Eleanor Oakes
Assistant Professor and Section Lead of Photography
BA, Princeton University; MFA, Stanford University
As a photographic artist, Oakes’ studio practice reconsiders a feminist view of art history to address urgent issues of care, specifically around mothering and climate change. Her research captures these themes through innovating historic processes and experimental digital forms, as well as extending into social practice, public art, sculpture, video, performance, gender studies, environmentalism, community building, and inclusive space-making.
Professional Experience
Oakes’ work has been exhibited and published internationally, including solo exhibitions at Belle Isle Viewing Room (Detroit), Tyler Wood Gallery (New York and San Francisco), and the University of Notre Dame (Indiana), with recent group exhibitions at Reyes | Finn (Detroit), Wayne State University (Detroit), Filter Space (Chicago), and Silver Eye Center for Photography (Pittsburgh, PA). She is the recipient of a Flourish Fund grant from Culture Source and the Andy Warhol Foundation, a Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Award from the San Francisco Foundation, and an Applebaum Emerging Artist Residency, among others. Oakes was the Founder of Darkroom Detroit, a 501(c)3 non-profit with the mission of making photography more accessible in Detroit.