Cart Search

2024 Annual Conference

St. Louis

March 21-23, 2024

submit Remember my login

Looking for a chapter event?

Past SPE Annual Conferences

People with Cameras

Scott Hilton - Chair
Priya Kambli
Leah Gose
Jordanne Renner - Treasurer
Janet Pritchard
Michael Borowski - Vice-Chair
Eric Sung
Abbey Hepner
Alexander Heilner
Larry Gawel
Arthur Fields
Margaret LeJeune
Julie Anand
Millee Tibbs
Marivi Ortiz - Secretary
Jason Reblando

All board members are elected for four-year terms. Nominations for board members are due by the end of April or early May to the SPE office. Elections take place in the fall. The election of board members is staggered, so each year some board members roll off the board while new members are elected.

Scott Hilton

Scott Hilton earned his MFA at the California State University in Fullerton in 2005, and his BA at the University of Nevada, Reno in 1992.  Hilton has taught as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Texas at Arlington since 2009, and was Associate Faculty at Collin College in Frisco, TX from 2006 until 2019.  Hilton has been an SPE member since 2003, has served as the Treasurer and Chair of the South Central SPE Chapter, was on the Planning Committee for the 2016 South Central Chapter "retreat" conference at Camp Stewart, TX.  He helped to initiate and organize the ... read more

Scott Hilton earned his MFA at the California State University in Fullerton in 2005, and his BA at the University of Nevada, Reno in 1992.  Hilton has taught as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Texas at Arlington since 2009, and was Associate Faculty at Collin College in Frisco, TX from 2006 until 2019.  Hilton has been an SPE member since 2003, has served as the Treasurer and Chair of the South Central SPE Chapter, was on the Planning Committee for the 2016 South Central Chapter "retreat" conference at Camp Stewart, TX.  He helped to initiate and organize the South Central Chapter's Portfolio Throwdown events 2019-2020. He is serving a term on the SPE Board of Directors 2019-2023, and as the Chair of the Board 2021-2023.

Priya Kambli

Priya Kambli received her BFA at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and an MFA from the University of Houston. She is currently Professor of Art at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Kambli's work inadvertently examines the question asked by her son Kavi at age three; did she belong to two different worlds, since she spoke two different languages? The essence of his questioncontinues to be a driving force in her art making. In her work, Kambli has always strived to understand the formation and erasure of identity that is an inevitable part of the migrant experience, exploring the resulting fragmentation of family, identity, and ... read more

Priya Kambli received her BFA at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and an MFA from the University of Houston. She is currently Professor of Art at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.

Kambli's work inadvertently examines the question asked by her son Kavi at age three; did she belong to two different worlds, since she spoke two different languages? The essence of his question
continues to be a driving force in her art making. In her work, Kambli has always strived to understand the formation and erasure of identity that is an inevitable part of the migrant experience, exploring the resulting fragmentation of family, identity, and culture.

Kambli's artwork has been well received, having been exhibited, published, collected and reviewed in the national and international photographic community. She was the winner of the inaugural Creator Labs Photo Fund by Aperture and Google, and The Magenta Foundation's Un-Stuck grant. She is also the winner of the 2021 Outstanding Artist Award from the Missouri Arts Council, the state's highest honor in the arts. The success of Kambli's work underlines the fact that she is engaged in an important dialogue, and reinforces her intent to make work driven by a growing awareness of the importance of many voices from diverse perspectives and the political relevance of our private struggles.

Leah Gose

Leah Gose is a photographic artist and educator. She is an Associate Professor and Interim Dean of the Fain College of Fine Arts at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX. She holds a B.A. in Photography from the University of Colorado and an M.F.A. in Photography from Texas Woman's University. Her work seeks to challenge the viewers relationship to their own perception, and ask questions of the reliability of memory. Her work has been exhibited in various venues both nationally and internationally. ... read more

Leah Gose is a photographic artist and educator. She is an Associate Professor and Interim Dean of the Fain College of Fine Arts at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX. She holds a B.A. in Photography from the University of Colorado and an M.F.A. in Photography from Texas Woman's University. Her work seeks to challenge the viewers relationship to their own perception, and ask questions of the reliability of memory. Her work has been exhibited in various venues both nationally and internationally.

