Indiana University Northwest Features Chicago Photographer Patty Carroll

Feb. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- Indiana University Northwest Art Gallery is currently exhibiting the artwork of renowned Chicago photographer, Patty Carroll, until March 12, 2011 in Gary, Indiana. "Anonymous Women," includes contemporary photographs of faceless figures draped in striking fabrics and textiles, and was recently featured at Shanghai University and Beijing’s White Box Museum of Art.  Carroll teaches digital photography at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College, Chicago. Her work is well known for her visual play on domestic objects and their relationships to women.  

Carroll photographically creates worlds that debunk, critique and make fun of the myths she describes as "claustrophobic perfection."  She adds, "Making a home, whether through physical renovation or an internal sense of pleasure, remains a constant, universal issue for many women. As a woman artist, I am addressing the double edge of domesticity; the home as a place of comfort, or a place where decoration becomes an obsession, and the woman merges with her domestic interior to become almost invisible."

Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Carroll credits her Midwest childhood as the basis for her work. "I grew up when suburban life was idealized. The home was a place of perfection and harmony, free from the harsh realities of the city, without crime, or messy interiors; where everyone’s drapes and sofa matched, where people were normal, without dark little secrets." Carroll now splits her time between Chicago and northwest Indiana, where she and her husband refurbished a 1950's home in Long Beach, Indiana.  "Anonymous Women" began for Carroll while perusing flea markets, antique stores, and estate sales to decorate their mid-century beach home. Its original drapes were re-purposed as a humorous yet heavy-hearted commentary on home-making, which later evolved into a dynamic collection of contemporary photographs.

About Patty Carroll
Patty Carroll received her BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and a Master of Science degree in photography from The Institute of Design in Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Since then, Carroll has continuously taught photography at the university level, to include The Royal College of Art, London, Penn State University, the University of Michigan and IIT, where she was the Head of Photography. While working as an independent artist, Carroll has participated in numerous critically acclaimed exhibitions such as "Elvis & Marilyn: 2 X Immortal." In addition, she curated "American Made: The New Still Life," both of which toured throughout the United States and in Japan. Further, her retrospective titled, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was shown at The Royal Photographic Society in Bath, England. Recent one-person exhibits include "Dark and Deadly" at the Art Institute of Chicago, and "Anonymous Women" at Shanghai University and Beijing’s White Box Museum of Art. Carroll has published several books, including "Spirited Visions," "Culture is Everywhere," and "Living the Life: The World of Elvis Tribute Artists." Her photographs are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and many private collectors. More information about Carroll and her work can be found at: www.pattycarroll.com.

About Indiana University Northwest Art Gallery
The mission of The Art Galleries at IU Northwest is to present an innovative exhibition program that complements and enhances the University's academic offerings; to exhibit art collections for study, and research; to educate the university community as well as the general public from northwest Indiana about the forms and issues of contemporary and historic art from all cultures; to fill a unique niche in the region as a venue for exhibitions which receive the attention of neither major museums nor smaller galleries, and by so doing, to further distinguish the reputation of Indiana University Northwest.  To learn more information about The Art Galleries at IU Northwest, please visit their website: www.iun.edu/~gallery or contact Ann Fritz at (219)980-689, afritz@iun.edu.  The gallery is located at 3400 Broadway (Gary, IN 46408); check website for gallery hours.

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