email: Joe.Saphire@gmail.com
I am an artist and teacher based in Northampton, Massachusetts. My primary focus is to make abstract, playful, and critical work out of pop cultural and archival material, with media literacy as its impetus. Projects take the form of video, digital imaging, sound and installation; and are intrinsically linked to my teaching practice at all levels and disciplines. My work in education has included teaching, curriculum design, and writing in areas of digital media, film criticism, communication, and traditional studio. I am currently adjunct faculty at Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA.
Education
MFA Interdisciplinary Studio Arts, UMass Amherst, MA, 2015
BFA Photography, Hartford Art School, UofH, CT, 2004
Teaching
2019-present—Adjunct Faculty, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA (Fundamentals of Video; Hist/Crit of Film; Intro Digital Media; Digital Studio; Basic Photography; Intro Animation)
2023 (Spring)—Full-time teacher, interim, Art Department, Hampshire Regional High School, Westhampton, MA (Middle and High School general art courses)
2018-present—Adjunct Faculty, Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA (Video Foundation; Intermediate Video)
2016-18—Visiting Assistant Professor, Hartford Art School, UofH, West Hartford, CT (4D Foundation)
2015-16—Full-time Faculty, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT (Photography, Video Production)
2015—Grad Assistant, instructor of record, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Photography I, Spring’15)
2014—Grad Assistant, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Photography I, Fall’14)
2014—Instructor of record, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Basic Drawing, Summer’14)
2014—Grad Assistant, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Drawing Foundations, Spring’14)
2012-13—Grad Assistant, instructor of record, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Basic Studio Design, 3 semesters)
2011-12—Part-time Faculty, Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, MA (7th grade Visual Arts, Upper School Printmaking, Ceramics, and Drawing)
2011-12—Part-time Photography Instructor, DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA (Teen Summer Arts Camp and April Teen Photography session)
2007-11—Full-time Faculty, Kingswood Oxford School, West Hartford, CT (Creative Arts Department: Media Arts and Photography; Intro Studio Art; Drawing; Advanced Senior Seminar)
2006—Teaching Assistant, International Center of Photography, New York, NY (Douglas Mulaire, instructor of record, Continuing Ed Photography, Fall’06)
2004-06—Photography Instructor, Farmington Valley Arts Center, Simsbury, CT (Summer Arts Camp ages 6-15)
Recognition & Relevant Work
2020—Artist Lecture, Visiting Artist Series, GCC, Greenfield, MA
2018—Visiting Artist, Professional Practices Panel, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT
2017—Contributing Writer, Arts Program Guide, Media Arts, Connecticut State Department of Education
2013—Contributing Writer, Du Bois In Our Time: Supplemental Guide for High School Teachers, UMCA, UMass, Amherst
2010—Snyder, Brianna, Annual Manual 2010 (25 Things to do in the Hartford Region), Hartford Advocate, September 1, CATALOGUE
2010—Professional Summer Grant, Media Arts Curriculum Development, Kingswood Oxford School
2009—Artist Grant, Hartford Business Improvement District, City of Hartford's 2009 Arts & Heritage Jobs Program, The Time Is storefront window installation, Hartford, CT
2009—Snyder, Brianna, Art in Motion, Hartford Advocate, September 3, CATALOGUE Projects
2009—Kyff, Rob, 21st Century Skills: KO Students Ready to Tackle Tomorrow, Kingswood Oxford Magazine, Summer edition
2007—ADC Awards Associate/Assistant Book Editor, Art Directors Club, New York, NY (Art Directors Annual 86, pub. Jan'08)
