One of the first things that Kate Warren G鈥�24 did when she took over the was to figure out how to sustain excellence. And then try to improve on it.
鈥淐NY Pride was already doing great work,鈥� recalls the self-styled photographic artist, who has co-led festivities with Carin Wolfe G鈥�17, G鈥�18 since 2021. 鈥淲e just shifted the parade lineup from a logistical exercise to a festive block party.鈥�
Kate Warren G鈥�24 at the CNY Pride Parade and Festival, which she co-directs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a call to action,鈥� says the acclaimed photographer who teaches at 51爆料网. (Photo by Andrea Kennedy)
No small feat to be sure. Converting the 40-year-old parade鈥檚 staging lot into a vibrant street party is a labor of love for Warren. A point of pride, so to speak. Among her and Wolfe鈥檚 many responsibilities are vendor recruitment, programming, logistics and operations.
The duo also is part of an intrepid team of volunteers, including CNY Pride鈥檚 board of directors, that provides year-round programming, advocacy and support to the area鈥檚 LGBTQIA+ community.
鈥淐NY Pride reflects our perseverance and resilience,鈥� says Warren, noting the 鈥渏uxtaposition of identities鈥� in New York鈥檚 Rust Belt Region, including a particularly large working-class queer community.
For this reason, Warren considers the CNY Pride Parade and Festival a 鈥渃all to action.鈥� 鈥淚 want to help create a safer, more welcoming world for everyone,鈥� she adds.
A Palpable Influence
Warren鈥檚 work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Elle, Harper鈥檚 Bazaar and Vanity Fair.
鈥淚 knew a lot about color theory, texture and visual balance before I entered middle school,鈥� says Warren, who grew up in rural Vermont.
Syracuse鈥攖he city and the university鈥攊s like a second home to Warren, who resides in New York鈥檚 Hudson Valley. She commutes to campus weekly to teach photography in the (VPA) and the .
It was Warren鈥檚 desire to teach that compelled her to apply for VPA鈥檚 . Honing her classroom skills while working alongside such prominent professors as Doug DuBois, Laura Heyman and Susannah Sayler was a dream come true.
鈥淜ate was an enthusiastic and motivated teaching assistant, always brimming with ideas and passion,鈥� DuBois recalls. He credits the success of this year鈥檚 graduating class of B.F.A. art photography majors, in part, to her 鈥減alpable influence and enthusiasm.鈥�
Warren takes the praise in stride, insisting that teaching is a reciprocal process鈥攁 two-way street where students should be treated as 鈥渇uture colleagues.鈥�
鈥淥n the first day of class, I tell my students that I鈥檓 here to give them knowledge, information and support鈥攖ools they can use regardless of their career path,鈥� says the VPA part-time instructor, whose impactful photography has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Elle, Harper鈥檚 Bazaar and Vanity Fair. 鈥淭eaching is an extension of my personal values.鈥�
A Keen Eye for Beauty
Warren discovered photography鈥檚 鈥渓inguistic possibilities鈥� while studying abroad. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I realized art could unite people in unique ways,鈥� she says.
Born and raised in rural Vermont, Warren came from a conservative Catholic background. She acknowledges the 鈥渢rauma and challenges鈥� of growing up queer in such an environment. 鈥淭he Church鈥檚 stance on LGBTQIA+ people was traumatic and directly contributed to my closeting,鈥� admits Warren, who didn鈥檛 come out until her mid-thirties.
At the same time, Catholicism instilled in Warren values like compassion and empathy, which have since spilled over into her work as an artist, teacher and community organizer.
She also fell in love with the Church鈥檚 sense of occasion鈥攖he tapestry of words, actions and music that defines public worship. 鈥淚 love me a full-chorus number,鈥� she quips.
Meanwhile, Warren鈥檚 mother introduced Kate to the reflective nature of quilting; her father, to the imaginative world of photography. And with Vermont鈥檚 lush countryside as her personal playground, she developed a keen eye for natural beauty.
鈥淭hose experiences shaped my aesthetic language,鈥� says Warren, who also is trained in dance, fiber arts and ceramics.
Drawn to the social aspects of creativity, Warren didn鈥檛 seriously pursue photography until high school.
That didn鈥檛 stop her from eventually studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, where, as a marketing major at Marist University, she discovered photography鈥檚 linguistic qualities.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 speak the language, so I communicated with strangers through my camera,鈥� Warren remembers. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I realized art could unite people in unique ways.鈥�
A Trust-Based Connection
Intimacy, memory and grief are common themes of Warren鈥檚 work.
After graduation, Warren found herself in Washington, D.C., apprenticing with a well-known photographer. She quickly learned the ropes of running a small business and, in time, was competing against him for the same jobs.
Work followed, along with recognition from the Lucie Foundation, the British Journal of Photography, American Photography and the Athens Photo Festival.
Warren鈥檚 recent move to the City of Hudson, a burgeoning arts hub about two hours north of New York City, has pushed her career in new directions. These days, she鈥檚 an in-demand editorial and commercial photographer who collaborates exclusively with 鈥渧alue-aligned clients.鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 also working on my first book,鈥� she says excitedly.
When she鈥檚 not serving on the board of OUT Hudson, Warren can be found running Golden Kin, an 鈥渋nspiring and restorative space鈥� for LGBTQIA+ artists and those of color. She also is the editorial and community outreach director for Toolshed, a Hudson-based nonprofit that shares tools for ecological living.
As an artist, Warren leans into life鈥檚 sharp edges, using 鈥渧ulnerability as a catalyst for connection.鈥� Intimacy, memory and grief are common themes of her work.
鈥淢y art centers on trust-based connection, with the primary output being how I make the person I鈥檓 photographing feel,鈥� says Warren, whose process is imbued with collaboration, consent and care. 鈥淚t can be incredibly healing to be seen in such an intimate way. The image is secondary; it鈥檚 proof of our mutual bond.鈥�
