Meet Carolyn Campbell | Photographic Artist – Writer – Art PR specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carolyn Campbell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carolyn, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born in Washington, DC where, at age eight, I would take a bus past the White House to attend the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s children’s Saturday art classes. My parents worked for the Federal government and lavished art, music and dance lessons on their three daughters. Dad also played the clarinet and taught dance instruction. Mom was an award-winning writer, who also sculpted and did pen and ink drawings. I have a memory of not ever seeing any blank walls at our family home. We had floor to ceiling book cases bursting with volumes in all genres. The other spaces were covered with artworks by family and friends. My sisters and I grew up writing, making music, theatrical productions and art. Needless to say, this was fertile ground for my creative life ahead.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
At this stage, what seems the most accurate description of me as an artist is a “multi-hyphenate.” I am a photographic artist-writer-lecturer-art PR specialist who is currently in development on a documentary film based on my book, “City of Immortals”.

A move to Los Angeles in 1985 was a life-changer. Though I had traveled a great deal, and DC was a terrific hub, nothing prepared me for the indescribable expansion of Southern California as a cultural capital. That year the LA Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) opened in addition to the contemporary art wing of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

So many possibilities were at my disposal. My friendships broadened into the worlds of film and literature, as well as deepening my collegial network in the visual and performing arts. These connections echoed my passion for the arts and my dedication to helping others achieve their goals. Over these 30+ years I have engaged in some extraordinary projects.

I had kept in touch with feminist artist, organizer, and professor Micol Hebron who I met when she was an undergraduate at UCLA. I was happy to stay up until the wee small hours helping her install the inaugural presentation of her seminal work, “(En)Gendered (In)Equity: The Gallery Tally Poster Project” – an international traveling exhibition where artists were invited to visualize statistical data regarding ratios of male and female artists in top contemporary art galleries. Four of my photo images were featured at the multiple venues such as the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in London.

My long career as an arts and communications specialist offered me many opportunities in Los Angeles to serve as a workshop and seminar leader, as well as a faculty and panel member for the California Arts Council, Otis Parsons School of Art and Design, UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, Los Angeles Art Association, Getty Center Education Fund, and the Los Angeles Center of Photography.

Fang Duff Kahn Publishers Invited me to contribute an essay on works by sculptors and architects along with fellow LA scribes George Stoll and Lea. Andres as part of their “City Secrets Paris” travel book series. The launch at Vroman’s co-hosted by the Alliance Française in Pasadena was a resounding success.

My photo and original story were included in the anthology, “Artists, ART & Story: Southern California” coordinated by Karrie Ross with a foreword by Hilarie Kelly.

The City of West Hollywood hosted an illustrated public talk and book launch for “City of Immortals” to an SRO crowd in the City Council Chambers Auditorium. I was also awarded an artist grant by the city.

I was thrilled to be included in a “Lit Fest in the Dena’” women author’s with debut books panel. Founded in 2012, LitFest in the Dena connects the greater Los Angeles communities with literature and local authors through this free, community literary festival for lovers of the written word.

A dear colleague, Victoria Kirsch introduced me to Pierre Leloup, artistic director of LA’s Theatre Raymond Kabbaz which resulted in the three of us working together in creating an immersive multi-disciplinary festival. The six-hour event paid tribute to the many artists resting in the Père-Lachaise Cemetery from Georges Bizet to Jim Morrison of the Doors. The event included a photographic exhibition, film screening, artist talks, and book signing, as well as performance artists interpreting the works of the composers, poets, dancers, and visual artists who reside in the monumentally sculptural cemetery.

My photographic work was also featured in Kim Abeles’ installation “The Map is the Legend (Equidistant Inland Empire)” as part of “In the Sunshine of Neglect: Defining Photographs and Radical Experiments in Inland Southern California, 1950 to the Present” at UCR ARTS: California Museum of Photography curated by Douglas McCulloh.

First there was full-color, fold out map of the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, then came the best-selling book City of Immortals, followed by the Satellite GPS tour app in French and English, which was featured in an on-site interview aired on All Saints’ Day on French TV, Channel 3.

Being in development on a documentary film seems the natural progression in my art-making life. My father left me some sage advice before he passed away, “Carolyn, never put off your dreams.” I heard that loud and clear. I wish the same for everyone. Do it now. Life is short.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I could suggest a month-long best time ever tour since there are so many diverse things to do in and around Los Angeles. Here are just a few that I recommend..

A day on the coast first making a reservation to view the historical collections at the Getty Villa in Malibu, then a seafood feast at the Reel Inn on Pacific Coast Highway. Drive south down the highway to see the best of contemporary art at LA Louver Gallery in Venice then walk a short distance to the beach for a sunset.

In Westwood visit the UCLA Hammer and Fowler Museums and then stroll through the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, a 7-acre botanical garden with over 3,000 species of plants.

Mid-town: check out LACMA, Peterson Automotive and Academy of Motion Pictures museums all in walking distance of each other then eat at the 3rd Street Farmers Market followed by a meditative journey through the fascinating Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

In Inglewood, go take in a blend of sports and art at the new $2 billion Intuit Dome, which will become the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers which includes six pieces of art that were installed at the arena. The six pieces, commissioned from Los Angeles artists, are intended to tie into the region the Clippers call home — and to represent the LA area and its residents.

In Pasadena a must-see is the Norton Simon Museum, then book a tour at the Gamble House, an iconic American Craftsman designed by the architectural firm Greene and Greene. Then visit the nearby Huntington Library and Art Galleries in San Marino (reservations needed). Most of all don’t miss their Japanese Garden and bonsai collection. Great food on site.

Take a DTLA architecture tour down Grand Avenue: starting with the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion/Music Center designed by Welton Becket; the Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank O. Gehry; The Broad museum by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and LA Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) by Arata Isozaki. Then jump on the nearby Metro Red Line to historic Union Station for great food across the street at Philippe’s followed by a stroll through Olivera Street / El Pueblo de Los Angeles where you don’t want to miss the David Alfaro Siqueiros mural, “”La América Tropical.”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been blessed to have many friends and mentors who have showered me with deep love and respect. However, I will single out just two. I dedicate this Shoutout to the late New York Times art critic John Russell who provided me with early support and encouragement in my researching, photographing and writing about what later became my best-selling non-fiction work, “City of Immortals: Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris”. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my sister, Katheen Campbell for her significant and generous contributions to my creative ventures.

Website: https://carolyncampbell.me

Instagram: @cityofimmortalsperelachaise

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-campbell-a676099/

Twitter: @CampbellCommLA

Facebook: City of Immortals: Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBv5f39ZZuSj1bqhROufrDQ

Image Credits
01 Photo by Marcel Wepper of Carolyn Campbell
02 Photo Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE)
03 Photo City Secrets: Paris
04 Photo Artists, ART & Story, Southern California
05 Photo City of West Hollywood Cultural Affairs
06 Photo Lit Fest in the Dena
07 Photo Theatre Raymond Kabbaz
08 Photo French Television, Channel 3