Bea Nettles was born in 1946, in Gainesville, Florida. She earned her B.F.A.at the University of Florida, Gainesville in 1968, and her M.F.A from the University of Illinois, Chicago 1970. Ms. Nettles has been exhibiting and publishing her autobiographical works since 1970. She is an innovator in photomechanical printmaking and has produced visually exciting work since the early 1970s. She has had over 50 one-person exhibitions including: Return Trips, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, 2002; Turning 50, I-space Gallery, Chicago, 1996; Life's Lessons: A Mother's Journal Retrospective, Media Gallery, Port Washington, NY, 1995; Retrospective, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, 1986; Moonbeams and Dreams at Witkin Gallery, New York, 1978; Heart Attacks, Light Gallery, New York City, 1972; and Swamp Dreams, International Museum of Photography, Eastman House, Rochester, NY, 1970. Her work has also been shown internationally in major group exhibitions.
Her images are in numerous collections including: the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; The International Polaroid Collection, Offenbach, Germany, the International Museum of Photography, Eastman House, Rochester, NY, and the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ.
Ms. Nettles has received several grants and awards including: Illinois Arts Council Fellowship 2000; the Honored Educator, Society for Photographic Education, Midwest Region 1997; and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships 1998 and 1979.
Her publications include Breaking the Rules: A Photo Media Cookbook (Inky Press Productions, 1977), Complexities (Bea Nettles, 1992), and Knights of Assisi: A Journey through the Tarot (Inky Press Productions, 1990).
She has taught photography and the making of artists' books at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, Tyler School of Art Elkins Park, PA, and the University of Illinois, Chicago, IL where she is currently a professor. She lives and works in Urbana, Illinois.
