Glassell School of Art, 1990 – 1994
Art Institute of Houston, 1987, Associate Degree
University of Houston, 1980 – 1981
Brazosport Jr. College, 1976 – 1979
Angleton, Texas High School, 1974

S – Solo / G - Group
2009
Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco [G] Curated by Danielle Steel
August 5-29, 2009
“\'flō\: art, text, new media”, The Center for Book Arts, New York
04/16 - 06/27/2009 [G]

2008
"The Book Project", Tatar Gallery, Toronto (Ontario), CDN
Hulse-Warman Gallery, Taos, NM [S]
“Chiaroscuro”, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA [G]
Assistance League of Houston, Third Place Award, Houston, TX [J]
Fotofest 2008, “Flux”, Design Works, Galveston, TX [S]

2007
“Book Works”, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX [G]
DIA Invitational, Denver, CO [J]
“Summer Reading”, Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston, MA [G]
Two Person show, Pine Street Art Works, Burlington, VT
“Metamorphosis”, De Santos Gallery, Houston, TX [S]
“The Book, Ever After”, College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX [G]
“Of Words, Paper, and Shapes”, Singer Gallery, Petaluma, CA [S]

2006
“Photography Now,” 100 Portfolios, Wright State University
Two Person Show, Pine Street Artworks, Burlington, VT
Fotofest Houston, Design Works, Galveston, TX [S]
Works on Paper, Mill Pond House, St. James, NY [J)
“Evolutions”, De Santos Gallery, Houston, TX [S]
Aperture Foundation, Summer 2006 Portfolio Pick, Honorable Mention

2005
Assistance League of Houston, Honorable Mention, Houston, TX [J]
Texas Photographic Society, 2nd Place award, Galveston, TX [J]
Circles of Confusion, pinhole exhibition, De Santos Gallery, Houston, TX
Review Santa Fe, juried portfolio review, Santa Fe, NM
Tomball College, Tomball, TX [S]

2004
The Big Show, Lawndale Arts and Performance Center, Houston, TX
Assistance League of Houston, Houston, TX [J]

2003
Visual Arts Alliance, Honorable Mention, Houston, TX [J]

2002
Fotofest Houston, Pinhole Exhibition, The Arts Alliance Center, Clear
Lake, TX
8th Annual Juried Photography Exhibition, Texas Artists Museum, Port
Arthur, TX [J

2001
“New Prints from Texas”, Women and Their Work, Austin, TX [J]

1999
“One Night Hang”, 3rd Place, Houston, TX [J]
“Blue Prints”, Purse Building, Houston, TX [S]

1998
Texas A & M University, College Station, TX [G]

1997
Purse Building, Houston, TX [S]

1996
Solo Show, Purse Building, Houston, TX
Assistance League of Houston [J]
Dishman Competition, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX [J]
“The Big Show”, Lawndale Art and Performance Center, Houston, TX [J]

1995
“The Big Show”, Lawndale Art and Performance Center, Houston, TX [J]

1994
University of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TX [S]

Wells Fargo Bank
Lehigh University
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
VISA
Cheniere Energy
Bloomingdale’s

My photographs are primarily a documentation of a physical evolution. I have changed a common object into sculpture in a state of flux. The way we choose to research and find information is also in an evolution. I hope to raise questions about these changes, the ephemeral and fragile nature in which we now obtain knowledge, and the future of books.

I arrive at some of my images by chance. Others, through experimentation. Without these two elements, my work would not flow easily from one idea to the next. A random encounter on Drew Street with the Houston Yellow Pages was the primary inspiration for this project. After that chance meeting, I began the search for more books, and more methods to change their appearance.
I realized I owned many books that were no longer of use to me, or for that matter, anyone else. Would I ever need “Windows 95?” After soaking it in the bathtub for a few hours, it had a new shape and purpose. Half Price Books became a regular haunt, and an abandoned house gave me a set of outdated reference books, complete with mold and neglect. Each book tells me how to begin according to its size, type of paper, and sometimes contents.
As I begin the process, I first consider the contents of each volume. I didn’t spend more than a few seconds on “Windows 95,” but the “New Century Dictionary of the English Language,” is a treasure that, because of its fascinating illustrations, and archaic examples, saved it from taking on a new form. Sculpting segued to thoughts on obsolescence and the relevance of libraries in this century.
Half a century ago, students researched at home with the family set of encyclopedias, or took a trip to the library to find needed information. Now, owning a computer, and connecting to the internet gives a student the ability to complete a research paper without ever going near a library. I have fully embraced that technology, and would not want to be without it, but, I also fear that it is rapidly leading us to rely less and less on the reference books common in the last two centuries.

With the discarded books that I have acquired, I am attempting to blur the line between objects, sculpture, and photography. This project has become a journey that continues to evolve.

A final note – No important books have been injured during the making of any of these photographs.

Cara Barer

The Islander, “Galveston Galleries” March 2006
The Houston Press, “Paper Chaser” September 21 – 27, 2006
Boston Globe, “Summer Reading” review, Aug.2, 2007
Craft Magazine, “Rock, Paper, Scissors” Volume 05, 2007
Dumbo Feather, pass it on, (Australia) “Book or a Byte?” Issue 12, Winter 2007
Wait Magazine, (Italy) “La perfezione nella distruzione” (The Art of Destruction) Oct. 2007
Page Magazine, (Germany) “Fotografische Skulpturen” January 2008
Houston Modern Luxury, “Page Turner!” February 2008
Photonews, Germany, “Das Fotobuch” May 2008
New York Magazine, “The End,” pg. 38-39, September 22, 2008
Domus, “Books Under the Tree,” cover story, December, 2008
“Paper - Tear Fold Rip Crease Cut” pgs. 110-113, Black Dog Publishing, 2009

< COVERS >
“Bound to Please,” by Michael Dirda
Columbia Journalism Review, The Books Issue Oct. 2007, Award - Certificate of Excellence from Print Magazine
Trama Editorial, “Texturas,” Dec. 2007, Spain
Wait Magazine, Oct, 2007, Italy
Literal Magazine, Spring 2008, Mexico
Courrier International, March 19, 2008, France
Domus, December, 2008, Italy
Columbia University, Spring Catalog 2009
“Method and Madness, The Making of a Story,” by Alice LaPlante, 2009
“The Late Age of Print,” by Ted Striphas, 2009