Exhibitions
2019—Then, What If?, nmnmne.org, interactive website & traveling exhibition, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
2017—Memory Full, vol. 6: “Secrets”, Fugitive Arts Collaborative, Northampton, MA (photozine and public event)
2017—Sign on / Sign off: 24 hour TV network, Acre TV, Merz Akademie, Stuttgart, Germany
2016—MUX: Asheville 2016 Video Festival, Asheville, NC (featured artist)
2016—Florence Night Out, Florence, MA (featured artist)
2016—Take a Seat!, University Museum of Contemporary Art, Amherst, MA (collaboration with Kyle Thorne)
2015—The Valley of the Wrong, Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (curated by Dave Musgrave for thewrong.org)
2015—Solo Exhibition, The Waiting Room, Eastworks, Easthampton, MA (MFA Thesis)
2015—What If? KC/CT, ArtSounds event series, Kansas City Institute of Art, Kansas City, MO (curated by Gene Gort, Ken Steen, Daniel Morel, John Baker)
2014—Two-Person Exhibition, All the Time in the World, Student Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, curated by Brendan McCauley)
2014—Expanded Cinema, Dallas Video Festival, OMNI Dallas Convention Center Hotel, Dallas, TX (curated by Jenny Vogel, collaboration with Chelsea Sams)
2014—Harbinger, MassArt group show, Aviary Gallery, Jamaica Plain, MA
2014—How Far into the Woods, MFA Midway Show, Student Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, Molly Hoisington)
2013—Solo Exhibition, Watching Storms, Student Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (curated by Brendan McCauley)
2013—Ninety-One to Ninety-Five, Umass, Amherst/George Washington University Exchange Exhibition, Gallery 102, GWU, Washington, D.C.
2013—Random Acts of Negligence, Dirty Truth, Northampton, MA (curated by Brendan McCauley)
2012—Faculty Show, School Gallery, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA
2010—What If? 60x60x60, NewMediaNewMusicNewEngland, Axiom Center for New and Experimental Media, Boston, MA (curated by Gene Gort and Ken Steen, nmnmne.org ongoing interactive gallery)
2009-10—The Time Is, Storefront Window Project, Hartford Business Improvement District, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, curated by Maura Heffner)
I am an artist and teacher based in Northampton, Massachusetts. My primary focus is to make abstract, playful, and critical work out of pop cultural and archival material, with media literacy as its impetus. Projects take the form of video, digital imaging, sound and installation; and are intrinsically linked to my teaching practice at all levels and disciplines. My work in education has included teaching, curriculum design, and writing in areas of digital media, film criticism, communication, and traditional studio. I am currently adjunct faculty at Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA.
Education
MFA Interdisciplinary Studio Arts, UMass Amherst, MA, 2015
BFA Photography, Hartford Art School, UofH, CT, 2004
Teaching
2019-present—Adjunct Faculty, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA (Fundamentals of Video; Hist/Crit of Film; Intro Digital Media; Digital Studio; Basic Photography; Intro Animation)
2023 (Spring)—Full-time teacher, interim, Art Department, Hampshire Regional High School, Westhampton, MA (Middle and High School general art courses)
2018-present—Adjunct Faculty, Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA (Video Foundation; Intermediate Video)
2016-18—Visiting Assistant Professor, Hartford Art School, UofH, West Hartford, CT (4D Foundation)
2015-16—Full-time Faculty, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT (Photography, Video Production)
2015—Grad Assistant, instructor of record, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Photography I, Spring’15)
2014—Grad Assistant, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Photography I, Fall’14)
