Nancy Floyd, born in

Monticello, Minnesota Monticello ( ) is a city next to the Mississippi River in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,455 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. ...

in 1956, is an American photographer. Her photographic subjects mainly concern women and the female body during youth, pregnancy, and while aging. Her project ''She's Got a Gun'' comprises

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

s of women and their

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

s, which is linked to her

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

childhood. Floyd's work has been shown in 18

solo exhibition A solo show or solo exhibition is an art exhibition, exhibition of the work of only one artist. Rather than a group of artists who collaborate to form an exhibition. The artwork may be paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, sculpture, or photogr ...

s and is held in the collections of the

Museum of Contemporary Photography A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...

and the

High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (28, ...

. Floyd is a professor

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

of photography at the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is al ...

Education

Floyd received her BFA from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

(1982). She then went on to receive her Master's degree from

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1890, it has 6,493 students (as of fall 2021) pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It i ...

(1985) and later her Master of Fine Arts, MFA (1987), from the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

Photography

''Weathering Time''

Beginning in 1982, Floyd began photographing herself daily, taking more than 2,500 photos of herself. These photographs focus on the female body, the passing of time, and the loss of family members. Cultural and technological changes are also noted through her

self-portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

s through accompanying fashion and settings. The work is a reflection of Floyd's personal experiences with aging and mortality by documenting herself in her personal environment to record her own transformations over time. Floyd sought not only to document the passing of time but also to produce work that expressed information about her own generational context. This specific series of work was exhibited in many different galleries and Floyd received multiple awards and scholarships for this series including the ICP / GOST First Photo Book Award.

''She's Got a Gun''

To better understand her deceased brother and his love for firearms, Floyd purchased her own gun and discovered a love for the sport and the people she met through it. She began cataloging a visual history of women and guns. In 2008, Floyd published her first book titled, ''She's Got a Gun,'' which includes 35 images taken by Floyd of women with guns. The book references American gun women, but it is also a memoir of her Texas childhood since she lost her brother to the Vietnam war at a very young age.

''10.9''

''10.9'' is another series of photographs that relates closely to Floyd's own love for

s and the strong women she chooses to photograph. This collection displays images and videos of female competition shooters.

''The James M. Floyd Memorial''

This series of works is a collection of photographs devoted to the brother that she lost when she was only twelve years old. These photographs explore Floyd's feelings about what happened to her brother who died while fighting for the army.

''Walking Through the Desert with My Eyes Closed''

Walking Through the Desert with My Eyes Closed is a series of videos of Floyd's feet and the ground as she walks through a desert. Some of these videos include music to go along with the work. The work was exhibited in a solo exhibition at Whitespace Gallery, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

in 2021.

Exhibitions

Nancy Floyd has exhibited 18

s and more than 70 group shows. Her exhibitions have been featured in the United States, Japan, and Europe, and include the following galleries: * "Weathering Time" ** Blue Sky Gallery,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, OR (July 3–28, 2019, solo) **CUE Art Foundation, New York, NY (September 7 – October 21, 2017, solo) ** Whitespace, Atlanta, Georgia (November – December 2, 2017, solo) **Flux Projects, Atlanta, Georgia (2011, solo) * "Everyday Is Ordinary", Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, San Antonio, TX (June 4 – August 9, 2015) *"Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists",

Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) is a contemporary art museum in Atlanta, Georgia that collects and archives contemporary works by Georgia artists. History MOCA GA was co-founded in 2000 by David S. Golden and Annette Con ...

, Atlanta, Georgia (June 22 – August 24, 2013, group) *

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (, ; named after its founder, Baron Heinrich Thyssen, Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza), or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Museo del Prado, Prado Museum on one of the city ...

, Madrid, Spain (March 8 – June 5, 2011, group) * Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, White Column, New York, NY *

California Museum of Photography The California Museum of Photography is an off-campus institution and department within the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, located in Riverside, California, United States. The collec ...

, Riverside, CA *

Center for Creative Photography The Center for Creative Photography (CCP), established in 1975 and located on the University of Arizona's Tucson campus, is a research facility and archival repository containing the full archives of over sixty of the most famous American ph ...

