Allison Vallant

photographer

Hello, my name is Allison Vallant. I was born in Edina, Minnesota. I grew up in a small family with a cat and an unusual view of the world. When I was small, my mother caught me making paper dolls and illustrated pop-up books for my younger sister in volumes. I now have a strong background in the fine arts, particularly drawing and painting, which continue to influence my work. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2007 and am currently working mostly in fine art, freelance, and editorial photography.

Most of my inspiration is drawn from family, personal spaces and memory, and the many fears and anxieties that I live with everyday. My work has been published in small literary arts magazines and in online galleries. My work has also begun to be shown, more recently, in small local galleries.

I hope to continue to create photographs that not only interest me, but spark a personal memory in others as well. My audience is composed of fellow artists, working professors, and the galleries and curators that I hope to build strong relationships with someday. From this point, I intend to apply for grants, contests/call for entries and attend gallery visits while working at the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis. I have always loved and been involved in theatre, and strongly believe that fine arts programming for children is where creativity begins.

I also like to play in the leaves when they fall, warm wool socks, and going out for ice cream at all hours of the night. It is a compulsion of mine to make funny and unflattering faces at the camera when being photographed. It makes me uncomfortable, I think.