Biography & CV
Swett was born in Brooklyn, New York, but moved to the Westchester suburbs in 1971, when she was five. During the past 50 years, she has lived in Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland. She has lived with her husband and two children in Hanover, NH since 2003.
Swett’s photography is inspired by the relationship between people and the planet. A lifelong activist, Swett has spent the past 15 years trying to figure out what it takes for a suburban family of four to live within the planet’s means. Surrounded by creative people her entire life, Swett has used her camera to document her family and community.
It was not until the election of 2016, however, that she committed to being a full time fine art photographer. Compost was her inspiration and has become her muse and the focus of her work. Swett has traveled to New York City, Hartford, CT, Detroit, MI and throughout the Upper Valley to document compost. In addition, she collects coffee grounds and other waste from Umpleby’s Cafe & Bakery in Hanover, NH.
Swett’s Pomegranates, 2015 (one of her original Compost Compositions), has been shown multiple times and is included in the book Greenovation produced by the Audi Environmental Foundation in Germany. Her most controversial image, 2 Degrees, depicts her diplomas from Harvard and the University of Virginia in pieces in her compost pile. A play on the idea of 2 Degrees Celsius and her 2 Degrees, this particular piece illustrates her call for a ‘reframing’ of narratives.
Swett is an emerging photographer. Her work has been included in juried shows in Vermont and New Hampshire and her first solo show was at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH in 2019. She is an exhibiting member of the Vermont Center for Photography in Brattleboro, VT.
Swett’s photography is inspired by the relationship between people and the planet. A lifelong activist, Swett has spent the past 15 years trying to figure out what it takes for a suburban family of four to live within the planet’s means. Surrounded by creative people her entire life, Swett has used her camera to document her family and community.
It was not until the election of 2016, however, that she committed to being a full time fine art photographer. Compost was her inspiration and has become her muse and the focus of her work. Swett has traveled to New York City, Hartford, CT, Detroit, MI and throughout the Upper Valley to document compost. In addition, she collects coffee grounds and other waste from Umpleby’s Cafe & Bakery in Hanover, NH.
Swett’s Pomegranates, 2015 (one of her original Compost Compositions), has been shown multiple times and is included in the book Greenovation produced by the Audi Environmental Foundation in Germany. Her most controversial image, 2 Degrees, depicts her diplomas from Harvard and the University of Virginia in pieces in her compost pile. A play on the idea of 2 Degrees Celsius and her 2 Degrees, this particular piece illustrates her call for a ‘reframing’ of narratives.
Swett is an emerging photographer. Her work has been included in juried shows in Vermont and New Hampshire and her first solo show was at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH in 2019. She is an exhibiting member of the Vermont Center for Photography in Brattleboro, VT.
Shows
Open Juried Show, Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro, VT March - May, 2020
Member’s Gallery Inaugural Exhibition, AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH December 2019
“Compost Compositions,” Solo show at AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH October 11 - November 16, 2019
“Messages for the Future,” Juried Exhibition at AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH Summer 2019
“Barns & Backyard Discoveries,” A three-person show at OSHER at Dartmouth, November 2018
Publications
“Pomegranates, 2015” Greenovation, Produced by Audi Environment Foundation November, 2019
“Compost, Corn and Deep Caring,” Green Energy Times, Issue 60 March - May 2020
“Leek Soup & Salad, 2017” Harvard Art Journal, Vol. VI, Special 25th Reunion Edition, May 2018
Artist’s Talks & Workshops
“Climate Joy: How Creativity & Climate Action Can Inspire Joy & New Ways of Being” at AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH (November 2019; October 2019; August 2019)
“Waste & Our Material World,” A Conversation with Marc Morgan, Manager of the Lebanon Landfill at AVA Gallery, October 2019
“Walt Whitman & Compost: Who Knew?” A workshop in celebration of International Compost Awareness Week & the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth. At Open Door Studio, White River Junction, VT, May 30, 2019
Experience & Education
Founding Member & ongoing participant in the Sustainable Hanover Committee (2005 - present)
Career in media and education (1990 - 2008)
Masters in Teaching & Business (UVEI, Lebanon, NH 2012 & Darden School, UVA 1995)
BA, Harvard-Radcliffe College (Phi Beta Kappa, Fine Arts, 1988)
Open Juried Show, Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro, VT March - May, 2020
Member’s Gallery Inaugural Exhibition, AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH December 2019
“Compost Compositions,” Solo show at AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH October 11 - November 16, 2019
“Messages for the Future,” Juried Exhibition at AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH Summer 2019
“Barns & Backyard Discoveries,” A three-person show at OSHER at Dartmouth, November 2018
Publications
“Pomegranates, 2015” Greenovation, Produced by Audi Environment Foundation November, 2019
“Compost, Corn and Deep Caring,” Green Energy Times, Issue 60 March - May 2020
“Leek Soup & Salad, 2017” Harvard Art Journal, Vol. VI, Special 25th Reunion Edition, May 2018
Artist’s Talks & Workshops
“Climate Joy: How Creativity & Climate Action Can Inspire Joy & New Ways of Being” at AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH (November 2019; October 2019; August 2019)
“Waste & Our Material World,” A Conversation with Marc Morgan, Manager of the Lebanon Landfill at AVA Gallery, October 2019
“Walt Whitman & Compost: Who Knew?” A workshop in celebration of International Compost Awareness Week & the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth. At Open Door Studio, White River Junction, VT, May 30, 2019
Experience & Education
Founding Member & ongoing participant in the Sustainable Hanover Committee (2005 - present)
Career in media and education (1990 - 2008)
Masters in Teaching & Business (UVEI, Lebanon, NH 2012 & Darden School, UVA 1995)
BA, Harvard-Radcliffe College (Phi Beta Kappa, Fine Arts, 1988)
