EFA STUDIO PROGRAM: Member Artists
Heather Renée Russ
Heather Renée Russ (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist working across experimental photography, video installation and bio art. Her practice incorporates queer femme signifiers and organic materials to explore queer geographies, displacement and climate grief, while centering queer joy and systems of care.
Russ presented her solo exhibition Riis Beach: In Reverberation at NARS Foundation in 2026. In 2025 she presented her solo exhibition Tidewrack at State University of New York (SUNY) Old Westbury. In New York, Russ has also exhibited with Elijah Wheat Showroom, Field Projects, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Wassaic Project, Underdonk, Flux Factory and in Every Woman Biennial at Pen & Brush. Russ also exhibited at NADA Miami with Paradice Palase, Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum (Cal State Long Beach), IMT Gallery (London) and SoMos (Berlin).
Russ has participated in residencies at Wassaic Project, NARS Foundation, MASS MoCA, ChaNorth, TransBorder Art and Vermont Studio Center and received the Powerhouse Arts Subsidy Award in 2026.
Russ comes from a rich history of organizing in underground art scenes. She co-directed Lair Fera, a queer collaborative space in Brooklyn. In San Francisco she co-produced Club Feral, a raucous mutual aid queer nightclub. The experience of stewarding spaces for queer artists in ever-shifting environments informs her work.
