My Proulx found an outlet in the arts from an early age.
“I was really introverted, so reading books and making art, preferably outside in a tree somewhere, was really my ideal situation,” says Proulx, who grew up on Flint’s northside and went to school in the Westwood Heights district. “I just see life as a series of stories put together and I really consider myself not only an observer or a witness to those stories, but a conduit.”
Proulx has a master’s degree in education, a bachelor’s degree in English literature and language, and art in a variety of mediums has always been a part of her life.
“I like to share stories verbally and visually,” she says. “I've always stolen any spare moment I could find to doodle, draft, or design. It's a compulsion that's followed me all the way through school.”
Proulx will begin teaching courses in photography at the FIA’s Art School in the fall, and hopes to impart those passions to her students.
“This is my first semester teaching at the Flint Institute of Arts, and I couldn't be more excited!,” she says. “I'll be offering photography courses with a variety of focuses, including nature, street, and portrait photography for learners of all ages.”
Proulx produces lifestyle, street, and photojournalism-style images through active exploration of unique spaces and the people who navigate and interact within them. She was named the first Flint Emerging Artist in Residence by the Buckham Fine Arts Project with University of Michigan - Flint Arts + Culture Research Cluster in 2021.
“I really try to remind my students how much power and control they have over what they do,” Proulx says. “Initially, they are often timid and stand-offish, but then they transform to something else which can be noted in their posture, the way they talk and move, and in the way they claim their space and time. I love to see people show who they really are with each new skill they pick up. The light bulb moments are addictive.”
For information about Proulx’s courses and other classes available this fall, browse the FIA’s fall course catalog. More information about Proulx’s work is available on her Instagram page, @PlainAirPhotography, on Facebook, or on her website.
