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Jessica Swank
The South Carolina School of the Arts
The South Carolina School of the Arts
Assistant Professor of Art and Gallery Coordinator
jswank@andersonuniversity.edu
Rainey 007
Academic Background
Jessica Swank is an interdisciplinary artist, currently based in Greenville, SC. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, at galleries such as Millepiani in Rome, Italy, Plexus Projects in Brooklyn, NY, ARC Gallery in Chicago, IL, and the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA) in Gimpo, South Korea. Swank is also a founding member of Zero Space Collective, a contemporary artist collective with a network across the US. She currently teaches in the Photography program and serves as the Gallery Coordinator.
BA in Interior Design: Anderson University
MFA in Visual Arts (Photography): Clemson University
Fast Facts
My classes are interactive, collaborative and discussion based. We typically start with a lecture or introduction to the material, but the most instrumental part is a hands-on approach in the studio!
I love teaching in the Art + Design department at AU because it allows me to give back to the community that shaped me as an artist. As an alum, I understand the value of the supportive and challenging environment here, and it’s rewarding to now contribute to that experience for my students. Being a practicing artist, I enjoy bringing real-world perspectives into the classroom and helping students connect their own creative work to the larger art world.
Photography as a career offers endless possibilities—from conceptual and documentary work to commercial, editorial, and emerging digital fields. Our photography program gives students the technical skills, critical thinking, and creative foundation to find their own voice while preparing them for the realities of the industry. It’s a field where storytelling, experimentation, and professional connections can open doors to many exciting and varied opportunities.
Solo Exhibitions
2025 Muscle Memory, Solo Exhibition, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL
2023 Convergence, Solo Exhibition, Slocumb Galleries, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN (curated by: Brooke Day)
2022 Fragments of the Self, Solo Exhibition, Āto Social Club at MODAL Hostel, Greenville, SC
Fragments of the Self, Online Solo Exhibition, The In Art Gallery
Fragments of the Self, Solo Exhibition, Crutchfield Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
Two & Three Person Exhibitions
2025 Pink Noise, (with Maggie Genoble), Thornback Gallery, Greenville, SC
Performative Practices, (with Kate Burke), Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Greenville, SC
2024 Pink Noise, (with Maggie Genoble), Harley Gallery, USC Upstate, Spartanburg, SC
Group Exhibitions [selected]
2025 Interstitial Agency, with Zero Space Collective, ATHICA, Athens, GA (curator: Lauren Bradshaw)
Structure Nexus, with Zero Space Collective, Goodall Gallery, Columbia College, Columbia, SC (curator: Ashley Rabanal)
Subtle Force, with Zero Space Collective, Union Grove Gallery, University of Alabama Huntsville, Huntsville, AL (curator: Heather Baumbach)
2024 GUI/GOOEY, Plexus Projects, Brooklyn, NY, Online & Physical Exhibition (curator: Laura Splan)
PLY, with Zero Space Collective, Lowe Mill Gallery, Huntsville, AL (curator: Heather Baumbach)
Art of the South 2024, Stove Works, Chattanooga, TN (juried by Lauren Nye)
Positive/Negative 39 National Juried Art Exhibition, Slocumb Galleries, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN (juror: Michelle Fisher)
Made/Making, with Zero Space Collective, Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), Kansas City, Kansas (curator: Brooke Day)
The New South 5, Kai Lin Art, Atlanta, GA (jurors: William Downs and Wesley Terpstra)
2023 Voices 2023, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA), Gimpo, South Korea
Artifacts of Experience, with Tiger Strikes Asteroid, TSA Gallery, Greenville, SC
2022 Progress. On Contemporary and Future Society, LoosenArt, Millepiani, Rome, IT
YARDWORK 2022, Tiger Strikes Asteroid GVL, Greenville, SC (curators: Kevin Kao and matthew anthony batty)
America Unraveling, Zero Space Collective, Tipton Street Gallery, Johnson City, TN (curator: Brooke Day)
ArtFields 2022, Lake City, SC
2021 Homecoming 2021, MFA Photography Reviews, JKC Gallery, Trenton, NJ
RE-FORM, Stay Home Gallery, Paris, TN (curator: Rebecca Drolen)
On Media. Signals and Connections, LoosenArt, Millepiani, Rome, IT
The New Now: 2021, SPE NW, Forsberg Art Gallery, Lower Columbia College, Longview, WA (juror: Zemie Barr)
Interdisciplinary studio practices, conceptual photography, exhibition experience, and curatorial and art collective leadership