Bio
Heather Protz, artist, educator and explorer, resides in Las Vegas, Nevada and Santa Fe, New Mexico, creating art ranging from documentary work to large-scale conceptual pieces. Protz works on location, photographing with a variety of image-making tools, from toy camera to smart phone to professional digital camera, her artistic vision adapting to the device and location encountered. Recent works include composite panoramas depicting undulating, rhythmic, and colorful abstractions transforming cityscapes from the mundane to the urbane.
Protz earned her BFA from The University of Akron and her MFA from Ohio University. Her fine art photography is regularly exhibited around the country. In 2001, Protz received an Ohio Arts Council Fellowship, and in 2009, a Nevada Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship. This latter fellowship resulted in an invitation to participate in Panorama, a show currently traveling throughout Nevada into 2016.
Process Statement
All of my work originates as a document.
Document: consisting of, derived from, or relating to documents; presenting factual material with little or no fictional additions.
I shoot everyday wherever I may be, observing architecture, people, shadows, light, experience, sound, color, time, and moments. Relentless in the exploration of my surroundings, my eye is constantly searching to create an original image. I work on multiple series at any given time. Some explorations last only a brief time, while others capture me for years. Documentary photography is a genre I explore with regularity: a fascinating story, a feeling, a question, may all be expressed with a single image. At times, the narrative comes from understanding a place and exploring its rhythm – or lack thereof. This is one form of my art making.
Conceptual: of, relating to, or consisting of concepts.
While navigating the documentary aspect of my work, I am also engaged in my conceptual series. These works explore what I cannot see in a single frame. By pairing images or combining multiple frames I endeavor to create a new reality. My quest is to share an idea that is in my mind, my heart, my past, my future, or that which is not in front of me in the moment. The work might be a diptych: multiple images side-by-side that further an idea. It may take form as a composite of many images creating a new reality. It could be a synthesized panorama that makes one feel like an interloper in a foreign landscape. I allow myself to be guided by these explorations using time and chance as my assistants. A vast array of digital image altering tools facilitate my creation of these new realities. The works may be presented in a multiplicity of mediums that enhances the content as well as the environment in which they are seen.
Heather Protz
[email protected]
EDUCATION
1991 MFA Ohio University
1989 BFA University of Akron
FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT
2009 Nevada Arts Council, Individual Artist Fellowship
2001 Ohio Arts Council, Individual Artist Fellowship Recipient
2016 Jackpot Grant: Nevada Arts Council
EXHIBITIONS
2019
-Glimpse of Las Vegas: Josephine Skaught, Las Vegas Nevada
2018
-OCC, USA, 2018: Trust Books and Gallery, Akron Ohio
2017
-New Work from the MOHP Series: Bluff Blue Door Gallery, Akron Ohio
2016
-NM: From the 366 Collection, ArtWalls, Akron, Ohio
-DISHING IT OUT 2016, Group Show - Sahara West Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada
-NAC Panorama, traveling exhibition, Nevada Art Council, two year traveling statewide art exhibition. Nevada
December 21, 2015 - February 12, 2016, Western Nevada College, Carson City
February 18 - April 15, 2016, Western Nevada College, Fallon
April 25 - June 17, 2016, Ely Art Bank, Ely
June 27 - August 19, 2016, Comstock History Center, Virginia City
August 29 - October 21, 2016, Sheppard Contemporary, UNR, Reno
