Jacque Rupp is a fine-art photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area whose most recent work uses image and story to question the labels society assigns to us — widow, grandmother, wife — and to imagine what lies beyond them. She challenges stereotypes, opens new possibilities, and sparks conversations that shift the way we see ourselves. She is a visual storyteller.

A lifelong cinephile, Rupp’s work is deeply inspired by the moving image — its mood, its framing, its ability to hold tension and ambiguity. That cinematic sensibility runs through her practice — with herself as subject — moving between the real and the imagined to explore feminine identity and purpose with unflinching honesty.

Rupp studied photography at Stanford University, the Los Angeles Center of Photography, and the Santa Fe Workshops, building on a lifelong commitment to the visual arts. She holds an MBA from Santa Clara University and her background in leadership roles in Silicon Valley’s high-tech industry brings both creative vision and strategic thinking to her practice. She serves on the Advisory Board for UNAFF (United Nations Affiliated Film Festival).

Her photographs are held in private collections and have been exhibited in international shows and publications. Rupp was selected as a Critical Mass finalist in 2022 and 2023.

ARTIST STATEMENT

“Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.” — Susan Sontag

As the daughter of a psychologist, I grew up curious about people — what drives them, what shapes them, what they keep hidden. Late-night conversations with my father taught me to ask those questions. That curiosity never left me. It just found a different language.

I am drawn to meaning and depth — to what lies beneath the surface of a life, a face, a room. I grew up watching people refuse to be limited by the label’s others placed on them — my father, and women in my life, who quietly resisted. That quiet shaped me.

I am particularly interested in how women have been shaped by the labels and stereotypes placed upon them — and how, quietly and often without witness, they have pushed past them to define themselves on their own terms. It is a story that has unfolded so quickly over the past century, and one that is still being written.

I am a storyteller — forever curious, learning from other cultures, films, literature, the full range of human expression. My images carry a noir sensibility: shadow and light, the unspoken, the moment just before or just after. The camera has been my tool for learning, and for telling. My hope is that the images open conversations and leave room for others to find themselves inside them.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Awards

2024

Harvey Milk Photo Book Selection - Harvey Milk Photo Center - San Francisco, CA

2023

Jurored Participant - Review Santa Fe 2023, CENTER, Santa Fe, NM Review

Critical Mass 2023 Finalist

Honorable Mention – Self Portraits Women Seen by Women - 20th Julia Margaret Cameron Award

Merit Award - All About Photo.com Magazine 29 Women

2022

Critical Mass 2022 Finalist

Curator’s Choice - South x Southeast Photo-magazine - Dec/Jan issue

Honorable Mention – Self Portraits Women Seen by Women - 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award

Spotlight Award - Black & White Magazine

2021

Honorable Mention – Self Portraits Women Seen by Women – 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Award

First Merit Award – All About Photo Magazine #18 B&W

2020

First Merit Award – All About Photo Magazine #12 B&W

Honorable Mention – Foothill Community College, Los Altos Hills, CA, The Corrective Lens – Mamen Saura and Ron Herman

Silver Award – San Francisco Bay International Photography, featured on Boka Boka – David Garnick

2019

Silver Award – San Francisco Bay International Photography – featured on Boka Boka – David Garnick

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2024

Krause Center for Innovation Gallery - Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA - The Red Purse

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024

Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA - Maverick Photographers

Center for Photographic Arts, Carmel, CA – 2024 International Juried Exhibition – Elizabeth Avedon

Center for Photographic Arts, Carmel, CA – 2024 Members’ Juried Exhibition – Catherine Couturier

2023

Center for Photographic Arts, Carmel, CA – 2023 Members’ Juried Exhibition – Hamida Glascow

PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT – Portrait: Self, Others - Juried Exhibition – Elizabeth Avedon

2022

Center for Photographic Arts, Carmel, CA – 2022 Members’ Juried Exhibition – Crista Dix

Los Angeles Center Photography - 2nd Annual Project Exhibition - Ann Jastrab Exhibited at the Holiday Party

SxSE Gallery - Constructions/Connections - Jennifer McClure

2021

Los Angeles Center of Photography - The Creative Portrait Members Exhibition - Aline Smithson and Dr. LeRonn P. Brooks

Art Ventures Gallery – Our Essential Farmers and Farm Workers – Photographs by Mark Tuschman with supplemental photos by Jacque Rupp – August 24th-31st

Davis Orton Gallery 7th Annual Group Show Online – Paula Tognarelli

Griffin Museum – critic's pick gallery online for the 27th juried show – Paula Tognarelli

Center for Photography, Greenville, SC – Memory – Fran Forman

The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art and School of Performing and Visual Arts – 2020: An International Juried Photography Exhibition" – Betty Press

2020

Center for Photographic Arts, Carmel, CA – 2020 International Juried Online Exhibition – Aline Smithson

Center for Photographic Arts, Carmel, CA – 2020 Members’ Juried Exhibition – Ann Jastrab and Laura Sackett

Praxis Photo Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN – The Still Life – Ann Jastrab

Krause Center of Innovation Gallery - Foothill College, Los Alto Hills, CA – The Corrective Lens – Ron Herman and Mamen Saura