2014—Instructor of record, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Basic Drawing, Summer’14)
2014—Grad Assistant, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Drawing Foundations, Spring’14)
2012-13—Grad Assistant, instructor of record, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (Basic Studio Design, 3 semesters)
2011-12—Part-time Faculty, Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill, MA (7th grade Visual Arts, Upper School Printmaking, Ceramics, and Drawing)
2011-12—Part-time Photography Instructor, DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA (Teen Summer Arts Camp and April Teen Photography session)
2007-11—Full-time Faculty, Kingswood Oxford School, West Hartford, CT (Creative Arts Department: Media Arts and Photography; Intro Studio Art; Drawing; Advanced Senior Seminar)
2006—Teaching Assistant, International Center of Photography, New York, NY (Douglas Mulaire, instructor of record, Continuing Ed Photography, Fall’06)
2004-06—Photography Instructor, Farmington Valley Arts Center, Simsbury, CT (Summer Arts Camp ages 6-15)
Recognition & Relevant Work
2020—Artist Lecture, Visiting Artist Series, GCC, Greenfield, MA
2018—Visiting Artist, Professional Practices Panel, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT
2017—Contributing Writer, Arts Program Guide, Media Arts, Connecticut State Department of Education
2013—Contributing Writer, Du Bois In Our Time: Supplemental Guide for High School Teachers, UMCA, UMass, Amherst
2010—Snyder, Brianna, Annual Manual 2010 (25 Things to do in the Hartford Region), Hartford Advocate, September 1, CATALOGUE
2010—Professional Summer Grant, Media Arts Curriculum Development, Kingswood Oxford School
2009—Artist Grant, Hartford Business Improvement District, City of Hartford's 2009 Arts & Heritage Jobs Program, The Time Is storefront window installation, Hartford, CT
2009—Snyder, Brianna, Art in Motion, Hartford Advocate, September 3, CATALOGUE Projects
2009—Kyff, Rob, 21st Century Skills: KO Students Ready to Tackle Tomorrow, Kingswood Oxford Magazine, Summer edition
2007—ADC Awards Associate/Assistant Book Editor, Art Directors Club, New York, NY (Art Directors Annual 86, pub. Jan'08)
Exhibitions
2019—Then, What If?, nmnmne.org, interactive website & traveling exhibition, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
2017—Memory Full, vol. 6: “Secrets”, Fugitive Arts Collaborative, Northampton, MA (photozine and public event)
2017—Sign on / Sign off: 24 hour TV network, Acre TV, Merz Akademie, Stuttgart, Germany
2016—MUX: Asheville 2016 Video Festival, Asheville, NC (featured artist)
2016—Florence Night Out, Florence, MA (featured artist)
2016—Take a Seat!, University Museum of Contemporary Art, Amherst, MA (collaboration with Kyle Thorne)
2015—The Valley of the Wrong, Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (curated by Dave Musgrave for thewrong.org)
2015—Solo Exhibition, The Waiting Room, Eastworks, Easthampton, MA (MFA Thesis)
2015—What If? KC/CT, ArtSounds event series, Kansas City Institute of Art, Kansas City, MO (curated by Gene Gort, Ken Steen, Daniel Morel, John Baker)
2014—Two-Person Exhibition, All the Time in the World, Student Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, curated by Brendan McCauley)
2014—Expanded Cinema, Dallas Video Festival, OMNI Dallas Convention Center Hotel, Dallas, TX (curated by Jenny Vogel, collaboration with Chelsea Sams)
2014—Harbinger, MassArt group show, Aviary Gallery, Jamaica Plain, MA
2014—How Far into the Woods, MFA Midway Show, Student Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, Molly Hoisington)
2013—Solo Exhibition, Watching Storms, Student Union Gallery, UMass, Amherst, MA (curated by Brendan McCauley)
2013—Ninety-One to Ninety-Five, Umass, Amherst/George Washington University Exchange Exhibition, Gallery 102, GWU, Washington, D.C.
