Elise Gardella is an artist curious about the disruptions and harmonies in individual lives and social groups. Working in photography, drawing, and moving image she tracks personal situations, through various forms of self-portraiture; and political scenes, primarily by collaborative projects. Influenced by literature, feminism, and spiritual questions—she creates visual stories in dialogue with her pervasive hopes. She presented at The Whitney-Peace Tower Event; 16 Beaver Group-Continental Drift; and FEELTANK-Pathogeographies and has shown internationally. As Friends of William Blake she and other artists created The New Yorkers’ Guide to Military Recruitment in the 5 Boroughs and The People’s Guide to the Republican National Convention; and she designed the Baghdad Snapshot Action. Publications include MaximumRocknRoll, Punk Planet. She ran the artist salon ::Presenting at 17:: from 2012 - 2017. Elise has an MFA in photography from Bard College.