Born June 16, 1945 in Easton, Maryland, Cissie received a B.F.A. degree in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1967. Fellow art student, Susan Lowe, introduced John Waters to Vincent Peranio, Cissie and other artists living in the section of Baltimore known as Fells Point. Their store front residence was called the Hollywood Bakery. Cissie worked in the exhibit design department at the Baltimore Museum of Art until the fall of 1969 when she moved to London, England. She arrived in Santa Fe in 1972 in a school bus. Her study of photography began in 1976 at the Center of the Eye in the basement of the Armory for the Arts in Santa Fe. Three years later, she pursued intensive photography instruction in the Fall residency program at the Maine Photographic Workshops. After moving to Tucson in 1980 she joined the staff at the Center for Creative Photography. She cataloged and organized the Wynn Bullock archive, and co-authored the "Wynn Bullock Archive" guide.
In 1981, she returned to Santa Fe and became an active participant in the arts and the photographic community. Her work was represented by the Scheinbaum and Russek Gallery of Photography and she was a member of the Artists' Cooperative Gallery. Cissie created a radio talk show interviewing film-makers and photographers. She served as the administrative coordinator for the Santa Fe Center of Photography, and also wrote a photo critique column for The Santa Fe Reporter. She was a photography instructor at the New Mexico School for the Deaf, the Brunn School and Santa Fe Community College. During this decade she produced the DeVargas Hotel Series, the Trashique Series and the Trashique Barbie Series.
In 1993, Cissie earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University. Providing case management and parenting education for pregnant and parenting students attending Santa Fe High School, Cissie introduced them and their children to the art of photography.
The images included on this site were made with a 35mm Nikon camera. The original negatives and color transparencies have been scanned to print in a digital format. All the images remain true to their original framing and exposure. The images are printed with archival pigment on Moab Entrada paper.
Cissie's photographs are in private collections and New Mexico State University, Las Cruses and the New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe.
In 1981, she returned to Santa Fe and became an active participant in the arts and the photographic community. Her work was represented by the Scheinbaum and Russek Gallery of Photography and she was a member of the Artists' Cooperative Gallery. Cissie created a radio talk show interviewing film-makers and photographers. She served as the administrative coordinator for the Santa Fe Center of Photography, and also wrote a photo critique column for The Santa Fe Reporter. She was a photography instructor at the New Mexico School for the Deaf, the Brunn School and Santa Fe Community College. During this decade she produced the DeVargas Hotel Series, the Trashique Series and the Trashique Barbie Series.
In 1993, Cissie earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University. Providing case management and parenting education for pregnant and parenting students attending Santa Fe High School, Cissie introduced them and their children to the art of photography.
The images included on this site were made with a 35mm Nikon camera. The original negatives and color transparencies have been scanned to print in a digital format. All the images remain true to their original framing and exposure. The images are printed with archival pigment on Moab Entrada paper.
Cissie's photographs are in private collections and New Mexico State University, Las Cruses and the New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe.