begley

Screengrab of Josh Begley’s Prison Map

If you happen to be in Seattle this weekend, I will too! I’ll be speaking to the throbbing masses at the Society for Photographic Education (SPE) Northwest 2013 Conference.

Now, I’m not a photographer or an educator (formally speaking), but the theme of the conference Connecting Through Photography could not be more up my alley.

My plan is to rip through a full-bleed Powerpoint giving an overview of the history of photography in American prisons; to draw out the dominant aesthetics; to ask if what we’ve seen adequately describes the realities of prisons; and wonder about what we haven’t seen. To close, I will lay out what I feel are the most relevant and effective ways to think about, and to use, photography in our attempts to connect with America’s incarcerated class (which at 2.3 million men, women and children, is a significant portion of society to connect to, listen to, and understand.

I’m excited; it’ll be a live presentation of many ideas I’ve been quietly stewing over recently.

I’ll be pacing the stage in Room 632 at the Art Institute Seattle, on the morning of Friday, November 08th, 11:00am – 12:00pm.

Come say hello!

Also at SPENW are my buds and photowizards Eirik Johnson, Holly Andres and Erika Schultz. Check out John Keatley too. And definitely the folks at Youth In Focus speaking about their important work.

Full schedule.

Tickets.