Society for Photographic Education
43nd National Conference – March 2006

A New Pluralism: Photography's Future

March 23-26, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers

Conference Review
Conference Participants

Printable 2006 Conference Schedule (40k text)
Presentation Abstracts and Speaker Bios

Conference Registration Form and Portfolio Guidelines.
Preregistration info for John Paul Caponigro has been posted.
Conference News (from SPE Members' Newsletter)
Women's Caucus Film Festival Programming
Conference Program Guide cover artists
Conference hotel and transportation details
2006 Scholarship Recipients
Museum + Gallery List and Restaurant Listing

For fifty years we have been living in a world inundated and defined by photographic imagery while photography has been taught in relative isolation in academia. SPE members recognize the necessity to address the cultural context of our medium, moving beyond academic boundaries. A New Pluralism: Photography’s Future seeks to explore the current cultural and conceptual evolution of the photographic image and the influence new technologies are having on our understanding of what it means to make photographs both in and out of our departments. How is photographic practice re-defined as a result of the inclusion of digital technologies? Can we eliminate barriers between the various arts and humanities departments in our schools, allowing for a cross pollination of crafts and philosophies? As educators and artists we seek to understand photography’s future in an age of multi-disciplinary practice.

Chicago’s World Columbian Exposition of 1893 claimed to have “invented illusion.” It was a wild mix of the scientific and the surreal, fact and fiction. Conceived as a celebration of America’s progress in industry and technology, the exposition became a place of magic and fantasy – a virtual New World after the great fire.

Chicago and its history of recovery and transformation, will be the backdrop for the 2006 Society for Photographic Education national conference. Chicago’s legacy is enhanced by great architecture, food, music, theater, world-class museums and the newly completed Millennium Park with its Frank Gehry band shell. Please join us!

Carlos Diaz
Richard Gray
2006 Conference Co-Chairs

Carl Toth

Update

The selection of main speakers is now complete. Keynote Speaker Henry Jenkins, Director of Comparative Media Studies Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will speak on Thursday evening. Carl Toth, Artist-in-Residence and Photography Department Head at Cranbrook Academy of Art, will be this year’s Honored Educator. His lecture is scheduled for late Friday afternoon. Featured Speaker Barbara Stafford will take the lead on Saturday. Presenters for the general programming have just been announced. SPE received 140 proposal submissions for presentations, panel discussions and workshops.

The conference programming has now been finalized. A tentative conference schedule and presenter bios with abstracts are now available. This conference offers more workshops and seminars on Thursday than ever before. Details and bios are now posted online. Friday night will feature a special opening reception for SPE at the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MCP), Columbia College Chicago. Limited bus service will run continuously from the hotel to the museum during these hours. MCP is also within walking distance on a nice evening or just a short cab ride away. Saturday promises a great Saturday Night Dance Party with DJ.

Speakers

Our 2006 main conference speakers are: Henry Jenkins as keynote speaker, Carl Toth as our honored educator, and Barbara Stafford as the featured speaker, and John Paul Caponigro (see registration info below) and Kerry James Marshall as invited speaker. The following is a list of general conference presenters. Bios and presentation abstracts are now available.

Imagemakers: Javier Carmona, Ruth Dusseault, B.H. Fairchild and Sant Khalsa, Jonathan Gitelson with Matt Siber and Brian Ulrich, Carol Golemboski, Peter HappelChristian, Douglas Holleley, Tarrah Krajnak and Wilka Roig, Jawshing Arthur Liou, Michael Marshall, Alexander Mouton with Christian Faur, Susana Reisman, Melanie Walker with George Peters, and Jeffrey A. Wolin.

Lectures: David Bate, Jane Button, Margaret Denton, Michael J. Emme, Carol Flax, Andrew E. Hershberger, April Katz, Gary Kolb, Martin Lister, Corinne Rose, Mary Virginia Swanson, Jane Tormey, April Watson, Liz Wells and Todd Wemmer.

