, Bakersfield, CA
Chronicles, Metro Galleries, Bakersfield, CA
2010 The 48-Hour Project, Surface Gallery, Bakersfield, CA
Faculty Exhibit, LA Artcore Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 Eye Gallery Exhibit, Bakersfield Museum of Art, CA
2008 Wasted and Forgotten, The 621 Gallery, Tallahassee, FL
5x5, Arts West, Seattle, WA
Addicted to Art, PONCHO Invitational Fine Art Auction, Seattle, WA
2007 Crud, SOIL, Seattle, WA
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
Bifocal, Ouch My Eye, Seattle, WA
2006 Contagion, WET, Seattle, WA
2004 3 Minutes of Happiness, Selective Hearing Gallery, San Diego, CA
Juried Biennial Exhibition, Cannon Art Gallery, San Diego, CA
2003 Verwood and the Cinder Girl, The Farm, San Diego, CA
Up and Coming: New Paintings, SDSU Community Gallery, San Diego, CA
Throw the Switch, The Farm, San Diego, CA
HONORS AND AWARDS
2013 First Place Juror's Award, The Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO
2008 Haydon Art Center Exhibition Fellowship, Lincoln, NE
2006 University of Washington School of Art Scholarship, Seattle, WA
2005 Davis Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2003 Price Community Builders Fellowship, San Diego, CA
2002 San Diego State University Art Council Award, CA
2001 Paul Lingren Scholarship, San Diego State University, CA
COLLECTIONS
Carlos and Amy Reyes, Sacramento, CA
Lynnwood Convention Center, Lynnwood, WA
Nicholas and Jessica Mayer, Seattle, WA
Gregory Bynum and Associates, Inc., Bakersfield, CA
Rosedale/Rio Bravo Water District, Bakersfield, CA
West Kern Water District, Bakersfield, CA
Don and Evelyn Silverman, Dallas, TX
Marita Holdaway, Benham Gallery, Seattle, WA
City of Seattle Portable Work Collection, Seattle, WA
City of Seattle, University Avenue Public Art Project, Seattle, WA
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2014 Studio Visit Magazine, Volume 26
2012 Pick of the Week, Arts and Entertainment, Chicago Tribune, 07.26.2012
2010 Carrying on with the Story, by Camille Gavin, The Bakersfield Californian
The Art of Kern's Water, by Lois Henry, The Bakersfield Californian
2007 Diamond Dust, Sea Slug, Wink, review by Jen Graves, The Stranger
Coupling V: Bifocal, Exhibition Catalogue, Strange Co.,
M.F.A. Thesis, Exhibition Catalogue, University of Washington
ARTIST LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS
2010 Kern River Valley Art Association, Lake Isabella, CA
2008 Haydon Art Center, Lincoln, NE
2007 Highline Community College, Seattle, WA
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Teaching
2018-Present Tenured Faculty - Drawing, 2D & 3D Design, Fiber Art, Printmaking, Photography, Sculpture
Shoreline Community College, WA
2014-2018 Associate Faculty - Drawing, 2D Design, Photography
Shoreline Community College, WA
2009-2013 Adjunct Faculty - Drawing, Art Appreciation
Bakersfield College, CA
2011 Adjunct Faculty - Photography, Art Appreciation
California State University Bakersfield, CA
2007 Graduate Teaching Assistant - American Art History
University of Washington, Seattle
2006 Graduate Teaching Assistant - Contemporary Issues and Influences
University of Washington, Seattle
Graduate Instructor - Intro to Fiber Art
University of Washington, Seattle
2005 Graduate Instructor - 2D Design
University of Washington, Seattle
2003-2004 Artist in Residence, Hoover High School
Price Community Builders Program, San Diego, CA
2001-2003 Teaching Assistant - Photography and Lithography
San Diego State University, CA
Art Practices
2013-present Topophilia Studios, Owner, Seattle, WA
2010-2013 Creating Community Project Facilitator, Arts Council of Kern, CA
2007-2009 Tandem Fabrications, General Partner and Fabricator, Everett, WA
2007-2008 Exhibition Photographer, Tacoma Museum of Art and Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
2007 Public Art On the Ave, University District, Seattle, WA
Curatorial
2014-Present Gallery Director, Shoreline Community College, WA
2012-2013 Assistant Curator, Bakersfield Museum of Art, Bakersfield, CA
2011 Highwire Act, City of Santa Clarita Arts Commission, CA
2010 The 48-Hour Project, Surface Gallery, Bakersfield, CA
2005-2007 Gallery Assistant Manager, Jacob Lawrence Gallery
University of Washington, Seattle