Conference registrations now open

Register now for the Center’s Conversations Transcontinental conference at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art in Provo, Utah, on March 29–30, 2019. The two-day event coincides with the opening of the Center’s new After Promontory exhibition and publication of a 320-page book of the same title. Visit the conference page for more information and to submit your registration.

John Gruber, 1936-2018

John Gruber, founder of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, died on October 9, 2018. His influence on the field of railroad photography is impossible to overstate, from his own paradigm-shifting black-and-white work beginning in the 1960s to his 2018 book that reexamines the lives and photography of Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg. Beyond his own luminous work, Gruber shined a spotlight on other notable photographers while also encouraging young and emerging practitioners. Classic Trains magazine dubbed him a “provocateur of railroad photography” in a 2014 profile by Kevin Keefe. There would be no Center without Gruber’s vision and tireless efforts, and all of us here stand always on his shoulders. Photograph by Henry A. Koshollek

Tribute by Scott Lothes, the Center’s president and executive director, with a gallery of John’s photographs
Blog post by Justin Franz on the Trains magazine website
Obituary by Kevin P. Keefe on the Trains magazine website
Blog post by Kevin P. Keefe on the Classic Trains magazine website
Blog post by Brian Solomon on his website
John’s own self-authored obituary on the Cress Funeral Service website

2019 Conferences

Save these dates for our 2019 conferences. The schedule is different than usual due to the sesquicentennial of the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad and programming related to our After Promontory project.

Conversations Transcontinental will be held March 29–30, 2019, at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art in Provo, Utah, in conjunction with the opening of our After Promontory exhibition. Registrations will open on January 2, 2019.

Conversations 2019 will be held September 13–15, 2019, at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois, thirty miles north of Chicago. Registrations will open on May 1, 2019.

Check back here for more details, including information about possible additional events in conjunction with other venues hosting our After Promontory exhibition.

Beebe & Clegg second printing

Our most recent book, Beebe and Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy by John Gruber and John Ryan assisted by Mel Patrick, sold out its initial printing in just four months. The second printing is now available and with a cover price of $65; we will offer the original price of $59.95 through the end of the calendar year.

The book tells about how partners Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg introduced railroad photography and the world of railroading to wide popular audiences. The authors bring the best of Beebe and Clegg’s photographic work together in one book for the first time, using high quality duotone printing. A companion exhibition opened on September 21, 2018, at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, where it will be on display until March 31, 2019.

Register now for Conversations West

In conjunction with co-host California State Railroad Museum, the Center for Railroad Photography & Art is proud to announce a special western regional conference in Sacramento, California. This one-day event will be held at the museum on Saturday, September 22, and will feature a full day of presentations about railroad photography and art in the western United States, and several opportunities to socialize with other attendees including a closing reception on Saturday evening. Events will kick off on the evening of Friday, September 21, with an opening reception from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for the Center’s newest traveling exhibition, Beebe & Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy. ~~Register now with the PayPal button at right or~~ visit the conference page to learn more.