Southwest Chapter | Conferences

Reciprocity: Expanding Ideas of Community

Weber State University - Ogden, Utah   |   October 18 - October 19, 2024

Reciprocity exemplifies the best of human capacity. When someone acknowledges our efforts and we respond in kind, it inspires positivity that long ripples through our personal and professional lives and communities. For this exhibition, we invite artists to submit work that broadly addresses reciprocity, community building (between human and non-human participants), and the challenges and benefits of mutual exchange. 

What does it mean to be in relation?
What diverse ways are you building and considering community?
What does mutually beneficial exchange look like; what are its challenges and benefits?
How does reciprocity take shape in your practice, process and photography?

Thanks for your patience as we update the website with all the appropriate and necessary information!

***Early bird pricing goes until September 25th!***

***Student SPE Membership + Conference Registration is less than the non-member Student Registration to support students in becoming members of SPE.***

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WxSW

Film Festival

- Virtual , Conference   |   October 10 - October 10, 2020

This fall all SPE chapter conferences will be held online. The West and Southwest chapters are working together to organize a digital film festival as part of our virtual conference. 

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Conflux

Coming Together in Conversation

University of New Mexico - Albuquerque, New Mexico   |   November 02 - November 04, 2018

From Many, To Many

Taking its name from the meeting of two rivers, the theme of the 2018 West/Southwest is based on the notion of meeting, exchanging, and transforming. It is based on the transformative power of conversation.

From the keynote dialogue with Ana Teresa Fernandez and Mario Ontiveros to the many opportunities for sharing, Conflux is a conference of member-initiated creative conversations, hands-on collaborative projects, roundtable discussions, demonstrations, member's exhibition, artistic feedback and cultural site visits which pivot around photographic practice and contemporary culture.

Keynote Conversation

The keynote event will be a conversation between artist Ana Teresa Fernandez and art historian Mario Ontiveros. Fernandez's interdisciplinary work, ranging from photography, to painting, to time based actions, illuminates the psychological and physical barriers that define gender, race, and class in Western society and the global south.  Ontiveros' research seeks to build productive links between sociopolitical awareness, political engagement, critical theory, artistic practice, and contemporary society. Their conversation will be a point of conflux among these areas of research.

Exhibition Opportunity!

CONFLUX COMING TOGETHER IN CONVERSATION PIN UP EXHIBITION

Conflux Coming Together in Conversation Exhibition

College of Fine Arts-Downtown Studio, 113 4th St NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Reception: Friday, November 2, 2018 6 - 9PM

The exhibition, Conflux Coming Together in Conversation, is an open call to those attending the joint SPE W/SW conference. The exhibit aims to spark a visual dialog among participants by forging visual and conceptual similarities among the exhibited works. 

 Note: Artwork must be picked up Sunday, Nov. 4 from 10 AM-12 PM or it will be discarded, unless other arrangements are made in advance.

 Exhibition Specifics: 

• Please bring one print per person (either unframed or framed work will be accepted) in person to the CFA gallery on Friday 3PM to 5PM during conference checkin (work can be dropped off until the close of the reception at 9PM but ideally it would be earlier), 


• Maximum print size 30"x40"


• All work brought in will be included and will be pinned/hung in the gallery with each artist making visual/conceptual connections to other artworks. 


• Artwork must be picked up Sunday morning (hours TBD) or it will be discarded, unless other arrangements are made in advance.

Registration fees, paid directly to SPE:

• Regular, Senior, Sustaining member: $75 early, $90 regular


• Adjunct/part-time: $40 early, $55 regular


• Student: $20 early, $25 regular


• Non-member: $190


• Student non-member: $60

Early bird deadline is October 7th, 2018

Cancellation Policy:

Conference registration is non-transferable and requests for a full refund must be received in writing to southwest@spenational.org by October 16, 2018. After October 16, 2018, cancellations are subject to a $25 processing fee. The cancellation policy applies to all circumstances (including severe weather, natural disaster, flight cancellations, etc.).

Happening Nearby:

Jo Whaley: Echoes.  An installation of still life color photographs placed among Georgia O'Keefe's paintings, opening a new perspective on modernist compositions.
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, November 2nd, 2018 - February 24th, 2019.

