MONIQUE STAUDER is a visual artist whose photojournalistic career has spanned the globe. Her work has appeared in leading publications such as TIME, Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times, and Mother Jones, among others.

With an insatiable curiosity and deep empathy for the human experience, Stauder left her rural Indiana roots to explore the beauty and complexity of humanity as an investigative reporter and freelance photojournalist. From 2000 to 2003, her solo journey around the equator culminated in the award-winning book  Latitude Zero (2010),  featuring forewords by acclaimed American novelist Paul Theroux.

The year 2010 proved pivotal in another way: motherhood ushered in a period of reflection and renewal. Pausing from life on the road, Stauder turned inward, rediscovering her archives and transforming images and collected curiosities into sculptural and painterly forms. Her practice now embraces metal sculpture, 3D assemblage and painting, exploring themes of renewal, transformation and the continuous thread that weaves past, present, and future.

Based in rural Missouri, Stauder continues to create from a place of authenticity and devotion. "Art," she reflects, "emerges from inner-outer harmony and a deep understanding that my insatiable need to create comes from an infinite divine source. I am merely a ray of light, unafraid to explore, experiment, and express within this realm where thoughts are things."

Stauder is a self-taught artist with a double Master’s Degree in International Relations and History from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva, Switzerland (associated with the Fletcher School at Tufts University, Boston) and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Colorado.

Most recent interview - June 2023: 

https://shifter.media/creative-dispatches-monique-stauder/