Jordanne Renner

JordanneRenner is an artist that works across many platforms including large format film photography, figurative sculpture, mural paintings, public art & installation, and the repurposing of materials for social engagements & fundraising affairs. She considers photography as an extension of her Self, which is an ongoing photographic investigation for her since 2000. Jordanne also explores topics in the culture of place, the body and landscape, and the psychology of memory. She earned her BFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in 2003, and her MFA in Studio Arts/Photography from The Ohio State University in 2010. Jordanne is a recipient ... read more

JordanneRenner is an artist that works across many platforms including large format film photography, figurative sculpture, mural paintings, public art & installation, and the repurposing of materials for social engagements & fundraising affairs. She considers photography as an extension of her Self, which is an ongoing photographic investigation for her since 2000. Jordanne also explores topics in the culture of place, the body and landscape, and the psychology of memory.

She earned her BFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in 2003, and her MFA in Studio Arts/Photography from The Ohio State University in 2010. Jordanne is a recipient of an Edwin Austin Abbey Mural Fellowship (2009), a Puffin Foundation Grant (2015), a Greater Columbus Arts Council Individual Artist Grant (2020), a Big Ideas Grant (2020), and two FotoFocus Biennial Grants (2020).

Jordanne believes in giving back to the community, and is regularly involved with initiatives dismantling food deserts, supporting social justice, education, and arts outreach. Since 2008 she has served on the DC Council for the Wexner Center for the Arts while also professing art and photography as adjunct faculty. She is a wild woman that has most recently rallied establishing the WE, the Women's Caucus Exhibition opportunity.

Janet Pritchard

Before pursuing a career in photography, Janet Pritchard worked as an outdoor education instructor and spent her youth traveling between the Northeast and Rocky Mountain West. These early experiences led to an awareness of regional differences within the US, and she describes herself as geographically bilingual. Her methodology, described as historical empathy, relies on history, material culture, and ecology to guide her depictions of landscapes as expressions of time and place, situating landscape photography at the intersection of nature and culture.  In her current project, The Wild Heart of New England: The Connecticut River & Watershed, she photographs the riverscapes as a ... read more

Before pursuing a career in photography, Janet Pritchard worked as an outdoor education instructor and spent her youth traveling between the Northeast and Rocky Mountain West. These early experiences led to an awareness of regional differences within the US, and she describes herself as geographically bilingual. Her methodology, described as historical empathy, relies on history, material culture, and ecology to guide her depictions of landscapes as expressions of time and place, situating landscape photography at the intersection of nature and culture. 

In her current project, The Wild Heart of New England: The Connecticut River & Watershed, she photographs the riverscapes as a complex interconnected system. She relies on history and science for greater understanding. Her book More than Scenery: Yellowstone, an American Love Story, which views the world's first national park through the lenses of nature, culture, and history, is due in October from George F. Thompson Publishing. 

Honors and awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship; Connecticut Office of the Arts Artist Fellowships; American Antiquarian Society Jay and Deborah Last Fellowships; National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar, Smith Center for Cartography, Newberry Library; Artist-in-Residencies at Ucross Foundation, Jentel Foundation, Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University, Millay Foundation, and the Vindolanda Trust; UConn awards include Research Excellence Program, School of Fine Arts Research Grant, and a Humanities Institute Fellowship. Her exhibition venues include Philadelphia Museum of Art; RISD Museum, Providence; Fruitlands and New Bedford Art Museums, Massachusetts; Fraction Magazine; FlakPhoto; Lenscratch; International Center for Photography, New York; Martha Schneider Gallery, Chicago; Photographic Resource Center, Boston; and the SPE sponsored National Trust for Historic Preservation traveling exhibition America's Uncommon Places.

