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Teresa Prater is the Chair of the Department of Art and Design at Converse College and is also a Professor of Studio Art. She is responsible for teaching classes in painting, drawing, design, and book arts. Her photographs, books, drawings, and paintings have been shown in twenty-three solo exhibitions and over 100 exhibitions nationally and in Mexico and Switzerland. Several of her photographs and drawings have won top awards in juried competitions. Professor Prater was one of six visual artists selected by the city of Spartanburg to participate in the Cultural Exchange Program in Winterthur, Switzerland, where she exhibited her charcoal drawings and participated in a one-week residency. She has been a fellow at the artists' residencies; Studio Camnitzer in Italy, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and The Hambidge Center in Georgia.

EDUCATION

• MFA Painting and Drawing, University of New Mexico, 1988
• MA Painting and Drawing, University of New Mexico, 1986
• BFA Painting and Drawing, University of Tennessee, 1984
• Additional courses taken at Penland School of Crafts and Arrowmont School of Crafts.
• In addition to being an artist Teresa has curated four national artist books exhibitions and conducts workshops in the book arts.

ARTIST STATEMENT

The digital photographs I am presently exploring are reminiscent of the narrative charcoal drawings that I created over a period of ten years. Having moved from charcoal drawings, to traditional photography, then finally to digitally manipulated photographs I strive to engage the viewer with seductive figures, distorted reality, and dark undertones. Working solely with the figure as subject matter, references to mythology, archetypes, contemporary social issues, and human relationships are intertwined among the images. Using textures and nature as a component of the layering, the work evokes both aesthetic appeal and mystery. I am interested in having the viewer both startled and awed. Created on Photoshop, the final products are a mix of scanned silver gelatin prints and digitally created photographs. All initial photographs are mine and I use family and friends as sources.

DOLO EXHIBITIONS

• 2006 Book and Paper, Mitchell Community College, NC

• 2004, Book and Paper, Anderson College, Anderson, SC

• 2003 Drawing Exhibition, North Greenville College, Tigerville, SC

• 2002 Book and Paper, The SC Governors School for the Arts, Greenville (October)

• 2001 "Seven Gates of Rituals", Spartanburg Museum of Art
• 2001 Figurative Drawings, Huntington University, Huntington, Indiana
• 2001 Recent Work, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, NC
• 2001 Sabbatical Exhibition, Milliken Fine Arts Gallery, Converse College

• 1999 Kauffman Gallery, Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania (December)

• 1999 The Art Market, Knoxville, TN

• 1999 Warren Wilson College, Swananoa, NC

• 1998 University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

• 1997 Anderson College, Anderson, SC

• 1997 Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County,
  Camden, SC

• 1996 Natural Relationships,
  North Greenville College, SC

• 1996 Natural Relationships,
  Columbia College, Columbia, SC

BOOK ARTS & DRAWING WORKSHOPS

• 2007 Book Arts Workshop, The Creativity Institute Workshop, Converse College
• 2006 Book Arts Workshop, private residency, Tryon, NC
• 2004 Book Arts Workshop, private residency, Mt. Pleasant, SC
• 2004 Guest artist at Wofford College Book Arts Class
• 2003 Book Arts Workshop, SC Art Therapy Association
• 2003 Introduction to Book Arts, Spartanburg Museum of Art
• 2003 Book Arts Workshop, The Spartanburg Day School
• 2002 Introduction to Book Arts and Binding Methods, The Print Studio South, Charleston, SC
• 2001 Drawing Workshop, Huntington College, Indiana
• 1999 Drawing Workshop, Winthrop University, School of Art and Design, Rock Hill, SC
• 1999 Charcoal Drawing workshop, Gibbs Museum of Art, Charleston
• 1998 Charcoal Drawing workshop, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

LECTURES AND PANELS

• 2007 Gallery lecture, Wingate University, Charlotte, NC
• 2005 Session Chair, Turnings: The Artist Book as a Tool of Change in the Studio, Southeastern College Art Conference, Little Rock, AK, (October)
• 2004 Gallery and slide lecture, Anderson College, Anderson, SC
• 2003 Introduction to Book Arts, Wofford College, Papermaking and Book Arts Class
• 2002 Gallery Lecture, Lipscomb Gallery, SC Governors’ School for the Arts, Greenville, SC

"Egg."
Photograph, with fabric, egg, handmade book,
glass bottle with hair.

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2007

2006

2005

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1992

1991