SPE MidAtlantic Region
Report on Year 2000 Accomplishments
The year 2000 was consumed by
preparations for and recovery from an ambitious regional
conference, held October 20-22 at The University of the Arts
in Philadelphia. Conference Chair Sandy Sorlien and seven
enthusiastic board members developed the theme "Pleasures
and Terrors of the City 2000" as the counterpart to our 1999
theme, "Living in the Sprawl Zone." The conference kicked off Friday
night with a large crowd (at least 250) for Keynote Speaker
Bruce Davidson, whose career retrospective slide
presentation was riveting. The Sol Mednick Award for service
to the photographic community was presented to Stephen
Perloff of the Photo Review. A reception for the student
exhibition in UArts new Media Arts facility followed. Former
board member Gabriel Martinez did a masterful job organizing
this enormous show of work from around the region, juried by
new Philadelphia Museum of Art curator Kate Ware. Saturday's
programming on city imagery included slide talks by students
Diana Spartis and Melinda Rose; artists Karen Serago,
Lawrence Salzmann, Lynn Silverman, James Abbott, Michael
Lonier, Helen Stummer, and Don Camp; and photo-historian
Miles Orvell. Board member Judy Gelles organized an
informative panel on Adjunct Teaching Issues. All these
sessions were very well attended in spite of an overheated
auditorium. With the help of a $2000 grant from
the Pennsylvania Council on the Humanities, we were able to
bring in several distinguished speakers on urban issues for
afternoon presentations and a lively (if fractious) panel
discussion. They were ethnologist Elijah Anderson, writer
James Howard Kunstler, and Inquirer metro columnist Tom
Ferrick, Jr. Don Camp also joined the panel for the
photographer's perspective. A jolly dinner party at the nearby
Print Center followed. Board members Alan Rutberg and Geoff
Delanoy mixed martinis in stainless steel developing tanks.
I'll have mine up with a dash of Photo-Flo, please. The
regional board--joined by all those in attendance--applauded
its own efforts, the efforts of many student volunteers,
and, especially, the efforts of conference chair Sandy
Sorlien. We also thank Abbey Camera and the Pennsylvania
Humanities Council for their contributions. "Philadelphia Essays," an
exhibition of nearly 100 images by ten Philadelphia
photojournalists, was on view in the Great Hall of The
University of the Arts during the conference. It ws was
organized by Clem Murray of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sandy
Sorlien of SPE/UArts, and Rebecca Barger of the
Inquirer/UArts.
.
Bruce Davidson and Miriam Mednick Rothman
Gabe Martinez's martini, Alan Rutberg and Geoff
Delanoy
At the Sunday, October 22, regional
business meeting, four board members were re-elected by
acclamation (Blaise Tobia, Geoff Delanoy, Sandy Sorlien, and
Leigh Kane). Four more are continuing their terms (Alan
Rutberg, Priscilla Smith, Jill Berry, Judy Gelles). By some
mysterious process only dimly understood, Sorlien became
Chair and Delanoy Vice Chair. We then discussed plans for
increasing membership in our region, which is low
considering the number of large art schools. We named a task
force, including Lynn Estomin of Lycoming College in Western
PA, to embark on recruiting visits to underrepresented
schools this spring, particularly in Pittsburgh, which is in
the MidAtlantic region but seems very far away. We would
like to hold the 2002 regional conference there. Tobia mentioned that we should
determine what concrete steps may have been taken by
National to get "affiliated organization" status for SPE
with the College Art Association (CAA). We discussed the
possibility of getting SPE one or more panel slots at the
CAA conference in Philadelphia in 2002. Acknowledged accomplishments in the
year 2000 included Blaise Tobia's elegantly designed
conference website, newsletters, and programs. His hard work
has done much to attract members and conference attendees
this year. Discussion began on a venue for the
2001 "Reege" next fall. The tentative theme is "Fiction and
Fantasy" although that could change. Geoff Delanoy and Alan
Rutberg will be conference co-chairs. Washington DC was
thoroughly investigated and found wanting, in spite of the
generous efforts of Margaret Paris to line something up at
her high school. We are now considering several
possibilities in Baltimore.