Alexandra Silverthorne (born 1980) is a

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

-based artist and

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

. Her work focuses on spatial theory and exploration. She has been an adjunct professor at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

for Film and Media Arts as well as the

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1851 and is the only public university in the city. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall ...

since 2010 where she works with undergraduates in darkroom photography.

Education

A native of D.C., Silverthorne attended St. Mark's School in

Southborough, Massachusetts Southborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps, though ...

and

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

where she

majored An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''conce ...

in Government and minored in Art and Philosophy. She received her

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in Studio Arts from the

Maine College of Art Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) is a private art school in Portland, Maine. Founded in 1882, Maine College of Art & Design is the oldest arts educational institution in Maine. Roughly 32% of MECA&D students are from Maine. The college is a ...

Portland, ME Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

Work

Silverthorne says she "uses the camera as a means to understand and explore spatial environments and encounters. As projects evolve, her photographs often move beyond the mat and the frame to become sculptural objects, projections, and installations." Her "current projects include the effect of disorientation in experiencing and moving through space, instinctual explorations of architectural structures, and nocturnal documentation of unfamiliar landscapes."

Career

"In 2003, Silverthorne co-founded Panorama Community Arts with the goal of providing art experiences to all residents of DC." Silverthorne's first main works were from demonstrations in Washington and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

against the war in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. In 2004, she was selected to be one of six American representatives at the 2004 World Conference Against A & H Bombs, a trip which resulted in a solo exhibit at the

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library (also known locally as the MLK Library or the King Library) is an 8-story public library and university library, located in downtown San Jose, California, which had its grand opening on August 16, 2003. , it ...

in Washington. She continued to show around the DC area in a variety of art spaces and galleries. Silverthorne had a solo exhibition at the

BlackRock Center for the Arts The BlackRock Center for the Arts, officially the Germantown Cultural Arts Center ( d.b.a. BlackRock Center for the Arts), is a cultural, visual and performing arts center in Germantown, Maryland. The center is named after the nearby historic Bla ...

in 2016 titled ''All the Ways In'' which featured different black and white images showing different ways to enter the Dublin Lake in rural New Hampshire. To create this body of work, "Silverthorne spent several weeks kayaking around the lake capturing images with a film camera in order examining ingresses to the lake from both public town beaches and private boathouses." Her 2019 participation in ''NARRATIVE'', a group show featuring the work of fourteen photographers at Studio Gallery in DC. was noted by photography art critic Louis Jacobson as one of the Best Photography Exhibits of 2018 in ''The'' ''Washington City Paper''. In December 2018, Silverthorne joined a group of local Washington, DC area artists and became a member of DCAC's 2019-2020 Sparkplug Collective. Silverthorne is the recipient of grants from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Puffin Foundation. She was awarded Artist Fellowship Awards in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 from the DCCAH (2010 award was for the Young Artist category). Her photography can be found in the public collections of the City of Washington, DC at the

John A. Wilson Building The John A. Wilson District Building, popularly known simply as the Wilson Building, houses the municipal offices and chambers of the Mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia. Originally called the District Building, it was renamed in 1 ...

in Washington, DC. Silverthorne is the author of two photography books: ''Midnight'', published in 2011 and ''yes is the only living thing'', published in 2019.

References

External links

World Conference Against A & H BombsAlexandra SilverthorneMaine College of Art's MFA ProgramInterview with Greymatter Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverthorne, Alexandra Living people Photographers from Washington, D.C. Connecticut College alumni St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni 1980 births American women photographers American University faculty University of the District of Columbia faculty American women academics 21st-century American women