James Autery is a filmmaker and visual artist whose work blends documentary, experimental cinema, and observational storytelling. He began photographing and printing in the darkroom as a high‑school student before studying photojournalism at the University of Missouri–Columbia, where he was a finalist in the 2006 Gordon Parks International Photo Competition.
Autery became a full‑time freelance photographer and video artist in 2014. That year he created a mini‑documentary for Project Prakash, focusing on research into predictive abilities in children with autism. In 2017 he began filming for TIME, while expanding his practice into more complex nonfiction and experimental forms.
His work has been exhibited with Tanja Grunert Gallery, Second Ward Foundation, Film‑Makers’ Cooperative, Private Public Gallery, Areté Venue and Gallery, Next to Nothing, Hudson Eye, Hudson Hall, Minneapolis Photo Center, and the Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe, and he is listed on Paddle8. During his eight‑year residency with Second Ward Foundation, Autery completed MANTRA, a 46‑minute experimental documentary exploring the meditative process of making art.
Autery’s work has received support from the NYSCA Electronic Media/Film program in partnership with Wave Farm’s Media Arts Assistance Fund (2020 and 2025) and the Baer Faxt Artist Relief Fund (2020).
Solo Exhibitions
2023 Sight Unseen, Private Public Gallery, Hudson, NY
2022 Local Premiere of MANTRA, Second Ward Foundation, Hudson, NY
2021 Agnosia, Tanja Grunert Gallery, Hudson, NY
2020 Remnant, Hudson Eye, Hudson, NY
2018 Reverberations, Areté Venue and Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2015 Selected Work, Hudson Opera House, Hudson, NY
2014 With Gentle Wings and a Cohort of Confusion, Private Home, Hudson, NY
Two-Person Exhibitions
2018 Carolee Schneemann and James Autery, Second Ward Foundation at Winter Walk, Hudson, NY
2012 Arrhythmic Visions, Jamie Hamilton and James Autery, Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Three-Person Exhibitions
2022 James Autery, David McIntyre, and David Perry, Ephemeral, Second Ward Foundation Gallery, Hudson, NY
Group Exhibitions
2024 Wild Minds, Second Ward Foundation, Hudson, NY
2023 SENSORY CINEMA, Millennium Film Workshop, Brooklyn, NY
2022 First Chapter, Tanja Grunert Gallery, Hudson, NY
2018 New Year/New Work The Film-Makers’ Cooperative, New York, NY
2018 The Gramercy Art Show, Salmagundi Art Club, New York, NY
2017 Film-Makers’ Cooperative Paddle8 Art Auction, Next to Nothing Gallery, NYC, NY
2012 The Human Condition: A Survey of Humanity, MPLS Photo Center Minneapolis, MN
Awards
2006 Finalist in the Gordon Parks International Photo Competition
Grants
2025 NYSCA Electronic Media/Film Fund in partnership with Wave Farm’s Media Arts Assistance Fund program
2023 Columbia County Creative Catalyst Grant
2020 Baer Faxt Artist Relief Fund
2020 NYSCA Electronic Media/Film Fund in partnership with Wave Farm’s Media Arts Assistance Fund program
Residencies
2018 – 2025 Second Ward Foundation, Hudson, NY
Filmography
Agnosia (2021) agnosiafilm.com
MANTRA (2018-21) mantra-film.com
Festival Selections and Awards
Official Selection kalakari film fest (2022)
Semi-finalist International Moving Film Festival (2021)
Semi-finalist Dumbo Film Festival (2021)
Best Sound Rome Independent Prisma Awards (2021)
Finalist Best Experimental Film Rome Independent Prisma Awards (2021)
Magazine Work
TIME Magazine
Upstate Diary
Press
Fine Art Connoisseur
The Daily Gazette
The Rogovoy Report
Chronogram Magazine