SPE Conferences

The Society for Photographic Education is built upon a long history of conferences to encourage the discussion of photography and related media. The organization itself was born out of the first Invitational Teaching Conference, coordinated by Nathan Lyons in 1962.

National Conferences

Facing Diversity: Leveling the Playing Field in the Photographic Arts
47th SPE National Conference
March 4-7, 2010 in Philadelphia, PA 

This is a tremendous time for diversity. The United States has seen her first president of color sworn into office, and Iceland has just elected the world’s first openly gay prime minister. Yet ask a photography student for the names of five photographers of diverse backgrounds and they will probably fumble. Just as in political life, the demographics of diversity are also shifting in the photographic arts, but this diversity is slow to make its way into galleries, textbooks, and the awareness of those in the industry.

SPE’s 47th National Conference in Philadelphia, “Facing Diversity: Leveling the Playing Field in the Photographic Arts,” will examine how photographers of diverse backgrounds participate in the art world today and how these artists are being received. The conference will look at inclusivity, diversity within diversity, and the various perspectives on the changing cultural dynamics of this country. It strives to bring together curious minds in celebration of the achievements by artists of all backgrounds.

For photographic educators, artists and scholars, the conference programming will:
• Discuss what diversity means within the framework of photography
• Examine how artists have expressed themselves on the topics of race, culture, ethnicity, religion, class, gender, sexual preference, and age
• Identify how these issues are being discussed in the art world and in the classroom today
• Investigate the vocabulary required to discuss diversity in the arts today

We are actively seeking proposals that address how these compelling topics can create the bigger picture of diversity in the 21st century. So make your voice heard and join us in Philadelphia in 2010 for this exciting conference.

Hannah Frieser
Miriam Romais
2010 Conference Co-Chairs

About the City:
Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love,” is an ideal setting for this conference's theme, as the city received its name from one of its most famous citizens, William Penn, who saw his tract of land as a place where people from every background could live together in peace and harmony. Philadelphia is known for its historical landmarks and cultural riches, ranging from the Liberty Bell to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The conference hotel, the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, is conveniently set in a very walkable downtown area that provides a wealth of art venues, restaurants, and shopping.

About the 2010 Conference:
The Philadelphia conference marks a unique partnership between SPE and EnFoco to better address issues of diversity within the field of photography. En Foco is a non-profit photography organization dedicated to nurturing and supporting photographers of diverse cultures, primarily those of Latino, African and Asian heritage, and Native Peoples of the Americas and Pacific. www.enfoco.org

Conference Proposals

SPE welcomes proposals from all photographers, writers, educators, curators, historians and professionals from other fields. Topics are not required to be theme-based, and may include but are not limited to imagemaking, history, contemporary theory and criticism, multidisciplinary approaches, new technologies, effects of media and culture, educational issues, funding, and presentations of work in photography, film, video, performance and installation.

Hotel + Travel Information

The 2010 SPE National Conference will be held at Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Information on special conference rates and travel discounts will become available shortly.

Regional Conferences

SPE has eight regional organizations that serve the special needs of their local constituencies. These groups organize annual regional conferences each fall. Like the national conference, these programs range over a wide variety of topics and bring together SPE members in an arena of scholarly inquiry and fellowship. Plans for the 2008 regional conferences can be found at 2008 regional conferences. Please visit the regional websites for further details.

Conference Calendar

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