Panels: Christa Kreeger Bowden with Ruth Adams, Darryl Curran and Maggie Taylor; Michael Ensdorf with Stephen Komp and Vagner Whitehead; Nina Levitt with Robert Bean, Vid Ingelevics and Katherine Knight; Andrew John Liccardo with Rick Dingus, Deborah Luster, Miguel Gandert and William E. Tydeman; Therese Mulligan with Greg Barnett and Patricia Russotti; Adrienne Pao with Dore Bowen, Morgan Konn, Mona Kuhn, Robin Lasser and Melanie Pullen; E. Brady Robinson with Roberto Bocci, Kristen Hileman, Dean Kessman and John Pickel; Thomas Shirley with Ben Gest, Justin Kimball, Bob Thall and George F. Thompson; and Rebecca Sittler with Caroline Burghardt, Adam Lampton and Lyssa Palu-ay.

Graduate Student Presenters: Beau Comeaux, Mary Goodwin, Jyl Kelley, Steven Krutek and Alexandra Oliver.

Academic Practicum Workshops: Glenn Rand with Beth Linn, Jane Alden Stevens and Richard Zakia; Colette Copeland with Cate Fallon and Brian Moss; Richard Newman with Dennis Keeley and Ed Myers; Calla Thompson; Libby Rowe with Marni Shindelman and Jessica Jacob; and Mariah Doren. APW Details

Seminars and Workshops: Patricia Russotti; Julieanne Kost; Darius Himes, Joanna Hurley and Jim Stone; Tom P. Ashe; Susan kae Grant, Keith Johnson and Mary Virginia Swanson. Seminar and Workshop Details

John Paul Caponigro Visits Chicago
John Paul Caponigro, one of the most prominent artists working with digital media, will be in Chicago to give a lecture in conjunction with the 43rd SPE National Conference. The lecture is free!! Seating is limited and reservations are required. Simply call 800-225-8638 (800-CALUMET) and give the item # ZSSM0253 to reserve a seat. Don’t miss your chance to hear this internationally acclaimed artist. John Paul Caponigro, a master of Canon's Explorer of Light program, is sponsored by Canon USA, Inc. and Calumet Photographic.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006, 6:30-8:00 pm in the Michigan A&B Room (Level 2) at the conference hotel.

David Bate will be giving a lecture at MoCP on Wednesday, March 22 at 5pm. He will discuss his series Zone based on Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 film Stalker. Free and open to the public. See details

Garry B Fritz Imagemaker Award

Congratulations to Jawshing Arthur Liou, recipient of the 2006 Garry B Fritz Imagemaker Award. The Garry B Fritz Imagemaker Award was established in 2004 in honor and memory of Garry B Fritz, an SPE member with a long-time interest in photography. Funded by a gift through the Oregon Community Foundation, the award consists of a $1,000 honorarium. SPE’s imagemaker award is granted to the artist presenting for the first time as an imagmaker at the SPE national conference who receives the highest ranking through the peer review process. The recipient shows exceptional promise and outstanding achievement as determined by the national conference peer review. (photograph by Jordan Tate)

Portfolio Reviews

SPE's ever popular portfolio reviews will be coordinated by Nate Larson this year. We will offer one-on-one portfolio review sessions for registrants attending the full conference. (Sorry, no day passes.) Educators from a range of institutions, along with curators, gallery directors, critics, and other photographic professionals will be available to look at your art work. Early registration is advisable since there are a limited number of slots available. The portfolio review guidelines (pdf 564k) are the same as last year. If you would like to be considered as reviewer or would like to find out more information, please contact Nate at nl@natelarson.com.

The SPE Portfolio Reviews are generously supported by a grant from the ASMP Foundation.

2006 Portfolio Reviewers

Ruth Adams, Stephen Althouse, Barry Andersen, Barry S. Anderson, George Blakely, Leslee Broersma, Lynne Brown, Javier Carmona, Susan Carr, Ann Chwatsky, Gary Cialdella, Vincent Cianni, Gary S. Colby, James D. Colby, Colette Copeland, Jeff Curto, Sarah Detweiler, Ruth Dusseault, Dennie Eagleson, Natasha Egan, Lynn Estomin, Ryan Davis Flathau, Carol Flax, Harris Fogel, Robin Germany, Paula Gillen, Carol Golemboski, Marita Gootee, Elizabeth Greenberg, Siegfried Halus, Peter HappelChristian, Jessica Todd Harper, Susannah Hays, Victoria Heilweil, Chuck Hemard, Dr. Jerry Holsopple, Barbara Houghton, Nancy Howell-Koehler, Mark E. Jensen, Tom Jimison, Scott Jost, Mark Klett, Alan Klotz, Allyson Klutenkamper, Jim Krantz, Eleftheria Lialios, Andrew John Liccardo, Susan Lipper, Tracy Longley-Cook, Neha Luhar, Karen Marshall, Richard Newman, Rebecca Nolan, Janet Pritchard, Mary Anne Redding, Susan Ressler, E. Brady Robinson, Jan Roddy, Ken Rosenthal, Wendy Roussin, John Scarlata, Emily Sepik, Rhona Shand, Laurie ShoulterKarall, Trish Simonite, Jane Alden Stevens, Stan Strembicki, Eric Eujea Sung, Aimee Tomasek, Christopher W. Trice, Brian Ulrich, Gwen Walstrand, Terri Warpinski, Greg Watts, Bruce West and Vagner M. Whitehead (as of 11/01/05). Biographies of portfolio reviewers

