American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
photographer who explores issues of love, loss, and spirituality in her work. Alt was the recipient of the 2007 Illinois Art Council Fellowship Award and the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Ragdale Fellowship Award.
Biography
Jane Fulton Alt was born in Chicago in 1951 and has been active in the arts much of her lifetime. She studied at the
Evanston Art Center The Evanston Art Center is an arts center in Evanston, Illinois offering classes, lectures, exhibitions, and community outreach. It is among the oldest and largest arts centers in Illinois.
History
The Evanston Art Center was founded in Octobe ...
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
.
Work
Alt is a clinical social worker, in practice since the 1970s. She bridged her professions in New Orleans following
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
when she accompanied residents of the Lower Ninth Ward to examine the damage to their houses as part of the "Look and Leave" program organized by the City of New Orleans and the American Red Cross. Her exhibition at the DePaul University Art Museum entitled "Look and Leave: New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina" was recognized as one of the Top 5 Photography Museum Shows in Chicago in 2006. Her work is published in the books ''Katrina Exposed'' and ''New Orleans: The Making of an Urban Landscape'' (3rd ed), and also in ''American Tragedy: New Orleans Under Water'' (''Callaloo'' 30, no 3, Summer 2007).
Alt's Katrina work culminated with the publication of her own book, ''Look and Leave: Photographs and Stories from New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward,'' in 2009. The book received critical acclaim and was featured on 89.9 WWNO, NPR's New Orleans affiliate, and Chicago Tonight's "Arts Across Illinois" segment.
Her Katrina work has also been featured on NPR's Chicago station.
Exhibitions
Alt has had solo exhibitions in Chicago (Chicago Cultural Center, Artemisia Gallery, Flatfile Gallery, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Depaul University Art Museum, Morton College, Art Chicago), San Francisco (Corden/Potts Gallery), Poland (International Festival of Photography) and Syria (International Photography Festival).
Publications
*Alt, Jane Fulton. "Look and Leave: Photographs and Stories from New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward." UGA Press, 2009. .
*Boyd, Terry, ''City 2000.'' 1st Ed. 3 Book Publishing, Distributed by University of Illinois Press, 2006. . Alt is one of 39 photographers whose works are shown.
*Maklansky, Steven, ed. ''Katrina Exposed: A Photographic Reckoning.'' New Orleans Museum of Art, 2006: Exhibition Catalogue. .
Permanent collections
Alt's work can be found in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Photographic History Collection at the
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...
Museum of Contemporary Photography
The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) was founded in 1976 by Columbia College Chicago as the successor to the Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography. The museum houses a permanent collection as well as the Midwest Photographers Project ...