Claire Pentecost (born 1956 in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, United States) is an American artist, a writer, and Professor in the Department of Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Her interdisciplinary practice interrogates the imaginative and institutional structures that organize divisions of knowledge, often focusing on nature and artificiality. Her work positions artistic practice as a research practice, advocating for the role of the

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

in the collection, interpretation, and mobilization of information. Her current projects focus on industrial and bioengineered agriculture, and the hidden costs of the global corporate

food system The term food system describes the interconnected systems and processes that influence nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients ...

. Pentecost engages diverse strategies—collaboration, research, teaching, field work, writing, lecturing, drawing, installation and photography—in an ongoing interrogation of the institutional structures that order knowledge. According to her model, the artist is someone who consents to learn in public, interrogating knowledge itself in the cultural space of art, a place where values are contested. She promotes crossing and disturbing the disciplinary boundaries that traditionally limit the authorized specialist.

Collaboration

Pentecost often engages in collaborations with groups and individuals including

Critical Art Ensemble Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) is a collective of five tactical media practitioners of various specializations including computer graphics and web design, film/video, photography, text art, book art, and performance. For CAE, tactical media is situat ...

Beatriz da Costa Beatriz da Costa (June 11, 1974 – December 27, 2012) was an interdisciplinary artist known for her work at the intersection of contemporary art, science, engineering, and politics. Her projects took the form of public interventions and workshop ...

, 16Beaver, Compass, Continental Drift, and

Brian Holmes Brian Holmes is a professor of philosophy at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where he teaches an intensive summer seminar. He has worked with the French graphics collective Ne Pas Plier (Do Not Bend) from 1999 to 2001 and th ...

. In the early 1990s, Pentecost was one of a core group of organizers of Four Walls in Brooklyn.

Career

Pentecost's artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally including

dOCUMENTA ''documenta'' is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. The ''documenta'' was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultura ...

(13), Kassel, Germany. Invitations to speak include a Keynote Lecture at "Revolutions in Practice 2," the 2010 Creative Time Summit. Her artwork is represented by Higher Pictures, New York.

Education

Pentecost attended

The Westminster Schools The Westminster Schools is a Kindergarten –12 private school in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, founded in 1951. History Westminster originated in 1951 as a reorganization of Atlanta's North Avenue Presbyterian School (NAPS), a girls' school a ...

, a Christian, independent day school for boys and girls in Atlanta, GA. In 1978 she earned a BA at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

, Northampton, MA. In 1983 she attended the

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is an artists residency located in Madison, Maine, just outside of Skowhegan. Every year, the program accepts online applications from emerging artists from November through January, and selects 65 t ...

. In 1988 she earned an MFA,

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

, Brooklyn, NY. Pentecost was selected for the Whitney Independent Study Program 1988-89.

Art works

*''soil-erg'' *''victoryland'' *''the dream'' *''expochacra'' *''plastic dreamhouse by the sea'' *''grub''

Exhibitions (selections)

*13th Istanbul Biennial (2013) * dOCUMENTA13, Kassel, Germany, exhibiting artist (2012) *"Vision is elastic. Thought is elastic." Murray Guy, NYC, NY (2011) *"Interior Studies", Higher Pictures, NYC, NY (2010) *"VictoryLand…you, I shall answer your letter" Three Walls, Chicago (2010) *in collaboration with Compass: "Heartland",

Smart Museum of Art The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The permanent collection has over 15,000 objects. Admission is free and open to the general public. The Smart Muse ...

, Chicago, IL (2009) *"Natural Relations", Skuc Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia (2008) *INOVA, Milwaukee (2008) *"Mapping the Self",

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...

, Chicago, IL (2007) *"Calendar of flowers, gin bottles, steak bones", (

Moyra Davey Moyra Davey (born 1958) is an artist based in New York City. Davey works across photography, video, and writing. Early life Moyra Davey was born in 1958 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Montreal, where she studied photography and r ...

, Claire Pentecost, James Welling), Orchard, New York (2007) *"Grub," The Suburban,

Oak Park, IL Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in ...

(2006) *VisibleFood, events exploring Chicago's alternative food systems,

Mess Hall The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

, Chicago (2005) *Transmediale 05, Berlin (2005) *"Proof, the Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes"

Australian Centre for the Moving Image ACMI, formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is Australia's national museum of film, television, videogames, and art. ACMI was established in 2002 and is based at Federation Square in Melbourne, Victoria. During the 2014-15 finan ...

, Melbourne, Australia (2004) *"Nature Delivers: Urban Gardening and Beyond,"

Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) ( uk, Український Інститут Модерного Мистецтва (Ukrayinskyi Instytut Modernoho Mystetstva)) is a modern art museum serving the Chicago area with an ongoing program o ...

