Chelsea Mosher CV
Chelsea Mosher is an artist working with and through the medium of photography. She holds an MFA in Photography from California State University, Long Beach.
Her work has been exhibited widely, including at Gallery Luisotti (Los Angeles, CA); UCR Arts: California Museum of Photography (Riverside, CA); Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Intersect Art & Design (Palm Springs, CA). Most recently, her work was featured in the Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide exhibition, Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees at the Museum of Art & History (Lancaster, CA).
Her work is included in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the special collections of LACMA, Stanford Libraries, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
Her work appears in the recent publication Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees (Inlandia Institute, 2024) and will be featured in the upcoming Brink anthology (2025).
Mosher is a professor of photography and has taught for over a decade across the spectrum of California higher education, including in the art departments of UCLA, Orange Coast College, and California State University, Long Beach.
Chelsea lives and works in Long Beach, California.
Education
MFA, California State University, Long Beach, 2014
Awarded, Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity
BA with Honors in Arts & Letters, Portland State University, 1999
Exhibitions
2024 Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide, Desert Forest, Museum of Art & History, Lancaster, California
2023 Investigations: Zombie Forest, Intersect, Palm Springs, California
2022 Spirit of The Land, Doyle Arts Pavilion, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA
Spirit of The Land, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2021 What Will Remain, Doyle Arts Pavilion, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA
2020 Southland, Gallery Luisotti, Los Angeles California (Artforum Critics’ Pick)
2019 In The Sunshine of Neglect, California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA
Transparency: On Nature and the Outdoors, No Architecture, Courtyard House, Aurora, OR
2017 Desert Waters, Marks Art Center at College of the Desert, Palm Desert, CA
Special Visions, Gatov Gallery West, CSULB, Long Beach, CA
2016 In The Cut, Gallery Luisotti, Los Angeles, CA (Artforum Critics’ Pick)
Southland, Pehrspace, Los Angeles, CA (two-person)
Neither Here Nor There, The Dojo, Culver City, CA
Winter Pictures, Humble Arts Foundation, Online Exhibition
2015 Year 1, 5790 Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Rocks and Waves, Gatov Gallery West, California State University, Long Beach, CA (solo)
From Here to There, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Artists Books and Cookies 3, Ooga Booga #2 / 356 S. Mission Rd., Los Angeles, CA
Insights 2014, University Art Museum, CSULB, Long Beach, CA
MFA Biennial, City of Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA
2013 Still Living Through The Living Stillness, Mixt Media Arts, Long Beach, CA
Insights 2013, University Art Museum, CSULB, Long Beach, CA
The Place Disappears The Place Remains The Same, Gatov Gallery, CSULB, Long Beach, CA (solo)
2012 A Car A Man A Maraca, Marilyn Werby Gallery, CSULB, Long Beach, CA
Ventriloquists, Max L. Gatov Gallery West, CSULB, Long Beach, CA
2011 Shelf Life, Urban Sanctuary, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Fuck Portland, Rocksbox Fine Art, Portland, OR
2006 Saturation, Portland Modern at Disjecta, Portland, OR
Forged Connections, Ogle, Portland, OR (two-person)
Collections
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Stanford Libraries Special Collections
Virginia Commonwealth University Special Collections and Archives
Awards & Honors
2022 Faculty Summer Stipend, California State University, Long Beach
2021 Finalist, Penumbra Foundation Risograph Residency
2020 Nominee, Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Inaugural Artist in Residence Program
2019 Shortlist, Libraryman Book Award
2019 Faculty Summer Stipend, California State University, Long Beach
2018 Nominee, Rema Hort Mann Foundation (RHMF), Emerging Artist Grant, Los Angeles
2017 Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LENS, Studio Visit Series, Featured Artist
2017 Nominee, The John Gutmann Photography Fellowship
2017 Nominee, Rema Hort Mann Foundation (RHMF), Emerging Artist Grant, Los Angeles
2015 Faculty Summer Stipend, California State University, Long Beach
2014 Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity, California State University, Long Beach
Publications
2023 works from Critical Forest Order featured in Spring 23 Brink Literary Journal
2021 It Got Cold As The Sky Darkened, Unique handmade editioned artist book
2019 In the Sunshine of Neglect, Inlandia Institute (exhibition catalog)
2018 27 LA Photographers, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (collection catalog)
2018 Shallow Seas, ultraterrestrial.xyz (handmade, limited edition artist book)
In the special collections of LACMA, Stanford Libraries, VCU
2018 Net 2.8 What Will Suffice, Oranbeg Press (curated by Tim Carpenter)
2014 Desert Coastal Transport, Unique handmade artist book
Press
• Alterwitz, Linda, “Desert Forest:Life With Joshua Trees.” Lenscratch, November 5, 2024.
• Shambaugh, Claudia, and Tyler Stallings. “Live at The Doyle.” Ask A Leader, October 19, 2021.
• “In Conversation: Mark Ruwedel and Chelsea Mosher.” Gallery Luisotti, September 5, 2020.
• Haddad, Natalie. “‘Southland’ at Gallery Luisotti.” The online edition of Artforum International Magazine, May 15, 2020.
• “12 Women Photographers to Watch in 2019.” PHmuseum, May 8, 2019.
• Michno, Christopher. “‘In the Sunshine of Neglect’ Reveals Nuances of the Inland Empire.”
KCET, March 7, 2019.
• Morse, Rebecca. “Five Women Photographers.” Facebook. LACMA, March 29, 2018.
Artist Talks & Guest Lectures
2024 PST: Art & Science Collide, Co-Creating New Futures for Joshua Trees Panel Discussion, MOAH
2024 Campbell Hall, Visiting Artist Lecture Series
2023 Alfred University, Division of Drawing, Painting, and Photography
2023 Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo)
2022 UCSD (University California, San Diego)2019 Cerritos College, Christina Fernandez’s Portfolio Class
2018 Alfred University, Division of Drawing, Painting, and Photography
2016 UCLA, James Welling’s Advanced Photography
2015 Cerritos College, Ed Heckerman’s Experimental Photography
Performance / Bands
2001-2008 The Formless (drums, lyrics, vocals)
2006 Chromatics (drums, vocals) – only for a summer, not on any recordings
2001-2003 Silver Palm (drums, lyrics, vocals)
2000-2003 Green Circles (drums, vocals)
Vocals / Instrumental / Performance
2020 Silver Palm, Silver Palm, Vinyl 10” EP, drums & vocals, No Town Records
2018 Defend the Scoundrels: Celebrating 25 Years of Counterpunch, track 9: The Formless
2004 Green Circles, All Hours EP, self-released, drums on track 4
2003 Silver Palm, Silver Palm, CDR EP, drums & vocals, self-release
2003 The Formless, Demos, self-release
2002 Green Circles, Hearts Increase, 2002, self-release, drums