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Past SPE Annual Conferences

Midwest Chapter

SPE Midwest Chapter includes:
Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin

Chair Emily Wiethorn
Treasurer Christopher Schneberger
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Midwest chapter on facebook

Upcoming Conference

Shifting Gears

College for Creative Studies / Cranbrook Academy of Art / Wayne State University - Detroit, MI   |   October 09 - October 11, 2025

The 2025 MWSPE Conference, Shifting Gears, invites photographers, educators, lens-based artists, and scholars to gather in Detroit—long celebrated as the Motor City—for a critical examination of transformation within photographic practice. Drawing on the city's rich history of innovation, industry, and reinvention, this conference examines how photographers are navigating change across technological, pedagogical, and cultural terrains. Through presentations, workshops, and exhibitions, Shifting Gears provides a platform to engage with the evolving methodologies and conceptual frameworks shaping the future of photographic education and image-making.

Shifting Gears is hosted by the College for Creative Studies, Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Wayne State University. It is organized by faculty across Michigan and northern Ohio.

Conference goers will be given a complimentary pass to the Detroit Institute of Art.

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CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Now accepting Conference Proposals!

The organizers of the SPE Midwest Chapter Conference in Detroit invite all image makers (advanced and student), educators, historians, and others, to submit proposals for presenting at the upcoming conference.

Proposal categories include:  

  • Image-maker Lecture: a 30-40-minute presentation by the artist about their own work. 
  • Snapshot Talk: a 15-20-minute presentation by the artist about a new or recent project.
  • Student Presentation: a 15-minute presentation on the artist's work, with a brief introduction to their education program. Open to students 16+.
  • Panel Discussions: a 40-50 min presentation with up to 3 panelists, including a moderator.
  • Pedagogical Presentation: a 30-40-minute session on educational techniques and strategies.
  • Hands-on workshops: an interactive workshop where participants can learn a new technique (digital, lighting, alt-process). Please include a time frame and budget with your proposal.
  • Lecture: a 40-minute presentation on a historical topic, theoretical concern, or another artist's work.

Submit your proposal here: https://spenational.slideroom.com/#/login/program/84006

Deadline for Proposals is August 1, 2025

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Photography Ethics Symposium

Photographies x Photography Ethics Centre Call for Papers

This symposium seeks to engage photographers, curators, archivists, and researchers in a critical discussion about the ethical dimensions of photography.

Photography ethics is a topic which has gained momentum in recent years. From questions of consent, representation, and manipulation to the impacts of social media, artificial intelligence, and fake news, image-makers and image-users are facing complex challenges emerging from technological, environmental, and political change. Head to the link in bio to learn more.

about 15 hours ago via Instagram

Photography Ethics Symposium Photographies x Photography Ethics Centre Call for Papers This symposium seeks to engage photographers, curators, archivists, and researchers in a critical discussion about the ethical dimensions of photography. Photography ethics is a topic which has gained momentum in recent years. From questions of consent, representation, and manipulation to the impacts...

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