R. J. Kern www.rjkern.com [email protected] 303 474 0983
B. 1978, New York, USA EDUCATION
2005 MA, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 2000 BA, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Te Unchosen Ones, Tomson Reuters Gallery, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport Te Unchosen Ones, Watermark Art Center, Bemidji, MN
2019 Te Unchosen Ones, Te Plains Art Museum, Fargo, North Dakota Te Best of the Best, Burnet Fine Art & Advisory, Wayzata, MN
2018 Te Unchosen Ones, Out to Pasture, Te Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA R. J. Kern, Burnet Fine Art & Advisory, Wayzata, MN R. J. Kern, Klompching Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017 Te Sheep and the Goats, Yixian International Photography Festival, Anhui, China Te Unchosen Ones, Out To Pasture, Gallery 360, Minneapolis, MN Te Unchosen Ones, Out To Pasture, Te Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI Te Unchosen Ones, Out To Pasture, Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN
2015 Divine Animals: Te Bovidae, Ecce Gallery, Fargo, ND Divine Animals: Te Bovidae, Kaddatz Gallery, Fergus Falls, MN
2014 Divine Animals: Te Bovidae, Sanford Health Roger Maris Cancer Center, Fargo, ND
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2020 Minnesota State Arts Board, Artist Initiative Grant, St. Paul, MN
2019 Commemorative Artist, 2019 Minnesota State Fair
56th Annual Juried Competition Exhibition, Masur Museum of Art, Juror Catherine Futer, Honorable Mention
Critical Mass “Top 200”, Photolucida, Portland, OR
McKnight Foundation Scholarship, Americans for the Arts Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN
San Francisco Bay International Photography Competition and Exhibition, juried by Elizabeth Avedon, Julie Grahame, Ann M. Jastrab, and David Garnick, First Place
Brand 47 Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, Juror: Alma Ruiz, Juror’s Award
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 1
6th Open Call, Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Juror Aline Smithson, Second Place
Red, A Smith Gallery, Juror Fran Forman, Director’s Honorable Mention
2018 Critical Mass “Top 50”, Photolucida, Portland, OR
PDN’s 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch
German Photobook Prize, Bronze
"Te Most Beautiful German Books 2018,” by Stifung Buchkunst
"Great State of Minnesota Award" by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
"First Glance Award," Minnesota State Fair Foundation
Communication Arts 2018 Photo Annual, Category: Books
Minnesota State Arts Board, Artist Initiative Grant, St. Paul, MN
2017 CENTER Choice Award Winner, Curator’s Choice, Juror Corey Keller, First Place
Review Santa Fe 100, CENTER, Santa Fe, NM
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK, Finalist
Te Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 160, Silver Award
2017 International Juried Exhibition, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA, Juror Philip Brookman, Second Place
Renaissance Photography Prize 2017, Finalist
All About Photo Awards 2017: Mind’s Eye. Winner and participant in Juror’s Merit Gallery
Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, juried by Areca Roe, St Paul, MN. Honorable Mention, Photography
Arts in Harmony International Juried Art Show, Blaine, MN. First Place Photography
International Contemporary Art Competition 2017, Open Art Miami, juried by Vicky Romay, Jose Ney, and Rafael Lopez Ramos. Miami, FL. Finalist
2016 Minnesota State Arts Board, Artist Initiative Grant, St. Paul, MN
Critical Mass Finalist, Photolucida, Portland, OR
Emerald Art Center, Springfeld, OR, received Best in Show Award
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 2 Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit, MA, received Juror Award
Cultural Center of Cape Cod, MA, received Second Place, Overall
Savage Arts Council 10th Annual Juried Art Competition & Show, Honorable Mention
2015 Review Santa Fe 100, CENTER, Santa Fe, NM
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 56th Annual Juried Competition Exhibition, juried by Catherine Futer (Director of Curatorial Affairs, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art), Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
2019 International Juried Exhibition, juried by Paula Tongarelli, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA.
San Francisco Bay International Photography Competition Exhibition, Jurors: Elizabeth Avedon, Julie Grahame, Ann M. Jastrab, and David Garnick, ACCI Gallery, Berkeley, CA
Brand 47 Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, Juror: Alma Ruiz, Brand Library and Art Center, Glendale, CA
States of Becoming, Ninth Annual International Juried Exhibition, Juror: Carrie Dedon, (Assistant Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, Seatle Art Museum), Gallery 110, Seatle, WA
Red, Juror: Fran Forman, A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, TX.
