Robbie McClaran

Robbie McClaran is a documentary and fine art photographer whose work focuses on the American people and landscape. His work has been widely exhibited and published, appearing in numerous magazines throughout the world.

He began his study in photography in 1975 at the Center for Photographic Studies with C.J. Pressma and continued at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester NY where he studied with Joan and Nathan Lyons as well as many others.

Robbie’s work is held in several private and public collections including Portland Art Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art and Memphis Brooks Art Museum. The prints from his controversial book project Angry White Men are in the permanent collection of the University of Oregon.

His commissioned work has appeared in such diverse publications as The New York Times Magazine, Time, Smithsonian, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Runner's World, Inc., Bloomberg, Forbes, and Reader's Digest.

His work has been featured in The Oxford American, Lenscratch, Plazm, Photo District News, The Photo Review, ID Design, and has been recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, American Photography, The New York Art Director’s Club, Graphis and Communication Arts. Robbie is a 2015 Critical Mass finalist.

Robbie is a grateful recipient of a 2014 grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the Ford Family Foundation. He lives, works and teaches in Portland Oregon with his wife, Designer / Illustrator Lydia Hess and their two daughters.

Born: 1955, Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Education: The Center for Photographic Studies, Louisville, KY 1975-1976

Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY; 1976-1978

Collections:

Portland Art Museum, Portland Oregon

New Orleans Museum of Art

Ogden Museum of Southern Art

Memphis Brooks Art Museum

University of Oregon, Special Collections Library, Eugene Oregon

Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis

Oregon Capitol Collection

Louisiana State Museum

Holter Museum of Art, Helena Montana

The Arkansas Arts Center

Visual Studies Workshop

Indie Photobook Library

Selected Exhibitions:

2017 – "Recent Acquisitions” - Portland Art Museum

2017 – "A Place in Time, Selections from the Permanent Collection” - Ogden Museum of Southern Art

2017- "Speaking Volumes” (group) – Ft Collins Museum of Art

2016 – "Currents” (group), Ogden Museum of Southern Art

2016 - "Celebrating the Music Triangle", New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival / New Orleans Photo Alliance

2016 – "PDX 30” – Lightbox Gallery, Astoria, Oregon (Juried Group)

2016 – "People of the Northwest” – Chehalis Cultural Center, Newberg, Oregon (Juried Group)
2016 – Blue Sky Gallery Northwest Viewing Drawers – "July 4^th, Rockaway Beach” – (Juried Group)

2015 - Severio Gallery / PhotoNOLA, New Orleans – Mardi Gras 1979 (Solo)

2015 – Houston Center for Photography (Juried Group)

2015 - Living Arts, Tulsa OK – Speaking Volumes (Group)

2015 - Blue Sky Gallery - Pacific Northwest Photography Viewing Drawers, Hot Rod (Juried Selection)

2014 - The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA - "Ordinary People” (Solo Show)

2014 - Lightbox Gallery, Astoria Oregon – "Delta / From Here On” (Solo Show)

2014 - Newspace Center for Photography – Art of Work – (Juried Group)

2014 - Blue Sky Gallery - Pacific Northwest Photography Viewing Drawers, Portland, Oregon, juried selection

2014 - Photo Place Gallery, Middlebury, Vermont – "The Human Altered Landscape” (Juried Group)

2014 - New Orleans Photo Alliance – Masquerade – (Juried Group Show)
2013 - Newspace Center for Photography "From Here On” (Solo Show)

2013 - Gotthelf Art Gallery, San Diego Center for Jewish Culture – San Diego, CA - Speaking Volumes (Group)

2013 - Newspace Center for Photography, Juried Exhibition (Group)

2013 - Blue Sky Gallery - Pacific Northwest Photography Viewing Drawers, Portland, Oregon, juried selection

2013 - Lightbox Gallery, Astoria Oregon, Juried group show.

