¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ’s Bill Gaskins, founding director of Photography + Media & Society MFA—a program accredited by  the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) in May and fully accredited by NASAD in June—will speak this week as part of a Magnum Photos series, Chapter III: Towards a Future for Photography. This event is free and open to the public.

Gaskins will speak at the panel What is the Future for Photographic Institutions?, along with Olivia Arthur, Sarah Meister and Donald Weber, and moderated by Fred Ritchin. 

“The ‘Beyond Magnum’ series is a program of in-depth talks created to address and examine some of the many challenges facing photography and the world today,” Gaskins said. “It's an honor to join a group of dynamic and esteemed colleagues and contribute to a vital conversation at this stage in the story of photography—and the world.” 

Gaskins is an artist working in photography, cinema, and non-fiction writing. His work is based on a personal, social, professional, and academic foundation informed by the history of photography and art, and American and African American Studies scholarship. A critical entry point for his work is his interest in the myths of photography and American life through depictions of race in visual culture.

“We are honored and excited that Bill Gaskins will take part in the ongoing Beyond Magnum series,” Pauline Vermare, cultural director at Magnum Photos New York, said. “We look forward to hearing about the values and philosophy that led him to create and direct the newly established Graduate Program in Photography + Media & Society at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ—and his vibrant hope for the future generation of practitioners. The curricular vision of Bill Gaskins is testament to the power and importance of thoughtful and visionary artists in the academy for the future of photography.”