, High Museum of Art and Lightwork

Selected solo exhibitions

Whitespace
Atlanta, GA. ''Walking Through the Desert with My Eyes Closed (2021)''
Joshua Tree Art Gallery
Joshua Tree, CA. ''She's Got a Gun (2018)''
CUE Art Foundation
New York, NY. ''Weathering Time (2017)''
Whitespace
Atlanta, GA. ''Weathering Time (2017)''
The Pearl Conard Art Gallery

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, Mansfield, OH. ''Weathering Time (2015)''
Flux
Atlanta, GA. ''Weathering Time, 1982–2010: Video Projection (2011)''
Quickshot
Atlanta, GA. Organized by Solomon Projects. ''Olympic Shooters (2011)''
Brenau Gallery

Brenau University Brenau University is a private university in Gainesville, Georgia. Founded in 1878, the university enrolls more than 2,800 students from approximately 48 states and 17 foreign countries who seek degrees ranging from associate through doctoral ...

, Gainesville, GA. ''She's Got a Gun (2009)''
Solomon Projects
Atlanta. ''She's Got a Gun (2008)''

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

, Salem, OR. ''James M. Floyd Memorial (2006)''
Solomon Projects
Atlanta. ''Weathering Time,'' video projection (2003) *

Atlanta Contemporary Art Center Atlanta Contemporary is a non-profit, non-collecting institution located in the West Midtown district of Atlanta. It is dedicated to the creation, presentation, and advancement of contemporary art by emerging and established artists. Atlanta Co ...

, Atlanta, GA. ''Weathering Time (2002)''
Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

, San Jose, CA. ''Stopping Power ( 1998)''

Selected group exhibitions

* SHOWING (WORK X FAMILY): (2019) The Art Gallery at the Fulginiti Pavilion, Center for Bioethics and Humanities, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO (2018) University Art Gallery, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, CA. (2019) * Space Nau Bostik Ferran Turné 11, Barcelona, Spain. 5th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography. (2018) * Site: Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. Contemporary Photography 2008–2018. Curated by Kristen Gaylord, Beaumont & Nancy (2018) * Newhall Curatorial Fellow in the Department of Photography at MoMA. (2018) * Arena 1 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA. Every (single) Day. (2018) * Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta. Fast Forward / Rewind. (2017) * Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Unloaded. Curated by Dashboard. (2017) * Artwork Network Gallery, Denver CO. Critical Mass Top 50 Show: Markers of Time. Curated by David Rosenberg. (2017) * Work , Release, Norfolk, VA. Under the Gun. Ten photographs. (2016)

Permanent collections

Floyd's work is held in the permanent collections of the following: *

Awards and scholarships

List of awards and scholarships: * 2018: Aaron Siskind Foundation Individual Photographer's Fellowship * 2017: Cue Art Foundation Weathering Time exhibition September 7 – October 21, 2017 * 2017: Finalist,

Aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...

Portfolio Prize * 2016: Cue Art Foundation Fellow: Selected for a solo exhibition at the CUE Art Foundation, New York, NY * 2016: Recipient of the Atlanta Photography Group/ High Museum of Art Purchase Award * 2015: SPE Future Focus Project Support Grant, Society for Photographic Education in Cleveland, OH. * 2015: Artist-in-Residence, Jentel Artist Residency Program, Banner, WY * 2015: Artist-in-Residence, Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences, Rabun Gap, GA * 2014: John Gutmann Photography Fellowship Award, San Francisco, CA. *2002: Artist Project Grant from the City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs *Artist/writing residency at the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences, Rabun Gap, GA; Light Work, Syracuse, NY; and The Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency, Joshua Tree, CA. *ICP / GOST First Photo Book Award

Book

''She's Got a Gun,'' book length manuscript, 140 images, Temple University Press, 2008. The book includes a section on the history of American gun ladies. That is a visual book including 150 historical photographs of women with weapons, 35 of which were captured by Floyd, and a biography of Floyd's Texas background and the loss of her brother.

Published work

* Featured in: **''Showing: Pregnancy in the Workplace'', 2019 **''Contact Sheet Journal'' **''Game Face'' **''Pregnant Pictures'' **''Heart Shots'' **''Gun Women'' **''Real Knockouts'' **''Bombensicher: Atomic Photographers Guild'' **''A Different Kind of War: Vietnam in Art''

Interview

Lois Reitzes. “City Lights: Nancy Floyd.” WABE Atlanta. 24 November 2017.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1956 births Living people People from Wright County, Minnesota Photographers from Georgia (U.S. state) California Institute of the Arts alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni Columbia College Chicago alumni Georgia State University faculty Photographers from Minnesota