About
Brittany Moira Powell was born in Naples, Italy. Since then, she has lived in many parts of the country, including New Orleans and the Washington, DC area, thanks to her military father and accommodating mother. She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to study photography at California College of the Arts, and graduated in 2003. In 2015, she earned an MFA from San Francisco State University. Brittany lives in Vermont now and is currently the Marketing Director for the Chill Foundation, a non-profit founded by Burton Snowboards, that empowers youth through board sports.
In her free time, Brittany can be found surfing, snowboarding, paddle boarding, camping, eating delicious foods and working on personal shooting projects, including:
www.thedebtproject.net
Clients and publications have included:
New Yorker, Politico, National Geographic, the Washington Post, Slate.com, the Huffington Post, Fast Company, StubHub, Levi's, Outside, Converse, Hunter Public Relations, the American Red Cross, Chronicle Books, Inked Magazine, Tencue Productions, Renegade Pictures UK, BMW, Farallon Films, St. Mary's College, Edible San Francisco, Yoga Journal, San Francisco Surfrider Foundation, Diagio Liquors, Audi, University of CA, Berkeley, Sarah Burke Interior Design, San Francisco Bay Guardian and Zacapa Rum.
CV
Education
2015 MFA, Studio Art: Photography and New Practices, San Francisco State University
2003 BFA, Photography, California College of the Arts
Grants, Awards and Honors
2017 Awardee, Fine Arts Work Center Visual Arts Fellowship Residency, 2017-2018 (not accepted)
2016 Finalist, Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize, Duke University Center for Documentary Studies
2016 Semi-Finalist, CDS Documentary Essay Prize, Duke University Center for Documentary Studies
2016 Second Place, Exhibitor’s Choice Award, Center, Review Santa Fe Photo Festival 2016
2015 Finalist, Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize, Duke Univ Center for Documentary Studies
2015 Finalist, Investing in Artists Grant, Center for Cultural Innovation
2015 Shortlist, Lucie Foundation Emerging Artist Grant
2015 Headlands Center for the Arts Graduate Fellowship Award
2014 the Puffin Foundation Artist Grant recipient
2014 The Leo D. Stillwell Scholarship Award, San Francisco State University
2013 Wilbur E. Smith Endowed Scholarship Award, San Francisco State University
2013 The Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Award
2013 Jury Selection, Cover to Cover: A Survey of Photo Books, SF Camerawork
Residencies
2016-17 Vermont Studio Center, Staff Artist Residency, June 2015-2016
2015-16 Headlands Center for the Arts Graduate Fellowship, studio residency
2015 Finalist, Lightwork 2016 Artist in residence program
2015 June Fellowship Artist in Residence-Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
Solo Exhibitions
2017 June: Alces Alces, the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT (Solo)
2017 Feb: On Photography, Impressions, Johnson State College, Johnson, VT (Two-Person)
2015 Feb: the Debt Project, Napa Valley College, St. Helena, CA
2010 Oct: Devotion, the Front Porch, San Francisco, CA
2010 Aug: Devotion, Secession Art and Design, SF, CA
2003 Dec: There is Nothing You Can Do, CA College of the Arts South Gallery, Oakland, CA
Group Exhibitions
2017 Sept: Confessing Money: Stories of Spending in America Today, ICP Museum, NY
2017 July: Summer Open, Aperture Gallery, NY, NY
2017 Feb: Global Perspectives, Choice Awards, Santa Fe University of Art and Design
2017 Jan: Live/Work, the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2016 May: Graduate Fellows Exhibition, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
2015 October: Fall Open House, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
2015 August: the Debt Project, Open Show Portraits, 474 Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2015 April: the Debt Project, San Francisco State University Fine Arts Gallery MFA Exhibition
2014 Sept: Scholarship Awards Exhibit, Martin Wong Gallery, SF State University, SF, CA
2014 Sept: Faculty Exhibit, Napa Valley College, Napa, CA
2014 Feb: MFA Now, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
2014 Juror: Donna Napper, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
2013 Nov: Stillwell Exhibit, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
2013 Sept: Murphy & Cadogan Art Contemporary Art Awards
2013 Exhibition, SOMArts, SF, CA Jurors: Monica Ramirez-Montagut, Justin Hoover
2013 Sept: Introductions, 2013, Root Division, San Francisco, CA Jurors: Monica Ramirez-Montagut, Eli Ridgeway, Justine Topfer
2013 Aug: Cover to Cover: A Survey of Photo Books, SF Camerawork, SF, Jurors: Julie Casemore, Darius Himes, Nion McEvoy
2011 Dec: Something Personal, APA, Ft. Mason, SF, CA (juried)