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Tahoe CoLab

Creativity, Community, and Collaboration

Granlibakken Tahoe - Granlibakken Tahoe, Tahoe City, California   |   November 03 - November 05, 2017

Travel Awards

Please contribute to the #SPETahoeAwards Generosity by Indiegogo campaign to send 4 talented and deserving students to the Tahoe CoLab Retreat: https://igg.me/at/p-7INXUIwzc

• Amy Elizabeth Johnson


• Elizabeth Lee Freedman (also a Tahoe CoLab Image-Maker presenter)


• Nick Simko


• Ariel C. Wilson (also a Tahoe CoLab Image-Maker presenter)

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Important Notes for Registration

Please note that you must reserve your lodging and meal package with Granlibakken Retreat Center separately by visiting https://www.secure.granlibakken.net/conference/forms/PHOTOED_form.asp or by calling (800) 543-3221.

All participants MUST be registered with Granlibakken as a retreat attendee or they will not be able to participate in the retreat. Reservations for Granlibakken are due by 10/3/2017 and any reservations received after this date are on a space available basis.

Retreat registration is done through this SPE website by clicking on the "register" link to the right.

On the pages that follow, be sure to choose only one activity for the Saturday 1–2 pm hour and a different one (and only one) for the 2–3 pm hour. Each activity is limited to 10 participants, the website will indicate if a particular activity is full.

Early bird retreat registration pricing ends October 1, 2017.

To get the full experience, we strongly recommend staying on site at Granlibakken for both nights. If you are interested in staying off site or only attending a portion of the retreat, please email us for options: west@spenational.org.

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Retreat Information

Join us for Tahoe CoLab: an interactive, community-building retreat where we will explore the ways in which photographers collaborate with each other, with artists in different disciplines, with scholars in other fields such as science and the humanities, and with community members. The permutations are as endless as they are exciting.

We are thrilled to have Harrell Fletcher as our "weekend headliner!" He will be giving the keynote address on Friday evening, presenting a selection of socially engaged collaborative and interdisciplinary work from his 25+ year career as a social practice artist using photography. In addition, Harrell will lead us all in an exciting participatory project on Saturday afternoon.

Granlibakken Tahoe Resort, just minutes from the shores of Lake Tahoe, will be the retreat backdrop as we dine, slumber, learn, create, and collaborate with others from the West and Southwest chapters of SPE: students, educators, curators, artists, etc. Programming will include image-maker presentations, intimate roundtable conversations, portfolio sharing, nature and photography outings, and a collaborative project.

Granlibakken is located five minutes from Tahoe City in the Tahoe National Forest and about an hour drive from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, serviced by major airlines such as Alaska, American, Delta,jetBlue, Southwest, and United. From the retreat location, Emerald Bay State Park is a20 mile drive south and then it is an additional 52mile drive around the lake with scenic wonders at each mile. For those who search for the cultural aspects of a region,afifteen mile drive east will get you to the state line for the gambling and music at the Crystal Bay Club.

• Retreat style, with lodging and foodincluded. Rates for the 2-nights, including all taxes. Paid directly to Granlibakken by visiting https://www.secure.granlibakken.net/conference/forms/PHOTOED_form.aspor by calling (800) 543-3221.
  
  
  
  • Double occupancy: $367.20 per person
  
  
  • Single occupancy: $482.40 per person
  
  
  • Dorm-style (5–6 people per room): $220.80 per person
  
  
  • To get the full experience, we strongly recommend staying on site at Granlibakken for both nights. If you are interested in staying off site or only attending a portion of the retreat, please email us for options: west@spenational.org.
  
  
  • All participants MUST be registered with Granlibakken as a retreat attendee or they will not be able to participate in the retreat.
  
  
  
  
  
  


• Registrationfees, paid directly to SPE:
  
  
  
  • Regular, Senior, Sustaining member: $75 early, $90 regular
  
  
  • Adjunct/part-time: $40 early, $55 regular
  
  
  • Student: $20 early, $25 regular
  
  
  • Non-member: $190
  
  
  • Student non-member: $60
  
  
  • Early bird deadline is October 1, 2017
  
  
  
  
  
  


• Retreat activities:
  
  
  
  • Retreat programming to start Friday at 5:30 pm with a hosted cocktail reception and juried exhibition presentation
  
  
  • Keynote Speaker: Social Practice Artist Harrell Fletcher
  
  
  • Participatory Workshop Project led by Harrell Fletcher
  
  
  • Wet plate collodion giant van camera demo by Ian Ruhter
  
  
  • Honored educators' (West and Southwest) talks
  
  
  • 15-minute image-maker presentations
  
  
  • Roundtable discussions on a variety of topics
  
  
  • Portfolio sharing
  
  
  • Hiking and photography outings
  
  
  • Programming to end Sunday at 1 pm after lunch
  
  
  
  

  Cancellation Policy:

  
  

  Conference registration is non-transferable and requests for a full refund must be received in writing to west@spenational.org by October 16, 2017. After October 16, 2017, cancellations are subject to a $25 processing fee. The cancellation policy applies to all circumstances (including severe weather, natural disaster, flight cancellations, etc.).

