معرفی
Michael Kolster is Professor of Art in the Department of Visual Arts at Bowdoin College, Maine. He is a renowned photographer specializing in historical photographic processes, particularly wet-plate collodion ambrotypes. His work bridges art, environmental inquiry, and historical reflection, with major projects focused on rivers and urban green spaces.
- Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Lives and works in Maine
- Teaches at Bowdoin College since 2001
His research and artistic practice center on landscape transformation, memory, and the Anthropocene. Kolster’s work often juxtaposes contemporary scenes with historical photographic precedents, such as revisiting locations photographed by Eugène Atget in Paris. He explores how human activity reshapes environments, from the Los Angeles River to plastiglomerates on Hawaiian beaches—hybrid rock-plastic formations predicted to become geological markers of our era.
Recent publications include Paris Park Photographs (2022), L. A. River (2019), and Take Me to the River (2016), all critically acclaimed. His upcoming book Mongrels of Our Making (2025) examines plastiglomerates as symbols of ecological crisis. He also maintains The Daily Post, a long-term photographic blog with over 5,500 entries documenting daily life.
Kolster’s photographic series frequently incorporate 3D stereo pairs and archival pigment prints, pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling. His work has been exhibited widely, including solo shows at the University of New England, Telfair Museums, and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow (2013)
- Finalist, Lange-Taylor Prize (2014)
- Multiple Faculty Research Awards, Bowdoin College
- Polaroid Artist Support Grant (1991, 1992)
- Residencies at Ucross, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and The American University of Paris
Kolster has advised numerous exhibitions and public programs, and his work is held in major collections including the Eastman Museum, High Museum, Center for Creative Photography, and Princeton University. He has delivered lectures and artist residencies across the U.S. and internationally, engaging audiences on photography, environmental change, and artistic process. He also contributes to academic and artistic discourse through publications in journals such as Boom, Consilience, and Memorious.
His current projects include deeply personal work on caring for his son Calvin, who has multiple disabilities, and continued exploration of the Anthropocene through geological and visual lenses.
