Anna Leigh Clem is a photo-based artist working with book arts, text, video, sculpture, and other media to explore and portray her longings for innocence and connection with the natural world. Compelled by the secrets inherent in memories, dreams, and childhood, her work aims to recreate these otherwise invisible realms. Clem received the Robert Elder Scholarship in 2008 and was selected as an Honorable Mention in the 2015 FotoVisura Grant. Her work has been shown nationally at the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Foley Gallery, Visual Studies Workshop, Camera Club of New York, Davis Orton Gallery, Griffin Museum of Photography, and Month of Photography Los Angeles; and internationally at GuatePhoto Festival and Elysium Gallery. Clem has been interviewed by World Photography Organisation and JPG Magazine. She has published both trade edition books and artist’s books, several of which are held in the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University and the Franklin Furnace Artists’ Book Collection at Pratt Institute.
As a child, Clem’s imagination was inspired by the small magical garden behind her home within the urban enclave of Hoboken, New Jersey. Some years later, she attended high school in New Paltz, New York where she discovered photography and the greater natural world. In 2012, Clem graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine-Arts Degree in photography, and in 2021 received her Master of Fine-Arts Degree in photography and integrated media from Lesley University. Clem is currently based in Somerville, Massachusetts.
CONTACT
aapertura{at}gmail.com
EXHIBITIONS
“Untouchable” Lesley Photography and Integrated Media MFA thesis show
Roberts Gallery, Lunder Arts Center; Cambridge, MA July 2-12 2021
“Exlibro: All About Books” group exhibit
Arts Mid-Hudson Gallery; Poughkeepsie, NY July 12-28 2019
“The Perennial Garden” solo exhibit
Facets of Earth; Kingston, NY March 2019
“Analog v. Digital” group exhibit
Foley Gallery; New York, NY August 16-26 2017
“Radius 50” group exhibit, juror: David A. Ross
Woodstock Artists Association & Museum; Woodstock, NY August 5-27 2017
“Month of Photography Los Angeles Photo Book Exhibit” group exhibit
Venice Arts; Venice, CA January 7-29 2017
“Common Sense(s)” at Photo-Bookworks Symposium
Visual Studies Workshop; Rochester, NY June 23-25 2016, exhibit up May-July 2016
“Zine and Self-Published Book Fair”group exhibit, curator: Anouk Kruithof
Camera Club of New York; New York, NY June 10-12 2016
“Welcome: Page by Page” photobook show, curator: Hannah Frieser, and “Common Sense(s)” zine show, curators: Juan Madrid and Carlos Loret de Mola
Center for Photography at Woodstock; Woodstock, NY February-April 2016
“PHOTOBOOK 2015” group exhibit – “grounded” chosen as 1 of 4 best of show, jurors: Karen Davis and Paula Tognarelli
Davis Orton Gallery; Hudson, NY November-December 2015
Griffin Museum of Photography; Winchester, MA January-March 2016
“PHOTOcentric 2015” group exhibit, juror: Julie Saul
Garrison Art Center; Garrison, NY December-January 2016
“ESPY 2015” group exhibit – on-screen segment, jurors: Helen Sear and Peter Finnemore
elysiumgallery; Swansea, Wales November-December 2015
“2015 FotoVisura Grant Exhibition at GuatePhoto”group exhibit
Santo Domingo del Cerro; Antigua, Guatemala November 2015
“Paper White” group exhibit, curator: Lori Van Houten
PS 209; Stone Ridge, NY December-January 2015
“Zine! Zine!” group exhibit, curator: Heige Kim
Roos Arts; Rosendale, NY December 2014
“NET 11: The Poetic Narrative” group exhibit online, curators:
Ashley Kauschinger of Light Leaked and Ethan Fogus
Oranbeg Press; Brooklyn, NY November 2014