2015
-Drive By - Images in Motion, Rhizome Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada
-NAC Panorama, traveling exhibition, Nevada Art Council, two year traveling statewide art exhibition. Nevada
December 12-January 30, 2015, Great Basin College, Elko Gallery
February 9 - April 1, 2015,St Mary’s Art Center, Virginia City
April 8 - June 1, 2015, Art Institute of Las Vegas, Henderson
June15, 2015 to August 7, 2015, Truckee Meadows Community College
August 17- -October 9, 2015, Humboldt County Library, Winnemucca
October 19 - December 11, 2015, Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village
April 8, 2015 to June 1, 2015, The Art Institute of Las Vegas
- LV Grid, Las Vegas City Hall, Las Vegas, NV
2014
- In Praise of Trees, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, Vermont
-PHOTOcentric 2014, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, New York
-NAC Panorama, traveling exhibition, Nevada Art Council, two year traveling statewide art exhibition. Nevada
October 4-November 26, UNLV, Marjorie Barrick Museum
-Car Show: Safe @ Any Speed, artists: Heather Protz, Michael Owen & Andrew Mertz, THE Gallery Sink, Orlando, Florida
-Why, Masterworks?, Group Exhibition, Fifth Street School, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Mixed Messages, artists: Heather Protz, Michael Owen & Michael Blakemore, Favo, Orlando, Florida
-The Swap, Heather Protz & Linda Alterwitz, Online Project Curated By Stuart Pilkington
http://theswapproject.tumblr.com/post/84904896023/heather-protz-linda-alterwitz
2013
-Equinox, Group Exhibition, Fifth Street School, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Vegas Snaps & MOHP, Heather Protz & Michael Owen, FAVO, Orlando, Florida
-“Lonnie” Linda Alterwitz and Heather Protz, College Of Southern Nevada, N. Las Vegas, Nevada
-MOHP, Heather Protz & Michael Owen, The Timucua Arts white house, Orlando Florida
-Tiny Houses, Heather Protz & Michael Owen, The Timucua Arts white house, Orlando Florida
-F-Stop A Photography Magazine online exhibition
http://www.fstopmagazine.com/groupexhibition.html
2012
-Faces, Lobby Gallery, The Arts Factory, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Photo Review online selection, 2012 Town
http://photoreview.org/competition/portfolioFull.php/46/1/4
-Terrain online Gallery, The Kiernan Gallery,
http://www.blurb.com/b/3477905-terrain
2011
-Forms For Thought, 3 person show, Brett Wesley Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Heather Protz & Mike Owen a collaboration of photography and drawing, Redlight Gallery, Akron, Ohio
-LONNIE, 2-person exhibition (AMP-Alterwitz-Mizrahi and Protz) Traveling Show, 2010-2011 Las Vegas Library System, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Summer Show 2011, Marji Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2010
-Inspired, Fawick Gallery, Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio
-The Foundry Art Centre , Group 4 Award Photography 2, St Charles, Missouri
-LONNIE, 2-person exhibition (AMP-Alterwitz-Mizrahi and Protz) Sahara West Library, Las Vegas, Nevada
-PHENOMENAL PHOTOGRAPHY, Brett Wesley Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada
-2010 Hot New Pics Show, Center Gallery, Wichita, Kansas
2009
-Springs Preserve, ORIGINS Big Springs Gallery, AMP, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Marji Gallery, Inspired, Santa Fe, New Mexico
-Brett Wesley Gallery, NeonPin, Las Vegas, Nevada
-eXhibition Series (OXS), The Nevada Arts Council, Carson City, Nevada
-2009 PIEA International Photo Contest, International Traveling Show, 3rd Place Faculty Portfolio
-Union Street Gallery, Assume Nothin, Chicago Height, Illinois
-Focus on Projects, Gary Reese, Suzanne Reese, Todd Miller, Komkrit, Heather Protz, Rainbow Library and West Charlston Library, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Self Portrait: Silver Eye at 30, Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
