Call for Applications: Writing & Publishing Seminar
July 21-August 1, 2025 | Deadline: May 9th, 2025
Photography Network is hosting a two-week writing and publishing seminar to support and promote new voices in photography scholarship, curation, and criticism, to take place online from July 21-August 1, 2025. Six applicants will be chosen to participate. Through structured workshops and mentorship from two established professionals in the field, they will revise manuscripts of in-progress writing projects for submission and publication. Each participant will also receive a stipend of $500.
This workshop's mentors are Samuel Dylan Ewing, a curator, researcher, educator, and labor organizer who previously served as a senior researcher at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and Karan Rinaldo, a photography specialist in collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and co-author of Diane Arbus: In the Beginning (2016).
Anyone working on research-based writing projects that use photography as the primary object or evidence is invited to apply. Such projects might include, but are not limited to, journal articles, exhibition proposals, conference papers, and other public-facing writing about photography. No institutional affiliation is necessary: graduate students, postdocs, junior museum professionals, critics, and independent scholars around the world are encouraged to submit applications.
Conducted in English, the seminar will require an average daily commitment of a minimum of two hours (Monday through Friday), which includes presentations by invited speakers, one-on-one advising, and group meetings to workshop in-progress manuscripts. In addition to in-depth feedback on their writing, participants can expect guidance with acquiring images and clearing copyright, preparing a manuscript for publication, and building techniques for a productive writing routine. All participants will complete a full draft or revision of their manuscript by the conclusion of the program.
The deadline for applications is Friday, May 9th. Successful applicants will be notified before or by May 30th.
To apply, please submit the following as a single PDF to photography.network.board@gmail.com with the subject line: “PN Writing & Publishing Seminar”
CV (no more than 3 pages)
Please provide links on your CV to publications and/or exhibitions
One-page cover letter that includes:
Previous publishing experience (if any)
Current funding and advising support (if any)
Your motivation for wanting to participate in the workshop
One-page project proposal
This can take the form of an outline or short abstract, and can include 1-2 supporting images
Please indicate if the project has already been accepted for publication
Questions about the program or application process can be sent via email to: Jessica Williams Stark at jessica.williams.stark@gmail.com or Maura McCreight at mauramccreight@gmail.com.
Allan Sekula Untitled (from Aerospace Folktales), negative 1973, print 1984, baryta paper, 14.8 x 22.4 cm, edition 1/2, Generali Foundation.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
Photography Network fosters discussion, research, and new approaches to the study and practice of photography in its relation to art, culture, society, and history. It serves the interests of members through sponsored sessions at the College Art Association annual conference (among other fora), research conferences and/or professional convenings (regional, national, and international), a listserv, publication(s), a website, and social media. Photography Network cultivates a spirit of community and exchange through these programs as well as more informal gatherings, with the aim of advancing innovation in the field.
ABOUT THE MENTORS:
Samuel Dylan Ewing is a Philadelphia-based curator, art historian, and researcher with a decade of experience working in museums, higher education, and arts foundations. His notable curatorial credits include Waiting for Tear Gas (2022) and Photography and Memory (2019) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is an award-winning educator with experience in classroom instruction and course management. His scholarship has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, in addition to interviews and essays geared toward various audiences. As a public speaker, Sam has delivered over two dozen professional presentations, including invited lectures at universities and art institutions.
Karan Rinaldo is a photographs specialist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has been managing The Met’s Diane Arbus Archive since October 2008 and now serves as Senior Manager, Collections and Archives, overseeing all archives in the Department of Photographs, which also includes the James Van Der Zee and Walker Evans Archives. Additionally, Karan supervises the Department's Study Room for Photographs. Karan received a BA from Bucknell University, an MA in art history from Hunter College, and an MA in library science from Queens College. Prior to arriving at The Met, she gained experience in cataloging, archival practice, and collections management at the Museum of Modern Art Library, the Graphic Arts Collection at the Princeton University Library, and the Museum of the City of New York. She formerly worked in arts administration at the School of Visual Arts. Additionally, she is co-author of Diane Arbus: In the Beginning (2016) with Jeff Rosenheim.