  
  

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Hunting + Gathering: Trends in Photo Books and Image Archives (Southwest)

University of Arizona, Center for Creative Photography - Tucson, AZ   |   November 04 - November 06, 2016

Hunting and Gathering: Trends in Photo Books and Image Archives

Physical and online platforms dedicated to the interpretation, collection and distribution of photographic image content have blossomed over the last decade. Simultaneously the photo book has enjoyed a resurgence - with a proliferation of innovative trade and independently published titles. Artist-made books that function as a malleable narrative vehicle and the image archive, in service to various conceptual frameworks, have remapped the way we consume and engage with pictures.

The 2016 West/Southwest Regional SPE conference will bring together speakers and panelists to discuss the latest developments in photographic books and image collections. Participants will examine the ways in which bodies of images are amassed, curated, narrated, sequenced, cross-referenced, published and distributed to create new forms of visual meaning.

• November 4–6, 2016


• Tucson, AZ
  
  
  
  • University of Arizona
  
  
  • Center for Creative Photography
  
  
  • Pima Community College
  
  
  • Southwest University of Visual Arts
  
  
  • Etherton Gallery
  
  
  
  

This is a joint conference between the West and Southwest regions.

Schedule is posted on this website. Subject to change.

Please note that you must make your reservation at the Aloft conference hotel by 10/18/16 in order to receive the discounted rate, subject to availability.

If you will be arriving early to Tucson, we recommend the following events on Thursday, November 3:

• Exhibition: LOUIS CARLOS BERNAL: Arizona Unseen, Color Photographs 1978 - 1988




• Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, Pima Community College, West Campus


• Reception: November 3, 5–7 p.m.


• This landmark exhibit features previously unseen color images by late photographer Louis Carlos Bernal.




• Library Exhibition and Discussion: Remembering and Forgetting with Memorials and Through Sailor’s Eyes




• University of Arizona Special Collections, 1510 E. University Blvd.


• November 3, 6–8 pm


• Professor Susan Crane questions how memorials participate in both remembering and forgetting major events or historical personages. Special Collections Director Steve Hussman explores primary resource materials such as diaries, photographs, and other materials that convey a sailor’s life on a battleship.
  
  

Conference Pricing:

Adjunct/Part-Time SPE Members: $55
Regular, Senior, and Sustaining SPE Members: $90
Student SPE Members: $25
Non-members: $190
Student non-members: $60

Cancellation Policy:

Conference registration is non-transferable and requests for a full refund must be received in writing to west@spenational.org by October 16, 2016. After October 16, 2016, cancellations are subject to a $25 processing fee. The cancellation policy applies to all circumstances (including severe weather, natural disaster, flight cancellations, etc.).

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SPE Southwest and West Joint Retreat

Joshua Tree Conference Center - Joshua Tree, CA   |   November 13 - November 15, 2015

Go to https://www.regonline.com/spejoshuatree2015 for more information and TO REGISTER.

Experience the natural beauty and creative character of Joshua Tree with an all inclusive retreat weekend at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and son, Lloyd). Conference programming will include Honored Educators Sant Khalsa (CSUSB) and Mark Klett (ASU), guest speakers, round-table discussions, and portfolio sharing as well as field trips to the National Park, Andrea Zittel's A-Z West Home and Studio and High Desert Test Sites, Noah Purifoy's Art Park, Sounds Baths at the Integratron and more.

