Noelle McCleaf is an artist who explores themes of memory, relationship, and identity in the landscape of South Florida.

Born and raised in Virginia, Noelle received her BFA from the Ringling College of Art and Design and her MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, both with a concentration in Photography. Her work has been shown in national and international exhibitions, including at the Camden Image Gallery in London, The Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida, The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado, and at the Slow Exposures photography festival in Zebulon, Georgia. Publications that have featured her work include Blink Magazine, Fraction Magazine, Southern Glossary, Accent Magazine, Feature Shoot, Lenscratch and Plates-to-Pixels.

She currently lives and works in Sarasota, Florida as an exhibiting artist and Full Time Faculty in Photography and Imaging at the Ringling College of Art and Design. 


Education

2006-2008 Master of Fine Arts, Photography, Minneapolis College of Art and Design

2002-2006 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Photography, Ringling College of Art and Design

Selected Exhibitions 

2024 Shopliftable, 502 Gallery, Sarasota, Florida

Ringling College of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition, Stulburg Gallery, Sarasota, Florida

Slow Exposures, Photography of the Rural South, Zebulon, Georgia

2023 Cuerpo Territorio: Reverberations of Belonging, The Hand Art Center, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida

SPE South Central Exhibition, The Corn Center for Visual Arts at CSU, Columbus, Georgia

Duplicator, The Department of Contemporary Art, Tampa, Florida 

Slow Exposures, Celebrating Photography of the Rural South, Zebulon, Georgia 

2022 Reverberations, Slow Exposures Pop-up Exhibition, Noelle McCleaf and Felicia E. Gail, A Novel Experience, Zebulon, Georgia 

Ringling College of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition, Stulburg Gallery, Sarasota, Florida

SPE Women's, WE the Women's Caucus Exhibition, Searching for Life: Regrowth and Display, Xavier University Art Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio 

2021 The Creative Portrait, Los Angeles Center for Photography, Juried by Aline Smithson, Los Angeles, California 

FLA: The Art of All Things Florida, Mize Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida

Context, Juried by Juli Lowe, Filter Photo, Chicago, Illinois 

Ringling College of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition, Stulberg Gallery, Sarasota, Florida 

2020 A Yellow Rose Project, Indiana University

2019 Viewpoint, Gaze Modern, Sarasota, Florida

Illumination, Ritual, Reflection, Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston, South Carolina  

Diffusion, Southeast Center for Photography, Greenville, South Carolina                             

Life of Water, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Ft. Colins, Colorado      

2018 Kindred: Recent Photographs by Noelle McCleaf, Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery, Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota Florida 

Docuflorida II: Projections and Prints, Featured Artist, T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida Museum

Slow Exposures, Photography of the Rural South, Zebulon, Georgia

2017 Now You See Me, Now You Don't: Noelle McCleaf, Selina Roman, and Karen Arango M. Chapel Projects, Sarasota, Florida 

Intangible Corporeal, The Art Center, Sarasota, Florida

In Process, 3080 N Washington Blvd, Sarasota, Florida

2016 The Blue Library Vol. 2: Conversations, Noelle McCleaf and Michael McCraw, Antenna, New Orleans, Louisiana

Annual Ringling College of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition, Sarasota, Florida 

The Rural South, Slow Exposures Photography Exhibition, Zebulon, Georgia

2015 The Ones We Love, Camden Image Gallery, London

The Ringling Underground, The Ringling Museum, Sarasota, Florida 

Key Influence, Exhibition and Residency at Longboat Key Center for the Arts, Sarasota, Florida

Here and Now, SARTQ’s Inaugural Exhibition, State of the Arts Gallery, Sarasota, Florida

2014 The Blue Library Photo Book Exhibition New Orleans, Louisiana

Open, Juried by Shane Lavalette, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado 