-’Artwalk’ Canyon Ranch Spa, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
-50 State Photography Project, http://www.50statesproject.net/
2008
-Marji Gallery, Unexpected Sequence, Santa Fe, New Mexico
-Space 237, AMP, Toledo, Ohio
-Peninsula Art Academy, AMP: Shared Images, Peninsula, Ohio
-Millworks Gallery, The Las Vegas Show, Akron, Ohio
-Left of Center Gallery, Shared Ideas/Stolen Places , AMP, Las Vegas, Nevada
-’Artwalk’ Canyon Ranch Spa, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
-fotofoto gallery, 4th Annual juried Competition, Huntington, New York
-Photo Review, 2007 COMPETITION ENTRIES: Places Exhibition, Online Exhibition
2007
-fotofoto gallery, 3rd Annual juried Competition, Honorable Mention, Huntington, New York
-Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, Annual Juried Show, Wilmington Delaware
-Foundry’s Photography: 2nd Annual, Foundry Art Center, *Group 4 Award, St. Charles, Missouri
-MOS Show, Texas Photographic Society, San Antonio, Texas
-Best Shot, Benham Gallery, Seattle, Washington
-Ohio University: 1990 Until Now, NCECA, Louisville, Kentucky
-Photographic Forum Magazine, Honorable Mention, 27th Spring Photography Contest
2006
-DreamBox Foto Gallery, Foto Annual II Competition, Chicago, Illinois
-Colors of Life 2006 International Photo Competition, The Gallery of Art and Design, Richmond, Virginia
-2006 Las Vegas Art Roundup, Las Vegas Art Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada
-2006 Great Nevada Picture Hunt, Nevada Magazine, Honorable Mention,
http://www.nevadamagazine.com/GNPH_winners.htm
-Faculty Exhibit, The Image Gallery, The Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
2005
-Fast Forward or Flash Back, L.E. Meek Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
-Fast Forward or Flash Back, Crandall Art Gallery, Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio
-2005 Las Vegas Art Roundup, Las Vegas Art Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada
-ARTech: Man and Machine, Capitol Arts Network, Gaithersburg, Maryland
-Man and Beast, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
-5th National Juried Photography Exhibition, Honorable Mention, Stepping Stone Gallery, Huntington, NY
-Faculty Exhibit, The Image Gallery, The Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
-Summer in the Valley, Peninsula Gallery, Peninsula, Ohio
2004
-New Faculty Exhibit, The Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
2003
-Seconds from Yesterday, Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, Ohio
-Beyond Pop, Howard County Center for the Arts, Ellicott City, Maryland
-The Second Cleveland Biennial Juried Exhibition, Art Gallery, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio *Best Still Photograph in Show
-Target:Audience, New Sense Enterprises, Home/Gallery, Lakewood, Ohio
-Washington Gallery of Photography, National Juried Show, Bethesda Maryland
-Photo Review Competition, The Photo Review, Langhorne, Pennsylvania
-Recent Work, Kent State University, Stark Branch, Ohio
-Academic Alliance, Thiel College, Greenville, Pennsylvania
-Faculty Exhibit, Butler Institute of American Art, Trumbal, Ohio
-Seconds from Yesterday, Fine Art Services, Peninsula, Ohio, Youngstown, Ohio
2002
-While Dogs Dream, SRO Photo Gallery, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
-Small Works Exhibit, Arts United for Davidson County, Lexington, North Carolina
-Three Rivers Art Show, Juried Exhibition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
-Square City, Environmental Design Group Galleries, Akron, Ohio
2001
-While Dogs Dream, Southern Light Gallery, Amarillo College, Amarillo, Texas
-Faculty Exhibition, McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio.
