Spring 2023 Studio Update
Hello Friends,
I am excited to share with you several studio and personal updates related to my creative practice. The past few months have been jam-packed with teaching and research; developing and overseeing the first in-person Society for Photographic Education Annual Conference since 2020; and creating lots of new work. It has also been a time in which I have been able to connect with many of you in-person after the pandemic put a halt on social interactions. I am grateful for these opportunities and eager to see what lies ahead.
At the end of February, I was promoted to Full Professor at Bradley University. This is a wonderful recognition of my 20+ years of teaching, research, and service. I am grateful for the support of my department, college, and university as well as the anonymous external reviewers who reviewed my work and wrote letters of support on my behalf.
In March, I was named the 2023 Woman Science Photographer of the Year by the Royal Photographic Society (UK). For the last decade, I have been making work at the intersection of art and science with a keen interest in how photography can be a platform for discussions about the climate crisis, curiosity, and wonder. This award recognizes my work with bioluminescent organisms as photographic light and the ways in which art can be used to explore some of the most pressing issues facing our planet. If you would like to read more about the award, please check out this article from Petapixel.
Upcoming Exhibitions
[Un]Certain Futures, an exhibition of the Women’s Environmental Photography Collective, will open this week at newARTspace in De Pere, Wisconsin. The exhibition will run April 14th - May 20th with an opening reception on Friday, April 14th from 5-8 p.m.. The Collective was formed in March 2020 to bring together a nationally-recognized group of artists, educators, curators, and writers who all create work focused on environmental concerns and the transition to a post-human centered world. For more information, please check out [Un]certain Futures.
Thirteen Hours to Fall is a solo exhibition of my on-going project of the same name at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts in Providence, RI. Exhibition dates are May 18th - June 9th with an opening reception May 18th, 5-8 p.m., part of Gallery Night Providence. Thirteen Hours to Fall is being presented in tandem with Landscapes Great & Small: An Update for the 21st Century a new exhibition series exploring current approaches to landscape photography. For more information, please check out RICPA.
Several of my works from Thirteen Hours to Fall will also be part of the exhibition Art That Matters to the Planet - Interconnectivity at the Roger Troy Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY. Through world class exhibitions and programs, RTPI illuminates the beauty of nature; challenges us to confront environmental issues of regional, national and global concern; and inspires us to preserve the earth’s biodiversity – with a particular emphasis on the natural area wonders of Western New York. The exhibition opens June 24, 2023 and will be on view through October 8, 2023.
Residencies
In January, I had the pleasure of spending two weeks at Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY at the VSW Project Space Residency. As a native Rochestarian, I often long to return to the rich arts resources and network that can only be found in the home of Kodak, RIT, and the Eastman Museum. My residency proved to be incredibly fruitful as I explored new visual strategies for my current project, Thirteen Hours to Fall, experimenting with the the physicality of the photographic object and delving deep into the amazing VSW lantern slide collection.
I will be heading to the Southwest in early May for the 2023 Changing Climate Residency at Santa Fe Art Institute. I am excited for this gift of time and to be part of a cohort of artists who are all working on climate crisis issues. For more on this residency and to see the list of participating artists, check out SFAI.
Thank you again for your support! If you are interested having me come to your institution or community to give a workshop or artist talk, or want to know about commissions or acquisitions, please reach out at margaretlejeune@gmail.com.
Wishing you a joyous and creative spring,
Margaret
