DownloadCurrent Appointment
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Professor, Department of Sculpture, 1994 to present
Awards Fellowships Grants
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 2014
University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute, Distinguished Visiting Artist, Senior Research Fellow, named 2014
US EPA, Phytoremdediation at Big Marsh, Lake Calumet, with Purdue University & Chicago Dept of Environment, 2011
Chicago Department of Environment, Development Grant, Innovative Models for Post Industrial Cities, 2010, 2011
Europees Keramisch Werkcentrum, Artist in Residence, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, 2002.
Kunstlerateliers Niederosterreich, International Residency, Krems, Austria, summer 2001.
Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, New York: Individual Artist Fellowship Award,1991
National Endowment for the Arts: Individual Artist Grant, 1986
Current Projects
| Ongoing |
The 606 Chicago, IL Lead Artist on Design Team |
| Ongoing |
The Art of Science Learning, Collaborator on National Curriculum Development and Innovation Incubator |
| Emerging |
Un-Developing Newport, University of Rhode Island, Coastal Institute |
| Emerging |
Remediation Arboretum: A Research Arboretum for Urban Soils, New Haven CT. |
Public Projects
| 2011-12 |
The Lima Project: Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Development for the Historic District, LIMA Peru. |
| 2008-12 |
Embedded Artist Project City of Chicago, Depts of Innovation, Planning, Cultural Affairs & Environment.
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| 2010-12 |
Great Lakes Basin Phenologic System- Partners, Chicago Parks District, others (folded into The 606 Phenologic Project) |
| 2008-10 |
Waldkunst.com The Phenologic Forest- Collaboration with EUMETSAT & Deutscher Wetterdienst,weather and climate institutes. Part of The 4th International Forest Art Path "Cycles and Systems", Darmstadt, Germany. |
| 2006-09 |
HoopHouse: Establish a passive solar poly-house at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study urban potentials and issues in Agri+Culture. Funded by an NEA Access to Excellence Grant, partnering with The Resource Center. |
| 2009 |
SITE METABOLISM West Creek Reserve, Cleveland Metro Parks, Cultural Sustainability Consultant for planning, especially innovative visualizations and interpretive displays integrated with hydrologic site monitoring. |
| 2009 |
Wesleyan University, Center for the Arts, Middletown, CT, Wesleyan Pheno-lilac, repurpose an existing heritage lilac for climate observation, in conjunction with university-wide programming on climate change |
| 2003-08 |
The Green House Chicago - Collaboratively design the first multi-modal, fully- integrated, alternative energy home/studio in Chicago with William James, architect/builder. |
| 2005-07 |
SUPERORG.net Multi-site collaborative public art and design project focused on the development of sustainable models along the historic Towpath Canal. Lead Artist Cleveland Metroparks, Spaces Gallery, Cuyahoga Valley Initiative, Cleveland, Ohio, producing site masterplan |
| 2007 |
Green Bulkhead Fish Habitat Design for industrial waterways. Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan and US Army Corp of Engineers. |
| 2006 |
The Diaspora Garden: Concerning the Transatlantic Exchange of Plants and People, Drayton Hall National Historic Trust, Spoleto Festival USA, Estates Management Company (commissioned but remains unbuilt) |
| 2004-06 |
Private Absolutes Design/Build custom tile bath for Jacob/Lewis Residence Chicago based on hydrology of Great Lakes |
| 2004 |
Lincoln Park Conservatory Great Garden, Mapping the Lake in the Great Garden, Chicago Park District and Notebeart Nature Museum. |
| 2004-06 |
Spoleto Festival USA, Evoking History Program, Places with a Future “Water Table”, The opening work of the project, a temporary wetlands installation and community conversations with multiple stakeholders and subsequent related works. |
| 2003 |
Vinnistu Art Museum, Vinnistu, Estonia, Mapping Mohni Island, creating a map and wildflower catalogue for the Island. |
| 2000 |
National Endowment for the Arts and U.S. Office of Surface Mining, Arts & Appalachian Clean Streams Program, Acid Mine Drainage |
| 1996 |
Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri. “Hortvs Obscurus(the dark garden)" |
Selected Writing and Presentations
Whitehead, Frances. Cultural Investigations EU COST Action- Investigating Cultural Sustainability, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, May 2015
Whitehead, Frances. Future Practice, Ice Fest: Art, Science and Activism in Dialogue Conference, Christ Church City Council, New Zealand, October 2014
Whitehead, Frances. Seeing Climate Change, The City Speaks, National Communication Association Conference, Chicago, 2014
Whitehead, Frances. The New Earth Work, USDA Soil in the City Conference, Chicago, IL, Keynote Address, June 2014
Whitehead, Frances. Civic Experiments Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas, Civic Art Practice and Social Justice, 2013
Whitehead, Frances. (Post-Normal) Cultural Heritage, Urban Ecologies Conference, Ontario College of Art and Design University, Toronto, Canada, 2013.
Whitehead, Frances. Post-Normal Art, The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia, PA, in conjunction with the Pew Charitable Foundation Grant for Program Development, 2012-2013.
Whitehead, Frances. Ethics + Aesthetics Symposium on Ethics & Sustainability, Center for Humans & Nature, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL 2012
Whitehead, Frances. Slow Cleanup -Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, The Art and Science of Environmental Change, New York, 2012
Whitehead, Frances. Civic Experiments -American Studies Association Annual Conference, Plenary session, Art and Democracy, Baltimore, MD, Oct 2011
Whitehead, Frances, “The Tacit Knowledge of Artists”, in What Do Artist’s Know?, 2009 Stone Summery Theory Institute Proceedings, James Elkins, ed. University of Pennsylvania Press (2012 )
Whitehead, Frances. 51 Declarations for the Future: A Manifesto for Artists + NOTES on the Manifesto "Opening essay for The New Earthwork: Art, Action, Agency," ISC Press, (Jan 2012). Edited by Twylene Moyer and Glenn Harper. fig. pg 16-20.
Whitehead, Frances, What Do Artists Know?, Princeton University School of Architecture magazine, Pidgin, Vol 12 (Spring 2012)
Whitehead, Frances; Graham, David S.; Schwab, AP. Integrating Aesthetics and Technology in the Remediation of Soils at Abandoned Gas Stations, US EPA Sustainable Remediation 2011 Conference, June 1-3, 2011, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Selected Exhibitions
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Selected Bibliography
H Hawkins, Sallie A. Marston, M Ingram & E Straughan (Feb 2015): The Art of Socioecological Transformation, Asso of American Geographers
Creativity Breaking the Ice, The Press, Christchurch New Zealand, Oct 10, 2014, p.A19
Hart, Joe, Artist as Leader, Whitehead on The 606, Public Art Review, Summer 2014.
BACKSTORY: New Earth Work, Landscape Architecture Magazine June 2014, page 222
Shimizu, Hiroko, Earth Art Catalog, Frances Whitehead USA, Vol 3, March 2014,
Chameides, Bill. Art Makes Environmental Change Real, Huffington Post, 1.24.2014
Greenfield, John. Bloomingdale Will Integrate Art, Chi.StreetsBlog.org, January 1,2014
Ingram, Mrill. Material Transformations: Urban Ecological Art and Environmental Justice, in Restoring Landscapes: History, Ecology, and Culture
Havlick,David; Hourdequin, Marion, Editors, 2014
Rotenburk, Lori, Artist Lets Trees do the Talking, Grist, December 3, 2013
Rojas, Laurie. An Arty Oasis for the Windy City, The Art Newpaper, London, October 1, 2013
Ohmes, Jeremy. Trail Blazer: Modeling New Pathways for Artists, Events & Disruptions, September 2013
Borrelli, Chris, On the Trail of Art, Chicago Tribune, August 9, 2013
Green, J. Watch Out Highline, Here comes the Bloomingdale Trail, The Dirt, American Society of Landscape Architects, 04/25/2013
Anderson, Aengus. The Conversation: In Search of the New Normal, Radio/web Interview, Episode 25
Ingram, Mrill. Sculpting Solutions: Art-Science Collaborations in Sustainability, VENV: Environment: Science & Policy for Sustainable Development, July/Aug 2012, Vol 54 No. 4, pages 24-35.
Newcombe, Jodi. The Art of the Eco-City Report for the City of Melbourne, International Case Study 3, page 17-18, April 2012,
Vargas, Silvia. Retratan al Medio Ambiente, Diario de Moreles, MX, July , 2012
Ingram, Mrill, The Diplomacy of Art: what ecological artists offer environmental politics, Royal Geographers Conference, London, 2012 Politics of Art and Alchemy at an Abandoned Gas Station, Chicago, Inhabiting the Micro Panel, American Association of Geographers, Feb 2012, NYC
Corris, Michael, What do Artists Know? Contemporary Responses to the Deskilling of Art, ACT Lecture, MIT, Feb 2012
Lori Waxman, Can happiness really be as Simple as Looking at Art?,Chicago Tribune, Nov 23, 2011
Englestad, Janeil, Make Art with Purpose, Interview, Project Page and Opensource, 2011
Art- Science: Collaboration, Bodies, Environments: Case Study artscience.arizona.edu/research_site_slowcleanup.html
Ise, Claudine. ART:21 Blog Frances Whitehead, Embedded Artist, feature on recent public works,
Discovery Channel - Plant Green, “The World’s Greenest Homes”, The Greenhouse Chicago, 2008.
Reed,Mimi. New York Times, An Art project Tinted Green, feature article on The Greenhouse Chicago Project, 3.13.08
Willis, Anne-Marie. “Interview”. Design Philosophy Politics, designphilosophypolitics.com
Jacob, Mary Jane. Buddha Mind in Contemporary Art., Univ. California Press, 2004, p.201-204.
Fry, Tony. “A Path to the Future”, Spaces Gallery World Artists Program, Cleveland, OH, 2007
Spoleto Festival USA, “Places with a Future”, Fesitval Catalogue 2004, p. 128 (image)
Smith, Stephanie, “Beyond Green” Independent Curators International, Exhibition Catalogue,2005.
Worlf-Krantz,Caire. “Idea Based Sculpture” feature, SCULPTURE magazine, March 2004, pp 52-57, fig
University of Colorado, Boulder, “What Follows” video series of arist interviews. Interview, 2000.
Jacob, Mary Jane. “Another Beauty:”, Laumeier Sculpture Park, catalogue essay, 2000, fig.
Snodgrass, Susan. Art in America, Chicago Report, April 1999, p.81-87, fig.
Palmer, Laurie. Exhibition review, Frieze, September 1998, p.90-91, fig.
Yood, James. "Frances Whitehead", ARTFORUM Magazine, (December 1989), p.146.
Bonesteel, Michael. "Medium Cool", Art in America, (December 1987), p. 139-147, (fig).