Stephanie Patton (b. 1969) is a New Orleans-born multimedia artist based in Lafayette, Louisiana, known for her works across sculpture, painting, photography, video, and performance. Her practice frequently explores themes of mental and physical health, healing, comfort, and self-preservation, using humor as a device to address complex emotional states and social issues.

 

Education & Training

  • BFA in Painting: University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1993)

  • MFA in Photography: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1996)

  • Additional Studies: Artist in the Marketplace Program at The Bronx Museum of the Arts (1998), as well as comedy and writing studies at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Gotham Writers’ Workshop, and The New School in New York.

 

Artistic Style & Materials

Patton's work often incorporates vinyl and quilted mattress fabrics—materials with functional references to protection, rest, medical spaces, and domestic life. Her prominent series feature large-scale padded vinyl wall constructions and sculptural text works that play with language, idioms, and phrases carrying dual meanings (such as "please," "Grey Matter," and "Be careful what you wish for").

 

Permanent Collections

Her work is held in permanent public and foundation collections, including the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles, and the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, LA.