Pritchard is a Professor, Area Coordinator, Graduate Advisor in Photography, and an Affiliated Faculty Member of the Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering and the Institute of the Environment at the University of Connecticut. She has taught in various visiting and contingent capacities at Tyler School of Art, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Colorado (Boulder & Denver), and the University of New Mexico. Pritchard received her BA in art history, classics, and philosophy from the University of Colorado and her MA and MFA in photography from the University of New Mexico.

Michael Borowski

Michael Borowski (he/him) is an artist living and working in occupied Tutelo/Moneton land (Blacksburg, Virginia). He works with an expanded photographic practice, critically examining architecture, technology, and the environment to show that design is not neutral, but reflects political values, personal biases, and desires. His work has been included in national and international exhibitions, and is a 2019 recipient of a Graham Foundation grant. He received his MFA from the University of Michigan, and a BFA from the University of New Mexico. Michael is currently the Chair of Studio Art and Associate Professor of Photography at Virginia Tech. ... read more

Michael Borowski (he/him) is an artist living and working in occupied Tutelo/Moneton land (Blacksburg, Virginia). He works with an expanded photographic practice, critically examining architecture, technology, and the environment to show that design is not neutral, but reflects political values, personal biases, and desires. His work has been included in national and international exhibitions, and is a 2019 recipient of a Graham Foundation grant. He received his MFA from the University of Michigan, and a BFA from the University of New Mexico. Michael is currently the Chair of Studio Art and Associate Professor of Photography at Virginia Tech.

Eric Sung

Eric Sung is a photographer and cultural worker.  His innovative and creative vision has materialized multiple interdisciplinary ideas into action with a diverse group of stakeholders. Sung's experiential scholarship and companion works have appeared internationally in peer-reviewed and juried conferences and venues, including the Society for Photographic Education (SPE), International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), Imagining America (IA), International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement International Conference (IARSLCE), and Global University Network for Innovation International Conference (GUNI).     Sung's artworks have been showcased in internationally renowned exhibition venues and public spaces.  His art, research, and community empowerment projects were supported by the National Endowment ... read more

Eric Sung is a photographer and cultural worker.  His innovative and creative vision has materialized multiple interdisciplinary ideas into action with a diverse group of stakeholders. Sung's experiential scholarship and companion works have appeared internationally in peer-reviewed and juried conferences and venues, including the Society for Photographic Education (SPE), International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), Imagining America (IA), International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement International Conference (IARSLCE), and Global University Network for Innovation International Conference (GUNI).  

 

Sung's artworks have been showcased in internationally renowned exhibition venues and public spaces.  His art, research, and community empowerment projects were supported by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH), Providence Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism (ACT), Sponsored Project and Research Interdisciplinary Grant (SPaRC), and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA).

 

Sung is a Professor at Providence College and was appointed as the founding director of a cutting-edge program in Business and Innovation in 2018.  Currently, he is a member of the WARP Collective Artists Group and serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Photographic Education.  

 

Abbey Hepner

Abbey Hepner is Assistant Professor of Photography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She holds undergraduate degrees in Art and Psychology from the University of Utah and an MFA in Photography from the University of New Mexico. Her work examines health, technology, and our relationship with place. She frequently works at the intersection of art and science, examining biopolitics and the use of health as a currency. Her work has been exhibited widely, and her first monograph, The Light at the End of History, will be published by Daylight Books in 2021. ... read more

Abbey Hepner is Assistant Professor of Photography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She holds undergraduate degrees in Art and Psychology from the University of Utah and an MFA in Photography from the University of New Mexico. Her work examines health, technology, and our relationship with place. She frequently works at the intersection of art and science, examining biopolitics and the use of health as a currency. Her work has been exhibited widely, and her first monograph, The Light at the End of History, will be published by Daylight Books in 2021.

