Paula McCartney

Paula McCartney is an Adjunct Professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), where she has taught since 2007. She holds an MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her interdisciplinary practice spans artist books, photography, and ceramics, focusing on the intersection of nature, constructed environments, and light. Her work interrogates how humans interact with and manipulate natural landscapes, often blending humor with conceptual depth.

Key research interests include environmental art, light studies, and the relationship between materiality and narrative. Her projects like Bird Watching (2010) and A Field Guide to Snow and Ice (2014) use photography and book arts to reimagine natural phenomena. Recent works such as Every Contact Leaves a Trace (2024) explore erosion patterns and handmade processes.

• Grants & Awards: McKnight Book Artist Fellow (2020/21), Aaron Siskind Foundation Grant, McKnight Foundation Grant
• Exhibitions: Featured in venues like the Walker Art Center, Museum of Modern Art, and Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Publications: Over 15 artist books, including Staged Geometries (2022) and Failed Views (2020)

Her work is part of major collections such as the Beinecke Rare Book Library (Yale), MoMA, and the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection. McCartney’s artistic practice emphasizes material experimentation, conceptual storytelling, and the dialog between constructed and organic forms.