The Rural South, Slow Exposures Photography Exhibition, Zebulon, Georgia

2013 Photo Nola Finale Slideshow, Cathedral Creative Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana 

2012 Accumulation: MCAD MFA Retrospective, Whittier Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

2011 A Bee in Her Bonnet, Solo Exhibition, Altered Esthetics, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Art-i-facts, MCAD Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Home, Altered Esthetics, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Woman as Photographer, Minneapolis Photo Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Women: Relationship and Identity, Homewood Studios, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Publications and Features 

2023 20 Mamiya 7 Photographers You Need to Know in 2023, Analog Forever Magazine 

2021 Booooooom.com,“Orange Crush” by Photographer Noelle McCleaf 

2020 Then & Now: 25 Years of MCAD MFA

Noelle McCleaf Tells the Stories of Women and Florida Through Photography, Sarasota Magazine

A Yellow Rose Project, Featured Artist

Strange Fire Collective, Interview with Hamidah Glasgow 

Don't Take Pictures, Photo of the Day, March 15

2019 Feminist Photography Network, Featured Artist

2018 Diffusion Annual IX

On Death, Humble Arts Foundation Group Show #58

A Brief Interview with Noelle McCleaf, Strant Magazine 

Don't Smile, Year Two, Featured Artist

2017 Ain't-Bad Curator's Choice with Richard McCabe, Issue No. 12

Humble Arts Foundation Group Show 53: On Beauty 

The Female Gaze: Portraits, Don’t Smile Magazine

Mother and Daughter, Edge of Humanity Magazine 

Southern Glossary, Issue #3, Winter 2017

2016 Papersafe + Nomadic Bookshelf, Issue #7: The Wild 

Incandescent: A Color Film Zine, Issue #10

Southern Glossary Interview 

2015 Plates-to-Pixels Gallery 

Lenscratch

Faces of Fraction 

2014 The Ones We Love

Accent Magazine Issue 6

Feature Shoot 

BETA, Oranbeg Press, Edition of 200 Cards in a VHS Cassette Box

Rural Life, Zine with The American Guide

Color Space Editions 

2013 Don/Dean Interview 

Fraction Magazine Issue #52

A New Romance, Oranbeg Press

Feature Shoot

Lectures and Panels 

2023 Visiting Artist Lecture, The Hand Art Center, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida

2022 Slow Exposures Pop-up Artist Talk, Noelle McCleaf and Felicia E. Gail

2018 Kindred: Recent Photographs by Noelle McCleaf, Lecture and Panel

Docuflorida II: Projections and Prints, Featured Artist, Lecture and Q&A

2017 Panel Discussion, The Artist’s Mind/The Curator’s Vision, Art Center Sarasota

2016 Monday Lecture Series: Noelle McCleaf, Ringling College of Art and Design

2012 The Staged Photograph with Sally Pettibon, Ringling College of Art and Design 

2011 College of Visual Arts, St. Paul, Minnesota

2009 The Photographic Idea with David Goldes, Minneapolis College of Art and Design

2008 Panel Discussion, Recent Photographs from 9 Women, University Center Rochester, Minnesota 

Awards and Grants 

2019 Director's Award, Life of Water, Center for Fine Art Photography

2014 Open, Juried by Shane Lavalette, Center for Fine Art Photography, Honorable Mention 

The Rural South, Slow Exposures Photography Exhibition, Honorable Mention

2013 Review Santa Fe Participant

2011 Altered Esthetics Solo Exhibition Program

2010 35th Anniversary International Women Exhibition, Honorable Mention, Professional Women Photographers

Faces Exhibition, Honorable Mention, Women In Photography International

2008 Master of Fine Arts Trustee Scholarship and Opportunity Grant, Minneapolis College of Art and Design 

2007 Master of Fine Arts Trustee Scholarship and Opportunity Grant, Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Curator and Juror Experience 

2021 Juror, Sarasota Architectural Photography Juried Exhibition, Art Center Sarasota

2020 Curator, Earth Mother/Mother Earth, Don’t Smile

2018 Juror, Photo Club Show, Southern Utah University 


Using Format