Bio
Renee Elena Romero is a photographic artist from Belen, New Mexico, currently living in Pensacola, Florida.
Her documentary, and staged photographic work employs a variety of digital, film and alternative processes to tell a personal story of motherhood, relationships, and daily life.
Romero has had works in group exhibitions nationally in museums such as The San Diego Art Institute, 516 Arts,Center for Fine art Photography, Susquehanna Art Museum, Blue Star Contemporary,and Panopticon Gallery.
She held her first solo exhibition at Fotoforum Santa Fe in the summer of 2022 where she was the first place recipient for their annual photography award for her series “Moments in Motherhood”. And exhibited her cyanotype work at the Boston Childrens Museum in the winter of 2022.
Her work has been printed in independent publications such as Lux the Zine, Soft Lightning Studio, Made alone Together, and Milked Magazine. And featured in online magazines such as lenscratch and casual photophiles “Five Female Photographers to follow”.
She holds a BA in Studio Arts from the University of New Mexico with a concentration in Photography and Minor in Arts Administration.
She has a commercial photography business, Renee Romero Photography. And is a founder and instructor of Wandering Sol Workshop for portrait and wedding photographers in New Mexico.
Artist Statement
The makeup of my own family has pushed me to document them as much as possible to piece together my own identity and place in their world. Family photographs are meant to hold the weight of familial relationships, milestones such as births, deaths, and everyday moments. My father died prior to my birth, and the only family that I know is my maternal one.
I often reflect on how the experience my mother had raising me is vastly different than my own experience in motherhood. I’m privileged to have an experience of motherhood that has security, support, and time to soak in the in between moments of play, rest, exhaustion, and the domestic labor and constant care that comes with being a stay at home mother.
While I experience the happiness that comes from motherhood,I also find myself in many moments of frustration, being overwhelmed with the never-ending tasks of motherhood within our home.
Documenting our journey together through self portraits gives me the space to create while constantly mothering, remembering the fractions of time that I can find joy in our lives within our homes, and hold onto the moments that slip away too fast.
CV
Education
2016 | Bachelor Of Arts , Photography & Arts Management, University of New Mexico
2021 | The Practice of Conceptual Photography Course by Jennifer Thoreson
2021 | Wearing All the Hats | Professional Practice Course with Artist/Mother Podcast
2019 | Tinytype Photography Workshop with Artist Kevin Black
2017 | Creative Capital Professional Development Fellowship, Trenton, NJ
Awards
2022| First Place Fotoforum Santa Fe Photography Award
2016 | Ada Wester Fine Art Endowed Scholarship, University of New Mexico
Residencies
Thrive Together Virtual Residency, September 2023
Artist Mother Art Residency, February-April 2022
Stay Home Gallery & Residency. Paris, TN. June 2021
Artist Residency in Motherhood. San Diego, CA March -June 2020
Solo Exhibitions
2023
A Physical Memory Flora T Little Art Gallery. Bridgewater, MA
2022
Moments in Motherhood Flora T Little Art Gallery. Bridgewater, MA
Small Stories: Vignettes in Blue Boston Childrens Museum Nov 27, 2022 - Feb 26, 2023
Moments in Motherhood Fotoforum Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM June 3rd - July 27th 2022
Group Exhibitions
2024
Paper. Artel Gallery. Pensacola, FL February -March 2024
2023
Juried Exhibition. Gallery 1060. Pensacola, FL September 15th-October 7th
The Invisible Labor. Firefolk Arts, Waitsfield, V. September 23rd-November 1st
Maternal Interior. Ann Arbor Art Center. Ann Arbor MI
Raw Emotion Gallery Tempo Boston, MA
2022
Alternative Means Necessary Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg PA
Travel Distance Blue Star Contemporary. San Antonio Texas
Members Exhibition. Fotoforum Santa Fe. Santa Fe, NM
Spring Juried Exhibition James Library & Center for the Arts, Norwell MA
Mythologies of Motherhood Susquehanna Art Museum. Harrisburg PA
Raw Emotion: Small Vignettes of Motherhood Jameson & Thompson Gallery. Boston, MA
2021
Painting At Night. Artlink Fort Wayne, IN
The Space in Between Online Exhibition
Unbound! | July 2nd-August 7th Candela Gallery, Richmond VA
What Tomorrow Holds. Where the Sun Strikes Gallery February-March 2020
Did that Just Happen? | Online Exhibition at Don’t Smile
2020
La Frontera : A New Latinx Lexicon Online Exhibition . Humble Arts Foundation
Powerful Little Things , Roaring Artist Gallery. Virtual Exhibition
Hope, Revolution Stay Home Gallery & Residency, Paris, TN
Little Wins, The Curated Fridge, Somerville MA
Nostalgia Darkside Collective Online Exhibition
Self Quarantining Lenscratch Online Exhibition
Recovery Torque Moto Cafe. San Diego, CA.
2019
C Note San Diego Art Institute . San Diego, CA
Women at Work Photoplace Gallery, Online Exhibition . Middlebury, VT
Self and Family Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
Cars and Dogs Blackbox Gallery Online Exhibition . Portland, OR
A Physical Memory, Through the Flower, Belen, NM.
Summer Show, The Curated Fridge, Somerville MA
Black and White, La Bodega Gallery, San Diego, CA
2018
Currency, What do you Value? 516 ARTS, Albuquerque, NM
Family Photographs, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester , NY
Color Balance, Don’t Smile, Online Exhibition
Instant Satisfaction, Happy Lucky No. 1 , Brooklyn, NY
Art All Night, Artworks Trenton , Trenton , NJ
Making Muffins, Parlor Gallery , Asbury Park, NJ
2017
Art All Night , Artworks Trenton, Trenton , NJ
Women’s History Month , Rotunda Gallery, Jersey City, NJ
Fourth Annual Undergraduate Juried Exhibition Masley Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2016
Poor Connection, Zine Release , Deep Space Coffee, Albuquerque, NM
Third Annual Undergraduate Juried Exhibition,John Sommers Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2015
Second Annual Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, John Sommers Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2014
First Annual Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, John Sommers Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Panels & Presentations
Six Feet , Panelist
The Family in Photographs: Exploring the Boundaries between Public and Private
Press
Casual Photophile, Five Female Photographers to Follow. July 2021
Jaulas//Cages: Renee Romero : Lenscratch Interview by Erick Guzman | September 30th, 2020.
Publications
May 2021 Fraction Magazine Issue 145
Summer 2020 Made Alone Together. Good Words Press
March 2020 Featured Artist Soft Lightning Volume I
February 2018 Featured Artist .Lux the Zine, Volume I, Issue II.
December 2018 Featured Artist.Lux The Zine, Volume I, Issue IV
Collections
Fine Art and Design Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Artist Parent Index,Online Database.
Professional Experience
2022-2023 | Youth Art Instructor , Brockton Public Library Childrens Room
2020-Present | Instructor , Wandering Sol Photography Workshop. Albuquerque, NM
2012-Present | Owner, Renee Romero Photography
2019| Sales Associate, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
2017-2018 |Museum Visitor Assistant ,Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
2015-2016 | Museum Assistant,University Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM
2016 |Social Media Intern, University Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM
2016| Gallery Intern , 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM
Contact
reneeromeroart@gmail.com