Alexander Heilner

Alexander Heilner is a multi-disciplinary artist and photographer whose work inhabits both fine art and documentary initiatives as he investigates the relationships between artificial and natural elements within the environment, and within our culture. A winner of the prestigious Baker Artist Prize, Alex has exhibited, screened, and performed his work nationally and internationally, Photography festivals including Pingyao, Sienna, and Daegu have featured his aerial photography, and he has been awarded numerous grants and commissions in support of his ongoing environmental projects. Alex is presently engaged in two long-term endeavors which document radical shifts in our physical and social landscapes due to global warming. Draining ... read more

Alexander Heilner is a multi-disciplinary artist and photographer whose work inhabits both fine art and documentary initiatives as he investigates the relationships between artificial and natural elements within the environment, and within our culture. A winner of the prestigious Baker Artist Prize, Alex has exhibited, screened, and performed his work nationally and internationally, Photography festivals including Pingyao, Sienna, and Daegu have featured his aerial photography, and he has been awarded numerous grants and commissions in support of his ongoing environmental projects.

Alex is presently engaged in two long-term endeavors which document radical shifts in our physical and social landscapes due to global warming. Draining the Colorado catalogs the diminishment of water throughout the Colorado River Basin; while The New Arctic examines the imminent and rapid changes occurring in Arctic coastal communities. For over a decade, Alex has also been photographing the elaborate campsites that serve as "home" for citizens of Black Rock City, the temporary desert metropolis built each summer for Burning Man.

Alex' editorial and fine art work have been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian, Politico, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Details; myriad websites including WiredLenscratch, Ain't-BadFraction,Juxtapoz, and Design Taxi; and he has produced numerous photo essays for public radio's Marketplace. Nearly 200 of Alex' photographs are featured in the Encyclopedia of New York City, published in 2010. Alex was commissioned by Johns Hopkins Hospital to create digital collages which are featured throughout its complex and Baltimore magazine named him the city's best photographer in 2012.

Alex earned his B.A. at Princeton University and his M.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York. He has been teaching at the Maryland Institute College of Art since 2003, and served as the College's Associate Dean for Design and Media Studies from 2011 to 2018.

Larry Gawel

Larry Gawel grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and holds a BFA Degree in Applied Media Arts with a concentration in Photography from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography from Penn State. After graduation, he relocated to Tempe, Arizona where he established his art practice, started a commercial photography business, and held adjunct teaching positions at both Arizona State University, and within the Maricopa County Community College system. In 1998, he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska and began working at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, a position that he still holds. Since 2002 ... read more

Larry Gawel grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and holds a BFA Degree in Applied Media Arts with a concentration in Photography from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography from Penn State. After graduation, he relocated to Tempe, Arizona where he established his art practice, started a commercial photography business, and held adjunct teaching positions at both Arizona State University, and within the Maricopa County Community College system. In 1998, he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska and began working at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, a position that he still holds. Since 2002 he has been Photography Program Coordinator, managing a department that includes four full-time and four adjunct faculty members for a student body of between 150 and 200 students. In 2008, he founded WorkSpace Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska to exhibit work by contemporary photographers. He served as Chairperson of the Midwest Chapter of the SPE from 2013 to 2019.  

Arthur Fields

Arthur Fields is a multi-disciplianary artist and educator based in North Texas.  Arthur completed his MFA in Photography at Texas Womans University in Denton, Texas. He earned his BFA in Digital Imaging at Washington University in St. Louis.  Arthur is currently Associate Professor of Art at Dallas College where he teaches courses in photography, digital imaging and design. While his artistic research is based on self-representation and social-media, he is currently focusing on his love for abstraction and the portrait. His works have been included in exhibitions at venues throughout the country including: The University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, IN), Box13 ArtSpace (Houston, TX), Weitman Gallery (St. Louis, MO), ... read more

