This program brings together eight artists who, in the 1980s, embraced photography and video as means to bring visibility to the histories and perspectives of people of color, women, LGBTQ+, and/or working-class communities. Discussing how they developed new methods and ideas about photography, film, and documentary, this program illuminates the legacies of these experimental practices in contemporary art.

Convened on the occasion of the exhibition "Carrie Mae Weems: Something Grander Still" (January 30–May 9, 2026) at the Art Galleries at Black Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, invited artists will discuss their various projects to recover then-unsung photographic histories; to rethink the politics of representation and media; and to open art and educational institutions to the large and diverse publics they serve. Delving into the connections between these artists’ efforts, this convening offers a group oral history of artworks and publications collected in AGBS’ "Carrie Mae Weems: Something Grander Still."

MARCH 5, 2026
University of Texas at Austin, Art Building, Room 1.102

3-4:45 pm / Panel 1: “Photography’s New, Old Histories”
Joy Gregory and Deborah Willis converse about their work in the 1980s to build archives, books, and associations for photography of the African diaspora.
Moderated by Eddie Chambers.

Refreshments to follow from 5 – 6 PM

Register here for Day One: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1980508496226?aff=oddtdtcreator

MARCH 6, 2026
Texas State University, Wittliff Collections
1-2:45 pm / Panel 2: “Documentary in Contention”
Ben Caldwell, Janet Delaney, and Ingrid Pollard discuss the questioning of documentary taking place in the 1980s, and how this questioning was intertwined with community-building and activism.
Moderated by Ariel Evans.

Intermission

3:15-5 pm / Panel 3: “Photography, Place, Position, Politics”
Marilyn Nance, Martha Rosler, and Will Wilson consider the international scope of documentary film and photography; thinking through how geopolitical concerns and increasingly global discourses about identity informed artists working in the 1980s and 1990s.
Moderated by Erina Duganne.

Register here for Day Two: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/something-grander-still-convening-day-two-tickets-1980570080426

This program is supported by a Curatorial Research Fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Humanities Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.