Photowork 2019: 32nd Annual National Juried Photography Exhibition, Barret Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY. Juror: James A. Ganz, Senior Curator of Photography, J. Paul Gety Museum
6th Open Call, Juror: Aline Smithson, Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI
Zeitgeist, Te 60th Midwestern Invitational Exhibition, Te Rourke Art Museum, Moorhead, MN
Triangulate, curated by Nathan Beard, Eivind Natvig, and Kirk Ke Wang. Lofoten International Photo Festival, Kabelvåg and Reine, Norway (March 2019) and China (Fall 2019)
Let’s Go 2, Burnet Fine Art & Advisory, Wayzata, MN
Houston Center of Photography Print Auction 2019 Exhibition, Houston Center of Photography, Houston, TX
Arts North, Juror: Curt Pederson, Te American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN
2018 Yixian International Photography Festival, curated by Guo Jing, Anhui, China
Rokko Photographic Garden, curated by Takeki Sugiyama, Kobe, Japan
Triangulate, curated by Nathan Beard, Eivind Natvig, and Kirk Ke Wang. Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL (traveling)
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 3 First Annual Photobook Juried Exhibition, juried by Mary Virginia Swanson, Alice Whiteside, and Dave Wofford, Horse & Buggy Press and Friends, Durham, NC
PDN’S 30 2018: Our Choice of New and Emerging Photographers to Watch, container exhibition, Photoville, Brooklyn, NY
107th Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, juried by Mark Jensen, St Paul, MN. "First Glance Award" and the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts' “Great State of Minnesota Award"
Love, Helsinki Photo Festival, juried by Iben Bach Elmstrøm, Rafael Rybczynski, Astrid Gjersøe Skåterød, Charlie Fjätström, and Tor Ulstein. Helsinki, Finland.
Camelot, Te 59th Midwestern Invitational Exhibition, Rourke Art Museum, Moorhead, MN
Allegany National Photographic Exhibition, juried by Karen Irvine, Saville and Schwab Galleries, Cumberland, MD
31st Annual McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition, juried by Benjamin Hickey, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA
Classic Photographs Los Angeles Art Fair, Bergamot Arts Center, Klompching Gallery Booth, Santa Monica, CA
2017 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017, juried by Nicholas Cullinan, David Campany, Sabina Jaskot-Gill, Fiona Shields, Gillian Wearing, National Portrait Gallery, London, England. Finalist
Te Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 160, juried by Karin Bareman, Zelda Cheatle, Sian Davey, Ingrid Pollard, and Abbie Trayler-Smith. PHOTOBLOCK, Old Truman Brewery, London, England. Silver Medal
Renaissance Photography Prize 2017, juried by Clare Grafk, Dewi Lewis, Fiona Rogers, Fiona Shields, Gem Fletcher, Marloes Krijnen, Melissa DeWit, and Simon Roberts, Gety Images Gallery, London, England. Finalist
Te FENCE: A Public Photography Exhibition Series juried by panel of 68, United Photo Industries in Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Atlanta, GA; Houston, TX; Santa Fe, NM; Durham, NC; Denver, CO; Calgary, Canada
CENTER's 2017 International Photographic Award Winners, juried by Corey Keller, Marion Center for Photographic Arts, Santa Fe, NM
2017 International Juried Exhibition, juried by Philip Brookman, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA. Second place
Americana, juried by Darren Ching, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver, CO
Wild Beasts, Sheep & Crocodiles, curated by Tina Schelhorn, Kolga Tbilisi Photo 2017, Museum of Modern Art, Tbilisi, Georgia
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 4 Galerie Lichtblick, selected works, Cologne, Germany
Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, juried by Areca Roe, St Paul, MN. Honorable Mention
Roots and Wings, juried by Eric William Carroll, Silverwood Park Gallery, St. Anthony, MN
Revolution, Te 58th Midwestern Invitational Exhibition, Rourke Art Museum, Moorhead, MN
Te Art of Giving, juried by Jason Restamayer, North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND
Mind’s Eye, Daylighted digital exhibition, All About Photo Awards 2017, juried by Beatrice Chassepot, Julien Chatelin, James Dooley, Susan Dooley, Sandrine Hermand-Grisel, Ann Jastrab, Aline Smithson, Judy Walgren, and Sabine Weiss. Phoenix Hotel, San Francisco, CA
Arts North, juried by Curt Pederson, Te American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN
Arts in Harmony International Juried Art Show, juried by Curt Pederson, Elk River Area Arts Alliance, Blaine, MN. First Place Photography
Newvember, Ecce Gallery, Fargo, ND
2016 Te FENCE: A Public Photography Exhibition Series juried by panel of 44, United Photo Industries in Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Atlanta, GA; Houston, TX; Santa Fe, NM
Open Door Twelve, juried by Andrea Carlson, Rosalux Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2016 International Juried Exhibition, juried by Linde B. Lehtinen, PhD, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA
PhotoMidwest 2016 Juried Exhibition, juried by Larry Fink, Te Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, WI
National Juried Photography Competition and Exhibition, juried by Susie Morrill, David Turner, and Ron Jude, Emerald Art Center, Springfeld, OR
Spirit: Made Here, juried by 22 artists and arts professionals, Hennepin Teater Trust, Minneapolis, MN
A Point of View: Contemporary Photography, juried by Mitra Abbaspour, Site: Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY
Paramount Juried Statewide Art Exhibition, juried by Rachel Daly, Paramount Center for the Arts, St. Cloud, MN
Apertures, juried by Amy Neill, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, South Yarmouth, MA
Fun House: Art of the Surreal, Fantastic and Bizarre, juried by Eve Biddle, Barret Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
Tripping the Light Fantastic: Excellence in Photography, juried by Rowland Scherman, Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit, MA
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 5 22nd Juried Show via Instagram juried by Paula Tognarelli and Iaritza Menjivar, Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA
ONWARD Compé '16, juried by Richard Renaldi, Project Basho Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Smörgåsbord, Te New Bohemian Gallery at the Franklin Arts Center, Brainerd, MN
Menagerie: Animals in Art, juried by Robert Bowman, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
Savage Arts Council 10th Annual Juried Art Competition & Show, juried by Cynthia Kath, Karen Gustafson, and Dan Noyes, Savage, MN
2015 Gallery 360, selected works, Minneapolis, MN
Newvember, Ecce Gallery, Fargo, ND
Photo Op, juried by Robert Bowman, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
Te Art of Giving Group Show, Altru Medical Center, Grand Forks, ND
Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, juried by Steve Ozone, St Paul, MN
2014 Newvember, Ecce Gallery in Fargo, ND
PUBLICATIONS
2019 “Te Best of the Best” (photographs by R. J. Kern), R. J. Kern with essays by Anjuli J. Lebowitz, PhD and Eric Kunsman. Author: Minneapolis.
2018 “Te Sheep and the Goats” (photographs by R. J. Kern) R. J. Kern with essays by Lisa Volpe, PhD and George Slade, and Stuart Klipper. Kehrer Verlag: Heidelberg, Germany
“Te Unchosen Ones” (photographs by R. J. Kern) R. J. Kern with essays by Alison Nordström, PhD and Joe Scapanski. Author: Minneapolis, USA
2017 “Te Unchosen,” Photographs and text by R. J. Kern, National Geographic, November.
SELECTED PRESS
2019 ““No One Shoots an Animal Quite Like Photographer R. J. Kern” feature by Elyssa Goodman, InsideHook, December 6, 2019.
“R. J. Kern,” feature by Jeff Moorfoot, BETA Developments in Photography, Issue 33, Oct 6, 2019.
“Say cheese curds! State Fair champion animals celebrated with fne art photograph,” feature by Tim Nelson, MPR News, August 30, 2019.
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 6 “Crimson-hued Champions,” PDN Photo the Day, August 21, 2019.
“R. J. Kern photographs 'best' animals for Minnesota State Fair” feature by Alicia Eler, Star Tribune, August 18, 2019.
“Portrait of champion livestock is this year's Minnesota State Fair highlighted art” feature by By Katy Read, Star Tribune, June 9, 2019
“Behind the scenes of the 2019 Minnesota State Fair commemorative art,” feature by Pamela Espeland, MinnPost, June 7, 2019.
“Goat Workship” feature, photographs by R. J. Kern, Revolver, April/ May 2019.
“Te Unchosen Ones and Divine Animals” feature, ČILICHILI (Czechoslovakia), March 2019.
“A Behind the Scenes Look Into How Photographer R. J. Kern Shot Tis Heartwarming Photo Series called "Te Unchosen Ones,’ by Eli Dreyfuss, Fstoppers, March 19, 2019.
2018 "At the Griffin, Photo Shows that Visit the Animal Kingdom,” exhibition review by Mark Feeney, Te Boston Globe. November 15, 2018.
“Te Unchosen Ones,” feature and interview, Mono Chroma Magazine, Issue 003, November/ December, 2018. Page 35 - 47.
