Bio & Artist Statement
“
MY WORK IS ABOUT
ESCAPE.
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”
BIOGRAPHY:
Kathryn Coers Rossman (insta: @kathryncoersrossman, visura: visura.co/rossman) is a photojournalist, conceptual photographer and creative director in Bloomington, IN, USA. She studied modernism, literature and urbanism in graduate school at New York University and design and the visual arts via the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) academic program.
Kathryn's project "National Anthem: Punk Patriotism!" (2023) was published in Polyester magazine and was featured on Visura. "The Majorette" (2022) was included in Cerulean: A Winter Photography Exhibit by Pattern magazine. Kathryn is a contributor at Bloom magazine. Her project "Lisa Frank, All Grown Up" was featured #11 in LENSCRATCH's Favorite Photograph of 2023 exhibit. She was the official event photographer for the 2021 Indiana Hot Air Balloon Festival, a featured artist at the 2021 Indy Rama home design show, and is a two time City of Bloomington Arts Commission Emerging Artist Grant recipient. Kathryn is a member of the Visual Arts Steering Committee for Constellation Stage & Screen's John Waldron Art Center.
Kathryn is happily married and is the proud mother of a five-year-old son. A Hoosier, she left her home state for twenty years, working in Silicon Valley, New York City's East Village and South Florida, before returning to Indiana. Her cousin, photojournalist Michael Coers (deceased), won the Pulitzer Prize documenting school integration for the Louisville Courier Journal in 1975.
STATEMENT:
Known for images showcasing fantastic beauty and sweeping neglect, the allure Kathryn displays may hide an insidious evil. Emphasizing theatricality and absorption, bordering on fantasy and surrealism, her work is less about identity, politics and individualism than collective escape. She problematically offers nostalgia as a distraction from unpleasant realities and enjoys mixing tangible objects both hard and soft with thematic elements that are cozy and challenging, highbrow and kitsch. The self-described "Lisa Frank" of photo editing, she creates cinematic compositions and utilizes vivid colors that pop!
Her portraits occur within perfectly manicured sets with curated vintage clothing, props and backdrops built around her subjects like oversized dollhouses. She learned photography as an eBay reseller during The Great Recession, selling thrifted jewelry to Courtney Love at Chateau Marmont and frequently landing on Etsy's front page. She was self-employed as a product photographer for a decade before compiling her fine art and editorial portfolio.
The Airport Exhibition
Bloomington Photography Club
Monroe County Airport
972 S Kirby Road
Bloomington, IN 47403
February 15, 2024 - Ongoing
Candy. Love. Lust. Heartbreak.
Backspace Gallery
112 W 6th St
Bloomington, IN 47404
February 2024
LENSCRATCH
The Favorite Photograph You Took in 2023 LENSCRATCH Exhibition
Online Only - January 1, 2024
FAR Photo Review Exhibition
FAR Center for Contemporary Arts
Bloomington, IN 47404
November 28 - December 1, 2023
2023 Juried Exhibition
Bloomington Photography Club
John Waldron Art Center
Bloomington, IN
September - October 2023
Indiana State Fair
Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center
Indianapolis, IN
July 28 - August 20, 2023
Monroe County Fair
Monroe County Fairgrounds
Bloomington, IN
July 3 - 9, 2023
Lineages of Birth
An university-community collaboration between the Kinsey Institute Library & Special Collections, the former Bloomington Area Birth Services, and Tandem, with the sponsorship of The Mellon Foundation.
