Jessica Zalewski – Biography

Earring, 2009

Coming to photography from a liberal arts and business background, I have a BA in history and French Language and Literature from Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts, and an
MBA from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. A passion for design and balance working in marketing and publications design at the Racine Art Museum has led me back to the importance of images.

For the last several years, I have worked behind, in front of, next to and beyond the camera.

A film enthusiast and photographer, I volunteered with the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Milwaukee Film Festivals as a judge for Milwaukee Shorts and a committee member for the overall Shorts Program. Previously, I volunteered with the Milwaukee International Film Festival, and have occasionally appeared in local video productions.

For me, film and video connect directly back to still photography. My images have been juried
into many regional exhibitions in the last few years, and I carry my camera with me everywhere. My photograph Drifting received the Second Place Award in An Exhibition of Visual Images:
A Juried Photography Show at the Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin and 17 Below won a Second Place Award in the Department of Natural Resources’ third annual Wisconsin’s Great Lakes photography contest.

My work was recently featured in a solo photography exhibition at Leenhouts Gallery in Milwaukee and at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2012, I am co-curating What She Said: Wisconsin Photography Now with William Zuback at EFFJAY PROJEKTS in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Bringing my experience with marketing and art photography together, I am now Board Member
and Communications Co-Chair for the Coalition of Photographic Arts (CoPA) as well as a member
of the steering committee for get bEHIND the aRTS studio tour, Racine and Kenosha.

I am pleased to have joined the cadre of Art City Contributors writing for the arts and architecture blog at JSOnline. My art exhibition reviews have also been published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, print edition.