“Exalting the Ordinary,” exhibition review by Elin Spring, What Will You Remember, October 30, 2018.
“From Fair to Field,” with photographs by R. J. Kern, Culture, Winter 2018.
"Photography Annual 59," Communication Arts, published work, Award of Excellence. July / August 2018. Page 100-101.
"Te Minnesota State Fair’s Fine Arts Exhibition celebrates the art of the state," review and interview by Pamela Espeland, MinnPost, August 29, 2018.
"R. J. Kern photo exhibition in Wayzata fnds ‘beauty in the common'," review and interview by Jason Jenkins, Sun Sailor, July 19, 2018.
"On the Town: 'Triangulate' Exhibit Debuts at Dunedin Fine Art Center," exhibition review Virginia Johnson, Bay News 9, June 19, 2018
"Tree Series by R.J. Kern Show the Bonds Between Livestock, Humans and the Land," PDN Photo of the Day, May 23, 2018
Coralie Kraf, ”We Tamed Animals—But How Have Tey Shaped Us?” Lensculture, May 10, 2018
Aline Smithson, ”R. J. Kern: Te Unchosen Ones," book review and interview by, Lenscratch, April 27, 2018
David Walker, PDN’s 30 2018 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch, PDN, April, 2018. 43
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 7 Suzanne Révy, "Te Animal Whisperers," What Will You Remember, March 27, 2018
David Walker, "R. J. Kern segues from Weddings to Fine Art," PDN, January 2018. 10-12
2017 Aline Smithson, "R. J. Kern: Te Sheep and the Goats," Lenscratch, November 22, 2017
"Te Sheep and the Goats," PDN Photo of the Day, November 7, 2017
BBC, “Te 2017 Royal Photographic Society competition” October 4, 2017
Hetie Judah, ”Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017, review – suggests we're all in need of comfort," Te Telegraph, November 14, 2017
Alicia Eler, "No blue ribbon, but they still found fame," Star Tribune, May 28, 2017. E1
Alicia Eler, "A photographer captures goat losers at Minnesota county fairs," Star Tribune, May 22, 2017
Geoffrey Koslov, ”Innovation from Photo Lucida 2017," Foto Relevance, May 6, 2017 Elin Spring, ”Te Human Landscape Photolucida 2017," What Will You Remember, April 27, 2017
2016 MN Original / Twin Cities PBS, “Artist Day Jobs: R. J. Kern,” PBS Newshour by August 16, 2016
Gregory Scot, “Don't miss one of the year's best art exhibits, 'Open Door' at Rosalux,” Star Tribune, December 22, 2016
Elly Tomas, ”Divine Animals: Te Bovidae by R. J. Kern, Te Fence," World Photography Organisation, November 19, 2016
Elizabeth Sulis Gear, ”Mythology and the everyday collide in these images of bovidae," FeatureShoot, November 10, 2016
2015 Mary Abbe, ”Art of the state: Minnesota State Fair celebrates a host of talented artists," Star Tribune, September 8, 2015
John Lamb, ”Photographer makes portraits in the felds," Fargo Forum, July 23, 2015
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
2019 Artist Talk, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND Workshop, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND Artist Talk, Burnet Fine Art and Advisory, Wayzata, MN 2018 Artist Talk, Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA Artist Talk, Emerson College, Boston, MA Panelist, Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Access Grant, St. Paul, MN Artist Talk, Burnet Fine Art and Advisory, Wayzata, MN Artist Talk, Hennepin County Historical Society, Minneapolis, MN Artist Talk, Scot County Historical Society, Minneapolis, MN Artist Talk, PhaseOne Standout Event, Miami, FL 2017 Artist Talk, CENTER, Santa Fe, NM
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 8 Artist Talk, Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN Substitute Art Teacher, Te Breck School, Golden Valley, MN 2016 Panelist, Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, St. Paul, MN Guest Lecturer, Valor High School, Litleton, CO Portolio Reviewer, Art Institutes International MN, Minneapolis, MN
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Center for Creative Photography, Tuscon, AZ Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY Fidelity Corporate Art Collection, Boston, MA General Mills Corporate Art Collection, Minneapolis, MN Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA Leepa-Ratner Museum of Art, Tarpon Springs, FL Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX Museum of Fine Arts, St Petersburg, FL Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND University of Minnesota Library, Francis V. Gorman Rare Art Book Collection, St. Paul, MN
REPRESENTATION
Burnet Fine Art & Advisory, Minnesota
Updated 1/9/2020 Page 9