Six of my images are included in a sweet little exhibition curated by Douglas Beasley - Beyond the Selfie: Going Deeper into Meaning and Metaphor. The show also includes work by Jenna Erickson, Sheryl Hess, Wing Young Huie, Caitlin Karolczak, Joseph O'Leary, Sarah Rust Sampedro, Manuela Thames, and Douglas Beasley.

I was surprised by the invite for this show - I don't think of myself as a selfie photographer. But, the reality is I've been photographing myself fairly often for the last couple years. I began making selfies during a time of transition in my life, as a way to inhabit and celebrate my body more fully. Using an iPhone instead of my usual medium-format film camera allowed me to make quick, easy, casual images, which added a lovely spontaneity and flexibility to my process. I didn't take the images seriously at first, but I'm growing to appreciate the new language of mobile photography. I'm not trading in my Rollei just yet, but it has been enriching to play with a different medium. In Minnesota? Stop by for the show, on view June 6th - July 14th at White Bear Center for the Arts. You can also view more of my selfies and mobile snaps on my Instagram page.

Beyond the Selfie exhibition at White Bear Center for the Arts

Speaking of selfies, an exhibition I curated with colleague and friend Laura Moya is currently showing at LightBox Photographic. The show is entitled The Elevated Selfie: Beyond the Bathroom Mirror. Clearly, we had a psychic connection with Doug Beasley when planning this exhibit.

The show includes the work of 35 wonderful artists, along with narratives about their lives. Not only do the images really transcend the expected, the narratives bring home the fact that making selfies can be a profound and cathartic practice.

The Elevated Selfie will be on view at LightBox Photographic until June 7th and will then travel to the Griffin Museum of Photography for an exhibition July 12th - September 16th.