The Society for Photographic Education (SPE) is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

membership organization that provides a forum for the discussion of

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

and related media as a means of creative expression and cultural insight. Through its interdisciplinary programs, services and publications, the society seeks to promote a broader understanding of the medium in all its forms, and to foster the development of its practice, teaching, scholarship and criticism.

History

Prior to the 1960s, photography was taught primarily in departments of journalism at American universities. SPE emerged at a time when art departments were beginning to offer photography in their

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...

Nathan Lyons Nathan Lyons (January 10, 1930 – August 31, 2016) was an American photographer, curator, and educator. He exhibited his photographs from 1956 onwards, produced books of his own and edited those of others. Lyons was also a curator of photography ...

, then associate director at the George Eastman House, recognized the newly emerging academic field; he coordinated and hosted a conference in November 1962 in Rochester, NY to address the concerns of these educators.

Beaumont Newhall Beaumont Newhall (June 22, 1908 – February 26, 1993) was an American curator, art historian, writer, photographer, and the second director of the George Eastman Museum. His book, ''The History of Photography'', remains one of the most signif ...

, Walter Rosenblum, Arthur Sinsabaugh,

Aaron Siskind Aaron Siskind (December 4, 1903 – February 8, 1991) was an American photographer whose work focuses on the details of things, presented as flat surfaces to create a new image independent of the original subject. He was closely involved with, if ...

Henry Holmes Smith Henry Holmes Smith (1909, Bloomington, Indiana–1986) was an American photographer and a fine art photography teacher. He was inspired by the work that had been done at the German Bauhaus and in 1937 was invited to teach photography at the New Bau ...

John Szarkowski Thaddeus John Szarkowski (December 18, 1925 – July 7, 2007) was an American photographer, curator, historian, and critic. From 1962 to 1991 Szarkowski was the director of photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Early life and ca ...

Jerry Uelsmann Jerry Norman Uelsmann (June 11, 1934 – April 4, 2022) was an American photographer. As an emerging artist in the 1960s, Jerry Uelsmann received international recognition for surreal, enigmatic photographs (photomontages) made with his uniqu ...

and

Clarence White Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrds ...

were among the thirty attendees at the “Invitational Teaching Conference.” Representing the intersection of fine art practice, education and history, these early participants aimed to formulate the goals, future and improvement of photographic education. The first annual national conference was held in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1963 and the articles of incorporation were signed in May 1964. Since its establishment, many noted artists, curators, and critics in the field of photography have been involved with SPE or its programs. Although the majority of its 2,100+ members are fine art photographers and educators, curators, critics, historians and artists are also members. The national headquarters is located in Cleveland, OH, and the archives are held at the

Center for Creative Photography The Center for Creative Photography (CCP), established in 1975 and located on the University of Arizona's Tucson campus, is a research facility and archival repository containing the full archives of over sixty of the most famous American ph ...

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, AZ.

Events

Every year an annual national conference continues the tradition of gathering some of the greatest artists, students, historians and thinkers of photography’s past, present and future. The annual event (52nd to be held in New Orleans, LA, March 12-15, 2015) attracts over 1,500 photographic artists, educators, students, curators, historians and enthusiasts from around the world. Featured speakers include recognized artists and over 45 hours of peer-reviewed programming from artists, historians, and curators, including panel discussions, imagemaker presentations, demos, and workshops. SPE’s four-day event also hosts an Exhibits Fair with 75+ representatives from industry, publishing, and academic institutions. Portfolio reviews are conducted throughout the event and programming is open to members and non-members of SPE alike. Contributions help support student scholarships, featured artists' costs, special events, and all programming.

Regional organizations

SPE’s eight regional organizations (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, South Central, Midwest, Southwest, West, and Northwest) each serve the special needs of its local constituency and hold conferences/events in the autumn months, creating a sense of community within each region. Many regional associations also take an active role in advocacy issues, special publications, and newsletters.

Caucuses

SPE currently offers membership in three caucuses – LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer), Multicultural, and Women’s. Created to serve underrepresented members of the society, these caucuses provide an environment to discuss, support, and advance the role of LGBTQ, women, and multicultural imagemakers within the society as well as the profession.

''Exposure'' journal

Published since 1973, SPE's journal, ''Exposure'', is a benefit of membership and is published bi-annually in the Spring (March) and Fall (September), with a print run of 2,700 copies per issue. A leading voice in the conversation on photography and related media for over forty years, ''Exposure'' publishes an inclusive range of images and ideas by those passionate about photographic discourse. ''Exposure'' seeks innovative, incisive, and timely submissions from its membership, and also welcomes submissions from non-members including artists, photographers, historians, critics, curators, scholars, educators, and other photography professionals.

References

External links

*{{Official website, www.spenational.org American photography organizations Arts organizations based in Ohio Organizations based in Cleveland