Mark Phineas Chamberlain (July 16, 1942 – April 23, 2018) was an American photographer, installation artist, gallery owner, and curator. Born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, he received his BA in Political Science in 1965, and Master in Operations Research in 1967, from the University of Iowa. Chamberlain was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1967 and stationed in Korea during the American War in Vietnam. On discharge from the army, he changed his previous career course to become a photographic artist. He explained, "While stationed overseas, I picked up a camera to maintain my sanity and provide a creative outlet. I also took classes in Korean language and history and found a photography mentor in the military crafts program. Returning home, I had a growing desire to find an outlet for this newfound passion." In 1969, Chamberlain moved to Southern California, aspiring to open a photographic art gallery.
Mark Chamberlain co-founded BC Space Gallery and Photographic Art Services, in Laguna Beach, California in 1973 with Jerry Burchfield, and operated the space solely from 1987 until his death in 2018. The venue hosted community, political, and solstice events, theatrical and musical performances.
With BC as a base of operations, Chamberlain and Burchfield co-founded “Laguna Canyon Project: The Continuous Document” (1980-2010) to record changes to Laguna Canyon over time. A crucial phase of this project was The Tell photographic mural, which in 1989 became the site of a large demonstration that helped avert the development of the area into a massive housing community. The site was later incorporated into Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.
In 2002, the art partners co-founded "The Legacy Project," which documented the transition of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro into the Orange County Great Park. "The Legacy Project" members, ultimately numbering six, created The Great Picture, one of the largest photographs in the world made as a single seamless image.
On October 22, 2014, Mark Chamberlain received a Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award as an “Artistic Visionary” from Arts Orange County. The award was presented at the Samueli Theater, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA.
Career highlights
Mark Chamberlain moved to Laguna Beach in the fall of 1970. On December 25 through the 27th, 1970 he attended the town's "Christmas Happening" (concert and love-in) in the Sycamore Hills area. The event drew about 25,000 flower children in attendance. His photographs of the event and its aftermath have been displayed and published in several venues and publications. In 2012, Laguna Beach Magazine published an article using some of these images, and produced a video with Chamberlain discussing the event and showing several more images.
Mark Chamberlain's first major body of work, Dubuque Passages, begun in 1972 and was intimate black and white photographic artwork of his hometown. In the mid-1970s, he added color to his film palette and began Future Fossils, a social commentary work on the Southern California urban landscape. He soon began his Dream Sequences series; lyrical figurative photos in vibrant color with erotic overtones. In 1979, he began Looking for 2000; an ongoing companion color series to Future Fossils photographic images, reflecting our evolution into the twenty-first century. He created thousands of images into the twenty-first century, including photographs for the "Laguna Canyon Project," The Tell, and "The Legacy Project."
A solo retrospective of Chamberlain's 40-year artistic career, “Reflections of an Armchair Arteologist," was held in early 2010 at Soka University, Aliso Viejo, California. The exhibition included more than 150 artworks including Dubuque Passages, Future Fossils, Looking for 2000, other photographic series, collage and assemblage pieces.