BEHIND THE LENS

E. E. Walker is a self-taught, multi-disciplinary artist born and raised in Eastern Iowa. Since 2012, she has owned and operated a freelance photography and graphic design business known as Emma’s Cellar Door. Her range of mediums include artificial and natural light photography, graphic design, web UI/UX design, and mixed media illustration. With a passion for entrepreneurship, Walker has begun offering brand and digital marketing packages to local businesses and nonprofits. These packages include a new website build or remodel, logo design, product/team/location photography, social media setup or expansion, and strategic consultation. 

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As a volunteer, Walker has worked alongside several animal shelters including Last Hope Animal Rescue of Cedar Rapids, IA to photograph fundraising events and animals up for adoption (Shelter Stories) in an effort to find them permanent homes. Since 2018, Walker has been CR Pride’s exclusive photographer of events including their annual pride festival in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2021, Walker presented her work for the first time in the Iowa Pop Art of Cedar Rapids, IA. Soon after, she accepted an invitation to curate her own. Thus Colony Arts was born, a new kind of art experience bringing diversity to Amana, IA. In addition to her freelance work, Walker chairs the board of Lavender Legal Center as a founding member of the LGBTQ+ focused nonprofit. She has also recently joined the team at Mediaverse Studios, working on and off screen as a set designer, sfx makeup artist, and in the occasional acting role. As an enthusiast of local music, arts, and theatre; Walker enjoys any opportunity to attend a show or pick up an instrument.

 

Throughout her life, Walker has experienced a multitude of great adventures and losses. Known as an introvert, Walker uses art as a megaphone to express herself. She believes the artistry of self expression is directly linked to the healing of body, mind, and soul. After living what feels like many lifetimes, Walker finds peace through the poetry of creative interpretation and empathy. She speaks through her trauma, often incorporating her first hand experiences with endometriosis and sexual violence into her work. She hopes her own vulnerability will encourage others to speak out.