PhotoMidwest Nature Group

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Bob Jaeger

'Wingra Woods' by Bob Jaeger, part of a PhotoMidwest Nature Group exhibition.

'Wingra Woods' by Bob Jaeger, part of a PhotoMidwest Nature Group exhibition.

media release: Written in Light: Arboretum Images by the PhotoMidwest Nature Group

November 3 - December 30, 2026

Why “Written in Light”? Because photography is all about light. Even the word “photography” means “light writing” (photo + graph). The photographer’s goal is to translate experience or emotion into a two-dimensional image using light.

Each of the photos in “Written in Light” preserves a snippet of U.W. Arboretum life—recorded in an instant as the photographer introduced a spark of light into a camera. Maybe a subject called, details intrigued, beauty overwhelmed, or curiosity was piqued. The moment must be preserved. These photographs are the result.

All photographers are members of PhotoMidwest’s Nature Group. All images are from the U.W. Arboretum.

Steinhauer Trust Art Gallery

University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum Visitor Center. 1207 Seminole Highway.

Part of the PhotoMidwest Biennial; find more exhibitions and events below and at https://www.photomidwest.org/biennial-2026.

PhotoMidwest is pleased to present the 14th PhotoMidwest Festival, a celebration of photographic excellence and visual storytelling featuring the 14th Biennial Exhibition featuring photographers from across 13 Midwestern states. The Festival takes place across multiple Madison-area venues, including the Promega Biopharmaceutical Technology Center, PhotoMidwest Studio, Art Lit Lab and the Pyle Center on the UW–Madison campus, the festival brings together juried exhibitions, symposiums, and hands-on public workshops.

14th Biennial Exhibition: September 17, 2026 – February 26, 2027, Promega Biopharmaceutical Technology Center, 5445 E Cheryl Parkway in Fitchburg

The festival's capstone event is the 14th PhotoMidwest Biennial Juried Exhibition, which showcases photographers from 13 Midwest U.S. states. PhotoMidwest seeks work from photographers living and working in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Presented by PhotoMidwest in collaboration with Promega Art Showcases. For related exhibitions at other venues, please visit https://www.photomidwest.org/biennial-2026.

Symposium and Opening Reception: Thursday, September 17, 2026, 4 - 6:30 pm

4 pm - Symposium with Juror Karen Irvine & Presentation of Awards

5 pm - 6:30 pm Opening Reception with live music by Andy Ewen, Doug DeRosa, and Ryan Repenshek.

2026 Juror | Karen Irvine

Karen Irvine is chief curator and deputy director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. She has organized over sixty exhibitions of contemporary photography at the MoCP and other institutions and written essays for numerous artist monographs and magazines. She received an MFA in photography from FAMU, Prague, Czech Republic, and an MA in art history from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

A message from Karen Irvine:

“I'll be looking for photographs with purposeful composition and skilled technique that slowly reveal a strong and personal point of view. In general, a photographer has just a few seconds to grab a viewer’s attention using style, composition, framing, color, and subject matter. Compelling images usually have a sense of mystery, layers of meaning, and ask more questions than they answer. In other words, they go beyond what they literally depict, and incite the viewer’s imagination.”

Workshops:

What a Curator Sees: How Photographs Get Attention: Friday, September 18, 2026, 9 - 10:30 am

Join Karen Irvine, chief curator and deputy director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago (MoCP), for a lecture exploring the evolution of collecting at MoCP over the past 50 years. Irvine will discuss how the museum has built and shaped its collection, highlighting key acquisitions by both established and emerging artists and considering what draws curatorial attention to particular photographs and bodies of work.

She will also share insights into her own professional practice, offering artists a behind-the-scenes perspective on working with museums, presenting their work, and curatorial decision-making.

Seeing Differently: Photography Fundamentals for Aspiring Photographers: Friday, September 18, 2026, 10:30 am - 12 pm

Ralph Russo (@rfrussofoto) - PhotoMidwest president

Build confidence, refine your visual eye, and transform ordinary photos into exhibition-worthy images. You'll learn techniques for framing scenes, managing light, and the basics of visual storytelling. Whether you have a modern camera or a camera phone, this class will help you create intentional and captivating images.

more exhibitions and events:

In the Spirit of Alternography  - An exhibition by the PhotoMidwest Alternography Interest Group

August 29 - Oct. 3, 2027, PhotoMidwest Gallery. Opening Reception - Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7pm. 

Clouds:  Water in its most poetic form - A presentation by Mark Weller exploring his stunning and unique “Timestacking” images and the curious route to becoming a fulltime lens-based artist.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 7 pm, Arts and Literature Laboratory, 111 S Livingston St #100, Madison, WI 53703   - Presented in Partnership with Art Lit Lab. 

In The Moment: An Exhibition by PhotoMidwest Members

November 2 through January 29, 2027, The Pyle Center, UW-Madison

HUMAN : NATURE: An exhibition of fifty-five photobooks and digital prints by Mark Golbach

September 25 - November 8, 2026, Abel Contemporary Gallery - 524 E Main St, Stoughton. Opening Reception: Friday September 25, 5-8PM.

AND SO MUCH MORE!

For complete event details, venue addresses, and the full schedule of festival programs, visit the official PhotoMidwest Biennial 2026 Schedule.