Photography Faculty

Kimberly Mowbray

Biography

Associate Director
School of Photography

Kimberly Mowbray is a fine art photographer, educator, and academic leader based in Santa Rosa, California. She currently serves as Associate Director of Online for the School of Photography at Academy of Art University, where she has been a dedicated faculty member since 2010. Kimberly plays a key role in shaping the online learning experience through curriculum development, course authorship, and student support initiatives, while fostering meaningful connections within a diverse global student community.

Kimberly earned her MFA in Photography, with recognition, from Academy of Art University, and holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Mathematics from Sonoma State University. Her interdisciplinary academic background informs both her artistic practice and her approach to education, blending conceptual inquiry with thoughtful mentorship.

Since 2011, Kimberly has served as an Online Course Author, Online Curriculum Coordinator, and Undergraduate First Semester Retention Lead, supporting student engagement and success during critical early stages of their academic careers. She is also an Alternative Processes Workshop Instructor, specializing in wet plate collodion and cyanotypes, and has taught as a Study Abroad Instructor in Florence, Italy, through Academy of Art University and SRISA.

As a photographer, Kimberly works primarily in alternative photographic processes, using the medium to explore identity, self-awareness, and the relationship between the self and the surrounding environment. Her work often places the figure within serene landscapes, pairing stillness and introspection to reveal quiet moments of connection and reflection. Her photographs have been exhibited in national and international galleries, earning multiple Best of Show and First Place Awards, with solo exhibitions.

Kimberly is a member of the Society for Photographic Education and regularly contributes to the field as a portfolio reviewer and gallery curator. She has participated in and presented at numerous professional events, including Handcrafted Photography I at the Northwest Symposium for Alternative Process Photography in Vancouver, British Columbia; Examining the Printed Picture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artist Gallery; Document and Identity with the Society for Photographic Education; and The Simple Magic of the Plastic Camera as a guest speaker at the SF Camera Center in San Francisco.

Websites:

Try everything. Most students come in with an idea of the photographer they want to be, which can dissuade them from trying new things that can inspire and push them in different directions. The most open-minded students learn the most and often succeed in areas they did not imagine themselves in.