, Chicago, IL (2003) *"Molecular Invasion." The Corcoran, Washington DC., in collaboration with

and

(2002) *"Private Rescue," Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, Illinois (2001) *"Millennium Fusion," ARC, Chicago, IL (2000) *"House," 1755 West Division Street, Chicago, IL (1999) *"Sentimental Rescue", The Wakeley Gallery, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL (1998) *Elsbeth Woody Gallery, Clay Arts Center, Portchester, NY (1996) *"Other Rooms", Ronald Feldman Gallery, New York, NY (1995) *"The Jobs Show", Kunstverein, Munich, Germany (1994) *

Banff Center for the Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

, Banff, Canada (1993) *"Arte Joven de Nueve York", Fundacion CELARG, Caracas, Venezuela (1991) *Group Show, American Fine Art, New York, NY (1989) *"Real Democracy",

White Columns White Columns is New York City’s oldest alternative non-profit art space. White Columns is known as a showcase for up-and-coming artists, and is primarily devoted to emerging artists who are not affiliated with galleries. All work submitted is ...

, New York, NY (1988)

Awards

*2017 Artadia Award *2014 Headlands Center for the Arts, Artist In Residence Program 2014, Chamberlain Awardee *2010 Nomination, 3Arts award *2009 Nomination, Anonymous Was a Woman award *2007 Nomination, Dreihaus Prize, The Richard Dreihaus Foundation, Chicago, IL *2004 Nomination, Dreihaus Prize, The Richard Dreihaus Foundation, Chicago, IL *2004 Bellagio Residency, Italy *2002 Public Art Commission, Canaryville Branch Library, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Illinois Arts Council Finalist Grant *1999 Invitational Request for Proposals on Biotechnology,

Creative Time Creative Time is a New York-based nonprofit arts organization. It was founded in 1974 to support the creation of innovative, site-specific, socially engaged artworks in the public realm, particularly in vacant spaces of historical and architectura ...

, New York *1996 Artist in Residence, Consultant, Avina Group, Mallorca, Spain *1993 Art Matters, artist Grant, New York, NY

Speaking engagements

*2012 Banff Research in Culture Residency *2012 dOCUMENTA(13); On Seeds and Multispecies Intra-Action: Disowning Life / Conversation between Josefina Hepp, Claire Pentecost, Amar Kanwar and Nalini Malani *2012 "The agricultural theatre: vernacular knowledge, sustainable development and gree imperialism," Musée du Quai Branly, Paris *2011 "Make It Better, a Symposium on Art, Design and the Future of Health Care,"

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

, Providence, RI *2010 Creative Time Summit *2010 Symposium on BioArt and BioPower, Humanities Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL *2009 "The Politics of Perception," with Brian Holmes, Red Thread series,

Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center The contemporary art institution Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center opened in 2001 and was located on the pedestrian Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul, Turkey. Platform Garanti organized exhibitions; conferences and events; hosted an internationa ...

, Istanbul, Turkey *2008 "Raw Symbiosis: Animals-Nature-Culture," 14th International Festival of Contemporary Arts: City of Women Festival,

Ljubljana, Slovenia Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

*2007 Symposium: "BioMedicine and Aesthetics in a Museum Context," Medical Museion, Copenhagen, Denmark *2006 The Politics of Healthy Food, Café Society, Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council, Chicago, IL *2005 Now Insert Utopia Here, "Big Problems" series,

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, Chicago *2004 "A Political Ecology of Bio-Commerce," Society for the Social Study of Science, Paris, France *2003 "How Next? A Seminar on the Future Role of Civil Society," Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, Dehra Dun, India *2002 "Contestational Biology." Lecture, The Corcoran, Washington DC. (in collaboration with

) *2001 Panel: "Why Make Art About Death?", Betty Rymer Gallery, Chicago, IL *2000 "A Little History of the Interior(ity), Consciousness Reframed III, Centre for Advanced Inquiry in the Interactive Arts, Newport, Wales *1998 Ox-Bow School of Arts and Crafts, visiting artist *1996 Yale School of Environmental Studies, Year-End Retreat, visiting artist *1994 Summeracademie, Kunstverein, Munich, Germany, visiting artist *1992 Out of the Box, lecture series,

Center for Creative Photography The Center for Creative Photography (CCP), established in 1975 and located on the University of Arizona's Tucson campus, is a research facility and archival repository containing the full archives of over sixty of the most famous American pho ...

, Tucson, AZ *1991 Artists and the Environment, Artists Talk on Art, New York, NY

Authored texts

*Undoing property?; edited by Marysia Lewandowska, and

Laurel Ptak Laurel Ptak is an artist, curator, writer and educator based in New York City. Career She previously served as director and curator of the artist-founded non-profit organization Art in General in New York City from 2017 to 2020. A multidisciplin ...

