The Photo Review 50th Anniversary Symposium

Join us for The Photo Review 50th Anniversary Symposium at the Perelman Auditorium of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) on May 29 and 30, 2026.

On Friday night, the Museum’s Arnold Newman lecture with serve as our keynote, delivered by Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Dr. Deborah Willis. Register here for the keynote lecture, Deborah Willis: Reframing, Curating, Writing, and Imaging in Photography.

The Saturday sessions, co-curated by Peter Barberie, Curator of Photographs at the PMA, and Stephen Perloff, founder and editor of The Photo Review, will:

• Set the stage for the importance of the Philadelphia photography scene through a discussion of Philadelphia’s stature in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Examine the photography scene in the 1970s and early 1980s that spurred new galleries, academic photography programs, a surge of artists in Philadelphia and beyond, and The Photo Review’s place in that movement.
• Highlight major issues addressed by The Photo Review over the past 50 years and the impact of that journalism, along with the impact of The Photo Review on the careers of emerging artists.
• Explore technological developments in the medium and changes in the market over the past 50 years.

Register for Saturday’s event on this page. Registration is free. Donations are appreciated.

Order a box lunch here.

The Perelman Auditorium is wheelchair accessible. American Sign Language interpretation is available by request at [email protected].

See the full schedule and learn more about the symposium here.

Learn more about The Photo Review, our publications, and future events at www.photoreview.org.

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Host or Publisher Stephen Perloff