SPE regional organizations serve to create a sense of community within each of eight geographic area of the United States. The Midwest region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. It is the largest geographic area of the eight regions in SPE. Regional members and volunteers organize fall conferences. Conferences include image maker presentations and panel speakers, as well as invited speakers. Student exhibitions and presentations are also often included. Past region conferences have been hosted in Omaha Nebraska, St. Louis Missouri, Columbus Ohio, Chicago Illinois, Grand Rapids Michigan to name a few. Many regional associations also take an active role in advocacy issues, special publications and newsletters. The Midwest also sponsors scholarships for students (undergraduate and graduate) and adjunct faculty to attend the national conference. The Midwest Regional officers are Chair Steve Benson, Treasurer Victoria Veenstra, Secretary Sarah Detweiler, and Webmaster Susan Moore.
Through programs and publications, SPE promotes the understanding of photography, in all its forms, and fosters developmentof photographic practice, teaching, scholarship and critical analysis. SPE members are among the most gifted photographers and teachers in the field. SPE is the national representational body for photography departments and faculty members of the college-level educational community, serving to unite and promote hundreds of degree-granting programs, and sponsoring allied institutions and workshops.
In 1963, the Society for Photographic Education was established by a number of highly respected photographers, critics, historians and educators, including Nathan Lyons, John Szarkowski, Aaron Siskind and Henry Holmes Smith. Since then virtually all noted artists, curators and critics in the field of photography have been involved with SPE of SPE's programs at some point in their careers. SPE has become an important vehicle for the dissemination of information and criticism about new and experimental photography and related media.
SPE's journal of record, Exposure, is one of the leading professional periodicals in the U.S. blending scholarly insight, historical perspectives, critical dialogue, and educational issues. Ideas for issues of exposure are solicited and reviewed annually.
SPE's national conference, held in March of each year, is a four-day event featuring lectures, panel discussions and artists' presentations selected from national submissions, and balanced with presentations by nationally known speakers.
The Society is more than a collection of some of the finest talents in the field today; it is the representational body for photography programs and faculty within the college-level educational community. As such, it serves to unite and promote the hundreds of degree-granting programs nationwide, as well as allied institutions and workshops.
Present membership includes critics, curators, gallery directors, exhibiting photographers, photojournalists, students, teachers and collectors, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Steve Benson: Midwest Regional Chair
Steven Benson Photography
Phone: 248.693.6668
Cell: 248.224.0888
email Steve: sb@stevenbensonphoto.com
visit Steve's website: stevenbensonphoto.com
Victoria Veenstra: Midwest Regional Treasurer
Associate Professor
School of Communications
Grand Valley State University
290 Lake Superior Hall
Allendale, MI 49401
phone: 616.331.3668, 616.331.3957
email Victoria: veenstrv@gvsu.edu
visit GVSU online: gvsu.edu/soc
Katie Miller: Midwest Regional Secretary and Newsletter Editor
More info soon
email Katie: Katie.Miller@uwsp.edu
Susan Moore: Midwest Regional Webmaster
Assistant Professor
Ernestine M Raclin School of the Arts
Indiana University, South Bend
Fine Arts, 114
1700 Mishawaka
South Bend, Indiana 46634
phone: 574.520.4860
email Susan: sulmoore@iusb.edu
visit Susan's website: slmoore.com
This site was designed by Jessie Mitchell
