Marita Gootee

Overview

Summary:

Marita Gootee is Professor of Art at Mississippi State University for the past 35 years. Her work does not have a single style, yet it does have a basic concept that bridges the different bodies of the visual research and unites them into one voice. Her work has been exhibited in the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. , Songzhuang International Photo Biennale in China, and 4th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography; Berlin, Germany: 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers. Worldwide Photography Gala Awards and Fotonostrum, The Mediterranean House of Photography, Barcelona just to name a few.

Marita Gootee grew up in a small southern Indiana town where an elementary school teacher told the class that all will constantly be in search of who they are. She did not think much of such a statement but it lodged in her mind permanently. Gootee’s artwork is a constant search for self from her early crayon colored rocks to today’s photographic work. Her art is her way of attempting to understand herself and the world around her.

Education:

• Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Art, Indiana State University, 1985
• Bachelor of Arts (BA), Art, College of Mount St. Joseph, 1981