We are excited to announce the launch of a new initiative. By/For: Photography & Democracy is a new collaborative partnership between three photographic historians, Dr. Tom Allbeson, Dr. Colleen O’Reilly, and Helen Trompeteler. 

Our collective investigates photography’s assumed democratic credentials as an art form and a medium of mass communication. We believe a historical perspective on the complex relationship between photography and democracy is critical to understanding how the medium and related visual technologies can address the social and political issues of our time.

For our inaugural 2024/2025 program, we are delighted to present a six-part series of virtual lectures and accompanying readings with Shawn Michelle Smith, Brenna Wynn Greer, Thy Phu, Darren Newbury, Ileana Selejan, and Patricia Hayes.

All lectures will take place via Zoom. Please visit byforcollective.com to learn more and to register. Any questions can be directed to byforenquiriesgmail.com.
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Program:

Friday, October 4th, 2024, 13:30 EST - Photographic Returns: Carrie Mae Weems’s Constructing History with Shawn Michelle Smith

Friday, November 8th, 2024, 13:00 EST - African Americans and the Photographic Seat of Honor with Brenna Wynn Greer

Friday, December 6th, 2024, 13:00 EST - Photographic Restoration, Colorization, and the Renovation of Memory with Thy Phu

Friday, February 7th, 2025, 13:00 EST - Civil Rights Struggle as “Democracy in Action” in U.S. Information Agency Photography with Darren Newbury

Friday, March 7th, 2025, 10:00 EST - Photography, Civic Action, and the Struggle For Justice in Latin America with Ileana Selejan

Friday, April 4th, 2025, 10:00 EST -  Race is in place: Photography, land and climate change in the work of the late Santu Mofokeng with Patricia Hayes