Ellen Garvens

Ellen Garvens is a retired Professor of Photo/Media and Donald E. Petersen Endowed Faculty Fellow at the University of Washington's School of Art + Art History + Design within the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds an MFA in Art from the University of New Mexico and a BS in Art from the University of Wisconsin.

Her research focuses on interdisciplinary intersections between drawing, photography, sculpture, and video art. Her work explores themes of gravity-defiance, material experimentation, and the interplay between two- and three-dimensional forms. Recent projects include installations involving string, paper, and cardboard, recontextualizing materials to challenge spatial norms. Earlier work involved documenting prosthetic clinics in the U.S. and Southeast Asia, highlighting human narratives through devices' histories.

Her exhibitions include Ellen Garvens and Barbara Weissberger: Perception (2019–2020), Familiar Faces & New Voices: Surveying Northwest Art (2017–2019), and Ellen Garvens: Strings Attached (2017). These works emphasize experimental approaches to photography and mixed media, reflecting her commitment to evolving artistic practices. She has also received recognition through the Donald E. Petersen Endowed Faculty Fellowship.

No grants or advising roles are explicitly mentioned. No lab affiliations are noted in the provided texts.