Biography

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Katie West, an emerging photographer currently living in Wilmington, Delaware, spent most of her work life involved in the arts – working in marketing and public relations for dance organizations; grantmaking with the Illinois Arts Council, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the Delaware Division of the Arts; dancing professionally; and teaching ballet, modern and character dance to children and adults.

 

West learned about photography early, from her father who was an amateur photographer with a darkroom set up in the bathroom. From him she learned her way around a darkroom and what makes a good photograph. In college, as a journalism major/dance minor, West took a photojournalism class that provided a refresher on cameras, darkroom processes, and again, the elements of interesting photographs. For the next 30 years she took photos of her travels as well as her family, but they were never intended for anything other than personal use.

 

After retiring from full-time work in January 2019, she decided to focus on travel, wandering, and photographing the sights and people she found along the way, just for fun. Recent adventures included Cuba, Greece, Costa Rica, Ireland, Honduras, Canada, and Jamaica. Most of her photos from these travels were taken with a high-quality cell phone camera. West likes using a cell phone as it is easy and quick to capture interesting moments, and is less intrusive for the subjects.

 

In November 2019, a gallery owner saw some of West’s photographs on Facebook and invited her to mount a solo exhibit of her work. That exhibit, Jamaican Journey, included 15 framed prints and ran for the month of August 2020 at LaFate Gallery in Wilmington, Delaware. Since then, West had a second solo show at the Mezzanine Gallery in Wilmington, and her work was accepted into eight in-person national, international or regional juried exhibitions and numerous international juried online exhibitions. She is the recipient of a 2022 Delaware Division of the Arts Emerging Artist Fellowship. Featured in three Fellowship Award Winner exhibits in Dover, Rehoboth Beach, and Wilmington during 2022, West’s photographs are also now included in several private collections. Five of her black & white prints showing scenes from Delaware are hanging permanently in the Marketplace at the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington.

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Visit Katie West's Individual Artist Fellowship story here:

Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellow

 

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RESUME

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Juried and Solo Exhibitions (oldest to newest)

• LaFate Gallery, Jamaican Journey, solo exhibit, 8/7-28/2020

• Delaplaine Arts Center (MD), Annual International Juried Photography Exhibition, 11/7-29/2020

• HelvetArt, Red, international juried online exhibition, 12/1-31/2020

• Colors of Humanity, Blue, international juried online exhibition, 12/1-31/2020

• Art Show International, Landscapes, international juried online exhibition, 12/1-31/2020

• Art Room Gallery, Life on Earth, international juried online exhibition, 12/1-31/2020

• Fusion Arts, 6th Annual Landscapes Exhibit, international juried online exhibition, 1/5-31/2021

• Light Space Time Gallery, All Women Art Exhibit, international juried online exhibition, Special Recognition Award, 1/5-31/2021

• Rehoboth Art League (DE), 6th RAL Regional Juried Photography Exhibition, 2/12-27/2021

• Allegany Arts Council (MD), 7th Annual Allegany National Photography Competition & Exhibition, 4/3-24/2021

• Grey Cube Gallery, Skies, international juried online exhibition, Honorable Mention Award, 4/17-5/17/2021

• Fusion Art Gallery, Waterscapes, Honorable Mention Award, 5/1-30/2021

• Light Space Time Gallery, Botanicals, international juried online exhibit, Special Recognition Award, 5/1-30/2021

• York Art Association (PA), 50th Annual Open Juried Show, 10/31-12/19/2021

• Aplomb Gallery (NH), Stronger, juried international VR Meta-Biannale exhibit, 11/18-12/18/2021

• Chateau Gallery (OH), The Art of Street Photography, international juried online exhibit, 2/20-3/31/2022  

• Marketplace, State of Delaware Carvel Building, (DE), Permanent Exhibit, opened January 2022, five B&W photos of Delaware

• Art Room Gallery, Portraits, international juried online exhibit, 5/1-31/2022     

• Center for the Creative Arts (DE), 2nd Annual Spring Exhibition, 4/20-5/22/2022

• Biggs Museum (DE), Award Winners XXII Exhibit, 6/3-7/23/2022

• Camp Rehoboth (DE), Award Winners XXII Exhibit, 8/1-9/5/2022

• Mezzanine Gallery (DE), Jamaican Journey, solo exhibit, 8/5-26/2022

• Cab Calloway (DE), Award Winners XXII Exhibit, 10/1-11/1/2022

• Art Room Gallery, Floral, international juried online exhibit, 12/4/2022-1/4/2023

• Rehoboth Art League (DE), 8th RAL Regional Juried Photography Exhibition, 1/6-30/2023

• Artist Space Gallery, Landscapes, international juried online exhibit, January 2023

• Art Show International, Water, international juried online exhibit, January 2023

• Chateau Gallery, Scapes: Land, City, Hell, international juried online exhibit, January 2023

• Oxford Arts Alliance (PA), Regional Photography Exhibition, 8/4-25/2023

• Rehoboth Art League (DE), 9th RAL Regional Photography Exhibition, 1/5/2024 - 2/4/2024

• Chateau Gallery, Abstracts international juried online exhibit, January 2024

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Awards

• Emerging Artist Fellowship, Photography, Delaware Division of the Arts, 2022

• Arts Service Award, Pennsylvania Presenters, 2013

 

Positions in the Arts

• Freelance Photographer, 2019-present

• Consultant, Grantwriting/Editing/Writing, 1986-present

• Dance Teaching, 1982-2020

• Program Officer, Organization Support, Delaware Division of the Arts, 2014-2019

• Founding Director, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour Program, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, 1997–2014

• Director of Local Arts Agencies & Presenting Programs, and Arts-In-Education Program Representative, Illinois Arts Council, 1991-1997

• Director of Communications, MoMing Dance & Arts Center, Chicago, 1989 – 1990
   

Education

Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude)

Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI, 1988

Journalism/Public Relations major, Dance minor

 

Undergraduate Studies

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, Fall 1988

San Diego State University, 1980-1982

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Dance Studies

Joffrey Ballet

American Ballet Theater

Poughkeepsie Ballet Theater

and many master teachers

 

Arts Administration/Grantmaking Presentations (selected)

Numerous Grant and Proposal Writing workshops, 1991-2019

Numerous board and committee presentations, 1997-2019

APAP/NYC  "First Time Attendees Webinar," 2012

"Where is the Money?," Performing Arts Exchange, 2004

"A Partnership to Support Touring Artists," Grantmakers in the Arts, 2002

 

Service on Grant/Application Review Panels (selected)

National Endowment for the Arts, Presenting Services to the Field Panel, 2010

Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, State Touring Roster Panel, 2009

Delaware Division of the Arts, Public Impact Grant Review Panel, 2006 & 2007