Suzette Bross
& The Principal Project
Suzette Bross & The Principal Project

Project Overview

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  • Artist — Suzette Bross

  • School — Ashburn Community Elementary School, Benito Juarez Community Academy, Charles R. Henderson Elementary School, Ogden International East Campus, Phoenix Military Academy, Walt Disney Magnet Elementary School, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

  • Neighborhood —

Principal Project is an ongoing body of work within CPS Lives, a citywide non-profit arts organization where Chicago artists are paired with Chicago Public schools to share each school’s unique story. The photographic portraits of Chicago Public School Principals in their offices show what the leaders of public school look like today. The formal portraits of the Principals in their personal space show the dynamic range of character and personality of each individual. The way each Principal presents themselves in their portraits shows how they would like to project their leadership. Mementos and signage in their offices tell stories about the individual, what things are important to them and their ideas of leadership in their school community. By looking at the Principals using traditional documentary methods, I hope to change conceptual and cultural perceptions of what a leader of a public school looks like.

Meet the Artist

Suzette Bross

Portrait by Devina Yoestong

Suzette Bross is a photographer living and working in Chicago, Illinois. Her work is in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the New Britain Museum of American Art, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art and more. With an MFA from the Institute of Design at IIT, Bross has taught at Columbia College Chicago, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and the Northwestern University Medical School. Her work has been exhibited internationally and across the United States. Bross was commissioned by Northwestern Memorial Hospital to create a permanent portrait series of Chicago women and was also included in the Cleveland Museums of Art’s “DIY: Photographers & Books” show. Bross has exhibited her Walks series in a solo show at Geary Contemporary in New York City, NY and the group exhibition, titled Alien Nation, at Lehman, College Art Gallery in Bronx, New York. Her series, For the Glass, was featured in solo exhibitions at the Chicago Artists Coalition and Lehman Arts Center in North Andover, MA, Geary Contemporary booth at EXPO Chicago 2016, and as the first exhibition in the Chicago Google Artist Initiative. In 2016, she began collaborating with Suzanne Hanney at StreetWise Magazine creating photo-essays about Chicago’s Uptown Tent City residents.

https://www.suzettebross.com/

Visit their Website

Suzette Bross is a photographer living and working in Chicago, Illinois. Her work is in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the New Britain Museum of American Art, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art and more. With an MFA from the Institute of Design at IIT, Bross has taught at Columbia College Chicago, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and the Northwestern University Medical School. Her work has been exhibited internationally and across the United States. Bross was commissioned by Northwestern Memorial Hospital to create a permanent portrait series of Chicago women and was also included in the Cleveland Museums of Art’s “DIY: Photographers & Books” show. Bross has exhibited her Walks series in a solo show at Geary Contemporary in New York City, NY and the group exhibition, titled Alien Nation, at Lehman, College Art Gallery in Bronx, New York. Her series, For the Glass, was featured in solo exhibitions at the Chicago Artists Coalition and Lehman Arts Center in North Andover, MA, Geary Contemporary booth at EXPO Chicago 2016, and as the first exhibition in the Chicago Google Artist Initiative. In 2016, she began collaborating with Suzanne Hanney at StreetWise Magazine creating photo-essays about Chicago’s Uptown Tent City residents.

https://www.suzettebross.com/

Visit their Website

Portrait by Devina Yoestong

Previous Residency

Marzena Abrahamik & Young Women’s Leadership Charter School

Next Residency

Jay Wolke & Dolittle Elementary School

Donate

Artists in Public Schools (AiPS) makes art a vital part of public schools. Each donation fuels collaborations that inspire students and elevate artists, bringing diverse voices to the forefront of Chicago’s cultural landscape. All donations, no matter the amount, are greatly appreciated and help our organization make a lasting impact on the lives of artists, CPS students and faculty, and their communities.