Caroline Esbenshade
Born in 1988 in Leonardtown, Maryland, United States of Ameria.
Lives and works in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.
bio
Born in the US, Caroline Esbenshade lives and works in Shepparton, Victoria where she juggles her curatorial role at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) with her contemporary arts practice while pursuing her Masters in Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne.
As SAM’s Curator – Community she looks after the Community Gallery, Children’s Gallery and Artist in Residence spaces. Across her curatorial and arts management career she has worked with a variety of artists and art organisations.
Esbenshade uses oil painitng and instant film photography to explore how the narrative of a moment shifts once it has been translated into an object; ruminating on memory and the experience of love and intimacy. She began working with instant film after a decade long hiatus from photography, gravitating to it for its alchemy-like ability to distil time.
She started off 2023 with a solo show of instant film photography, Things that shouldn’t last at Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne for which she recieved a Quick Response Grant from Regional Arts Australia and Regional Arts Victoria. In 2022, she wasa finalist in the Tacit Still Life Prize, Kangaroo Valley Art Prize, Little Things Art Prize and participated in two group exhibitions.
c.v.
education:
2024: Masters in Art Curatorship, University of Melbourne. Melbourne, Vic, AU.
2011: Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in painting and School of Media Art & Design with an emphasis in web, design and video (double major), James Madison University. Harrisonburg, VA, USA.
employment:
Curator - Community, Shepparton Art Museum, Jun 2022 - present.
Arts Marketing Officer, Hobsons Bay City Council, Jun 2021 - May 2022.
Co-Curator, Wyndham Art Gallery, Dec 2019 - May 2021.
Arts Program Support Officer, Wyndham City Council, Feb 2018 - Dec 2019.
Managing Director, RedWest Creative Co-op, 2017 - 2018.
Instructor & Studio Manager, Saltwater Art Studio, 2016 - 2018.
Consultant & Picture Framer, Framing Fantastic Art, 2015 - 2016.
Instructor, The ArtStation, 2013.
Assistant, James Crable (Photographer), 2011.
Gallery Assistant, Sawhill Gallery (James Madison University), 2010 - 2011.
Intern, artWorks Gallery (James Madison University), 2009 - 2010.
curation:
Beci Orpin: MUSH/ROOM - Shepparton Art Museum, 16 Sep 2023 - 17 Mar 2024.
After the Rain - Shepparton Art Museum, 22 Jul - 15 Oct 2023.
Little big, Big little - Shepparton Art Museum, May 2023 - Sep 2023.
SAM Open 2023: Home - Shepparton Art Museum, Apr 2023 - Jul 2023.
All Together - Meredith Turnbull & Ross Coulter - Shepparton Art Museum, Nov 2022 - Apr 2023.
FRESH 2022 - Shepparton Art Musuem, 18 February - 23 April 2023.
Aleisa Miksad: Between Scylla and Charybdis | Amphora - Shepparton Art Museum, Dec 2022 - Feb 2023.
Ponch Hawkes: 500 Strong - Shepparton Art Museum, Sep - Nov 2022.
Wyndham Art Prize 2021 - Wyndham Art Gallery, May - Jul 2021.
PINK - Wyndham Art Gallery, Feb - Mar 2021.
LEGACY - Wyndham Art Gallery, Sep - Oct 2020.
Wyndham Art Prize 2020 - Wyndham Art Gallery, May - Jun 2020.
REVEAL - Wyndham Art Gallery, Mar - Apr 2020.
OUT IS OUT - Wyndham Art Gallery, Jan - Mar 2020.
selected exhibitions :
2023
Imbolc - Louis Joel Gallery. Altona, VIC.
50 Squared Art Prize - Brunswick Street Gallery. Fitzroy, VIC.
Things that shouldn’t last - Brunswick Street Gallery. Fitzroy, VIC. [solo]
2022
Feast - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
The Salon des Wunder Gym - 2/10 Watton Street, Werribee, VIC.
2021
Wunder Gym: Make Some Noise - Station Place Laneway, Werribee, VIC.
Linden Postcard Show 2021-22 - Linden New Art Gallery, St Kilda, VIC.
2020
Still Life - No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
Tough Love - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
2019
Repoussoir - Trocadero Art Space. Footscray, Melbourne, VIC. [solo]
2019 ILFORD CCP Salon - Centre for Contemporary Photography, Fitzroy, VIC
All You Can Eat - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
2018
Australasia Now - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
2017
RED | redux - Wyndham City Council, Werribee, VIC. [Lead Artist]
Linden Postcard Show - Linden New Art, South Yarra, VIC.
2013
Artful August Village at Leesburg 2013 Juried Art Show - Leesburg, VA.
Regional Juried Exhibition - Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts. Fredericksburg, VA.
Caroline Esbenshade - Photoworks. Leesburg, VA. [solo]
selected awards:
Finalist, Still Life Prize 2022 - Tacit Gallery, Collingwood, VIC.
Finalist, Kangaroo Valley Art Prize 2022 - Kangaroo Valley, NSW.
Finalist, Little Things Art Prize 2022 - Saint Cloche Gallery, Paddington, NSW.
Finalist, Still Life Prize 2021 - Tacit Gallery, Collingwood, VIC.
Finalist, Agendo Art Prize 2019 - David Williams Gallery, Canterbury, VIC.
Finalist, Wyndham Art Prize 2017 - Wyndham Art Gallery, Werribee, VIC.
Honourable Mention, Regional Juried Show - Fredericksburg Centre for Creative Arts, 2013.
residencies and grants:
Quick Response Grant by Regional Arts Australia and Regional Arts Victoria, 2022.
Community Strengthening Grant from Wyndham City Council, 2017.
Arts Incubator Grant from Wyndham City Council, 2017.
Arts Incubator Grant from Wyndham City Council, 2016.
Residency with Wyndham Art Spaces, Wyndham City Council, 2015-16.
selected bibliography:
“Aleisa Miksad - Ancient Forms Echoing,” Journal of Australian Ceramics 62 no. 1 (April 2023): 77 - 81.
panels and commitees:
Peer Assessor - Creative Projects Fund, Creative Victoria, 2023.
Peer Assessor - Creative Projects Fund, Creative Victoria, 2022.
Wyndham City’s Arts & Tourism Portfolio Committee, Wyndham City Council, 2017- 2018.
organisations:
Member, Public Galleries Association of Victoria, 2021 - current.
Member, National Association of Visual Artists, 2014 - current.
Founder and President, RedWest Creative Co-op, 2017 - 2019.
Caroline Esbenshade’s work is held in private collections in Australia, Italy and the United States.
Born in 1988 in Leonardtown, Maryland, United States of Ameria.
Lives and works in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.
bio
Born in the US, Caroline Esbenshade lives and works in Shepparton, Victoria where she juggles her curatorial role at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) with her contemporary arts practice while pursuing her Masters in Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne.
As SAM’s Curator – Community she looks after the Community Gallery, Children’s Gallery and Artist in Residence spaces. Across her curatorial and arts management career she has worked with a variety of artists and art organisations.
Esbenshade uses oil painitng and instant film photography to explore how the narrative of a moment shifts once it has been translated into an object; ruminating on memory and the experience of love and intimacy. She began working with instant film after a decade long hiatus from photography, gravitating to it for its alchemy-like ability to distil time.
She started off 2023 with a solo show of instant film photography, Things that shouldn’t last at Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne for which she recieved a Quick Response Grant from Regional Arts Australia and Regional Arts Victoria. In 2022, she wasa finalist in the Tacit Still Life Prize, Kangaroo Valley Art Prize, Little Things Art Prize and participated in two group exhibitions.
c.v.
education:
2024: Masters in Art Curatorship, University of Melbourne. Melbourne, Vic, AU.
2011: Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in painting and School of Media Art & Design with an emphasis in web, design and video (double major), James Madison University. Harrisonburg, VA, USA.
employment:
Curator - Community, Shepparton Art Museum, Jun 2022 - present.
Arts Marketing Officer, Hobsons Bay City Council, Jun 2021 - May 2022.
Co-Curator, Wyndham Art Gallery, Dec 2019 - May 2021.
Arts Program Support Officer, Wyndham City Council, Feb 2018 - Dec 2019.
Managing Director, RedWest Creative Co-op, 2017 - 2018.
Instructor & Studio Manager, Saltwater Art Studio, 2016 - 2018.
Consultant & Picture Framer, Framing Fantastic Art, 2015 - 2016.
Instructor, The ArtStation, 2013.
Assistant, James Crable (Photographer), 2011.
Gallery Assistant, Sawhill Gallery (James Madison University), 2010 - 2011.
Intern, artWorks Gallery (James Madison University), 2009 - 2010.
curation:
Beci Orpin: MUSH/ROOM - Shepparton Art Museum, 16 Sep 2023 - 17 Mar 2024.