“Thesaurus” group projection show, curator: John O’Toole of Oranbeg Press
Dossier Outpost; New York, NY August 2014
“NET 04: I fear for my safety” group projection and print show, curators:
Nathaniel Grann and Jordan Swartz of Empty Stretch
Furthermore; Washington, DC April 2014
“NET 03: The Chimera” group exhibit online, curator: Juan Madrid
Oranbeg Press; Brooklyn, NY February 2014
“Winter Salon” group exhibit, curator: Lori Van Houten
PS 209; Stone Ridge, NY December-January 2014
“Light Me Up” group exhibit, curator: Heige Kim
Roos Arts; Rosendale, NY December 2013
“The Art of Photography Show 2013” group exhibit, juror: Julia Dolan
San Diego Art Institute; San Diego, CA October-November 2013
“Slideluck Woodstock II” group projection show, jurors:
Ariel Shanberg, Carrie Haddad, Stephanie Heimann and Sabine Meyer
The Center for Photography at Woodstock; Woodstock, NY August 2013
“City Streets / Country Roads” group exhibit, juror:
Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb
PhotoPlace Gallery; Middlebury, VT July-August 2013
“Secret Garden” solo exhibit, curator: Lori Van Houten
PS 209; Stone Ridge, NY May-June 2013
“Self Portrait” group exhibit online annex, juror: Caleb Cole
PhotoPlace Gallery; Middlebury, VT May-June 2013
“I know you through pictures, vol. II” Fine Art Photography senior class exhibit
Gallery R; Rochester, NY June-July 2012
“The Nostalgia Project” Multimedia performance and music video
Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Imagine RIT; Rochester, NY April-May 2012
“I know you through pictures.” Fine Art Photography senior class exhibit
Rochester Institute of Technology; Rochester, NY March 2012
EDUCATION
Lesley University
College of Art and Design
Master of Fine-Arts Degree, 2021
Photography and Integrated Media
AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
Boscobel Summer Artist Residency, 2020
Boscobel House and Gardens
Photographers' Fellowship Fund, The Center for Photography at Woodstock
Honorable Mention for project To be oneself completely, 2015
Juror: Vince Aletti
FotoVisura Grant for Outstanding Personal Photography Project
Honorable Mention for project It will become something, 2015
Jurors: Elizabeth Griffin, Grey Hutton, Judy Walgren, Lindsay Blatt, MaryAnne Golon, Sebastian Liste, and Simon Barnett
Robert Elder Scholarship, RIT
Four-year scholarship awarded to one freshman photography student, 2008 - 2012
PUBLICATIONS
- “The Perennial Garden”, self-published photography book, 2021
- “Floating Petals”, artist’s book, 2020
- “Outside of a photograph's borders”, World Photography Organisation; online interview, May 10, 2017
- “shapeshifter”, self-published photography book, 2016
- “grounded”, self-published photography zine, 2015
- “Kosmosis Volume I: Retrograde”, Brooklyn-based magazine; cover photograph, 2014
- “City Streets / Country Roads”, PhotoPlace Gallery exhibition catalog; photograph (p. 32), 2013
- “Self Portrait”, PhotoPlace Gallery exhibition catalog; photograph (p. 56), 2013
- “DUO”, student-run magazine; photographs and poetry (p. 35), 2011
- RIT Signatures Magazine 2011-2012, Literary and Art Magazine; poem (p. 59), 2011
- RIT Reporter Magazine, RIT student-run magazine; cover photograph, 2010
- “Best of College Photography 2010”, Photographer's Forum; photograph (p. 142), 2010
- “JPG Featured Member", JPG Magazine; online interview, February 2008
- Diana F+ book, Lomographic Society International; photograph (p. 140), 2008
- New Paltz Times; interview, October 4, 2007
- New Paltz Times; review of Whitecliff Vineyard exhibit, May 3, 2007
COLLECTIONS
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University
Indie Photobook Library
Franklin Furnace Artists' Book Collection, Pratt Institute