Catherine Edelman Gallery opened in 1987 quickly establishing itself as one of the leading galleries in the Midwest devoted exclusively to the art of photography. From its inception, the goal of the gallery was to exhibit prominent contemporary photographers alongside new & young talent, showcasing a broad range of subject matter and photographic techniques. Debuting with the Ballad of Sexual Dependency by Nan Goldin, CEG has shown everything from street photography (Susan Meiselas, Sebastiao Salgado, James Nachtwey) to fashion photography (Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts, Matthew Rolston) to traditional landscape images (Michael Kenna, Lynn Geesaman) to social-conscious work (Richard Misrach, Jeffrey Wolin, Terry Evans, Allen Ginsberg) to images created as a springboard for story-telling (Joel-Peter Witkin, Elizabeth Ernst, Dan Estabrook) etc.
Working closely with magazine editors and book publishers, Catherine Edelman Gallery co-published Written in Memory: Portraits of the Holocaust, photographs by Jeffrey Wolin, in association with Chronicle Books; Pressure, photographs by Joe Ziolkowski, in association with Pohlmann Press; What Were You Thinking, celebrating the 15 year anniversary of the gallery, in association with Paper Mirror Press; Iron Beauties, a monograph on the work of Chicago photographer Michelle Keim, published by Nazraeli Press.
Recent shows at the gallery include a major exhibition, Killer Shots: A Photographic Response to War, curated in 2003 by Catherine Edelman as a response to the war in Iraq. The show featured 34 photographers and showcased photographs from numerous conflicts starting with Vietnam and moving to the present. The exhibit traveled to Indiana University Art Gallery and San Francisco Camerawork. In 2001, Edelman curated Others Among Us: Works of the Amish, Hutterites & Mennonites, featuring work by Kristin Capp, George Tice, Larry Towell & Laura Wilson. The show debuted in Chicago and traveled to The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Iowa. Other exhibitions include one person shows by Joel-Peter Witkin, Julie Blackmon, Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison and Bruce Davidson.
The "Upstairs" was founded in 1978 in the upstairs bedroom of a local artist. Today we occupy a handsomely renovated building with over 3000 square feet of exhibition space in three separate galleries. The exhibitions change every two months and are typically developed around a theme. The exhibits are curated by experienced Board members and we have a strong schedule of programs designed to educate children and adults through tours, lectures, workshops, demonstrations, films and classes in local schools.