Laura Husar Garcia 

My work investigates the study of wonder, hope and endurance of the human spirit during today's unprecedented global changes. I use historical photographic processes, large format, toy and digital cameras. I also create one-of-a-kind collections on varying organic materials, alongside my limited edition works on paper. My recent work reflects a life-long passion for sharing the ecstatic whispers of nature with those who need it most. I'm frequently found in the river next to my home, incorporating art as a daily practice of hope and meditation. 

I was born into a family of storytellers. At age 7, I brought my camera on adventures alongside my father, who was a conservation writer. On early mornings I spun the family globe and wherever my finger landed, that was the Chicago ethnic neighborhood we explored for the day. My father wrote stories about the people we met and their connection with nature, while I made photographs with my Kodak Instamatic. My passion for visual storytelling led to a career as a photographer by way of Santa Fe and Mexico. 

I've documented the intimacies of the human spirit and the fragility of nature for more than 30 years. My work has been exhibited widely, including The Barcelona Foto Biennial, The Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography in Prague, Fotofever at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, France, The Polish Museum of America in Chicago, The Griffin Museum in Massachusetts, Fotofest Biennial in Houston, Photo Independent in Los Angeles, Tilt Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, among others. I am a first place winner of the International Julia Margaret Cameron Photography Award for Women, a co-winner of a 1st place Community Grant from the Illinois Humanities Council and a Photolucida Critical Mass top 200 finalist. My photographs have been published in several books, including “America At Home: A Close-up Look at How We Live”, which is one of the largest collaborative photography projects in publishing history. My work has also been published in The New York Times, National Geographic Magazine and Newsweek, Slate Magazine, Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), Le Monde (France) and more. 

I was a photographer in Santa Fe, NM and Mexico, where my foundation as an artist took root, before returning to Chicago where I also became a creative director and curator. I live with my husband Alex, who is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, our two children and a yellow lab named Blue.