Dustin Randall Keirns (b. 1988, Loveland, CO) is an American photographer whose work examines the relationship between humans and the landscape in a dialogue of place and self. Classic landscape photography played a pivotal role in shaping the formal foundations of his images. Through explorations in both the field and within his studies—he has transformed his photographic interests into an intentional artistic practice.
Dustin’s images are spaces where imaginative dramas unfold through scale, form, and color, evoking an emotional and psychological resonance of place. The landscape often serves as a key protagonist throughout his photographs. His newest work affirms queer presence in nature and engages in a dialogue with the layered histories of the American landscape.
Dustin earned a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York and studied abroad at L’École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ÉCAL) in Switzerland. His thesis work earned him an Alumni Scholarship from SVA, and he was awarded a darkroom fellowship from the New York Camera Club (now Baxter Street). In Spring 2025, he participated in Seeing Pink: The Queer Perspective in Photography, a workshop led by Richard Renaldi through the International Center of Photography. His first solo exhibition, Reminiscence, opened in January 2025 at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver and earlier this year, he was selected for a solo issue (No. 24) with Pearl Press. His self-published debut monograph, Poems for Colorado, is set to release in 2026.
Education
2010 School of Visual Arts, BFA, New York, NY
2009 École Cantonale d’art de Lausanne, Semester Abroad, Lausanne, CH
Awards
2011 CCNY Darkroom Fellowship 2010 Alumni Scholarship, SVA
Exhibitions
2025 The Duality of Ephemerality and Permanence, Group Exhibition, Gallery Conceal Shibuya, Tokyo, JP
2025 Nude Geographies, Group Exhibition, Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2025 Architecture and Nature in Harmony, Group Exhibition, Denver Architecture Foundation & Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver, CO
2025 Reminiscence, Solo Show, Teller House at the Central City Opera, Central City, CO
2025 CommUNITY Group Show, 40 West Gallery, Lakewood, CO
2025 The Art of Photography Group Show, 40 West Gallery, Lakewood, CO
2025 Urban Landscape Group Show, Curtis Arts Center, Greenwood Village, CO
2025 FoodTogoraphy Group Show, Denver Art Students League, Denver, CO
2025 MOP Group Show, 1101 Mineral Ave, Littleton, CO
2025 Reminiscence, Solo Show, Molly Brown House Museum, Denver, CO
2024 Analog Forever Magazine Online Group Exhibition Portraits: Beyond the Exterior 2024 Annual Group Show, Pagosa Springs Medical Center, Pagosa Springs, CO
2024 Delicate, Group Show, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO
2010 Mentor Show, SVA, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, NY025 Urban Landscape Group Show, Curtis Arts Center, Greenwood Village, CO
Press
2025 Issue No. 24: Interview with Dustin Keirns, Online Publication, Pearl Press
2025 Issue 5, Online Publication, Fruitslice
2024 Issue No. 23: Sport, Online Publication, Pearl Press
Artist Talks
2025 Reminiscence: Remnants of Colorado’s Mining Boom and the Landscape, Molly Brown House Museum, Denver, CO