Call for Papers: SPE Northeast conference, "The Experiential in Photography" - EXTENDED SEPT. 7th - Spencer Finch to give keynote

Above image: Spencer Finch, The Most Beautiful Blue (Goethe's Theory), 2007, Dimensions Variable, Candle, Pencil, White paper, Daylight, from spencerfinch.com

DEADLINE EXTENDED - NOW DUE *** SEPTEMBER 7th! ***

As blogged previously, Bruce Myren is the new chair of the Society of Photographic Education (SPE) - Northeast. He is working hard on the regional conference, to be held in Providence, RI in early November, and it is shaping up to be absolutely stellar!

Artist Spencer Finch has just been confirmed as the keynote speaker! Please consider attending SPENE and submitting a paper or panel on the provocative and timely theme, "The Experiential in Photography." Proposals are due Sept. 7th. See below for the call and more details on the conference.

Spencer Finch’s artwork often deals with issues that lie at the heart of photography, including light and color. Via installation and various media, Finch poetically investigates a variety of phenomena by way of a psychological and physical breakdown of perception's components. Often engaging the fascinating middle ground between observation, memory, and language, the subjects of his works range from attempting to capture and re-present the gray of shadows in Eugène Atget's work, the ineffable effects of a cloud passing in Emily Dickinson's backyard, to finding and photographing where the ends of a rainbow once were.

A recent lecturer at Aperture Foundation, Finch holds an MFA in sculpture from RISD and a BA in comparative literature from Hamilton College. Exhibited in national and international venues, including the 2004 Whitney Biennial and the 2009 Venice Biennale, Finch is represented in major museum collections. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMoca) presented a major retrospective of Finch’s work in 2007, What Time is it on the Sun?, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art will showcase a solo show in fall 2010, My Business, with the Cloud, as a part of their inaugural NOW exhibition series. His website is www.spencerfinch.com.

More info below and also here (including the registration form): www.spenortheast.org/conference.html

Fall 2010 :: CONFERENCE
Call for Papers - SPE Northeast Regional Conference

The Experiential in Photography
November 5 - 7, 2010
Chace Center, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Hampton Inn & Suites Providence Downtown, Providence, RI

Our conference theme this year aims to consider the ways in which the experiential plays a role in the creation of and theorizing about contemporary photographic and related practices as well as the resulting presentation and consumption of work that engages and comments upon experience/s, broadly defined.

In addition to the normative understanding of the experiential, that of being there, the theme considers how artists use experience--their own or someone else's--as a part of their working method to formulate and express concepts/work. For example, papers might address work that incorporates memories or the other senses, performances or series meant to understand others' experiences, capturing a unique place or experience in another space/place, etc. Lastly, how does the viewer's or consumer's own experiences prior to, during, and after the presence of the work change the reception/understanding?

Please note: submissions are encouraged but not required to address the conference theme. The accepted sessions will be presented on Nov. 6th, with the keynote and a reception occurring on Nov. 5th.

Submit a Proposal - Proposals can be for any of the following presentation formats:

Lecture: presentation on a current topic, theory, or another artist's work
Academic Practicum: lecture or panel addressing educational issues
Imagemaker: presentation on your own artistic work
Panel: a group led by a moderator to discuss a chosen topic

To submit your proposal, email the following:
- your name, address, phone, email, title of submission, and additional speakers/panelists
- a 500-word abstract detailing the presentation
- a 250-word biographical summary for each of the speakers intended
- not more than 10 images (1024 x 768 pixels, jpeg, minimum compression) up to 2 minutes of video (800 x 600, mp4 or mov)
to: conference2010@spenortheast.org

SUBMISSION DEADLINE VIA EMAIL: September 7, 2010
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTED PROPOSALS: September 17, 2010

Thank you for your interest in the SPE-Northeast Regional Conference. If you have questions about the conference please email Bruce Myren at bruce@spenortheast.org