Monroe County Public Library
303 E Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47408
May 2023
Visual Arts Exhibition
Constellation Stage and Screen
Ted Jones Playhouse
107 W 9th Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
January - July, 2023
Illuminate: Emerging Bloomington ArtistsConstellation Stage and Screen & Bloomington Arts Commission
John Waldron Art Center
January 6 - February 24, 2023
Art Talk on February 17, 2023
Seven Deadly Sins
Accrete Art Collective & Backspace Gallery
Bloomington, IN
January 6 - 28, 2023
Something Figurative, This Way Comes
Accrete Art Collective & Backspace Gallery
Bloomington, IN
November 4 - 26, 2022
2022 Juried Exhibition
Bloomington Photography Club
John Waldron Art Center
Bloomington, IN
October 13 - December 15, 2022
12-IN. UNDER
Accrete Art Collective & Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington
Arts Alliance Center in the College Mall
Bloomington, IN
September 3 - 25, 2022
Pop-Up Exhibit
Bloomington Photography Club
Monroe County Convention Center
Bloomington, IN
August 1 - 31, 2022
Indiana State Fair
Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center
Indianapolis, IN
July 29 - August 21, 2022
Fluffy & Airy
Accrete Art Collective & Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington
Arts Alliance Center in the College Mall
Bloomington, IN
July 8 - August 6, 2022
Monroe County Fair
Monroe County Fairgrounds
Bloomington, IN
June 27 - July 3, 2022
Intertwined: Art & Tech
High Frequency Arts
Hub & Spoke Design Center
Indianapolis, IN
April 1 - June 30, 2022
Cerulean: A Winter Photography Exhibit
Pattern Magazine
317 Paradox
Indianapolis, IN
January 21 - February 28, 2022
Everything is Cyclical
Accrete Art Collective
Opie Taylor's Gallery
Bloomington, IN
January 14 - 28, 2022
Celebration of Nature
Eagle Creek Park Foundation
Earth Discovery Center
Indianapolis, IN
December 4 - 19, 2021
Holiday Pop-Up Shop
Accrete Art Collective
Opie Taylor's Gallery
Bloomington, IN
November 26 - December 18, 2021
Indy Rama Home Tour
Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
October 29 - 31 + November 5 - 7, 2021
Images of Nature Exhibition
Eagle Creek Park Foundation
Earth Discovery Center
Indianapolis, IN
September 18 - October 3, 2021
insta: @kathryncoersrossman
visura: visura.co/rossman
Emerging Artist Grant Recipient
City of Bloomington Arts Commission
Bloomington, IN - 2023
Emerging Artist Grant Recipient
City of Bloomington Arts Commission
Bloomington, IN - 2021
Grant Reader
City of Bloomington Arts Commission
Bloomington, IN - 2022
Constellation Stage & Screen
& John Waldron Art Center
Bloomington, IN - 2024
Arts Fair on the Square Juror
Constellation Stage & Screen
& John Waldron Art Center
Bloomington, IN - 2023
Member of the Bloomington Photography Club
in Bloomington, Indiana
Member of the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts Photo Review
Speaker/Guest Critique
Rivera Camera Club
Indianapolis, IN - 2023
Beyond the Camera Class Champion
Black & White Class Reserve Champion
Black & White Salon Class Honors
Monroe County Fair
Bloomington, IN - 2023
Color Class Champion
Color Salon Class Reserve Champion
Monroe County Fair
Bloomington, IN - 2022
Professional Portrait Class Honorable Mention
Indiana State Fair
Indianapolis, IN - 2022
Kathryn receives mentorship from Ione Gamble and Gina Tonic from Polyester magazine
PhotoPhlo Photographer/Editor Collaboration Workshop with Elinor Carucci and Esquire Visual Director Justin O'Neill - 2023
PhotoPhlo Portfolio Review with Matthew Baum - 2023
Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) Portfolio Review with Vanessa Charlot, Maggie Steber and Laura Novoa - 2022
Kathryn is a contributor at Bloom Magazine. Bloom is an independent culture and lifestyle magazine for Bloomington, Indiana, USA and surrounding areas. Each issue contains high-quality photography and thought-provoking, relevant editorial content about local people, arts, culture, entertainment, homes and gardens, food and beverages, health and fitness, science and education, community, and family life. Published bimonthly, Bloom is a free magazine with 12,000 copies available at more than 200 local shops, businesses, hotels, and restaurants.
Bloom Magazine won 12 awards - more than any other magazine in the state of Indiana - from the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2023. Southern Indiana no longer has traditional newspaper coverage and Bloom magazine has become a valuable resource for local news.
COPYRIGHT
All Images © 2009-2024 Kathryn Coers Rossman All Rights Reserved. Please do not save, share or distribute without permission.