2011 Jan: Alumni exhibition in honor of Larry Sultan, CA College of the Arts, Oakland, CA
2008 Oct: Art for Care Photography Auction, Leftspace, SF, CA
Selected Bibliography
Colucci, Emily, ‘People Have the Power: Of the People, at Smack Mellon,” ArtfCity.com, July 6 2016
Ku, Pat Hsuan, “the Debt Project,” Marie Claire Taiwan, February 2016
Trujillo, Noellia, “10 Riveting Photo Series,” Woman’s Day, January 19, 2016
Frey, Hillary, “Four Iowans Get Very Honest About Their Debt,” Fusion Media, January 29, 2016
Larson, Walker, Lisa, “The Most Beautiful Things Slate Published in 2015,” Slate Magazine, December 30, 2015
Joliviet, Melissa, “Debiti senza fine,” Internazionale Magazine, Italy, December 6, 2015
Ku, Pat Hsuan, “the Debt Project,” Marie Claire Taiwan, December 2015
Yang, Jing, “the Debt Project,” Marie Claire China, September 2015
“Could This Be You?” Daily Mail, UK, June 27, 2015
Grisham, Lori, “Photo Series Documents Living With Debt in the USA,” USA Today, June 20, 2015
Feinstein, Laura, “Explore the Surprising Faces of Debt in America,” Good Magazine, June 19, 2015
Swanson, Ana, “these powerful photos of people with debt will make you feel not alone,” the Washington Post, June 16, 2015
Rosenberg, David, “the Many Faces of Living With Debt in America,” Slate.com, June 10, 2015
Salomie, Marie, “Le visage de l'endettement américain,” Slate , France, www.slate.fr, April 30, 2015
Wen, Xu, Culture Story, Vision Magazine, China, March, 2015
The Karel Show, Interview, KGO Radio, San Francisco, Dec 14, 2014
Sullivan, Andrew, “Face of the Day, “ dish.andrewsullivan.com, Nov 28, 2014
Frank, Priscilla, “These Revealing Portraits Depict the Many, Many Faces of American Debt,” HuffingtonPost.com, Nov 20, 2014
Kane, Libby, “Intimate Portraits of People In Debt Shed Light on a Hidden American Crisis,” BusinessInsider.com, Nov 19, 2014
Malonee, Laura C., “the Faces of American Debt,” Hyperallergic.com, Nov 18, 2014
Bloom, Esther, “Bouncing Back From Bankruptcy: Brittany Powell and the Debt Project,” thebillfold.com, Nov 18, 2014
Genista, “Pictures of Hardship: A Photo Essay of Americans in Debt,” beautifuldecay.com, Nov 17, 2014
“Poignant Portraits of Americans in Debt Explore the Role Debt Plays in Our Personal Identity,” petapixel.com, Nov 15, 2014
Weiner, Sophie, “Photos: the Faces of America’s Debt Crisis,” Fast Company, Fastcodesign.com, Nov 13, 2014
Pescovitz, David, “Debt: a Photo Project,” Boingboing.net, Nov 12, 2014
Kail, Ellyn, “Thought-Provoking Portraits of Americans in Debt,” featureshoot.com, Nov 11, 2014
Chun, Kimberly, “Murphy & Cadogan Exhibition: Emerging Artists,” SF Chronicle, September 2013
“MFA Now, Archive Project,” catalogue, Root Division, 2013
Yogis, Jaimal, “The Big Squeeze,” San Francisco Magazine, November 2011
deRothschild, David, The Plastiki Pledge, Chronicle Books 2011
Publications as Author
“Project Shows How 12 People Got Into Debt in SF,” theBoldItalic.com, Nov 4, 2014
“Freedom of Choice,” Cover Story, San Francisco Bay Guardian, March 2014
“Best of the Bay”, Featured Photographs, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Oct 2014
SF Bay Guardian, Cover Story, “Suspending Judgment,” Dec 3, 2013
SF Bay Guardian, Cover Story, “Undocumented and Unafraid,” Nov 2013
“Best of the Bay”, Featured Photographs, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Oct 2013
“Best of the Bay”, Featured Photographs, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Oct 2012
“Feast,” Cover Story, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Oct 2012
“Salumi at the Fatted Calf,” Edible San Francisco Magazine, Summer 2011
“Voyage of the Plastiki” Stills and Footage, National Geographic TV, August 2010
Artist Lectures
Lecture, the Debt Project, Johnson State College, Dibdon Arts Center, Feb 27, 2017
Lecture, the Debt Project, Review Santa Fe Photo Festival, CENTER, Santa Fe, NM Nov 5, 2016
Lecture, the Debt Project, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Oct 11, 2016
Lecture, Hybrid Series #2, Pro-Arts Gallery, Oakland, CA May 19, 2016
Lecture, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA April 27, 2016
Lecture and Screening, Debitum, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA January 22, 2016
Lecture, the Debt Project, Nerdwallet Speaker Series, San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2015
Lecture, the Debt Project, Open Show-Portraits, 474 Gallery, San Francisco, CA, August 19, 2015
Lecture, the Debt Project, the Art Institute of California, San Francisco, January 30, 2015
Presentation, the Debt Project, SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA, August 22, 2013
Teaching Experience
2017-2019 Adjunct Professor of Art, Norwich University
2014-2016 Adjunct Professor, Napa Valley College, CA
2015-2016 Adjunct Professor, the Art Institute of California