Conversations Transcontinental: March 29-30, 2019

Photographs

Information


Drake Hokanson, Terrace, Utah, 2012, Central Pacific Railroad

Conversations Transcontinental Wrap-up

The Center for Railroad Photography and Art partnered with the Brigham Young University Museum of Art to launch their ambitious After Promontory project, and to host a special, transcontinental edition of the Conversations conference. Conversations Transcontinental offered presentations on railroad photography and art with a focus on transcontinental railways, past and present. The roster of presenters for Conversations Transcon came from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds, which created a diverse offering of topics and ideas.

The conference paired with the debut of the new traveling exhibition After Promontory, which debuted at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art. Center staff members worked extensively with the curatorial team at BYU MOA to craft a highly specialized version of the exhibition, which features eighteen original prints from the museum’s own collection. A reception for the exhibition opening took place on Friday, March 29, following the day’s presentations to a crowd of nearly 100. Saturday featured a full day of presentations at the museum and concluded with a informative panel discussion. We capped off the weekend with an optional hike lead by presenter Drake Hokanson at the Golden Spike National Historic Site on Sunday.

Download the Program (16.6 MB PDF file)


Location: The conference and exhibition reception will be held at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art in Provo, Utah. A visitor parking lot is available across the street from museum.

Museum of Art
Brigham Young University
Campus Drive
Provo, UT 84602

An optional day-trip to the Golden Spike National Historic Site will take place on Sunday, March 31. Attendees are responsible for driving themselves, though the Center is available to help arrange carpools.

6200 North 22300th Street West
Corinne, UT 84307


Hotel Options:


Other Exhibitions To See In Utah:

Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City, UT (50 miles north of Provo)
A World Transformed: The Transcontinental Railroad and Utah
January 4 – June 26, 2019
https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/a-world-transformed-the-transcontinental-railroad-and-utah/

Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City, UT (50 miles north of Provo)
Tracing the Path: Photo Exhibition
January 23 – June 26, 2019
https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/tracing-the-path-photo-exhibit/

Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (50 miles north of Provo)
The Race to Promontory: The Transcontinental Railroad and the American West
February 1 – May 26, 2019
https://umfa.utah.edu/race-to-promontory

Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Since the Golden Spike: 150 Years of Utah Railroad History
February 1 – June 19, 2019
https://sites.lib.byu.edu/friends/2019/02/01/since-the-golden-spike-150-year-of-utah-railroad-history/

Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT (50 miles north of Provo)
Following in the Footprints of Chinese Railroad Workers
February 17 – March 29, 2019
https://events.slcpl.org/event/1497585

Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT (50 miles north of Provo)
The Spike That Changed Everything: An Exhibit Celebrating 150 Years of Railroad Adventures in Utah
February 15 – April 26, 2019
https://events.slcpl.org/artexhibits

Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT (9 miles south of Provo)
All Aboard!
March 6 – September 21, 2019
http://www.smofa.org/all-aboard.php

Brigham City Museum of Art and History, Brigham City, UT (100 miles north of Provo)
The Spike of 150: Myths and Realities
March 23 – June 15, 2019
https://brighamcitymuseum.org/exhibitions/railroad-150

Brigham City Museum of Art and History, Brigham City, UT (100 miles north of Provo)
Zhi Lin: Tracing Chinese Workers’ Footsteps to Promontory Summit
March 23 – June 15, 2019
https://brighamcitymuseum.org/Zhi-Lin-Chinese-Workers-Transcontinental-Railroad


Brigham Young University Museum of Art. © TripAdvisor
 
Friday, March 29th
 
Main Lobby, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
12:00 – 1:00 PM, Registration, refreshments available
 
Museum Auditorium, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
1:00 – 1:15 PM, Welcome, Scott Lothes, Executive Director, Center for Railroad Photography & Art,  
and Mark Magleby, Director, Brigham Young University Museum of Art 
1:15 – 2:15 PM, Victor Hand, Transcontinental Railroading in the 1960s and 1970s
2:15 – 2:45 PM, Break (Main Lobby), refreshments and pastries available
2:45 – 3:30 PM, Barre Fong, Chinese Railroad Workers: Roots and Routes
3:30 – 4:15 PM, Alexander Craghead and Ashlee Whitaker, Shaking Hands: Curatorial Collaboration and After Promontory
4:15 PM, Closing Remarks
 
Lied Gallery, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
4:30 – 7:00 PM, Exhibition Reception for After Promontory, featuring gallery talk by curators Alexander Craghead and Ashlee Whitaker, appetizers and refreshments available

Saturday, March 30th
 
Museum Café, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
8:30 – 9:30 AM, Breakfast and Registration, pastries and refreshments available
 
Museum Auditorium, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
9:30 – 10:00 AM, Opening Remarks, Scott Lothes, Center for Railroad Photography & Art
10:00 – 10:45 AM, Drake Hokanson, Following the Golden Spike: Time, Place, and Change along the First Transcontinental Railroad
10:45 – 11:15 AM, Break (Main Lobby), refreshments and pastries available
11:15 – 12:00 PM, Christine Hult-Lewis, The Industrial Landscapes of Carleton Watkins  
12:00 – 12:45 PM, Elrond Lawrence, Reinvention and Renaissance: The Southwest Transcon
 
Museum Café, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
1:00 – 2:00 PM, Lunch
 
Museum Auditorium, Brigham Young University Museum of Art
2:00 – 2:45 PM, Dan Davis, ‘My Mule Enjoyed the Joke:’ A.J. Russell’s Western Adventure, 1868-1869
2:45 – 3:30 PM, Justin Franz, Winners and Losers: The Changing Map of the Northern Transcons
3:30 – 4:00 PM, Break (Main Lobby), refreshments and pastries available
4:00 – 5:00 PM, Time, Audience, and the Transcontinental, Panel Discussion: Drake Hokanson, Christine Hult-Lewis, Kevin Keefe, and James Swensen, moderated by Alexander Craghead
5:00 PM, Concluding remarks, Scott Lothes