The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Master of Fine Arts, Weinstien Fellow, May 2005
S.U.N.Y. New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Department of Photography, May 1998
Drinking Water In Bed, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL
2008Zoar and Other Works, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007John Opera: Recent Photographs, Macalester College Art Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2006For Once, Then, Something, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY
2003John Opera: Soup, Buffalo Arts Studio, Buffalo, NY
2002John Opera: New Work, CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, NY
2001Soup: Recent Photographic Work by John Opera, Olean Public Gallery Olean, NY
MP3 II, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL
High School Art Show, Marmion Academy, Aurora IL
Interrupting a Beam Of Light, David Cunningham Projects, San Francisco CA
2008John Opera and Amir Zaki, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL (Two-person)
Pictures of Nothing, Llyod Dobler Gallery, Chicago, IL
The World Is A Handkerchief, Dorsky Gallery, Queens, NY
Crit 3, Spencertown Academy, Spencertown, NY
Gateways: Space, Place and the Transformative, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY
2007Summer Group Show, Rowley Kennerk Gallery, Chicago, IL
Concerning Tomorrow, Harold Arts Residency, Chicago, IL
2006Project Room, Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005Can I Get A Witness, Bucket Rider Gallery, Chicago, IL
Into the Woods, Thomas McCormick Gallery, Chicago, IL
Cross Cuts, Northern Lights, San Francisco, CA
Jonesing, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, NY
M.F.A. Exhibition, Gallery 2, Chicago, IL
2003Rockwell, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, NY
2002Area Artists 2002 Collection, Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Convergence 2002, Carnegie Art Center, Tonawanda, NY
2001Exposure, CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Area Artists 2001 Collection, Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY
2000John Opera: Photographs, Niagara County Community College Art Gallery, Sanborn, NY
1998The Uncertainty Principle, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, S.U.N.Y New Paltz, NY
Art Institute of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Adjunct Faculty, Foundations Department, 2009-present
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Adjunct Faculty, Early College Program/ Continuing Education, 2004-present
Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL
Adjunct Faculty, Fine Arts and Communications Department, 2008
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Teacher’s Assistant, Department of Photography, 2003-2005
Daeman College, Amherst, NY
Adjunct Instructor, Department of Fine Arts, 2003
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Buffalo, NY
Instructor of Digital Video, 2003
Aperture/MOCP Photographer’s Publication Project, Aperture Foundation, New York, NY, 2008
Weinstein Fellowship, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2005
Special Opportunity Stipend, New York State Foundation for the Arts, Buffalo, NY, 2002
Banking on Creativity $10,000 Scholarship, Rochester Community Savings Bank, Buffalo, NY, 1993
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL 2009
Lloyd Dobler Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2008
Macalaster College Art Gallery, St. Paul, MN, 2007
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2005
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, NY, 2002
Olean Public Library, Olean, NY, 2001
Grabner, Michelle. “MP3, II: Curtis Mann, John Opera, Stacia Yeapanis.” Artforum.com, 8/30/2009.
Weinberg, Lauren. “MP3, Volume 2.” Time Out Chicago, Issue 234, August 20-26, 2009.
Waxman, Lori. “Television, Nature and the News, Mediated.” Chicago Tribune, August 21, 2009.
Cochran, Jessica. “Rising Stars.” Chicago Social Interiors Magazine, Fall 2009. Pages 58-60
Ritchie, Abraham. “MPIII.” Artslant.com, August 31, 2009.
Sutherland, Emilie. “Media Reports.” Photo District News Edu, Volume 8, Issue 2, Fall 2009. Page 20
Menzies, Michelle. “Flash Review.” Flash Art, November/December 2008. Page 91
Cochran, Jessica. “John Opera and Amir Zaki.” Chicago Social, January 2008.
Eler, Alicia. “John Opera.” Artforum.com, September 2008.
Foumberg, Jason. “Eye Exam: Taking a Walk In Nature.” New City, September 16, 2008.
Lang, Karissa. “John Opera and Amir Zaki.” New City, January 24, 2008.
Wenzel, Erik. “Black Forest.” Artslant.com, September 15, 2008.
Cain, Amina. “Into the Woods.” Chicago Artists’ News, February 2006.
Huntington, Richard. “Human Nature.” The Buffalo News, September 1, 2006.
Huntington, Richard. “Valley Views.” The Buffalo News, February 11, 2005. Page G23
Adams, Bruce. “Apples and Oranges.” The Buffalo News, May 30, 2003. Page G21
Huntington, Richard. “Tech Sector.” The Buffalo News, January 5, 2002. Page G24
–––––. “Three Artists, Three Visions.” The Buffalo News, March 1, 2002. Page G22
Lavatelli, Mark. “Bodies of Work.” The Buffalo News. October 27, 2002.
Irvine, Karen. Midwest Photographer’s Project MP3: John Opera. New York, NY: Aperture Books, 2009.
Massier, John. Jonesing Catalog. Buffalo, New York: Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, March 2005.
Cavell, Stanley. Emerson’s Transcendental Etudes, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2002, (illus.).
Hodge, David. “The Grammar of Origin.” Soup Catalog. Buffalo, New York: Buffalo Arts Studio, 2003.
Licata, Elizabeth.“Trigger Suite.” Convergence Catalog. Tonawanda, NY: Carnegie Art Center, 2002.
Three on Three, Higher Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2004
Signals From the Electronic Cloud, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY, 2002
George Smith: Recent Sculpture and Drawings, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY, 2001
The Filmic Art of Paul Sharits, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY, 2000
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL
Belgravia Group, Chicago, IL
O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY
Horowitz Collection, Chicago, IL
Campos Collection, Chicago, IL