-Three Rivers Art Show, Juried Exhibition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
-Winter Exhibition, DogStar, McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University, Ohio
-Let’s See it Again & Again: An exhibition of Reproducible Media, Katherine E. Nash Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2000
-While Dogs Dream, Gallery 1101, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
-Faculty Exhibition, McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University
-Maryland Federation of Art Photo Exhibition, Annapolis, Maryland
-Humour in Art, Gallery West, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio
-7 Years of Square, University Center Concourse Gallery, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
-The 2000 SOHO Photo National Competition, Soho Photo Gallery, New York, New York
1999
-Ohio & Lake Erie West, Juried International Touring Art Exhibition, Sea Gate Art Gallery, Toledo, Ohio – Csongrad, Hungary – Szeged, Hungary – Lviv, Ukraine
-More From the Series of Trite, Weathervane Playhouse, Akron, Ohio
1997
-Alternatives, Millworks Gallery, Akron, Ohio
-5th Anniversary Show, E.I.O. Gallery, Akron, Ohio
-Northside, Then & Now, Northside, Akron, Ohio
-Spring Art Walk, MODO Gallery, Peninsula, Ohio
-Marking Territory, Millworks Gallery, Akron, Ohio
1996
-Urban Instinct, The Bank Gallery, Peninsula, Ohio
-Vision of Venus, Art at the Powerhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
-Paul Yanko and Heather Protz, Akron-Canton Regional Airport, Akron, OH
1995
-Five and Dime, In Collaboration, Akron, Ohio – Santa Monica, California
-Rooms, Millworks Gallery, Akron, Ohio
-WHY From the Series of Trite, E.I.O. Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
-On a Whim, The Bank Gallery, Peninsula, Ohio
-Home is Where the Art Is, The Smart House, Millworks Gallery, Bath, Ohio
-Members Show, E.I.O. Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
1994
-Millworks, Thing Two, Akron City Center, Akron, Ohio
-Alumni Show, University of Akron, Emily Davis Gallery, Akron, Ohio
-E.I.O. Group Show 1994, Cleveland, Ohio
-Form in Two and Three Dimensions, Gallery West, Cuyahoga Community
College, Cleveland, Ohio
-Womens Perspective on the Environment, Williams Atrium, Guzetta Hall,
University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
1993
-NEW 1992-1993 WORKS, Colonial Arcade, Cleveland, Ohio
-Mixed Media Video Installation, ‘COURAGE?’, E.I.O. Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
-Faculty Exhibition, Emily Davis Gallery, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
-Autumn in the Valley, Among Friends Gallery, Peninsula, Ohio
1992
-Books Plus, Invitational Exhibition, Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky
-The Peoples Art Show, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
-E.I.O. Gallery, Exhibition IV, Cleveland, Ohio
1991
-50th Anniversary National Juried Exhibition, Lake Worth, Florida
-Confessions of Observations, Sigfried Gallery, Athens, Ohio
-Group See Exhibition, Kent/Stark Gallery, Canton, Ohio
PUBLICATIONS
-Science Not Silence: Voices from the March for Science Movement
March, 2 2018 , The MIT Press
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Not-Silence-Voices-Movement-ebook/dp/B07PHWQC5T
-Photo Essay: Yes Maybe No
Jun 01, 2017, B&W by Heather Protz and Polaroids by Brent Holmes
Desert Companion
https://knpr.org/desert-companion/2017-06/photo-essay-yes-maybe-no
-Back to Where You Once Belonged
2017, Book Cover Image, Nevada Humanities and Las Vegas Clark County Library Foundation
https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/shop/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/WhereYouOnceBelonged.pdf
-Zeit bites: Asked and answered: The world’s a studio
May 23, 2016, by Scott Dickensheets
Desert Companion
https://knpr.org/desert-companion/2016-05/zeit-bites-asked-and-answered-world-s-studio
The Worlds a Studio: June 2016, Page 18
https://issuu.com/nvpr/
TRANSPORT PHOTOS BY HEATHER PROTZ
March 20, 2009
http://virginiacitynews.com/transport-photos-by-heather-protz-on-display-at-the-nac-p1561-106.htm
Shared Ideas/Stolen Places: Photographs by Linda Alterwitz & Heather Protz
November 3, 2008
John Musgrove proves his muscle with his ‘New Paintings’ exhibit
May 4, 2011
Musgrove’s urban panorama and smart manipulation of light draw a sharp complement to the photographs of Heather Protz, featured in the adjacent Forms for Thought exhibition at the gallery.
An Unlikely Artist
Jul. 15, 2010
Gallery spotlights work of photographers
Left of Center to show Shared Ideas, Stolen Spaces through Nov. 22
HUCK magazine – The Maya Gabeira issue
July 24, 2009, Page 85
Blog Features:
http://jasonguerette.blogspot.com/2009/05/heather-protz.html