Workshops & Seminars

A number of dynamic pre-conference workshops and seminars have been planned for Chicago. The popular Adobe Seminar and Academic Practicum Workshops will be offered again this year along with expanded pre-conference opportunities. There will also be a two hour seminar, sponsored by The MAC Group and X-rite Photographic Marketing, to introduce color management to those beginning to engage with digital systems. A more advanced, intensive workshop for educators and photographers covering digital workflow, sponsored by Calumet Photographics, will be held Wednesday and Thursday. A practical seminar on publishing a photography book, sponsored Santa Fe Center of Photography will also be offered. Workshop & Seminar descriptions.

Details about the Academic Practicum Workshop.

School Reunions

School reunions including The Photography Institute (TPI), Arizona State University (ASU), Cranbrook Academy of Art, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) are scheduled for Saturday, March 25 from 6-7 pm in the general presentation rooms immediately following the Featured Speaker.

Women's Caucus Film Festival

The 2006 SPE Women's Film Festival at the conference will include three award-winning women filmmakers, Lisa Barcy, Daniéle Wilmouth and Mary Patten. Chicago-based Lisa Barcy is a filmmaker, specialized on animated films, puppets and other sculptural oddities. Daniéle Wilmouth works primarily in experimental and documentary filmmaking. Mary Patten is an interdisciplinary visual artist and video-maker. All three filmmakers will be in attendance. Film Festival programming

Registration

*Member conference rates require a 2006 membership. If you are not currently a member or your membership has expired, please include the appropriate membership fee to be eligible for the members’ rate. Please note that non-member rates are more expensive than membership + member rate. Early registrations need to be postmarked by Feb. 14, 2006. Registration form (240k pdf).

Day and Session Passes

Day and session passes are available during onsite conference registration only. Daypass holders have unlimited access to the presentations for their respective day. They are however excluded from participating at the formal portfolio reviews, seminars and workshops. Only full registrations include the option to participate in the Adobe seminar, Academic Practicum Workshops or the one-on-one portfolio reviews, etc.

Conference Hotel

The Society for Photographic Education’s 2006 National Conference will be held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers in Chicago, Illinois (301 East North Water Street, Chicago, IL 60611, 1-877-242-2558, www.sheratonchicago.com). Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the conference hotel overlooks the Chicago River and is one block west of Lake Shore Drive. The hotel is within walking distance of Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, the Art Institute, the Loop Business District, shopping, dining and entertainment.

PLEASE NOTE: The Chicago Sheraton Hotel is now sold out. Please call A Room With A View for "hotel overflow" assistance at 1-800-780-4343. They will secure the lowest available rate within walking distance to the Sheraton Hotel. This is a FREE SERVICE for all SPE attendees.

If you have already made your reservations at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers and need to cancel your reservation, please remember that your deposit is refundable if cancellation is received and a cancellation number is obtained at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to scheduled arrival time. The number to the Sheraton Chicago is 1-877-242-2558. The SPE conference room rate is $134 plus room tax. Reservations are subject to an early departure fee, please check with the hotel for further information. A room deposit equal to one night’s stay was charged at the time the reservation was made.

