Thomson

Harper Thomson is a butch lesbian photographer, poet, and multimedia artist currently living in Cincinnati, Ohio. After high school, she lived and made art all over the country, mostly in New England and Appalachia, before eventually settling in the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood of Cincinnati. Harper works with many different mediums in her practice, the primary medium being photography (both film and digital). A lot of Harper's work centers around her experiences as a queer Appalachian in the 21st-century. In the past, she has made bodies of work about life in her home state of North Carolina, her religious upbringing, and her queer community and friends. In her free time, Harper can be found discovering new music, browsing eclectic flea markets, and watching experimental horror movies.
Education
2022 - 2026
Art Academy of Cincinnati, BFA in Photography, Minor in Art History, Creative Writing, and Print Media
2020 - 2021
Maine College of Art and Design, BFA in Photography
Awards
2024
Faculty Portfolio Award
2023
AAC Alumni Scholarship
2022
Thomas Satterwhite Noble Entrance Scholarship
Exhibitions
Group
2026
Niche, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2026
Kaleidoscope, Pearlman Gallery at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2025
Beyond Color, Redtree Art Gallery and Coffee, Cincinnati OH
2024
Crazy Eight, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2024
Fotofocus: Student Reflections, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2024
2024
Fotofocus: Generations, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati OH
The Camera As Narrator, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2024
New Woman, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati OH
2024
Weston Works Art Challenge, Weston Art Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2023
Breaking Boundaries - A Retrospective: 50 Years of Images, Culture Lab LIC, New York, NY
2023
Open and Honest, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Professional Experience
2025
2025
Front of House Theater Manager, The Carnegie, Covington KY
Gallery Attendant/Curatorial Assistant, The Carnegie, Covington KY
Photography lab moniter, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2024
2024
Gallery Intern, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati OH
Curatorial/Juror Experience
2026
Assistant Curator, Kaleidoscope exhibition, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2024
Juror, Fotofocus: Generations exhibition, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati OH
2024
Assistant Curator, Fotofocus: Generations exhibiton, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati OH
2024
Assistant Curator, Crazy Eight Exhibition, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2024
Assistant Curator, The Camera as Narrator Exhibition, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
Publications
Group
2026
WAAC LIterary Magazine: Out of This World, Cincinnati OH
2024