Paula's Bio

Paula Siwek – Artist & Educator

Paula Siwek is a photographer, educator, and visual artist originally from New York City. She holds a BA in Photography from Goddard College and an MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute. Since 1992, she has taught at North Carolina State University, Meredith College, and Elon University, and currently teaches in public schools, tutors privately, and leads photography and mixed-media workshops.

Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Vienna (Bilder), Munich (Amerikahaus), with recent highlights including shows at PH21 Gallery in Barcelona, the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards exhibition in the same city, and in Damyang, South Korea (2023). Her recent practice focuses on blending found imagery and text to craft layered, narrative-rich works that encourage discovery and reflection.

Her street photography and documentary work, including a series on inmates at Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, has been featured in spoken word performances across Manhattan. She received an Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council for a solo exhibition and has curated multiple exhibitions for visual arts educators and students in Durham and Wake County.

Currently, she explores mixed media, encaustics, collage, and photography, continuing to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.

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Pavement Photos

06/25/2020

A few years ago, I decided to leave North Carolina and move back to New York. Weeks after I got there, my mother slipped on the pavement outside of her apartment getting out of a taxi. The November wind knocked her over. She spent the next seven months in New York in and out of rehab facilities. She came home from one, and fell again after a couple of weeks. Then Meniere's Disease, then more falls, and more rehab. I spent those months in and out of town, taking care of my mom, trying to find work. I walked to Mt Sinai Hospital three to four times per week. This is one of the Sidewalk Memories.

Paula's Bio

Paula Siwek – Artist & Educator

Paula Siwek is a photographer, educator, and visual artist originally from New York City. She holds a BA in Photography from Goddard College and an MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute. Since 1992, she has taught at North Carolina State University, Meredith College, and Elon University, and currently teaches in public schools, tutors privately, and leads photography and mixed-media workshops.

Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Vienna (Bilder), Munich (Amerikahaus), with recent highlights including shows at PH21 Gallery in Barcelona, the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards exhibition in the same city, and in Damyang, South Korea (2023). Her recent practice focuses on blending found imagery and text to craft layered, narrative-rich works that encourage discovery and reflection.

Her street photography and documentary work, including a series on inmates at Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, has been featured in spoken word performances across Manhattan. She received an Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council for a solo exhibition and has curated multiple exhibitions for visual arts educators and students in Durham and Wake County.

Currently, she explores mixed media, encaustics, collage, and photography, continuing to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.

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