EVENT

A select group of photography professionals shared their experience and expertise with participants in portfolio reviews. In addition to offering an in-depth critique of the photographs, the reviewers welcomed any questions a participant might’ve had regarding professional practices, marketing or the next steps to take in their career development. All photo-based work was welcomed – fine art, documentary, commercial.

Artists selected their reviewer(s) and booked their review time(s). Each reviewer received a list with name, time and email of the participants. The reviewer invited each participant to a Zoom meeting at their time indicated and allowed the participant to share their screen to present their photographs.


Reviewers:

Steven Benson | Chair, Professor of Photography/Video, School of Photography and Media Studies, Daytona State College. Steven holds a Masters Degree in Fine Art (Photography) from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and is a recipient of three Creative Artist Grants - Michigan Council for the Arts and a NEA/ArtsMidwest Fellowship. He had solo photography exhibitions at the Centre Georges Pompidou and photography festivals/biennials/triennials in Argentina, South Korea, Germany, Syria, Poland, China, Denmark and FotoFest. Museum collections of his work include Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Detroit Institute of Arts, Portland Art Museum, Museet for Fotokunst (Denmark) and the Centre Gorges Pompidou. He is on the Board of Directors (VP) of Snap! Orlando, the Board of Directors (VP) of the Greater Florida Chapter of ASMP, and is a contributing curator to the SE Museum of Photography, recently producing major retrospectives of the work of Roger Ballen and Arno Rafael Minkkinen.

Jason Burrell | Assistant Director and Senior Lecturer, School of Visual Arts and Design, College of Arts and Humanities, University of Central Florida. Jason Burrell has worked professionally as an artist, designer, illustrator and photographer. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design Summer Program and earned a Bachelor of Art in Studio Art from Salve Regina University. For his junior year he attended Parson’s School of Design in Paris, France. He acquired a Master of Fine Art in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a second Master of Fine Art in Drawing from the University of Cincinnati. He has taught professionally for the past twenty-six years. He was an artist in residence at the Grunewald Guild, the Orlando Museum of Art, and the Partners in Art for Visual Education program assisting Orlando communities in need. Jason exhibits across the US.

Roberto Gonzalez | Roberto Gonzalez is the Photo Editor at Orlando Magazine. Roberto has 30 years working as a professional photographer for the publishing industry. The diversity of experience across his career has helped him develop a range of creative skills. He has received a number of national, state, and local awards from organizations including the National Press Photographer’s Association, Society for Newspaper Design, Society of Professional Journalists, and from Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. His clients include The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, and Getty Images.

Erin Gordon | Director, Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona State College. Erin Gordon currently serves as Director of the Southeast Museum of Photography. An alumna of the photography program at Daytona State College, she went on to receive an MA in Fashion Photography from the University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion and a second MA in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies from Florida State University. Prior to joining the Southeast Museum of Photography, she was Assistant Registrar at the University of Florida’s Harn Museum of Art. She is an active member of the Florida Association of Museums as well as a coordinating board member and peer reviewer for the Comics and Popular Arts Conference held annually in Atlanta, GA. As Director, she is especially interested in highlighting the voices of marginalized artists and exploring the ways in which socially relevant exhibitions can foster significant discursive environments.

Meridith Lynn | Curator, Florida State University Gallery. Meredith Lynn is a curator, artist, and educator based in Tallahassee. She is the curator of the Museum of Fine Arts at Florida State University where she specializes in contemporary art with a focus on community health and development. Her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Indiana Arts Commission, and the Knight Foundation.

James Pearson | Director, Hand Art Center, Stetson College, Deland, FL. James Pearson holds a degree in Art History, Criticism from SUNY Stony Brook University, NY. He began his career as the Curator of Art at the Wright Museum of Art, was the Director of the Southeast Museum of Photography, and is currently the Director of the Hand Art Center at Stetson University. At the Hand Art Center, Pearson creates an annual offering of engaging curatorial work, much of it sourced from Central Florida artists working in both traditional mediums and new media. His other curatorial interests include decolonizing traditional art history narratives, and work that places the viewer as participant.

David Roark | Manager/Creative Photography Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group, Disney Parks, Experiences and Programming. David manages a team of photographers responsible for creating images which capture the thrills of Disney vacation experiences around the world from global Disney Parks and Resorts to Disney Cruise Lines. He has documented the Grand Openings of EPCOT, Disneyland Paris, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, Aulani, Disney Cruise Line ship launches as well as countless VIP Park visits by Presidents, Princesses and Celebrities. In April 2021, he celebrated his 39th anniversary as a photographer for the Walt Disney Company.

Marieke Van Der Krabben | Curator, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. Marieke van der Krabben graduated with a BA in Art History and an MA in Photography Theory and History from Leiden University in The Netherlands. She worked as an assistant curator at the Museum of Photography in The Hague where she also co-authored the book Photo Stories about the photography collection of the museum. Additionally, she was a board member and a curator for the International Photo Festival Leiden before moving to Florida. Passionate about working with photographers and sharing their stories, Marieke now curates exhibitions for the FMoPA.