2013—Random Acts of Negligence, Dirty Truth, Northampton, MA (curated by Brendan McCauley)
2012—Faculty Show, School Gallery, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA
2010—What If? 60x60x60, NewMediaNewMusicNewEngland, Axiom Center for New and Experimental Media, Boston, MA (curated by Gene Gort and Ken Steen, nmnmne.org ongoing interactive gallery)
2009-10—The Time Is, Storefront Window Project, Hartford Business Improvement District, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, curated by Maura Heffner)
Curatorial & Collaborative
2014—PlayLaborPlay, Tracks, Building 8, Eastworks, Easthampton, MA (with Eben Kling, Tovah Rudawski, Brendan Mahoney, Bella’s Bartok)
2014—PlayLaborPlay, The Odd Job, Eastworks, Easthampton, MA (with Eben Kling, Christopher Hellwig, Michael Lee, Stephen Hess)
2014—PlayLaborPlay, Another Day, Another River, Flying Object, Hadley, MA (with Eben Kling, Jamie Horgan, Gina Seipel)
2013—PlayLaborPlay, Bends, Clark Hall, UMass, Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, Lauren Kohne, Dave Musgrave)
2013—PlayLaborPlay, The First, Bezanson Pavilion, Fine Arts Center, UMass Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, Ryan Feeney, Chris Millette, Nick Rice)
2013—Escape to Mars, Sound & Video performance, Flying Object, Hadley, MA (with Golden Medallion)
2011—CATALOGUE, Wood and Paint, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Matt LeFleur)
2011—CATALOGUE, Iconoclasm, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Kevin Kelly)
2010—CATALOGUE, Knock Twice to Enter, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Kim Mikenis)
2010—CATALOGUE, Superorganism, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Adam MacHose)
2010—CATALOGUE, Art Object Tag Sale, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, various local artists)
2010—CATALOGUE, Geographer SF-based band performance, The Warehouse, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Geographer)
2010—CATALOGUE, Grace, Grease, and Guidepoles, private residence, West Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Russ Podgorsek)
2010—CATALOGUE, Nocturne, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Dawn Holder)
2010—CATALOGUE, Soup, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Brendan Mahoney)
2010—CATALOGUE, I Am One Kind of Person, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice)
2009—CATALOGUE, traveling box truck exhibition, various locations, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Dave Sinaguglia)
2009—CATALOGUE, Kaleidoscope, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Alicia Purdy)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, live bass and storytelling performance with projection, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Ari Folman-Cohen)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, exhibition and photo prop sale, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Kevin van Aelst)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, sculpture and performance, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Sam Ekwurtzel, Tim Lawless)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, classical performance, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Rodrigo Queiroz)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, large-scale drawings, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Jamie Horgan)
2014—PlayLaborPlay, Tracks, Building 8, Eastworks, Easthampton, MA (with Eben Kling, Tovah Rudawski, Brendan Mahoney, Bella’s Bartok)
2014—PlayLaborPlay, The Odd Job, Eastworks, Easthampton, MA (with Eben Kling, Christopher Hellwig, Michael Lee, Stephen Hess)
2014—PlayLaborPlay, Another Day, Another River, Flying Object, Hadley, MA (with Eben Kling, Jamie Horgan, Gina Seipel)
2013—PlayLaborPlay, Bends, Clark Hall, UMass, Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, Lauren Kohne, Dave Musgrave)
2013—PlayLaborPlay, The First, Bezanson Pavilion, Fine Arts Center, UMass Amherst, MA (with Eben Kling, Ryan Feeney, Chris Millette, Nick Rice)
2013—Escape to Mars, Sound & Video performance, Flying Object, Hadley, MA (with Golden Medallion)
2011—CATALOGUE, Wood and Paint, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Matt LeFleur)
2011—CATALOGUE, Iconoclasm, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Kevin Kelly)
2010—CATALOGUE, Knock Twice to Enter, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Kim Mikenis)
2010—CATALOGUE, Superorganism, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Adam MacHose)
2010—CATALOGUE, Art Object Tag Sale, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, various local artists)
2010—CATALOGUE, Geographer SF-based band performance, The Warehouse, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Geographer)
2010—CATALOGUE, Grace, Grease, and Guidepoles, private residence, West Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Russ Podgorsek)
2010—CATALOGUE, Nocturne, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Dawn Holder)
2010—CATALOGUE, Soup, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice, Brendan Mahoney)
2010—CATALOGUE, I Am One Kind of Person, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Nick Rice)
2009—CATALOGUE, traveling box truck exhibition, various locations, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Dave Sinaguglia)
2009—CATALOGUE, Kaleidoscope, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Alicia Purdy)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, live bass and storytelling performance with projection, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Ari Folman-Cohen)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, exhibition and photo prop sale, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Kevin van Aelst)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, sculpture and performance, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Sam Ekwurtzel, Tim Lawless)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, classical performance, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Rodrigo Queiroz)
2009—CATALOGUE, Collaborative Project, large-scale drawings, Arbor Street project spaces, Hartford, CT (with Joel VanderKamp, Jamie Horgan)
