Photo portrait by Stirling Elmendorf
Mark lives and works in the U Street neighborhood of Washington DC. A PhD epidemiologist by training, he uses photography to explore patterns of movement in human populations, focusing on architecture as evidence of often-invisible social, environmental, and economic processes. Mark has family roots in the desert landscape of Almeria, Spain, and he is currently documenting the remains of old movie sets constructed in the region during the 1960s and 1970s.
Mark's work has been featured at various galleries in Washington DC and at Galería Acanto in Almeria, Spain and appears in the DC Art Bank and numerous individual collections. He is an active member of the Mid City Artists and the Washington Project for the Arts. He was also recently selected as a finalist for the 2011 Sondheim Prize, and four of his images were chosen by Corcoran Gallery of Art curator Amanda Maddox for inclusion in her section of the FotoDC Flash exhibit. Mark creates his own limited-edition digital prints using pigment inks on watercolor paper.
Recent Press
La Voz de Almería, “Mark Parascandola, la fotografía de lo que queda tras el ser humano,” November 28, 2011
Washington Post, “Five artists lead us down varied streets,” July 29, 2011
PinkLineProject.com, “Almerian Narratives through Abandoned Architecture” (interview), July 10, 2011
Urbanite, “Visual Arts Cliffhanger,” July 5, 2011
Baltimore Sun, “Sondheim Prize finalists engage senses, issues,” June 25, 2011
Art-full Life (Blog of BMA Director Doreen Bolger), "Sondheim Artscape Prize Exhibition: Abandoned Places," July 1, 2011
Washington Post, “Photographers Share Tips for Budding Shutterbugs,” March 11, 2011
Montgomery Gazette (Gazette.net), “Glen Echo gallery holds up 'mirror',” March 25, 2011
La Voz de Almeria, “Mark Parascandola exhibe en Washington sus fotos sobre Almeria,” March 15, 2011
Borderstan (www.borderstan.com), “Mark Parascandola: Abandoned Architecture,” January 4, 2011
Washington City Paper, “Cult: 10/29” (review), City Lights picks, November 3, 2010
Yeahbaby (bmibaby in flight magazine), “The Insider: Almeria, Spain” (interview), October-December 2010
Selected Recent Exhibitions
2011
Photo 2011: Annual Juried Mid-Atlantic Photo Exhibition, Terrace Gallery at Artisphere, Arlington, VA
Sondheim Artscape Prize: 2011 Finalists, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
Like Nowhere I've Been: Landscapes de un Sueño , Evolve Urban Arts Project, Washington DC
Flash, FotoDC, Crystal City, VA
Mirror to the World, Photoworks, Glen Echo, Maryland
Artomatic in Flight, Reagan National Airport, Arlington, VA
2010
Cult: 10/29 Group Photography Exhibition, The Gallery at Social, Washington DC
Thoreau's Legacy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington DC
Friend Request: MCA Invitational, Art 17 at Coldwell Banker, Washington DC
Social Network in the Neighborhood, DC Loft Gallery, Washington DC
2009
Spanish Ghosts: Spain’s Abandoned Architecture (solo show), Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate
Idylls, organized by the Washington Project for the Arts and the World Bank Art Program, Washington DC
This District Moment: Report from the Streets, Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center, Silver Spring MD
Stimulus, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington DC
Artomatic 2009, Washington DC
Commonalities: Mid City Artists Exhibition, Coldwell Banker, Washington DC
Love, Hope and Art, Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, Washington DC
NIH Juried Art Show, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
2008
Temporary Constructions: New Photographs by Stirling Elmendorf and Mark Parascandola, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington DC
Earth in the Balance, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington DC
Picture Equality, Critical Exposure, Washington DC
Images of Washington, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington DC
Artomatic 2008, Washington DC
Face of the World, VisArts – Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts, Rockville, MD
40X26.667: A Photographic Collaboration by Stirling Elmendorf and Mark Parascandola, Caramel, Washington DC
2007
Attainable Art III, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington, DC
Art of Mid City, Studio Gallery, Washington DC
Double Vision: The Photographic Work of Yanina Manolova and Mark Parascandola, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington DC
6th Annual International Photography Competition, Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD
Permanent Collections
DC Art Bank
Awards
Finalist, Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize
Distinguished Artist prize, Enclave Arts Competition
Memberships
Mid City Artists
Washington Project for the Arts
Publications and Press
Washington Post, “Photographers Share Tips for Budding Shutterbugs,” March 11, 2011
Borderstan (www.borderstan.com), “Mark Parascandola: Abandoned Architecture,” January 4, 2011
Washington City Paper, “Cult: 10/29” (review), City Lights picks, November 3, 2010
Yeahbaby (bmibaby in flight magazine), “The Insider: Almeria, Spain” (interview), October-December 2010
La Voz de Almeria, “Mark Parascandola: Entrevista” (interview) December 13, 2009
FotoweekDC.org “The Top 10 Must Attend Fotoweek Exhibits”
The Dupont Current November 12, 2008 “Photoweek show spotlights architectural changes”
Washington City Paper September 28, 2007 “Found Art”
Washington City Paper February 22, 2007 “Sixth Annual International Photography Competition” (review)
Washington Post Express February 15, 2007 “Weekend Pass”
Where Magazine March 2006 “Parting Shot”