I will be speaking on the changing world of how we should teach photography at the Society of Photographic Education’s Northwest Conference at 2:30pm on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. My session will be in Lawrence Hall 166 at the University of Oregon in Eugene.
Among the key claims of my presentation, I will explore my own belief that photography has reached a tipping point, or a pivot. Among the consequences of this pivot, the values and the methods by which we have traditionally taught and assessed the making of photography are no longer right for the intellectual and professional development of the majority of our students, either those who major in photography, or those who major in other disciplines.
I encourage everyone interested in the making and teaching of photography to attend the conference and my presentation, or follow the details online via my Twitter account.
The conference organizers have provided the following details about all of the events this weekend:
The Northwest Regional Conference for the Society for Photographic Education will be located on the University of Oregon campus Nov. 1-3, 2012. Hosted by the AAA School, the Department of Art and the Photography program, the three –day event leads off with keynote speaker and visiting artist Arthur Tress presenting in 115 Lawrence Hall at 6p.m.
The conference theme this year, Crossing the Divide, broadly addresses physical, ideological and metaphorical concepts present in the medium today, also considering the role of photography as a tool for documentation, expression, conceptualization and collaboration.
Following the Tress lecture, there will be a reception in the Laverne Krause Gallery in Lawrence Hall in honor of the Alumni Photography Exhibition that will feature the works of than 35 MFA and BFA graduates of the photo program from a period that spans more than two decades.
On Friday, the proceedings will move to the Ford Event Room at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the UO campus. The JSMA is a gracious so-sponsor of the conference on Friday. Among the highlights will be a film screening curated by current MFA candidate Ian Clark featuring a line-up of short films created by a unique group of artists whose backgrounds and personal histories are as varied as their aesthetic. These works have screened in festivals, museums, and alternative venues all over the world including the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, 2012 SXSW Film Festival, and the Guggenheim Museum.
Other presenters on Friday include Amjad Faur of Seattle, Justyna Badach of Philadelphia and Lucas Foglia of San Francisco. The afternoon program will conclude with a facilitated discussion between Badach and Foglio moderated by Assistant Professor Jenny Lin of the Department of Art and Architecture History. Following the day’s lectures will be a no-host reception in the Browsing Room of Knight Library.
Dan Powell, Associate Professor of Art at the UO is the Honored Educator for this year’s conference. A selection of his prints from the archive of Special Collections will be on view during the reception, which will also feature book signings by Tress and Foglia. Justyna Badach’s participation in the conference is generously supported by the AAA Diversity Committee.
Saturday’s program includes 12 lectures/panels and image-maker presentations selected from a national call for proposals. The speakers include: David Turner, of Eugene; Michael Sherwin, West Virginia; Allie Mount, Portland, OR; Dennis DeHart of Pullman, WA; Michael Sell, Ontario, OR; Christine Garceau of Powell, WY; Philip Carpenter and David Kennedy, Seattle, WA; Blake Andrews, Eugene, OR; Christa Dougherty of Bellingham, WA; Mary Goodwin of Fairbanks, AK; Ted Heibert of Seattle, WA; Erik Palmer of Ashland, OR.
The presentations will conclude with the Honored Educator lecture at 5:00 p.m. Amjad Faur will make the introduction and Dan Powell will present his talk I forgot my umbrella.
Later that evening, from 9-midnight, DJ Silva Halide (aka UO Assistant Professor Rick Silva) will perform for the crowd at the Maude Kerns Art Center at a Dance Party sponsored in part by Ninkasi Brewery and Track Town Pizza.
Other events related to the conference will include student portfolio reviews on Saturday conducted by Arthur Tress, a raffle featuring an array of remarkable items including signed limited books, prints by Justyna Badach, Amjad Faur and Dan Powell, books by Tress and Foglia, and a Canon G12 digital camera courtesy of the Digital Duck division of the UO Duck Store.
The JSMA has two exhibitions on view that currently include work from the permanent collection that focus on photography and include work by Arthur Tress.
The Society for Photographic Education (SPE) is a nonprofit membership organization that provides and fosters an understanding of photography as a means of diverse creative expression, cultural insight, and experimental practice. Through its interdisciplinary programs, services, and publications, the society seeks to promote a broader understanding of the medium in all its forms through teaching and learning, scholarship, and criticism.
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