About

Michael Sullivan is a documentary photographer based in Madison, Wisconsin. His work focuses on the quiet tension between public and private life — photographing people in shared spaces, from city streets to public gatherings, where community life unfolds. He notices the small moments that reveal who we are.

Much of his work centers on documenting his own community — showing the lives, struggles, and resilience of those who are often underrepresented. Through his photographs, he bears witness to people giving voice to the voiceless, and to the moments that define a city’s shared history.

His ongoing documentary work explores civic life, social movements, and the everyday presence of humanity in public spaces. He approaches this work by witnessing and interpreting as an independent photographer, guided by empathy and an attention to detail. Past projects, such as People on the Bus, reflect this same commitment to observing ordinary life with respect and care.

Sullivan remains independent and unaffiliated with any political or organizational body. His goal is to bear witness to the human condition unfolding around him.

Exhibitions

Group

2018

Autumn 2018 (online), The Curated Fridge, Juror: Kat Kiernan
Shades of Black & White, SE Center for Photography, Greenville, SC, February 2018, Juror: Susan Burnstine

2017

The Color of Light, Online Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, March 2017, Juror: Arthur Meyerson
Singular/Signature, Honorable Mention, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, March 2017, Juror: Alyssa Coppelman

2016

Personal Narrative, Honorable Mention, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, November 2016, Juror: Susan Burnstine
The Environmental Portrait, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., September 2016, Juror: Shana Nys Dambrot
Black and White 2016, Online Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, August 2016, Juror: Dean Brierly
Culture, Honorable Mention, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., March 2016, Juror: Peter Turnley
Shadow & Light, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., February 2016, Juror: Taj Forer
Simplicity, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, February 2016, Juror: David Carol

2015

Light and Shadow, PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, December 2015
2016 Black+White Photographer of the Year, The Printspace Gallery, London, UK, December 2015, Jurors: Robin Bell, Graham Brandon, Trevor Crone, Eddie Ephraums, Shoair Mavlian, Elizabeth Roberts
2016 Black+White Photographer of the Year, Leica Store Mayfair, London, UK, November 2015, Jurors: Robin Bell, Graham Brandon, Trevor Crone, Eddie Ephraums, Shoair Mavlian, Elizabeth Roberts
War & Peace, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., July 2015, Juror: Nissan N. Perez
Semblance, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT., April 2015, Juror: David Carol

Solo

2014

People on the Bus, Rangefinder Gallery, Chicago, IL, Curator: Dan Tamarkin

Publications

Online

Black & White Magazine, “2026 Single Image Contest Winners” (online gallery), 2026.
11th Anniversary Issue, Fraction Magazine, Issue 122, May 2019, Editor: Bree Lamb.
Let it snow. Krug, Erica. Isthmus, January 31, 2019. Photograph.
Seeing Red, Don’t Take Pictures, November 2018, Editors: Kat Kiernan, Roger Thompson, W.G. Beecher, Sarah Sickles.
The end of the rainbow. Geyer, Allison. Isthmus, June 7, 2018. Photograph.
Going once, going twice… The Oscar Mayer auction draws crowds for some very big equipment. Kennedy, Sean. Isthmus, December 14, 2017. Photographs.
Street Photography, F-Stop Magazine, Issue 86, December 2017/January 2018, Editor: Christy Karpinski.
Color, F-Stop Magazine, Issue 83, June/July 2017, Editor: Christy Karpinski.
9th Anniversary Issue, Fraction Magazine, Issue 98, Group 2, May 2017, Editor: David Bram
A heavy toll, Tarr, Joe. Isthmus, March 12, 2015. Photograph.
Coming to grips with racial disparities, Conniff, Ruth, Isthmus, January 8, 2015. Photograph.

Print

Black & White Magazine, Special Issue: 2026 Single Image Contest Winners, no. 176 (February 2026), p. 72.
Let it snow. Krug, Erica. Isthmus, January 31, 2019, Vol. 44, No. 4. Page 4. Photograph.
The end of the rainbow. Geyer, Allison. Isthmus, June 7, 2018, Vol. 43, No. 23. Page 4. Photograph.
Going once, going twice… The Oscar Mayer auction draws crowds for some very big equipment. Kennedy, Sean. Isthmus, December 14, 2017, Vol. 42, No. 50. Page 21, 23. Photographs.
Maximum Ink, pg. 8, 13, Vol. 22, Issue 6, No. 258, August 4-31, 2017. Photographs.
Black+White Photography, Black+White Photographer of the Year – People, pg. 40, December 2015. Photograph.
A heavy toll, Tarr, Joe. Isthmus, pg. 14, Vol. 40, No. 10, March 12, 2015. Photograph.
#TonyRobinson (Cover Story), Geyer, Allison. Isthmus, pg. 12, Vol. 40, No. 10, March 12, 2015. Photographs.
Week In Review, Isthmus, February 19, 2015, Vol. 40, No. 7; Page 7. Photograph.
Coming to grips with racial disparities, Conniff, Ruth, Isthmus, pg. 7, Vol. 40, No. 1, January 8, 2015. Photograph.
Leica Fotografie International, Readers’ Gallery: Flags, p. 88-89, May/June 2013. Photographs.
Pariah In Transit, Taj Weekes & Adowa, April 2013. Compact Disc Cover.
Signs of Protest: This is What Democracy Looks Like, The Center for Photography at Madison, p. 6-7, 35, September 2012. Photographs.
El transito de Morgan, Tyler, Anne. July 2012. Book Cover.
Rubin, Tina G., Madison: Hub of Innovation, Cherbo Publishing Group, April 2012, p. 21, 47, 53. Photographs.
Lever, George, Activista, Citypulse, March 2012, p. 36-45.Photographs.

Interviews

2018

Michael T. Sullivan, Photographer [Interview by N. Dell]. (2018, May 1). YIELD Magazine.

2010

a photographic journey: an interview with m.t. sullivan
- A multimedia work integrating still photography and audio to examine relationships between image, sound, and narrative structure. Produced as part of a graduate course in digital storytelling, the project explores methods of visual communication and the construction of meaning through combined media.

Education

M.A., Community Counseling Psychology, July 2004, University of Minnesota Duluth
Certificate in Educational Computing/Technology, August 2002, University of Minnesota Duluth
B.A., Psychology, May 1999, University of Minnesota Duluth