Relax and rejuvenate with SPE friends at the pool and jacuzzi, star gazing at the night skies or on a hike or meditation walk. You’ll be nestled in with your colleagues in retreat style accommodations and served a delicious and fresh catered menu (with options for special diet restrictions) by renowned local chef, Rosa Ficara. Prepare yourself for a unique experience at the the Joshua Tree Retreat Center (JTRC), the oldest and largest retreat center in the Western United States. JTRC is considered to be an architectural landmark, a sacred site, and location of 18 energy vortices. We will show our respect for the longtime custom of the retreat center of removing our shoes when entering some of the conference meeting rooms and be mindful that there are others on the premises engaged in silent meditation

Join your colleagues to enjoy "Pop Up Pix" a 15 minute presentation style format showcasing new works by your peers, intimate round table "Casual Conversation" discussions, yoga, excursions, live music dance party, casual portfolio reviews and plain old hanging out and star gazing. As a bonus, participants arriving early or staying on will have the opportunity to attend pre and post-conference programming, tours and experiences as well as explore the Joshua Tree National park and other free sights. The Mojave Desert landscape and the eclectic Joshua Tree community is sure to please.

You must be a current SPE member to attend. Renew your SPE National membership BEFORE you register for this retreat or your registration will be cancelled. Pack your hiking shoes, layered clothing and sun protection for varied weather conditions, don't forget your camera gear and get in the spirit for a special joint SPE West and Southwest Retreat.

FEES: Includes conference fee, 6 gourmet meals and 2 night stay (Fri/Sat) at JT Retreat Center.
$355 shared double, triple or quad+ lodging
$325 single gender cottages (7 people each)
$275 co-ed dorm room lodging
$225 camping onsite
$200 no onsite lodging - conference and meals only
+ $4.75 registration software fee
+ 5% Visa processing fee OR 6% AMEX processing fee

TO REGISTER: https://www.regonline.com/spejoshuatree2015.

Registration is open until November 1, 2015.

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A Collective Vision

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake Community College's Arts & Cultural Events (ACE) Program - Salt Lake City, UT   |   October 17 - October 19, 2014

The goal of this conference is to help bridge the gap between state boundaries, institutions, and professional or artistic genres to join together with this common passion. "A Collective Vision" will provide the opportunity to share the diverse and unique experience each of us has with photography in hopes to provide a rich learning environment and social network for all.

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Letters to An Emerging Artist

Colorado Photographic Arts Center - Tivoli Student Union, Denver, CO   |   October 12 - October 13, 2013

The 2013 Southwest regional conference took place on October 14th in Denver Colorado. The primary location for the conference was the Tivoli Student Union on the Auraria Campus. On Friday evening there was an opening of student work at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center and a lecture by artist Bonny Lhotka at Walker Fine Art. Our conference was planned with a very short time window, beginning in the summer. The three regional officers co-chaired this event. The conference brought together invited speakers from each state in our region to give advice to emerging artists. Photo Eye book editor Melanie McWhorter spoke about the explosion in the photography book publishing market. Professors Betsy Schneider, Patrick Manning, and Terry Martin all gave advice about how to keep an artistic practice going outside of the academic environment. Paul Weinrauch, commercial photographer and ASMP representative gave an extremely informative lecture about copyright and licensing issues. Finally, the Curator of Photography at the Denver Art Museum spoke about the relationship between artists and museums. We hosted a portfolio walk-through on Saturday afternoon with invited reviewers from the local arts community. On Saturday evening, three filmmakers showed their films and participated in a Q&A session with the audience. It was an energizing and successful conference! (Summary by Patti Hallock) Conference Chairs: Patti Hallock, Megan Jacobs, Samantha Johnston

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Delusion

- Fort Collins, Colorado   |   November 01 - November 03, 2012

The weekend started out with great energy. To our surprise at least another 30-40 onsite registrants showed up on Friday morning. By mid-afternoon an engaged crowd was in conversation with speaker Jeremias Paul. Featured Speaker Aline Smithson ended on a wonderful note with her mix of humor and inspiration. Immediately following was her book signing and the opening reception for the SPESW Members' Exhibition at C4FAP.

Saturday kicked off with portfolio reviews and an informative professional development demonstration with Laura Pressley from CENTER and Jessamyn Lovell. One of the conference rooms was set with tables for informal portfolio sharing throughout the day. A highlight of the afternoon was the graduate student presentation "Heat Wave", showcasing the work and commitment of students to work alongside one another. The afternoon kicked off with humor and laughter with Bill Adams, and ended with Keynote Speaker Phil Toledano's entertaining wry sense of humor and somewhat outrageous projects that summed up the underlying theme of "Delusion". The conference closed with the raffle, which generated around $600, and all proceeded to the Center for Fine Art Photography for a closing party. (Summary by Tomiko Jones)

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