2012 - Newspace Center for Photography – Member’s Showcase –Juried Selection

2012 - Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Invitational (Invitational Group)

2009 - Louisville Photo Biennial, Actor’s Theater Gallery – Louisville, KY (Group)

2008 - Holter Museum of Art, Helena Montana - Speaking Volumes (Curated Group Show & Traveling Exhibit)

2008 - Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon - Angry White Men (Solo)

2001 - SK Josefsberg Studio - Portland, Oregon - Mid-Career Retrospective (Solo)

1999 - Forbes Gallery, New York City, (Group)

1999 - S.K Josefsberg Studio – Portland, Oregon - Surf (Group)

1998 - Harvest; AIGA Biennial, Portland, Oregon (Group)

1998 - Visual Studies Workshop – Rochester, NY - Angry White Men (Solo)

1997 - Powell’s Books Gallery – Portland, Oregon - Angry White Men (Solo)

1997 - Saba Gallery – New York City (Solo)

1996 - Submit; AIGA Biennial – Portland, Oregon (Group)

1994 - AIGA Biennial – Portland, Oregon (Group)

1992 - Tabula Rasa Gallery, Seattle, Washington – Away From Home; The Work of Four Photographers

1986 - Allen Street Gallery – Dallas, Texas - States of Texas (Group)

1978 - Franklin Furnace – New York, NY – Artists Books (Group)

1978 – Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY (Group)

Books – Editions

Mardi Gras, 1979:Â 2015

New Years Day: 2015

Barrow: 2015

From Here On: 2013

Delta: 2012

New Year’s Day: 2008

Ordinary People; 2002

Angry White Men; 1996

Paquime / Pine Bluff; 1994

Atget's Gardens; 1981

Greetings From Rochester; 1978

Un-identified Non-Flying Objects; 1977

Press / Reviews:

 "Mardi Gras 1979” – Know Louisiana, by David Johnson - December 2015

"All American Soap Box Derby” – Slate.com – Feb. 2015

"Hot Rod” – Lenscratch, January 2015

Don’t Take Pictures – "PhotoNola 2014” December 2014

Oxford American, Eyes On The South – Robbie McClaran, Delta
"Mardis Gras in 1979” This Is The What, March 2014

"From Here On” Lenscratch, January 31, 2014

"10 Minutes With Robbie McClaran” : Kate Osba, This Is The What Blog, September 2011
"Interview With A Photographer”, TMTPW Blog, Jennifer Stoots, 2011:

"Ordinary People”; Plazm # 29 2008

"Photographer Stays Out of the Picture”; by Steven Blair, Portland Tribune, August 2001

"Angry White Men”; by Jean Dykstra, The Photo Review, Fall 1997

"Best of Show - Angry White Men”: I.D. Design Annual, Spring 1997

"We, The Very Angry People”; by Bill Donahugh, The New York Times Magazine, April 1997

"Angry White Men”; Creativity, April 1997

"Do the Right Thing”; by Mark Lapin,Photo District News, March 1997

"White Flag on a Gray Backdrop”; by Steve DuinThe Oregonian, February 13, 1997

"It's a Black and White Issue”; by Randy GraggThe Oregonian, February 12, 1997

"Angry White Men”; by Randy GraggThe Oregonian, December 17, 1996

"Mad as Hell”; by Jaqueline McCarthyWillamette Week, October 30, 1996

"Robbie McClaran's Seperate Reality”; by Kinney Littlefield,Dallas Morning News, September 6, 1987

Lectures / Presentations:

Newspace Center for Photography – "20 Years After Angry White Men” – March 2017

Portland Art Museum – Brown Bag Lecture Series - October 2014

Portland Art Museum – Brown Bag Lecture Series - October 2011

University of Oregon – Journalism Dept. - October, 2010

Society for Photographic Education, NW Conference, October 2010

Photolucida – April 2009

University of Oregon –- April, 2008

Northwest Journalism Conference - 2005

PhotoAmericas - 2002

Leica Historical Society National Convention - 2002

Visual Studies Workshop – 2000

New York University – Photojournalism Dept. - 1997

Powell’s Books, Portland OR -1997

Blue Sky Gallery, Portland OR – 1996

Teaching / Workshops:

Pacific Northwest College of Art – Guest Lecturer 2015

Newspace Center for Photography – 2010 - present

Photolucida Portfolio Reviews, 2011

Pacific Northwest College of Art – Photojournalism, 2010

Photolucida Portfolio Reviews, 2009

Pacific Northwest College of Art – Photojournalism, 2009

Pacific Northwest College of Art – Portraits and People, 2004

Pacific Northwest College of Art – Color Photography, 2003