Arthur Fields is a multi-disciplianary artist and educator based in North Texas.  Arthur completed his MFA in Photography at Texas Womans University in Denton, Texas. He earned his BFA in Digital Imaging at Washington University in St. Louis.  Arthur is currently Associate Professor of Art at Dallas College where he teaches courses in photography, digital imaging and design. While his artistic research is based on self-representation and social-media, he is currently focusing on his love for abstraction and the portrait. His works have been included in exhibitions at venues throughout the country including: The University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, IN), Box13 ArtSpace (Houston, TX), Weitman Gallery (St. Louis, MO), PhotoPlace Gallery (Middlebury, VT), and the California Institute of Integral Studies (San Francisco, CA).

Margaret LeJeune

Margaret LeJeune is an image-maker, curator, and educator from Rochester, New York (USA). She received an MFA from Visual Studies Workshop. Working predominantly with photographic-based mediums, LeJeune explores our precarious relationship to the natural world. Her work has been widely exhibited at institutions including The Griffin Museum of Photography (USA), The Center for Fine Art Photography (USA), ARC Gallery (USA), Circe Gallery Cape Town (South Africa), Science Cabin (South Korea), and Umbrella Arts (USA). LeJeune has been invited to create work at several residency programs which foster collaboration between the arts and sciences including the Global Nomadic Art Project – ... read more

Margaret LeJeune is an image-maker, curator, and educator from Rochester, New York (USA). She received an MFA from Visual Studies Workshop. Working predominantly with photographic-based mediums, LeJeune explores our precarious relationship to the natural world. Her work has been widely exhibited at institutions including The Griffin Museum of Photography (USA), The Center for Fine Art Photography (USA), ARC Gallery (USA), Circe Gallery Cape Town (South Africa), Science Cabin (South Korea), and Umbrella Arts (USA). LeJeune has been invited to create work at several residency programs which foster collaboration between the arts and sciences including the Global Nomadic Art Project – The Ephemeral River, University of Notre Dame Research Center, Trout Lake Research Station, Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation - Ives Lake Field Station, and the 2023 Changing Climate Residency at Santa Fe Art Institute. She has been awarded two Puffin Foundation Artist Grants, The Sally A. Williams Artist Grant, and was recently named the 2023 Woman Science Photographer of the Year by the Royal Photographic Society. Her works have been published in numerous publications including Culture, Community, and Climate: Conversations from art.earth press and Embodied Forest from ecoartspace. LeJeune currently serves as Professor of Art and Design in Photography at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.

Julie Anand

Julie Anand is Associate Professor of Photography in the School of Art at Arizona State University where she has taught for fifteen years. Her projects often explore material culture and body/land relations. Material Histories, large montages of artifacts collected on walks that act as socio-environmental mirrors, were exhibited at the ASU Art Museum and published in the text Art & Politics: A Small History for Social Change after 1945. Parallel to her solo art practice, Anand sustains a collaborative art practice with her partner Damon Sauer. Both artists received their MFA degrees in Photography from the University of New Mexico ... read more

Julie Anand is Associate Professor of Photography in the School of Art at Arizona State University where she has taught for fifteen years. Her projects often explore material culture and body/land relations. Material Histories, large montages of artifacts collected on walks that act as socio-environmental mirrors, were exhibited at the ASU Art Museum and published in the text Art & Politics: A Small History for Social Change after 1945. Parallel to her solo art practice, Anand sustains a collaborative art practice with her partner Damon Sauer. Both artists received their MFA degrees in Photography from the University of New Mexico in 2005. Their current project Ground Truth explores Cold War concrete markers in the desert used to train the eyes of early spy satellites. This project is the collection of Nevada Museum of Art's Center for Art + Environment and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Ground Truth has been published in Wired, Harper's, National Geographic, and Hyperallergic. Anand and Sauer recently exhibited the work in a solo exhibition at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC.

