Michael Sullivan is a humanistic photographer located in Madison, Wisconsin. As a child, Michael recalls there being Polaroid and Instamatic camera’s being used to capture special moments and every day happenings. Seeing his youth preserved in a candid, unposed way left a lasting impression on Michael. When he picked up a camera again, he began photographing and documenting life in this same candid, unposed manor.
In 2011, Michael began photographing marches, protests, and rallies in Madison. Baring witness to a time of political and social unrest had a profound effect on Michael and his photography: He was not only documenting his own life, but preserving a moment in history. With the rise of social media, Michael could allow people outside Madison to see what was happening there.
Michael had his first solo show at the Rangefinder Gallery in Chicago, Illinois in 2014. His photo, ‘boy listening to the man reflected in the window’ was selected in the People category in Black+White Photography magazine’s Black+White Photographer of the Year 2016 competition. Michaels work has been selected for inclusion in multiple group exhibitions in galleries and online in the United States, London, and Budapest. His work has appeared in several publications including books, newspapers, periodicals, and a record album.
Michael believes in the fortuitous circumstance of capturing a moment as it is happening. His ongoing project ‘people on the bus’ is a collection of environmental portraits taken candidly in an intimate, yet public space. Michael has photographed a dancer, musicians, and radio DJ’s in their respective settings.
The essence of Michael’s photography is to capture exceptional images in conventional environments.
Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
2018
- Autumn 2018 (online), The Curated Fridge, Juror: Kat Kiernan
- Shades of Black & White, SE Center for Photography, Greenville, SC, February 2018, Juror: Susan Burnstine
2017
- The Color of Light, Online Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, March 2017, Juror: Arthur Meyerson
- Singular/Signature, Honorable Mention, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, March 2017, Juror: Alyssa Coppelman
2016
- Personal Narrative, Honorable Mention, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, November 2016, Juror: Susan Burnstine
- The Environmental Portrait, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., September 2016, Juror: Shana Nys Dambrot
- Black and White 2016, Online Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, August 2016, Juror: Dean Brierly
- Culture, Honorable Mention, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., March 2016, Juror: Peter Turnley
- Shadow & Light, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., February 2016, Juror: Taj Forer
- Simplicity, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, February 2016, Juror: David Carol
2015
- Light and Shadow, PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, December 2015
- 2016 Black+White Photographer of the Year, The Printspace Gallery, London, UK, December 2015, Jurors: Robin Bell, Graham Brandon, Trevor Crone, Eddie Ephraums, Shoair Mavlian, Elizabeth Roberts
- 2016 Black+White Photographer of the Year, Leica Store Mayfair, London, UK, November 2015, Jurors: Robin Bell, Graham Brandon, Trevor Crone, Eddie Ephraums, Shoair Mavlian, Elizabeth Roberts
- War & Peace, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., July 2015, Juror: Nissan N. Perez
- Semblance, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., April 2015, Juror: David Carol
Publications
Publications (Online)
- 11th Anniversary Issue, Fraction Magazine, Issue 122, May 2019, Editor: Bree Lamb
- Let it snow. Krug, Erica. Isthmus, January 31, 2019. Photograph.
- Seeing Red, Don’t Take Pictures, November 2018, Editors: Kat Kiernan, Roger Thompson, W.G. Beecher, Sarah Sickles.
- The end of the rainbow. Geyer, Allison. Isthmus, June 7, 2018. Photograph.
- Going once, going twice... The Oscar Mayer auction draws crowds for some very big equipment. Kennedy, Sean. Isthmus, December 14, 2017. Photographs.
- Street Photography, F-Stop Magazine, Issue 86, December 2017/January 2018, Editor: Christy Karpinski.
- Color, F-Stop Magazine, Issue 83, June/July 2017, Editor: Christy Karpinski.
- 9th Anniversary Issue, Fraction Magazine, Issue 98, Group 2, May 2017, Editor: David Bram
- A heavy toll, Tarr, Joe. Isthmus, March 12, 2015. Photograph.
- Coming to grips with racial disparities, Conniff, Ruth, Isthmus, January 8, 2015. Photograph.
Publications (Print)
- Let it snow. Krug, Erica. Isthmus, January 31, 2019, Vol. 44, No. 4. Page 4. Photograph.
- The end of the rainbow. Geyer, Allison. Isthmus, June 7, 2018, Vol. 43, No. 23. Page 4. Photograph.
- Going once, going twice... The Oscar Mayer auction draws crowds for some very big equipment. Kennedy, Sean. Isthmus, December 14, 2017, Vol. 42, No. 50. Page 21, 23. Photographs.
- Maximum Ink, pg. 8, 13, Vol. 22, Issue 6, No. 258, August 4-31, 2017. Photographs.
- Black+White Photography, Black+White Photographer of the Year - People, pg. 40, December 2015. Photograph.
- A heavy toll, Tarr, Joe. Isthmus, pg. 14, Vol. 40, No. 10, March 12, 2015. Photograph.
- #TonyRobinson (Cover Story), Geyer, Allison. Isthmus, pg. 12, Vol. 40, No. 10, March 12, 2015. Photographs.
- Week In Review, Isthmus, February 19, 2015, Vol. 40, No. 7; Page 7. Photograph.
- Coming to grips with racial disparities, Conniff, Ruth, Isthmus, pg. 7, Vol. 40, No. 1, January 8, 2015. Photograph.
- Leica Fotografie International, Readers’ Gallery: Flags, p. 88-89, May/June 2013. Photographs.
- Pariah In Transit, Taj Weekes & Adowa, April 2013. Compact Disc Cover.
- Signs of Protest: This is What Democracy Looks Like, The Center for Photography at Madison, p. 6-7, 35, September 2012. Photographs.
- El transito de Morgan, Tyler, Anne. July 2012. Book Cover.
- Rubin, Tina G., Madison: Hub of Innovation, Cherbo Publishing Group, April 2012, p. 21, 47, 53. Photographs.
- Lever, George, Activista, Citypulse, March 2012, p. 36-45.Photographs.
Interviews
Interviews
2018
- Michael T. Sullivan, Photographer [Interview by N. Dell]. (2018, May 1). YIELD Magazine.
Education
Education
- M.A., Community Counseling Psychology, July 2004, University of Minnesota Duluth
- Certificate in Educational Computing/Technology, August 2002, University of Minnesota Duluth
- B.A., Psychology, May 1999, University of Minnesota Duluth