Susan Weiss works in the visual arts in many mediums, including photography, film, painting and drawing. Her work explores the issues of personal identity and the psycho-social landscape. She also teaches drawing and student artist portfolio preparation both live and in zoom consultation.
Susan’s projects include the ongoing series Humanity in the Modern World, documenting people doing humanitarian work in other countries, most recently at the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez border with a Washington D.C, based NGO. Her recent short documentary film “Lia: A Bodybuilding Story” is has been presented in the international movie festival circuit and has many laurels and awards. The Orchard, a photography book will be published by Green Writers Press of Brattleboro, VT., and will debut October 1, 2024.
Susan photographs with both digital and film cameras depending on the project, including Mamiya 7II, Leica M9P and Leica M10, Polaroid SX70 and 680, Iphone 15 Pro Max, and plastic toy cameras.
“Exploring and photographing the human condition is the major theme in my work. I attempt to connect with people and photograph their lives to document what makes them unique as individuals. The stories are personal but they become my stories as I photograph and interpret through the lens of my camera, and their lives become my art. It is this attraction to lives that are unique and with a sense of vulnerability that drives my work.”
EDUCATION
MFA Painting, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
MA Choreography and Production, Mills College, Oakland, CA
BA Spanish, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
ICP Visual Storytelling Certificate, April 2023
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026 LOOK CLOSELY, Arlington Common, Arlington, VT.
2022 GREATER VERMONT, Arlington Common, Arlington, VT.
2021 I SEE YOU, Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, VT.
2015 What Once Was, Gallery 135, Portland, OR
2012 Service Unquestioned, Commonwealth Club, San Francisco
2010 The New Landscape, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
2009 Strange World, JEA, Savannah Georgia – December 2009
2008 Parking Lot People, JEA, Savannah, GA
2008 Vermont Landscapes, Dorset, VT
2007 Selected Works, Dorset Theater, Dorset, VT
1999 Attack Dogs, Burr and Burton Academy, Manchester, VT
1998 Dog With Green Ball, In Vision Salon, San Francisco, CA
1998 Selected Works, Cinta Salon, San Francisco, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Secrets of the Vale, Knoxville Museum of Art, March 17-May 28
2022 Photography In Place, Merz Gallery, Sanquhar, Scotland, Oct 1-30
2021 FLORA, SE Center of Photography, Greenville, SC
2021 TP COVID, Manchester, VT. Glen Arbor Arts Center, Glen Arbor, MI
2019 Greetings From Rutland, Alley Gallery, Rutland, VT
2019 A Fluid Situation, SVAC, Manchester, VT
2019 What Once Was, B&G Gallery, Rutland, VT
2018 What Once Was, SVAC, Manchester, VT
2017 I Choose Film, Wilson Museum, Manchester, VT
2017 Vermont Artists Then and Now, Wilson Museum, Manchester, VT
2012 (August) The Bickford House, Dorset VT
2011 Plastic Camera Juried Competition, Ray-Ko Center, San Francisco
2008 For Art’s Sake, Savannah, GA
2003 Art of the Narrative, Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA
2002 Lost and Missing, Swell Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2000 Transcending Limits, Texas Fine Arts Association, Houston, TX
2000 Group Show,KQED Television, San Francisco, CA
2000 Convergence, Memorial Center For Arts, Wilmington, VT
1998 National Juried Competition, Stage Gallery, Merrick, NY
1998 Extreme Measures, Canyon Crossing Gallery, Brattleboro, VT
1998 American Identity, Tempe Arts Center, Tempe, AZ
1998 Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita Dog Show, Wichita, KS
1997 Annual Juried Show, Center For Visual Arts, Oakland, CA
1997 Introductions 1997, Somart Gallery, San Francisco, CA
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2025 Drawing. Dorset, Vermont, July
2024 Course: Traveler’s Sketchbook, Island Hopper, Lucca, Italy
2020-23 Zoom Drawing Classes and portfolio preparation
2020-23 SVAC, Manchester, VT. Sunrise Art Academy, Shanghai, China
2019 Introduction to Drawing, SVAC, Manchester, VT
2008 Drawing class on location, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2005-08 Drawing class, Ford Plantation, Richmond Hill, GA
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2025 HAND MAGAZINE, Issue #48, Image from Thimble Spell Vol.1
2025 IBPA Independent Magazine, March/April, Best Book Covers
2000 Transcending Limits Catalog, Texas Fine Arts Association
Don Bacigalupi, editor
BOOKS and POST CARDS
2025 EFFECTS and RESPONSES, post card mail art self published
2024 THE ORCHARD. Green Writers Press, Brattleboro, VT.
2019 IT CAME FROM WITHIN, post card mail art, self published
2018 GREETINGS FROM RUTLAND, post card mail art, self published
AWARDS
2021 Featured photographer, AAP Magazine #22 STREETS
2021 16th POLLUX AWARDS – World Wide Gala – Honorable Mention
1997 Art Show at the Dog Show, Painting-third place
COMMISSIONS
2000 Holiday New Year Card, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco
FILM/VIDE0
LIA; BODY of WORK, documentary short (14:48 min) – currently on festival
circuit with 12 first place winners and 8 semi-finalists to date.
LIA: A Body Building Story, documentary short film(10:30)
IMDB listing: both films
SPECIAL PROJECTS:
PANEL DISCUSSION: People/Land/Community. GMALL, Arlington, VT. 2022
REFUGEE CRISIS AT THE BORDER El Paso/Ciudad Juarez for WOLA 2019
REFUGEE CRISIS Lesbos and Berlin
Speaking Engagements
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. May 2016
GMALL, Manchester VT. July, 2016
Organized a panel discussion of the refugee resettlement in Vermont. Included on the panel were the mayor of Rutland, a representative from the NGO who was sponsoring the refugees, a recently arrived refugee now residing in NYC, and myself. Topics for discussion were the refugee crisis in Syria, the movement of refugees through Europe, and the resettlement in United States.
INTERVIEWS
KPFA Radio Station, San Francisco. April 2016, Refugee crisis.
Ashley Gilbertson, GMALL, Manchester. VT. June 2025
ARTICLES
IBPA Magazine – March/April 2025 issue cover story
AAP MAGAZINE, Issue #22 STREETS, October 2021, pg 50-54
AUSA ARMY, “Returning”, April 2018
JWeekly, San Francisco. April 2016
Savannah Jewish News. May 2016
North Carolina Dental Gazette “Dental Exchange to Moldova” 2016
NC State Dental Journal and ICD Regional Newsletter, 2015
“Humanity in the Modern World – Moldova”
PRESENTATIONS
Commonwealth Club San Francisco, 2015
“Humanity in the Modern World – Cambodia”
Commonwealth Club San Francisco, 2013
“Service Unquestioned – Military Families During a Deployment”