Society for Photographic Education Artist Reception
This exhibition offers a moment of reflection amidst significant upheaval, honoring the resilienceof artists who adapt to or distance themselves from systems of power to survive. Bydocumenting individual experiences and collective histories, these artists react to profoundtechnological, structural, social, and economic shifts. Whether exploring and disrupting colonialnarratives through family archives, scrutinizing industrial landscapes, asserting ownership oftheir bodies, or rejecting patriarchy, these artists engage with current realities that bridge thepast and future.Showcased works by national artists demonstrate a vibrant expression of processing grief,emphasizing self-care, or experiencing confusion regarding the social and political landscape.Their pieces draw from traditional and contemporary portraiture, landscape, and experimentalphotography techniques. As we face the daunting task of processing ongoing changes, theartists in this exhibition prompt us to consider how we confront change in an unparalleled futureand explore the various ways a photograph can provoke a strategic reaction in the face ofadversity. – C. Rose Smith, JurorC. Rose Smith • As a photographer and photo historian, I am interested in the power of perspective, particularlyhow photographers of the global majority have and continue to interrupt the Western colonialgaze by archiving themselves and their communities using photographic processes to revealnew truths. I am indebted to surfacing unexplored lived experiences framed conceptually withinnineteenth and twentieth-century photographs and sharing these histories with the public. As acurator, I aim to strengthen the viewer's engagement, knowledge, and appreciation of photo artobjects through exhibitions, workshops, and collection tours.Society for Photographic Education Mission Statement:SPE is the leading forum for fostering understanding of photography in all its forms and relatedmedia. SPE engages its worldwide membership and affiliated communities through a range ofsupportive platforms including conferences, events, and publicationsExhibition Dates: March 4-26, 2025Reception Date: Thursday, March 6th from 6:00pm to 8:00pmGallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10:00am to 4:00pm and Saturday 12:00pm to 4:00pmFor information about the exhibit and the artists, please contact the gallery curator, Maria Partridge • maria@sierra-arts.org
