Thanks to everyone who joined us in Union and Lake Forest, Illinois, for Conversations 2024! The annual conference hosted by the Center for Railroad Photography & Art provides an excellent platform for engaging with a diverse community of railroad photographers, artists, magazine editors, industry leaders, and scholars. This event is a unique opportunity to participate in inspiring and thought-provoking conversations about the rail industry and its history, as well as explore its visually captivating nature.
Registration Conversations 2024 is sold out. To join our waiting list, please write to us at info [at] railphoto-art.org or call at 608-251-5785 x103. Schedule of Events Friday, June 14 All-day programming at the Illinois Railway Museum; Conversations attendees will receive free admission; doors open at 10AM Private reception (closed to the general public), 5:00 – 7:00 PM Includes: Saturday, June 15 Coffee and pastries, (McCormick Auditorium), 8:00 AM Sunday, June 16 Coffee and pastries, (McCormick Auditorium), 8:00 AM Presenters Your Photographs After reserving your place at Conversations 2024, please send one of your recent photographs, preferably from the past year, for inclusion in a presentation of attendees’ photographs at the conference. Send one JPEG image file, either 1920 pixels wide or 1200 pixels high, to info [at] railphoto-art.org.
The campus of co-sponsor Lake Forest College (campus map), is thirty miles north of Chicago. Learn more about the City of Lake Forest online or download the PDF overview. McCormick Auditorium This year we will be hosting all presentations in McCormick Auditorium in the Lillard Science Center to support a higher capacity and to provide more comfortable seating. Session times will be similar to previous years (see past conferences as reference). Conference presentations will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday and 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM on Sunday. Following presentations on Saturday, a reception will be held at Brown Hall from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and an optional banquet dinner will be served in Calvin Durand Hall at the Mohr Student Center as a conference add-on. Please note that lunch on Saturday is included in the registration cost; no lunch is provided on Sunday.
Illinois Railway Museum The museum welcomes Conversations attendees with free admission to attend a variety of events throughout the day. The museum will offer access to its restoration shops, dispatcher tower, and provide guided tours of its extensive site. Trains will also be running throughout the day. Doors open at 10 AM. At 5 PM the site will close to the general public and the Center will host a reception for conference attendees till approximately 8:30 PM. Event highlights will include: We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Conversations, the Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s annual conference, is coming back to Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois, on the weekend of June 14-16, 2024. Explore past conferences here. Conference scholarships are available to younger and/or emerging photographers and visual artists. They are available to individuals creating photography or other visual art focusing on rail-related subjects, who meet at least one of the following requirements: The conference scholarship is designed to support artists who would otherwise be unable to attend. Even better, you’ll have the opportunity to show your work to fellow photographers, artists, editors, and rail community leaders … and get inspired yourself! Details below. The due date to submit your application (scroll down for details) is April 22, 2024. Recipients will be notified on April 26. [NOTE – The 2024 positions have been filled.] An ideal applicant will demonstrate: Successful applicants will receive: Application process Applications will only be accepted electronically. Please submit the following to info@railphoto-art.org About the Center: The Center for Railroad Photography & Art (www.railphoto-art.org | @railphotoart) is America’s foremost organization for interpreting the intersection of railroad art and culture with America’s history and culture. The Center has achieved that status through successful publications (especially its quarterly journal, Railroad Heritage), exhibitions, conferences, and an awards program, all of which showcase the best of railroad photography and art in ways that enhance understanding of railroad history, technology, and artistry. Founded in 1997, the Center works with photographers, artists, writers, and historians across the country, although its home is in Madison, Wisconsin. The Center does not maintain its museum or archive space, but instead collaborates with other institutions. About the Conference: The conference is the nation’s premier venue for presentations on railroad art and photography. The three-day event is held on the picturesque campus of Lake Forest College, just thirty miles north of Chicago. Attendees include active railroad photographers and artists, magazine editors, industry leaders, and scholars from wide backgrounds. Past presenters include photographers David Plowden and Lina Bertucci, railroad executive Henry Posner III, writers such as novelist Linda Niemann and Washington Post transportation columnist Don Phillips, and curators Ian Kennedy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Anne M. Lyden of the J. Paul Getty Museum, and Ashlee Whitaker of the Brigham Young University Museum of Art.
The conference registration package includes two receptions on Friday (hosted at the Illinois Railway Museum) and Saturday (hosted at Brown Hall on the Lake Forest College campus). Pastries and coffee on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and lunch on Saturday are also included. The banquet dinner on Saturday can be purchased as a conference add-on while registering. Please let us know in advance if you have any special dietary needs, and we will make every effort to accommodate them. Hilton Garden Inn Residence Inn Chicago Lake Forest Mettawa *Room blocks are not being offered due to underuse in recent years Home Page
View photographs of the event at our Flickr galleries and follow our social media at Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Welcome, 9:00 AM
Presentations, 9:25 AM
Break, 10:10 AM
Presentations, 10:40 AM
Lunch (provided), 12:00 PM
CRP&A Updates, 1:00 PM
Presentations, 1:30 PM
Break, 3:00 PM
Presentations, 3:30 PM
Reception (Brown Hall), 5:00 PM
Additional Dinner (Calvin Durand), 7:00 PM
Presentations, 9:00 AM
Break, 10:30 AM
Presentations, 11:00 AM
Conclusion, 12:30 PM
Location
Lillard Science Center
Lake Forest College
555 N. Sheridan Road
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045Friday Event
7000 Olson Rd
Union, IL 60180
The Illinois Railway Museum has an impressive site.
Make sure to check out our exhibition Requiem for Steam: Railroad Photographs of David Plowden. Rumor has it David may even be in attendance!Conference Scholarships
Expand your creativity: Apply for a scholarship at Conversations 2024!
Scholarship recipient Steven Chen presents his photography at Conversations 2023. Photograph by Elrond Lawrence
Conference attendees at the Friday reception at Conversations 2023. Photograph by Elrond Lawrence
Catering
Conference attendees enjoy lunch in Calvin Durand Hall on Saturday. CRP&A Conversations 2019 photograph by Henry A. KoshollekLodging suggestions
Nearby Hotels:
26225 N. Riverwoods Boulevard
Mettawa, IL 60045, 847-735-8374
26325 N. Riverwoods Boulevard
Mettawa, IL 60045, 847-615-2701
*We recommend booking lodging early as several weddings and student sporting events are taking place in the local area over the conference weekend
Steve Barry & Otto Vondrak – The legacy of Railfan & Railroad editor Jim Boyd
Tom Brown – Montana cattle trains in 1975
Jennifer Fowler & Benjamin Kuhns – Nevada Northern Railway
Lou Gerard – CTA, Soo Line, and South Shore
Dan Hadley – A look back at his Pentrex videography
Philip Hawkins – A retrospective of the accomplished UK railway artist
Dee Matyas – Contemporary photography of railroads and industry
Tony Reevy – A celebration of Phil Hastings’ influential photography
Paul Springowski – Contemporary rail videography and social media
… plus the Center’s Collections Team and scholarship presentations.
We are excited to announce a partnership with the Illinois Railway Museum in Union as a part of our Friday conference programming (included in the conference package).