Millee Tibbs

Millee Tibbs' work derives from her interest in photography's ubiquity and the tension between its truth-value and inherent manipulation of reality. Tibbs is an Associate Professor and Photography Area Coordinator at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. She holds an MFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is the recipient of two MacDowell Colony fellowships, as well as multiple national and international artist residency awards. Her work has been published by the Humble Arts Foundation, NYC and the Aperture Foundation, and is held in the permanent collections of the George Eastman Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the ... read more

Millee Tibbs' work derives from her interest in photography's ubiquity and the tension between its truth-value and inherent manipulation of reality. Tibbs is an Associate Professor and Photography Area Coordinator at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. She holds an MFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is the recipient of two MacDowell Colony fellowships, as well as multiple national and international artist residency awards. Her work has been published by the Humble Arts Foundation, NYC and the Aperture Foundation, and is held in the permanent collections of the George Eastman Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Chrysler Museum, the Portland Art Museum, and the RISD Museum.

Marivi Ortiz

Marivi Ortiz is a Puerto Rican born, Chicago based photographer, commercial photo retoucher and adjunct educator. She holds an MFA from the University of Chicago at Illinois. In her art practice she investigates the desire for human connection, personal loss and trauma. She is interested in the process of healing after a traumatic event and the lingering effects of what remain during the process. Her work is meant to inspire, and help survivors convey personal narratives, self-expression and advocacy.  Her work has been shown at numerous museums and galleries including University of Texas in San Antonio, Collective Experiences, Chiang Mai Photo Festival in ... read more

Marivi Ortiz is a Puerto Rican born, Chicago based photographer, commercial photo retoucher and adjunct educator. She holds an MFA from the University of Chicago at Illinois. In her art practice she investigates the desire for human connection, personal loss and trauma. She is interested in the process of healing after a traumatic event and the lingering effects of what remain during the process. Her work is meant to inspire, and help survivors convey personal narratives, self-expression and advocacy. 

Her work has been shown at numerous museums and galleries including University of Texas in San Antonio, Collective Experiences, Chiang Mai Photo Festival in Thailand, Awakening Foundations literary magazine, Poke Artists and Online Social Media at Foto Fest in Houston. Other exhibitions include Extended Family for the School of Art in Collaboration with local high schools at Night Gallery in Tempe, Arizona, and Family Matters at Northlight Gallery on the campus of Arizona State University. She has been a longtime member of SPE and previous Co-Chair of the multi-cultural caucus at SPE. 

Jason Reblando

Jason Reblando is an artist and photographer based in Normal, Illinois. He received his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago, and a BA in Sociology from Boston College. He is the recipient of a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship to the Philippines, two Artist Fellowship Awards from the Illinois Arts Council, and a Community Arts Assistance Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Jason's work focuses on labor, migration, and the socioeconomic forces that shape communities. His projects have been published in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, Politico, Camera Austria, PDNedu, Slate, Bloomberg ... read more

Jason Reblando is an artist and photographer based in Normal, Illinois. He received his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago, and a BA in Sociology from Boston College. He is the recipient of a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship to the Philippines, two Artist Fellowship Awards from the Illinois Arts Council, and a Community Arts Assistance Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Jason's work focuses on labor, migration, and the socioeconomic forces that shape communities. His projects have been published in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, Politico, Camera Austria, PDNedu, Slate, Bloomberg Businessweek, Marketplace, MAS Context, Real Simple, Places Journal, Chicago Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune. His photographs are collected in the Library of Congress, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Pennsylvania State University Special Collections, the Midwest Photographers Project of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His monograph New Deal Utopias was published in 2017 by Kehrer Verlag. He is an Assistant Professor of Photography in the Wonsook Kim School of Art at Illinois State University.

Email Sign Up

SPE email updates contain resources, news, and more!

About this piece

Comments about this piece

Dialogue and critique are important to the SPE mission.
Please join the conversation.

Exit Full Screen Mode