Allison was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a MFA graduate of San Francisco State University, and a BFA graduate of San Jose State University. Her works have been shown in exhibitions at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Francisco Camerawork, The Print Center (Philadelphia, PA), Adobe Books Gallery (SF), Chandra Cerrito Contemporary (Oakland, CA), The Textile Arts Center (NYC), and the Napa Valley Museum, among others. Allison's work was chosen by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art curator Janet Bishop to be included in New American Paintings issue 109, and she has been an Affiliate Artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA.  Allison currently makes her home in Northern California where she teaches fine art photography and is the creative director and co-founder of Mountain Tides Wine Co.

Commercially, Allison has worked on projects with clients such as Issey Miyake Perfums, IFC Films, The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Urban Outfitters, West Elm, Minted, Arthur Magazine, Juma Studio (Italy) and Seriunumerica (Italy), among others.

Allison is currently helping wine brands and entrepreneurs build brand identities by working one on one with photography, design, and website building. If you are interested in working with Allison, please get in touch here.

Allison Watkins
b. California, USA

EXHIBITIONS

2020 The Great Wave, The Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2018 Bay Area Currents (Photo Alliance), Smith Andersen North, San Anselmo, CA
2017 Faculty Exhibition, Napa Valley College, Napa, CA
2016 Pulp 01, Fotofilmic, Curated by Brandon Thibodeaux, Vancouver BC, Canada
2016 Faculty Exhibition, Napa Valley College, Napa, CA
2016 90th Annual International Competition, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
2015 Reilluminate (solo) Napa Valley Museum, Spotlight Gallery, Napa, CA
2015 Obsidere, by MicroClimate Collective, Alter Space Gallery SF, CA
2015 Reilluminate (solo), En Em Art Space, Sacramento, CA
2014 Juried Art Exhibition, Piedmont Center for the Arts, Piedmont, CA
2014 Collect, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
2014 Faculty Exhibition, Napa Valley College, Napa, CA
2014 Let There Be, San Francisco Camerawork and Illuminate the Arts Collaboration, San Francisco, CA
2014 Home, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Orange County, CA
2013 New American Paintings, Juried Exhibitions-In-Print, Issue #109, Curated by Janet Bishop (SFMOMA)
2013 di Rosa 12th Annual Art Auction, di Rosa Preserve, Napa, CA
2012 New Fibers 2012, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
2012 Optical Fiber, SPACE 1026, Philadelphia, PA
2012 Of Paper, On Paper, Faculty Exhibition, Dominican University, San Rafael, CA
2011 Sweecake Enso (traveling), San Francisco Zen Center, San Francisco, CA
2011 Domicile Tendencies, Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, Oakland, CA
2011 No Vacancy, Art in Storefronts, Napa, CA
2011 Missing/Missed, Textile Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY
2011 Drawing Discourse: An exhibition of Contemporary Drawing, University of North Carolina, Asheville, NC
2010 Art Inside the Park, (on-site Camera Obscura installation), Jefferson City, MO
2010 Juried @BAC: 27th Annual Juried Exhibition, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
2010 By A Thread, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
2009 Retractions, Roots Division Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2008 Miniatures, Galeria Contrast, Barcelona, Spain
2008 Bay Area Currents, Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, CA
2008 Toronto International Art Fair, Galeria Contrast, Toronto, Canada
2007 Graduate Show-MFA 2007, FiberScene. Online exhibition, San Francisco, CA
2007 Next New, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
2007 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, SFSU, San Francisco, CA
2006 Embroidered Stories, Knitted Tales. Bedford Art Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2005 Stillwell Exhibition, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
2005 Communications From Elsewhere, Magnolia Editions Gallery, Oakland, CA
2004 Impression, Adobe Books Gallery, San Francisco, CA

HONORS, AWARDS, LECTURES, AND RESIDENCIES

2015 Affiliate Artist, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
2014 Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Sonoma County, CA Summer 2014
2013 Sonoma State University, Artist Lecture Series, April 22, 2013
2010 Santa Fe Art Institute, Artist in Residency Scholarship, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2008 Can Serrat International Arts Center, Support Stipend-Artist in Residency, El Bruc, Spain
2007 Summa cum laude, San Francisco State University
2002 Violet Speedy Scholarship in Fine Arts, San Jose State University

BIBLIOGRAPHY/PRESS

2015 Interview With Allison Watkins by Justina Marino for En Em Artspace, 2015
2014 Culture Hall, Curated Artist's Registry
2014 Reilluminate: A Photographic Exploration, The Planthunter (AU), September 10, 2014
2014 Waterfall, Photography Feature, July 28, 2014
2014 Delicate Details with Allison Watkins, by Ellen C. Caldwell, New American Paintings Blog, June 9, 2014
2014 Allison Watkins, Little Paper Planes Blog, Hannah Tatar, June 18
2013 Scrapped Art Journal, Future Dinosaur. Summer 2013, NYC
2013 Need Supply Co. Artist Interview, January 20, 2013
2012 The Jealous Curator: I'm Jealous of Allison Watkins 08.13.2012
2012 Light, Miniature Garden and NSEW Collaboration, Limited Edition
2012 The Art Blog, "Optical Fiber-Quirky, Youthful, FiberPhiladelphia at Space 1026" by Alyssa Greenberg March 15, 2012
2012 Fiber Art Now Magazine, New Fibers 2012, Fall 2012, p. 6-7.
2011 Mr, X Stitch, "The Cutting (and Stitching) Edge-Allison Watkins" by Mr. X, September 29, 2011
2011 Textile Arts Center Blog, "Artist Highlight: Allison Watkins, April 26, 2011
2011 East Bay Express, "Domicile Tendencies and Residue" by DeWitt Chang
2010 Star Silver Creek, Hanging By A Thread at ICA by Loni Kao Stark
2009 Retractions, KQED online art review, by Victoria Gannon
2007 New York Times: Wild Tigers I Have Known, Photo Credit, Feb, 28. 2007. 
2007 Artweek, "NextNew 2007 and Mitra Fabian" at the San Jose ICA by David Buuck
2004 The Noww Book, juried, includes photograph, Michael Cirelli, Publisher
Shots Magazine: #84, juried, includes cover plus 4 photographs
CMYK Magazine: Issue #26

TEACHING
Lecturer, Napa Valley College, Napa, CA 2009 –Present
Lecturer, Dominican University, San Rafael, CA 2010-Present
Lecturer, Department of Art, Sonoma State University, CA 2013-2016

EDUCATION
2007 Master of Fine Arts, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
2004 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Photography, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA