Conference 2008: Reviews—Guidelines & Reviewers’ Bios

Portfolio Review Guidelines:

WHAT: Sign up for 20 minutes of feedback from reviewers who are curators, artists, gallery directors and grad school directors.

WHY: To receive a range of potential discussions, including critique of artwork, selection of work for exhibition or publication, and information and review for candidates of MFA programs. In the conference catalog, reviewers state their interests and their preference of meeting with student and/or professional (non-student) artists.

HOW: When you check in during registration on Friday, you may select one review session for Saturday morning. On Saturday morning, you can sign up for additional reviews based on availability. Reviews are available on a first come first serve basis, so arriving early during registration is recommended. If you show up more than 5 minutes late, you forfeit your review and anyone on the waiting list may take the slot.

The below guidelines came from the Photo Lucida “How To” manual on their website.

The Quick Cheat Sheet:

  • Your portfolio should be a complete body of work with a solid vision (15–20 prints). Do bring alternate portfolios and examples of other work if you want, but your primary presentation should be a complete body.
  • Package your portfolio such that you can carry it, open it, show it, and put it away with minimum fuss. Simple clamshell portfolio boxes are one perennial festival favorite.
  • Research the reviewers as best you can before you show up at the portfolio reviews, and honestly assess which reviewers are the best fits for your work (the internet can be a valuable tool for this).
  • Always be courteous to the reviewers and your fellow photographers.
  • Respect the 20 minute time slot you have for showing your work and be ready to move on when your time is up. Some overlap is inevitable; however, when the 5 minute warning is called start wrapping it up. If there is more to be said, quickly make an appointment to meet afterwards: if the interest is there an additional meeting will happen.
  • Yes, the reviewers will remember who you are if you follow them into the bathroom to show them your work, and not fondly. Don’t do this. Really, don’t do this.
  • Bring leave-behinds for the reviewers; make sure that it includes all of your contact information. Bring plenty of extras as you will probably want to give some to your fellow photographers as well.
  • Take notes after your reviews and follow up with reviewers when you return home.

Reviewers

Sue Abramson—Pittsburgh Filmmakers

Sue Abramson received her B.F.A. in photography at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is currently an Associate Professor of photography at Pittsburgh Filmmakers in Pittsburgh, PA. Abramson has exhibited her work nationally and regionally including exhibitions at the Houston Center for Photography, the Visual Studies Workshop and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Her photographs have been published in Extended Frames, Pittsburgh Revealed: Photographs Since 1850 and in the Pinhole Journal. Her work is in numerous collections including the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Allentown Art Museum and the Polaroid Collection. She is interested in reviewing experimental photography and video work.

Jamie M. Allen—George Eastman House

Jamie Allen is Curatorial Associate in the Department of Photographs at George Eastman House. She holds a MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. Allen is currently working on several in-house and traveling exhibitions. She also assists with acquisitions, loans and artist submissions. Allen in interested in reviewing a wide range of work (both students and professionals), but has particular interest in alternative processes.

A Master of Arts in Photographic Preservation & Collections Management is offered byGeorge Eastman House (Rochester, New York) and Ryerson University (Toronto, Ontario). The joint graduate program provides an integrated curriculum of academic study and professional education that will equip students to meet current responsibilities and future demands in photographic preservation and in managing photographic collections. Its curriculum is specifically designed to deepen students’ understanding of the history of the photographic medium, particularly its social, cultural, and instrumental uses, and the purposes and functions of photographs and photographic collections.

Andrew Atkinson—Montclair State University MFA Program

Andrew Atkinson is a photographer, critic, curator and professor of digital photography at Montclair State University. He holds a PhD from the Centre for Fine Print Research at the University of the West of England and is working on a book on the Woodbury type. He has curated exhibitions in the US and Italy and exhibits internationally. He writes for Afterimage and the Architect’s Newspaper and is a board member of the Society of Photographic Education Mid-Atlantic. He will be reviewing for MSU’s MFA fast growing studio program and for professionals.

John Caperton—The Print Center

John Caperton is the Curator of Prints & Photographs at The Print Center in Philadelphia, where he has organized exhibitions that included the work of Masao Yamamoto, Hirsch Perlman and Melanie Schiff. He received his AB in Art History at the University of Chicago and was the Exhibitions Coordinator at Locks Gallery, Philadelphia where he organized exhibitions with artists Virgil Marti, Polly Apfelbaum, Thomas Chimes, Eileen Neff, Stuart Netsky and Clare Rojas. He has also held positions at the Fairmount Park Art Association, Philadelphia and the Anderson Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA as well as guest curating exhibitions at Vox Populi and the former Project Room in Philadelphia. He is interesting in looking at professional work.

Doug Dubois—Syracuse University

Doug DuBois received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. He is an associate professor at Syracuse University in New York. Doug DuBois’ photographs are in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NY, SFMOMA in San Francisco, J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The M.F.A. graduate program in art photography is designed for individuals who are committed to making art with photography as a primary medium. Through an intensive study that includes tutorial and group critique and courses in history, theory, and criticism, students are encouraged to achieve professionalism in their field. Graduate students benefit from the department’s close association with Light Work, a nonprofit organization on campus that sponsors visiting artists and exhibitions in the Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery. He is interested in reviewing for the Syracuse MFA program

Peggy Feerick—George Mason University

Peggy Feerick teaches and coordinates the Photography Program at George Mason University, recently recognized by US World and News Report as the “#1 US University to Watch in up and coming schools.” Her work is exhibited both locally and nationally and represented in both private and public collections. She has received several grants and awards including George Mason’s Mathy award. She has served as a lecturer, moderator and conference panelist, co-authored an article on “Women in Photography” and curated a photographic exhibition “The Telling Image: Portrait Photographs from the Archives of American Art” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Feerick has taught photography for over twenty years at institution’s including, The University of New Mexico, the Smithsonian, Georgetown University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Photography program at George Mason University offers BA, BFA and MFA degrees. A faculty of established, mid-career and emerging artists from the surrounding areas of DC, VA and MD provide unique perspectives fostering an independent vision in each student. GMU’s photography facilities will move to a new building, opening fall, 2009 with greatly expanded space, featuring traditional, alternative and the latest in digital equipment, allowing students to pursue a full range of educational options. Situated within Virginia’s largest University, George Mason is located in the Metro DC area in close proximity to many national resources such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and The National Gallery of Art.

Harris Fogel—Sol Mednick Gallery & Gallery 1401

Harris Fogel is an Associate Professor of Photography, Director of the Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401, and Coordinator of Photography in the Media Arts Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The Media Arts Department offers programs in Photography, Film, Animation, and Digital Video, and houses two gallery spaces. The Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401 offer a year-round schedule of contemporary exhibitions of photography.

The Sol Mednick Gallery was founded in 1978 by then-Department Chair Ray Metzker, and is named after the founder of The University of the Arts Photography Program, Sol Mednick. It is the only endowed gallery for the exhibition of contemporary photography in Philadelphia. Harris Fogel has directed the Sol Mednick Gallery since 1997 and he founded Gallery 1401 in 1999. The Media Arts Department, home to the photography, film, digital video, and animation programs at the university, operates the galleries. In 2001, the Sol Mednick Gallery recieved the prestigious Photo Review Award for service to photography. He is reviewing work for possible exhibition at the Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401. He would prefer to view work that is fully realized and ready for exhibition.

Mary Goodwin—Lightwork

Mary Goodwin is the Assistant Director at Light Work (www.lightwork.org), a non-profit organization located in Syracuse, New York, that has supported artists for over three decades with exhibitions, publications, including Contact Sheet, and residencies. She would like to see professionals who are interested in applying for a residency at Light Work and exhibiting their work.

Andrew Johnson—Carnegie Mellon MFA Program

Andrew Johnson is Associate Professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University. His work addresses exigencies of daily realities and undresses the refined aesthetics of art. Diverse in media, his practice is united by conceptual and tactical approaches that present subjects rather than objects, balancing realpolitik with poetics, craft and contemplation. Exhibition topics have ranged from the apocalypse to animal nature and disasters of war to the culture of class. Venues for his work have included museums, galleries, electronic arts and video festivals, public collaborations, conferences, books and journals in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He is co-founder of the socially engaged collective, PED that has performed in Buffalo, Belfast, Chongqing, Rio de Janeiro, St. John’s and Tonawanda. http://www.rootingfortheradical.com

Ashley Peel Pinkham—The Print Center

Ashley Peel Pinkham received her BFA in Photography from The University of the Arts and is currently the Assistant Director at The Print Center in Philadelphia. Previously, she has worked with over 90 printmakers and photographers from around the world as The Print Center Gallery Store Manager. She has volunteered for numerous organizations including The Photo Review, Philagrafika and PhotoSession. In 2002 she was an invited artist-in-residence with the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Pennsylvania in a collaborative project entitled Body Image: A Photo Documentary. She was invited by The Center for Emerging Visual Artists to guest curate a photography exhibition in 2003 entitled Self-Centered and has juried exhibitions for Chester County Arts Association and the First Person Arts Festival in Philadelphia. Ms. Peel Pinkham is formerly the National Conference Planner for the Society for Photographic Education and Co-Executive Director for the Philadelphia Center for the Photographic Image (now The Light Room) and has resided on its Advisory Board. She is interested in reviewing student work.

Tom Persinger—f295

Tom Persinger is a photographer and the founder/director of f295. He is based in Pittsburgh, PA. f295 is an international organization with more than 1,800 members interested in the how the artistic vision of the photographer frames the choice of process and technique and also includes the discussion and practice of historic methods, alternative processes, and adaptive techniques. In his personal work he departs from the common pursuit of using photography to capture single decisive moments. His photographs are often the result of extended exposures. The artifacts of motion revealed using long exposures show the world as fundamentally impermanent and constantly changing. He refers to this as a “continuity of moments”. He organizes the annual multi-day f295 Symposium and the f295 Seminar Series.

He has spoken at numerous colleges and universities and offered many alternative photography workshops. Persinger has been published in Ag, Afterimage, Black and White Photography (UK), View Camera, and the forthcoming edition of Photographic Possibilities. He is interested in reviewing both student and professional work which is driven by the vision and creativity of the artist rather than the technical limitations/possibility of the equipment or the idea of sales. This can include processes and techniques from the history of the craft.

Jim Ramer—Parson’s School of Design/New School

Jim Ramer is the Associate Chair and Director of Graduate Studies in Photography at Parsons the New School for Design, New York City.Professor Ramer teaches courses in both practice and theory. His own photographic and installation work has been widely exhibited and published. He is interested in reviewing potential grad students and professional work.

Miriam Romais—En Foco

Miriam Romais is the Executive Director for En Foco and the Editor for Nueva Luz photographic journal. Prior to that, she served as its Managing Director for 13 years, in addition to being a photographer and curator. EnFoco is a non-profit photography organization, founded in 1974 to nurture, publish and exhibit photographers of Latino, African, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American heritage. The publication Nueva Luz is national in scope and is the premier magazine in its field. The annual New Works Photography Awards program selects three photographers per year from a national call for entries who receive an honorarium and photo-related materials to create new work.

Ms. Romais offers publication and exhibition possibilities, also comments on general presentation. Ms. Romais is most interested in reviewing in-depth fine art and documentary work by serious emerging and mid-career photographers of African, Asian, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander heritage. Ms. Romais is least interested inreviewing nudes, commercial, advertising or stock photography.

Eric Luden

Eric Luden recently founded Digital Silver Imaging, a dedicated black & white photolab producing true black & white photos from digital files on silver gelatin papers. Eric was a former executive at Ilford Photo and a noted commercial and fine art photographer. In the 1980s, he worked with a variety of clients and exhibited his black & white photographs throughout New England. During the 90s, he served as a consultant with Eastman Kodak’s black & white division before joining Ilford, where he worked for over 12 years.

In 2006, he became the VP of North American Marketing for Ilford’s parent company, HARMAN technology. Eric’s understanding of Ilford and HARMAN papers is unparalleled. He brings decades of print experience to Digital Silver Imaging, having worked with leading inkjet companies and traditional photo manufacturers. What’s more, he has worked closely with photographers, educators, and photo labs throughout his career. Through Eric’s knowledge of silver gelatin papers, digital laser technology, and black & white printing, DSI is positioned to become the region’s premier digital black & white lab, serving photographers throughout New England and beyond.

Eric is interested in seeing traditional photographs that is from film or digital capture.

Calla Thompson—University of Baltimore, MD

Calla Thompson’s art practice includes works in digitalmontage, drawing, and installation that examine the ways in which power is enacted and exchanged. Thompson’s works have been exhibited throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in South America, including solo exhibitions in Toronto at The Centre for Contemporary Photography and Open Studio Gallery, as well as in New York City at Soho 20. Group exhibitions include those at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum at Cornell University, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the International Photography Biennial by invitation of the Centro Colombo Americano de Medellin, Columbia, The Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, The Painted Bride Arts Center, the Everson Museum of Art, and the Korean Cultural Center Gallery of Los Angeles. Thompson has received residencies including those at Yaddo Artist Colony and Cooper Union in New York City, and grants from The Canada Council for the Arts.

Thompson’s work has appeared in catalogues and more recently in Robert Hirsh’s book Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age. She received her MFA in Photography from Syracuse University and her BFA in Photography from the University of Ottawa (Canada). She is a professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she teaches in both undergraduate photography and the graduate Imaging and Digital Arts program; “a laboratory environment” that “offers students an interdisciplinary approach to new methods of images making.” She is interested in reviewing both student and professional work.