; published Sternberg Press; 2013. *Notes from the Underground: 100 Notes, 100 Thoughts: Documenta Series 061, Documenta (13); published Hatje Cantz; Bilingual edition; 2012. *Deep routes: the midwest in all directions; published Compass Collaborators; 2012. *Critical Strategies in Art and Media: Perspectives of New Cultural Practices; Konrad Becker, Jim Fleming (eds.); with:

Ted Byfield Edward Bartlett Byfield (10 July 1928 – 23 December 2021) was a Canadian conservatism in Canada, conservative journalist, publisher, and author. He founded the ''Alberta Report'', ''BC Report'' and ''Western Report'' newsmagazines. Early lif ...

/Nettime,

Steve Kurtz Steve Kurtz is an American artist and co-founder of the art collective Critical Art Ensemble (CAE). His work with CAE is considered pioneering in the areas of politically engaged art, interventionist practices, and cultural research and action in ...

, Amanda McDonald Crowley/

Eyebeam Art and Technology Center Eyebeam is a not-for-profit art and technology center in New York City, founded by John Seward Johnson III with co-founders David S. Johnson and Roderic R. Richardson. Originally conceived as a digital effects and coding atelier and center for ...

, Claire Pentecost/ Continental Drift, Peter Lamborn Wilson/

Temporary Autonomous Zone ''T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone'' is a book by the anarchist writer and poet Hakim Bey (Peter Lamborn Wilson) published in 1991 by Autonomedia and in 2011 by Pacific Publishing Studio (). It is composed of three sections, "Chaos: The Bro ...

; published

Autonomedia Autonomedia is a nonprofit publisher based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn known for publishing works of criticism. Staffed by volunteers, they have published over 200 books, usually with 3,000 of each run. Its most renowned book is Hakim Bey's essays o ...

, NY; 2010. *"The Politics of Perception," with

, catalog essay, published 11th International Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey; 2009. *"Field of Zombies," essay published for the exhibition agriArt, Fine Arts Gallery at

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

; 2009. *Talking With Your Mouth Full: New language for socially engaged art: essays by Lori Waxman, Claire Pentecost & Carrie Lambert-Beatty; edited by Elizabeth Chodos; published Green Lantern; 2008. *Tactical biopolitics: art, activism, and technoscience; edited by

and Kavita Philip; with a foreword by Joseph Dumit; published

MIT Press The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States). It was established in 1962. History The MIT Press traces its origins back to 1926 when MIT publish ...

, 2008. *"When Art Becomes Life: Artist-Researchers and Biotechnology," Transversal, Multilingual Web Journal, European Institute for Progressive Cultural Policies; 2007. *Participatory Autonomy; edited by Rebecca Sullivan; with foreword by Hannah Higgins; published UIC School of Art and Design; 2006. *"Reflections on the Case by the U.S. Justice Department against

and Robert Ferrell;" published Marching Plague, Autonomedia Press; 2006 *"Of Patriots and Profits: New Tools for Keeping Academic Research in Line;" with Beatriz DaCosta; published Radical History Review; 2005 *Catalogue essay, "Proof, the Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes;" published

, Melbourne; 2005 *"What Did You Eat and When Did You Know It?" published Art Journal, Fall Issue; 2002 *Researched, wrote & designed "Al'queria, History, Present, Vision," published Avina Group, Mallorca, Sp; 1997 *Review of the new Museum of the American Indian, World Art, Fall 1995 *"Four Walls: Ten Years," Documents, Spring Issue 1994 *Catalogue essay: "What Charlie Troutman Said," The Mayfair Show, The Mayfair Club in coordination with American Fine Art, New York, NY 1993

Published images

*Blindspot, Issue 43; 2011. *Useful pictures, edited by

Adelheid Mers Adelheid Mers (born 1960, Düsseldorf) is a German visual artist, Professor, and the Chair of the Department of Arts Administration and Policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. As an artist, Mers works through Performative ...

; published Whitewalls; 2008. *American Girl Place (photographs), published Domain Errors,

, New York, NY; 2002.

Interviews

*Spirit of Utopia, White Chapel Gallery, 2013. * art21.org, 2012 *Bad at Sports: Episode 34, 2006

Bibliography

Cotter, Holland. “CLAIRE PENTECOST: Interior Studies,” The New York Times, December 2, 2010
Cotter, Holland. "CLAIRE PENTECOST: 'Interior studies.' The New York Time

/ref> *The New York Times; New York Magazine; Haberarts; Art & Text.

References

External links

Artist information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pentecost, Claire American contemporary artists American women artists Artists from Chicago Living people 1956 births Writers from Baltimore Artists from Baltimore School of the Art Institute of Chicago faculty Smith College alumni Pratt Institute alumni American women academics 21st-century American women