Bio

BIO
Blake Fitch was born in Rochester, NY in 1971. Fitch received her BFA on full scholarship from Pratt Institute (1994), with a major in photography and minor in photo history. After graduating she studied photography at the Art Institute of Chicago (1998) before earning her masters degree in Arts Administration from Boston University (2001).

Documentary in nature, Fitch’s work has focused on the human condition, including themes of: identity, rites of passage, civil rights, belonging and the investigation of community in third world countries. Her work has been described as graceful and confident. The quality and breadth of her imagery has enabled her to receive a variety of grants and sponsorships including support from Kodak and Calumet Photographic. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in the collections of numerous museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Worcester Art Museum, and the George Eastman House of Photography.

PARTIAL CLIENT LIST
New Yorker Magazine, Boston Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, Harvard University, New York Post, London Sunday Telegraph, etc.

EDUCATION
• Boston University, Boston, MA (2001)
M.S. in Arts Administration, Honors
• The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (1998- 1999)
M.F.A. Studies in Photography
• Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY (1994)
B.F.A. in Photography, Minor in Photo History, Awarded Full Scholarship, magna cum laude

EXHIBITIONS AND COLLECTIONS
• Permanent Collections
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA
George Eastman House of Photography, Rochester, NY
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Light Work, Syracuse, NY
Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA

• One Person Shows
Willard Arts Center- Carr Gallery, Idaho Falls, ID “Beyond Expectations” (2009)
ClampArt, NY, “The Expectations of Adolescence” (2009)
Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography, MA, “The Expectations of Adolescence” (2009)
Light Work Gallery, Syracuse, NY, “The Expectations of Adolescence” (2008)
Center for Contemporary Art, Adeline, TX, “The Expectations of Adolescence” (2007)
Lepont Gallery, Aleppo, Syria, “Expectations of Adolescence” (2007)
Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR, “The Expectations of Adolescence” (1998)
Jadite Gallery, New York, NY, “Re-Imaging Cuba” (1996)
Steauben Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, “Cuba” (1994)
Thousand Island Museum, Clayton, NY, “Cuba” (1994)

• Group Shows
Clamp Art, New York, NY, “The Museum of Unnatural History” (2010)
George Eastman House of Photography, Rochester, NY “What We Are Collecting Now: Families” (2009)
Van Every and Smith Galleries, Davidson College, Davidson, NC “ Portraits” (2009)
Hearst 8x10 Biennial, New York, NY (2009)
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX “ Photo Forum” (Sept- Dec. 2008)
John Cleary Gallery, Houston, TX (2008)
Center for Photography Woodstock, Woodstock, NY, “Time Tracers” (2007)
Menschel Photography Gallery, Syracuse, NY “Images of Identity” (2007)
Kalamoon University, Damascus, Syria (2007)
Lepont Gallery, Aleppo, Syria, 11th International Photography Gathering (2007)
Clamp Art, New York, NY (2006)
Mark Wally Gallery, Portland, OR (2005)
Panoptican Gallery, Boston, MA, “Cuba- Light and Shadow” (2005)
Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, NY (2002)
Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA, “New England Photographers” (2001)
Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA (2000)
Photographic Resource Center- Members Gallery, Boston, MA, (2000)
Nippon Steel Cooperation, Chicago, IL, (1999)
Doozer Gallery, Chicago, IL, “Locked Groove” (1999)
Gallery Two, Chicago, IL (1999)
Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX (1998)
College of the Mainland, Houston, TX, “Faculty Exhibition” (1998)
Shafler Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (1990-1994)

REVIEWS/ PUBLICATIONS
•Post Register, Idaho, “A Photographic Exploration” (July 3, 2009)
•The New Yorker Magazine (July 6 & 13, 2009)
•Flakphoto.com (July/ August, 2009)
• Hearst 8x10 Biennial (2009)
•PROFIFOTO: Photographers Network, WOMEN (2008)
• Contact Sheet 146 , Light Work, (2008) Essay by Andy Grundberg
• Takegreatpictures.com, (June 27, 2008) Sarah Coleman
• Contact Sheet Annual, Light Work, 2007 (Essay by Alison Nordstrom)
• Lensculture.com, “Expectations of Adolescence” photographs by Blake Fitch (Feb. 2007)
• Yahoo.com, “Yahoo Website Picks”, Expectations of Adolescence, Lensculture.com (March 2007)
• Magenta Magazine, Cover story, “The Expectations of Adolescence” (Dec. 2006)
• The Boston Globe, “ ‘Body Familiar’ Lays Bare the Allure of the Nude” ( Feb. 2006)
• MetroWest Daily News, “Take a Hard Look at Cuba” (March 2005)
• The Boston Phoenix, “Art Attack, Seeing the Big Picture” (Dec. 2004)
• The Boston Globe, “Out of the Picture” (Nov. 2004)
• The Daily News, “Capturing Resiliency and Hope” (Aug. 2004)
• ArtsEditor, “The Farthest Place” (Oct. 2003)
• CIO Magazine, “A Difference of a Degree” (2000)
• Houston Chronicle, “Images of Adolescence at College of the Mainland” (1998)

FELLOWSHIPS, SPONSORSHIPS AND HONORS
Hearst 8x10 Biennial, Honorable Mention (2009)
Photographers Network, WOMEN (2008)
Light Work Print Program (2007)
Light Work Residency (2006)
Success of the Meeting Place, Fotofest, (2006)
Sponsorship: Calumet Photographic International (2004)
Rotary International Grant (2004)
Fulbright Fellowship Finalist: UK (1999)
Society of Photographic Education Graduate Scholarship (1999)
Today’s Assistants Tomorrow’s Pros: Mamiya and Photo District News (1998)
Sponsorship: Kodak Photographic Inc. (1998)
Sponsorship: Calumet Photographic International (1998)
Harper’s Bazaar National Talent Search Grand Prize (1998)
Golden Light Honorable Mention: Maine Photographic Workshops (1997)
Kodak Work Grant (1994)
Pratt Travel Grant (1994)
Pratt Circle Award for Academic Excellence (1994)
National Talent Search Full Tuition Scholarship: Pratt Institute (1990-1994)
Excellence in Photography Award: Photographers Forum (1990)