2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
Looking for a chapter event?
Past SPE Annual Conferences
exhibitions
2026 SPE Annual Conference Schedule
print this pageAgainst the Grain
Mark Maio, Anthony Bannon, William Boling
Thursday, March 19 - 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Atlanta 3
This conversation between photographer Mark Maio, arts writer and curator Anthony Bannon, and publisher William Boling of Fall Line Press will explore the forthcoming photobook Against the Grain, which documents the grain scoopers of Buffalo, New York. The discussion will center on Maio's long-term photographic engagement with the men who worked in and around Buffalo's historic grain elevators—a vanishing labor force tied to the city's industrial past. Through striking black-and-white portraits and images of monumental architecture, Maio captures both the physical demands and cultural significance of this nearly forgotten occupation.
Anthony Bannon, a Buffalo native and former director of the George Eastman Museum, will provide historical and cultural context, connecting the scoopers' stories to larger narratives of labor, identity, and the American Rust Belt. William Boling will speak to Fall Line Press's approach and how Against the Grain aligns with the press's dedication to storytelling through photography and writing. Together, the panel will discuss the collaborative process of bringing this book to life—from concept to curation—and the role of publishing in preserving oral histories and visual records.
The talk will offer an intimate look at how image-making, memory, and place intersect, inviting a broader conversation about documentary practice, working-class heritage, and the evolving function of the photobook as both art object and historical document.
speaker
About
- Board Reports, Letters, and Minutes
- History
- Staff
- Board Members
- Board Committees
- Board Elections
- SPE Code of Conduct
- Caucuses
Join
Members
Annual Conference
- About the Conference
- Overview
- Speakers
- Schedule
- Registration
- Calls for Proposal
- Volunteer
- Sponsors
- Exhibit
- Anti-Harassment Policy
- Hotel & Travel
- Location + Travel
- Hotel
- Schedule of Events
- Schedule
- special events
News & Events
Chapters
Exposure Journal
About this piece
Comments about this piece
Dialogue and critique are important to the SPE mission.
Please join the conversation.