Photographers

Barbara Boissevain is an American contemporary visual artist and photographer whose work examines the environmental impact of human activity and the ways ecosystems respond to industrial intervention. Born in Cleveland and raised in California’s Silicon Valley, she studied painting at Parsons School of Design in New York before earning a BFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from San José State University. Her practice blends visual artistry with environmental inquiry, resulting in long‑term photographic projects that document ecological transformation, contamination, and the ongoing dialogue between nature and human infrastructure.

Boissevain’s work has been widely exhibited in the United States and Europe, including solo and group exhibitions at Mémoire de l’Avenir (Paris), the Institute of Contemporary Art San José, Galerie Numéro Cinq in Arles, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. From 2014 to 2021 she served as an artist‑in‑residence in the City of Palo Alto’s Cubberley Artist Studio Program, followed by residencies at Galerie Huit in Arles (2018), L’AiR Arts’ Atelier 11 in Paris (2022), and Cycladic Arts Paros in Greece (2023). Her internationally recognized projects include *Children of the Rainbow* (2009), a photographic investigation of climate‑driven humanitarian challenges faced by Quechua communities in Peru, and *Salt of the Earth* (2023), published by Kehrer Verlag and selected by *WIRED* as one of the best photobooks of 2023.

Her images and research-driven projects have appeared in major media outlets including NPR’s “The Picture Show,” the UN Climate Change Summit coverage, and PBS’s *Something Beautiful*. Her work is held in numerous public and corporate collections, including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Google Art Collection, and the De Pietri Artphilein Foundation in Switzerland. Boissevain’s practice continues to evolve through aerial documentation, environmental fieldwork, and collaborations across art and climate science, reflecting her commitment to environmental stewardship and visual advocacy.