Please visit the Sheraton Chicago’s customized website for more information about the hotel or about the city and weather: http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=0512226229&key=AB1F1

General Travel Info

Shuttle service and public transportation are available to and from the airport. Taxis are approximately $30 to $40. The “L” or Chicago Transit Authority offers less expensive transportation options. Visit their website at: www.transitchicago.com

Air Travel

United Airlines is the official 2006 National Conference airline. United Airlines offers significant discounts on all fares for air travel to and from the event. Reservations, schedule, and ticketing information may be obtained by contacting the Meeting Plus Reservation Center of United Airlines at 1-800-521-4041 and reference the following meeting ID Code: 530RA. The meeting plus reservation hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 am to 10:00 pm (ET); Saturday/Sunday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Airport Shuttle Service

Midway Airport is approximately 25 minutes from the hotel and O’Hare International Airport is approximately 35 minutes away. Continental Airport Express offers shuttle service to and from the O’Hare and Midway airports. The O’Hare airport shuttle runs from 6:15 am to 6:45 pm and by reservation. A one-way fare is $23 per person and round trip fare is $42. The Midway airport shuttle runs from 6:05 am to 7:35 pm and by reservation. A one-way fare is $18 per person and a round trip fare is $32. Please check their website for up-to-date information: www.airportexpress.com

Car Rental Discounts

For special car rental discounts please contact Avis at 1-877-289-2611 and reference the Avis Meeting Discount Number K019303. Or call Budget rental car at 1-800-214-6092 and reference the Budget Meeting Discount Number X914201.

Student Opportunities

Volunteers:
Students, you have a unique opportunity to get involved at the conference and meet other students across the country—volunteer! You’ll be able to attend the conferencefor a greatly reduced conference fee of $25. Most of the volunteers will help with the lectures. Other volunteers will help with the auctions, portfolio sessions, registration, etc. Each volunteer is required to work eight hours (spread over the conference) and must attend one of the training sessions on Wednesday, March 22 from 3-5 pm or in the evening from 9-11 pm. The last training session is Thursday, March 23 from 8-10 am. All volunteers need to pre-register for the conference and be current members of SPE. The postmark deadline for volunteer registration is February 14, 2006. Volunteers and scholarship recipients are invited to participate in a half-day Student Seminar on Thursday morning, March 23 from 9 am to 1 pm with presentations by Susan kae Grant, Mary Virginia Swanson and Keith Johnson. This special seminar is only open to student volunteers and scholarship recipients. Don’t miss this chance to hear from some of the most respected, exciting professionals in our field! More information about student volunteers and the volunteer application form (44k pdf).

Student Scholarships: SPE is pleased to announce the following recipients of student scholarships. The recipient of the Crystal Apple Award is Curtis Mann, a graduate student from Columbia College Chicago. The Crystal Apple Award is sponsored by Freestyle Photographic Supplies. The newly established Jeannie Pearce Award has been awarded to Wilfred "Jay" Gould, a graduate student at Savannah College of Art and Design. The recipients of the SPE Student Awards are: Christine Chin (graduate student, University of New Mexico), Jessica Cook (graduate student, University of North Texas), Jess T. Dugan (undergraduate student, Massachusetts College of Art), Wei Meng Foo (graduate student, Arizona State University), Morgan Konn (graduate student, San Jose State University), Zachary Mazur (graduate student, Washington State University), Lindsay Page (graduate student, School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Masumi Shibata (graduate student, University of New Mexico), Sarah Sudhoff (graduate student, Parsons School of Design), and Yvette Yeh (graduate student, Parsons School of Design). Images by scholarship recipients

Sponsors + Exhibitors

SPE would like to thank our sponsors Calumet Photographic (Featured Speaker Barbara Stafford, John Paul Caponigro, Digital Workflow Workshop), Canon (John Paul Caponigro), Sprint Systems of Photography (Honored Educator Carl Toth), Mamiya America Corporation (Saturday Dance Party), Eastman Kodak Company (Keynote Speaker Henry Jenkins), Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College Chicago (Featured Speaker Barbara Stafford), Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Seminar), Freestyle Photographic Supplies (Crystal Apple Award), and HPI International. Our thanks also go to the ASMP Foundation who are generously supporting the SPE Portfolio Reviews, and additional thank yous go to almost seventy conference exhibitors who are participating at the Exhibits Fair.

Deadlines

Please mark your calendar with these important dates:

Questions

For general questions or if you require special assistance during the conference, please contact:
SPE National Office, 126 Peabody Hall, The School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056.

phone 216/622-2733
fax 513/529-9301
or email SPE Office.

(photo: copyright Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau)