Cathy Edelman
![Portrait of Cathy Edelman](/sites/default/files/styles/square_500x500/public/Elledge_190927_3501_APA_CE_077_clean.jpeg?h=4c1fc98e&itok=hmXbHYes)
BFA '85
There are a few things I constantly say: Only you know what you don't know, therefore seek out a mentor and learn; every artist needs to take the mirror test … look themselves in the mirror and decide if what they are doing is honest. If it isn’t, there's no failure in pursuing something else, as time is valuable.
December 1, 2021, marked the 34-year anniversary of Catherine Edelman Gallery, a venue for contemporary fine art photography in Chicago. Since its founding in 1987, the gallery has established itself as one of the leading galleries in the US devoted to the exhibition of prominent living photographers, alongside new & young talent. The gallery showcases a broad range of subject matter, attracting both the seasoned collector and first-time buyer. In May of 2019, CEG moved to a 4400 sq ft space, expanding its program to include artists readings and panel discussions, with a larger exhibition space and dedicated video room, as we seek to expand the vocabulary of photography. Our website provides a wealth of information, including artist talks, interviews with art world professionals, and extensive educational material. To date, CEG has hosted more than 250 public exhibitions, featuring more than 200 artists. In 2018, Cathy also co-founded CASE Art Fund, an Illinois based nonprofit that raises awareness about children’s human rights through the support and exhibition of photography.
![Installation view of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Several photographs are pictured hanging on the white, gallery walls.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_01.jpg?h=3a0c34ca&itok=ucjWsAnD)
![Installation view of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Several photographs are pictured hanging on the white, gallery walls; a table in the foreground has objects under a plexiglass case.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_03.jpg?h=ecd2ef86&itok=O3e9M4oE)
![Installation view of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Various ephemera including photographs, documents and sketches are pinned to the white, gallery walls in clear plastic bags.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_11.jpg?h=bc70d091&itok=N-6Y7MAh)
![Detail view from installation of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Photography equipment, scraps of paper, open notebooks and photographs with handwritten notes are displayed on a table in the gallery space.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_16.jpg?h=bd060f21&itok=Q8TF9oQ5)
![Installation view of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Several photographs are pictured hanging on the white, gallery walls.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_01.jpg?h=ed0ea6f1&itok=UIdYI02o)
![Installation view of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Several photographs are pictured hanging on the white, gallery walls; a table in the foreground has objects under a plexiglass case.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_03.jpg?h=ed0ea6f1&itok=-9uLLHAM)
![Installation view of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Various ephemera including photographs, documents and sketches are pinned to the white, gallery walls in clear plastic bags.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_11.jpg?h=ed0ea6f1&itok=enygazVv)
![Detail view from installation of Joel-peter Witkin: From The Studio at Catherine Edelman Gallery. Photography equipment, scraps of paper, open notebooks and photographs with handwritten notes are displayed on a table in the gallery space.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/Witkin_2019_16.jpg?h=decf323b&itok=In4rCc7B)
![Installation view of What is Home? At Catherine Edelman Gallery. Photographs adorn the white gallery walls in the background; a green, artificial turf carpet with a multicolored beach towel and blue beach chair are set up on the floor, surrounded by a thin cable. A sign reading “What is Home?” is on the far left wall.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome01.jpg?h=a9e018c5&itok=KHTjXOn0)
![Installation view of What is Home? At Catherine Edelman Gallery. Two framed and mounted photographs adorn the white gallery walls on the right, while a black screen displays a still image from a multimedia work.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome24.jpg?h=6495a99b&itok=dtWve5om)
![Installation view of What is Home? At Catherine Edelman Gallery. Several photographs are suspended on a wire secured by binder clips. The artwork is casting a set of grayscale shadows against the gallery wall.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome14.jpg?h=b3a16d4b&itok=GmY_pjQW)
![Keliy Anderson-Staley’s “Shelter in Place,” a large constructed house-like building made from blackened aluminum sheathing is covered in 560 tintypes, looms against white gallery walls in this installation view of “What is Home?” at Catherine Edelman Gallery.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome19.jpg?h=3a0c34ca&itok=T3yMNvP8)
![Installation view of What is Home? At Catherine Edelman Gallery. Photographs adorn the white gallery walls in the background; a green, artificial turf carpet with a multicolored beach towel and blue beach chair are set up on the floor, surrounded by a thin cable. A sign reading “What is Home?” is on the far left wall.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome01.jpg?h=840e53c5&itok=HBlmt0Ns)
![Installation view of What is Home? At Catherine Edelman Gallery. Two framed and mounted photographs adorn the white gallery walls on the right, while a black screen displays a still image from a multimedia work.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome24.jpg?h=6eff88e9&itok=9XgBxEtN)
![Installation view of What is Home? At Catherine Edelman Gallery. Several photographs are suspended on a wire secured by binder clips. The artwork is casting a set of grayscale shadows against the gallery wall.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome14.jpg?h=85d7d14d&itok=xpHRJ2r9)
![Keliy Anderson-Staley’s “Shelter in Place,” a large constructed house-like building made from blackened aluminum sheathing is covered in 560 tintypes, looms against white gallery walls in this installation view of “What is Home?” at Catherine Edelman Gallery.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-01/_whatishome19.jpg?h=95ac2b19&itok=K69JgL7S)
![Erik, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, Marseille, June, 2013](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-02/Erik%20Basilique%20Notre-Dame%20de%20la%20Garde%2C%20Marseille.%20Juin%202013_0.jpg?h=ecd2ef86&itok=CYd1XfTf)
![Séville. Novembre 2013](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-02/Se%CC%81ville.%20Novembre%202013.jpg?h=0594a6de&itok=SZDzznY6)
![Erik NY bar, 2014](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-02/Erik%20NY%20bar%2C%202014.jpg?h=ba709061&itok=rufgUjlp)
![The Pope - Lea Lund & Erik K](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-02/The%20Pope%20GRA2016_242-U_F3.jpg?h=30ccb06f&itok=GTKoNVde)
![Erik, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, Marseille, June, 2013](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-02/Erik%20Basilique%20Notre-Dame%20de%20la%20Garde%2C%20Marseille.%20Juin%202013_0.jpg?h=ed0ea6f1&itok=pGZO2bjX)
![Séville. Novembre 2013](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-02/Se%CC%81ville.%20Novembre%202013.jpg?h=76c34ddf&itok=hlld5rxL)
![Erik NY bar, 2014](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-02/Erik%20NY%20bar%2C%202014.jpg?h=8d3ca15a&itok=SmnbmLmI)
![The Pope - Lea Lund & Erik K](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-02/The%20Pope%20GRA2016_242-U_F3.jpg?h=7d3142a3&itok=sg6Pi8sz)