Chelsea Polk is a multimedia artist from Cleveland, OH. She began her career in cello performance and has since focused on photography, video, sound, design, and writing. She received her MFA from Massachusetts College of Art & Design and a BFA from Cleveland Institute of Art. Now based in Boston, Chelsea provides media and technology support at MIT's Program in Art, Culture, and Technology and handles operations at a tech-enabled photography platform, Pretty Instant. In addition, she was the 2019 artist-in-residence at Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA. Her most recent project, 44,320, a multi-platform podcast, was shown at Boston Sculptors Gallery in Boston, MA; The Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, MA; and was presented as a part of The Center for New Media Culture’s 2019 Festival, Un/Green in Riga, Latvia. In the little time she has left, Chelsea plays cello in the New England Philharmonic. She is currently working towards a career in creative media and marketing full-time.
Education
2019
MFA in Multimedia, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
2017
BFA in Photography + Video, The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibitions
2019
MassArt Masters Thesis Exhibition (pt. 2), Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston, MA
44,320 Mass Art MFA Thesis Show, Mass MOCA, North Adams, MA
2018
2nd Year Collective, Doran Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Boston, MA
2017
Maps of Placelessness (BFA Thesis Show), Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
American Fiber, The Morgan Conservatory, Cleveland, OH
2016
Dissimilarity, Ann & Norman Roulet Student & Alumni Gallery, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
The Peer Show, Cleveland Print Room, Cleveland, OH
Waterloo Juried Arts Exhibition, Waterloo Arts Gallery, Cleveland, OH
NEO Student Show, SPACES Gallery, Cleveland, OH
Landscapes: Nature and Social Interaction, John F. Seiberling Gallery, Peninsula, OH
70th Annual Student Independent Exhibition, CIA's Reinberger Gallery, Cleveland, OH
2015
Happened Then, Happening Now, Forum Artspace at W. 78th St. Studios, Cleveland, OH
2013
Black Friday Anti-Capitalist Collective, Doubting Thomas Gallery, Tremont, OH
Productions
Mystery Chord (2021) *UPCOMING* — Producer & Director
Strawberry Forever (2020) *UPCOMING* — Score
Sink (2019) — Sound Designer
Exordium (2019) — Sound Recordist
The Landlord (2019) — Sound Recordist
Awards + Presentations
2019
Lunch on Friday Lecture Series, 44, 320, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
RIXC Un/Green: Naturally Artificial Intelligences, Lecturer on 44,320, Riga, Latvia
44,320 Lecture for Jane D. Marsching's Sustainability Studio, Mass Art, Boston, MA
Media Matters Panel for the Continuing Education Department, Mass Art, Boston, MA
2018
RIXC Global Control Art & Science Festival, Presenter on Kemeri Bog, Riga, Latvia
2017
Third Agnes Gund Memorial Scholarship for Travel
2016
Joyce Seid ‘77 Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Photography, The Cleveland Institute of Art
Prizm Sponsorship Award, 70th Student Independent Exhibition, The Cleveland Institute of Art
2013
Gund Family Scholarship, The Cleveland Institute of Art
Press