sheila pree bright

  

Sheila Pree Bright is a Photo Based Artist based in Atlanta who was awarded a National Graduate Seminar Fellow at the Photography Institute in 2002 at Columbia University in New York and she received her MFA in photography from Georgia State University in 2003. Her large-scale works combine a wide-ranging knowledge of contemporary culture, while challenging perceptions of identity. Bright received national attention after winning the Santa Fe Prize from the Santa Fe Center for photography in 2006 for a series of work entitled ‘Suburbia.’ The series takes aim at the American media's projection of the "typical" African American community. The series also explores the variations and similarities of an existence that subverts lifestyle and culture, particularly as it relates to Americanism. As a result, Bright has emerged as a new voice in contemporary photography with her edgy portrayals of urban and suburban themes, as well as her provocative commentary about American beauty standards. Recently, Bright has embarked on one of her most ambitious projects to date called the ‘Young Americans’ which was underwritten by a grant from the Aetna Foundation and premiered as a solo exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta in May 2008 and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in September. Bright has also been in exhibitions at the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum in Washington, D.C., the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Time Inc, NY, US Contemporary Photography, FotoFest in Houston and the Leica Gallery in New York.  She has been featured in numerous publications, the recipient of numerous awards and in private and public collections to name a few; Library of Congress, Washington DC, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Atlanta, GA, de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, CA, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art,Overland, KS, and Sprint PCS Art Collection, Overland, KS.

My work is all Digital.