After the Rain - Shepparton Art Museum, 22 Jul - 15 Oct 2023.
Little big, Big little - Shepparton Art Museum, May 2023 - Sep 2023.
SAM Open 2023: Home - Shepparton Art Museum, Apr 2023 - Jul 2023.
All Together - Meredith Turnbull & Ross Coulter - Shepparton Art Museum, Nov 2022 - Apr 2023.
FRESH 2022 - Shepparton Art Musuem, 18 February - 23 April 2023.
Aleisa Miksad: Between Scylla and Charybdis | Amphora - Shepparton Art Museum, Dec 2022 - Feb 2023.
Ponch Hawkes: 500 Strong - Shepparton Art Museum, Sep - Nov 2022.
Wyndham Art Prize 2021 - Wyndham Art Gallery, May - Jul 2021.
PINK - Wyndham Art Gallery, Feb - Mar 2021.
LEGACY - Wyndham Art Gallery, Sep - Oct 2020.
Wyndham Art Prize 2020 - Wyndham Art Gallery, May - Jun 2020.
REVEAL - Wyndham Art Gallery, Mar - Apr 2020.
OUT IS OUT - Wyndham Art Gallery, Jan - Mar 2020.
selected exhibitions :
2023
Imbolc - Louis Joel Gallery. Altona, VIC.
50 Squared Art Prize - Brunswick Street Gallery. Fitzroy, VIC.
Things that shouldn’t last - Brunswick Street Gallery. Fitzroy, VIC. [solo]
2022
Feast - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
The Salon des Wunder Gym - 2/10 Watton Street, Werribee, VIC.
2021
Wunder Gym: Make Some Noise - Station Place Laneway, Werribee, VIC.
Linden Postcard Show 2021-22 - Linden New Art Gallery, St Kilda, VIC.
2020
Still Life - No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
Tough Love - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
2019
Repoussoir - Trocadero Art Space. Footscray, Melbourne, VIC. [solo]
2019 ILFORD CCP Salon - Centre for Contemporary Photography, Fitzroy, VIC
All You Can Eat - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
2018
Australasia Now - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
2017
RED | redux - Wyndham City Council, Werribee, VIC. [Lead Artist]
Linden Postcard Show - Linden New Art, South Yarra, VIC.
2013
Artful August Village at Leesburg 2013 Juried Art Show - Leesburg, VA.
Regional Juried Exhibition - Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts. Fredericksburg, VA.
Caroline Esbenshade - Photoworks. Leesburg, VA. [solo]
selected awards:
Finalist, Still Life Prize 2022 - Tacit Gallery, Collingwood, VIC.
Finalist, Kangaroo Valley Art Prize 2022 - Kangaroo Valley, NSW.
Finalist, Little Things Art Prize 2022 - Saint Cloche Gallery, Paddington, NSW.
Finalist, Still Life Prize 2021 - Tacit Gallery, Collingwood, VIC.
Finalist, Agendo Art Prize 2019 - David Williams Gallery, Canterbury, VIC.
Finalist, Wyndham Art Prize 2017 - Wyndham Art Gallery, Werribee, VIC.
Honourable Mention, Regional Juried Show - Fredericksburg Centre for Creative Arts, 2013.
residencies and grants:
Quick Response Grant by Regional Arts Australia and Regional Arts Victoria, 2022.
Community Strengthening Grant from Wyndham City Council, 2017.
Arts Incubator Grant from Wyndham City Council, 2017.
Arts Incubator Grant from Wyndham City Council, 2016.
Residency with Wyndham Art Spaces, Wyndham City Council, 2015-16.
selected bibliography:
“Aleisa Miksad - Ancient Forms Echoing,” Journal of Australian Ceramics 62 no. 1 (April 2023): 77 - 81.
panels and commitees:
Peer Assessor - Creative Projects Fund, Creative Victoria, 2023.
Peer Assessor - Creative Projects Fund, Creative Victoria, 2022.
Wyndham City’s Arts & Tourism Portfolio Committee, Wyndham City Council, 2017- 2018.
organisations:
Member, Public Galleries Association of Victoria, 2021 - current.
Member, National Association of Visual Artists, 2014 - current.
Founder and President, RedWest Creative Co-op, 2017 - 2019.
Caroline Esbenshade’s work is held in private collections in Australia, Italy and the United States.