Bio

Sage Paisner received a MFA in Photography and Media from the California Institute of the Arts. He earned his BFA in Studio Art from the University of New Mexico. He has been nominated for awards such as, the Baum Award for An Emerging American Photographer in January 2014, and the 5th Annual Jeunes Talents Photography Program in January 2011. He was born in Oregon in 1982. His family moved to Santa Fe, NM in 1988, where he grew up. Paisner is currently Executive Director of Foto Forum Santa Fe, special faculty at Calarts, and teaches at IAIA.

For me as a visual artist, it’s all about looking: looking and capturing that moment in time. My interest is in showing people how I look at the world and my experiences. Through photography, I’m able to do that. I look at the tropes and stereotypes in photography, film and literature that have formed the understanding of the Southwest, and with my camera I am able to deconstruct these myths.