Biography

Jesse was a successful advertising and marketing executive who had an epiphany, walked away from his career and began traveling and taking pictures. Today, his photography is in the permanent collections of museums around the world from The Louvre to the Smithsonian to Museum of Fine Arts, Houston among many others. Of note, the first photographs of Barack Obama acquired by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History were his.

In keeping with the way Jesse grew up, he believes that everyone should have access to affordable art. Today, reproductions of Jesse's work are sold at some of America’s premier travel destinations including The Grand Canyon, The Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building. In addition, his photography graces the rooms and public space of hotels across the nation, including Sheratons, Marriotts, Hiltons, Best Westerns and much more. “Interior Designers and their clients are the new Medici’s of the world,” Jesse says. “These folks appreciate art and, through smart business practices on their end and ours, are able to fund its creation. Clearly, without these faithful customers, my art would not exist.”

Selected pieces from his "Human Race at Work" collection were on exhibit at The Oakland Museum of California for one year and his work has been exhibited at Chicago's Field Museum, Photo S.F., Photo L.A., San Francisco's Commonwealth Club, The Stephen Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles and David Streets Beverly Hills.

Jesse's book "if you find the Buddha" was published by Chronicle Books and released in 2006 to great reviews. "If You Find The Buddha" includes 93 images which Jesse captured in both the U.S. and in Thailand each of which depict Buddha as part of everyday life and has a forward written by celebrated author Jeff Greenwald ("Shopping for Buddhas" and "The Size of the World"). You can learn more about the book at www.ifyoufindthebuddha.com.

Robert Flynn Johnson, Curator of The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, has declared Jesse, “A talented artist,” while Drew Johnson, the Photography Curator at The Oakland Museum of California calls Jesse, "an important photographer in the tradition of Dorothea Lange."

"I came back to photography in my early 30's," Jesse says, "when I began traveling and bought a point and shoot camera to capture a few snapshots. But when I looked through the viewfinder, everything changed. Where I expected to see a snapshot, I saw instead a photograph. Where I expected to see memories, I found meaning. Where I expected to see something frivolous, I found instead my voice."

You may have seen Jesse dispense photography tips on TechTV's "ScreenSavers." If you live in North Carolina, you may have seen Jesse on the NBC-11 Morning Show, or if you live in San Francisco, you may have seen Jesse on NBC-11 Mornings at Ten or the KRON-4 Morning Show where he has been a frequent guest, or heard him interviewed about his work on KFOG Radio. If you listen to National Public Radio, you may also have heard Jesse. He has been a commentator for Marketplace and tells stories for Day to Day, Weekend America, The Savvy Traveler and The State of Things.

In 2006, Jesse signed an agreement to lead photo expeditions for Regent Seven Seas Cruises as part of their inaugural "Circles of Interest" programs. "This was an exciting development," Jesse says, explaining that it allowed him to share his passion for photography with like-minded folks and all in a fabulous setting. Jesse has led photo expeditions from Alaska to Europe and he is on the faculty of the Maine Media Workshops. His work has been featured in Black and White Magazine, Interior Design Magazine, noted in The New York Times and the focus of an ad for Nikon.

"I am fascinated by the world we live in," Kalisher says, "and I consider myself lucky to be able to photograph it.”

Artist Statement

"I am attracted equally to stories, ideas and aesthetic. The challenge I set for myself is to find moments and create pictures that stimulate the viewer on more than one level. A great photograph (for me) is one in which both the aesthetic and the meaning fight equally for our attention. It’s easy to create a pretty picture. It’s easy to create a photograph with a meaningful story. But create a picture that has both elements and you’ve got a treasure. These images are rare and difficult to make, and thus my most treasured achievement.

I deny the need to focus on a single style or category. Making one’s reputation creating the same artistic concept repeatedly is over-rated and I would die of boredom were I required to do so. Instead, I thrive on finding new challenges with my camera and exploring a full range of subject matter from street photography to landscapes to architecture.

I believe in the camera as a vehicle for capturing what actually exists in life, as a window into human achievement and the human condition. I see my role, therefore, as an observer. If I manage to capture something with my camera that strikes a chord in others, one which perhaps amuses or enlightens, or even accomplishes both at once, then I have succeeded at something wonderful."

— Jesse Kalisher

Contact Information

Jesse Kalisher Gallery
209 E. Main Street
Carrboro, NC 27510

Email:
Phone: (919) 967-4300
Fax: (919) 929-4833

BY APPOINTMENT