Transart Institute

Student Profile

New York photographer Karen Marshall documents American social issues. In 1985 she began a series of long-term projects that focus on the social and psychological lives of her subjects examining the coming of age of young people, primarily women.

She often directs her camera at family life, including her Pennsylvania Dutch in-laws clan. In her documentary journey through American culture, Marshall has witnessed the struggling identity of a group of Navajo Indians and the demise of their earth-based culture in Caretakers of the Earth: Navajo Resistance and Relocation.

Currently she is completing her first film, Between Girls which combines audio and video with black and white photography. In this project, Marshall articulates the coming of age of a group of urban middle class teenagers, following them from high school into adulthood twenty years later.
She is the recipient of artist fellowships and sponsorships through the New York Foundation for the Arts, as well as grants and support from private foundations. Her work has been widely exhibited and is part of several collections.

As a freelance photographer, her work spans many genres including editorial, corporate and advertising clients for the past twenty-five years. Marshall lectures frequently and is a committed mentor. She teaches at The International Center of Photography, New York University, SUNY/Westchester Community College, and the Maine Photographic Workshops, among others.

Applicant questions for Karen:

What are your goals in the program?
Beyond the professional needs that require me to obtain an MFA degree and the positive influence inquiry always encourages in individuals; my primary goal in participating in this program is to expand and redefine what it means to be an artist and photographer in the new century. In a world full of new paradigms, the pollination of cross-cultural dialog is rapidly expanding. It is exciting and important to create innovative ways to share ideas. Being part of a program like Transart Institute offers me the opportunity to be a member of an international network of artists. Most importantly, it is encouraging me to consider new ways to frame and execute my work.

What were your experiences with the workshops?
The workshops and seminars have been interesting and animated. Professionally, I teach photography workshops through out the year, so it was great to be on the receiving end for once. The fact that Transart students are mostly advanced practitioners from diverse backgrounds of origin and artistic disciplines fed the energy of each workshop.

The term ‘new media’ is truly an open-ended concept at the Transart Institute. This provokes its participants to experiment with ideas and mediums that they might not normally feel safe playing with. The intensity of the workshops and the fast turn around time of the work produced during those days allowed me to explore new ideas and concepts. Being given the opportunity to experiment with media I was unfamiliar with has expanded my personal practice.

Students are asked to prepare for their workshops and seminars with extensive reading lists prior to arriving in Austria. This added an additional dimension to the intensives because people had contemplated intellectually on the subject matter prior to the residency.

Do you see students outside the residencies?
TI has expanded my network of support and community. Since leaving the summer residency, I have been in contact on a regular basis through email and Skype with a half a dozen participants, in addition to seeing a couple of the New York-based students. As these relationships mature, and ideas and opportunities germinate, I expect that my community will expand and grow even larger in the future.