Visiting Artists

Photography + Media Speaker’s Fund

The program is pleased to present at least one noted exponent of the medium to campus each year to address the college community. Past speakers have including Keith Jenkins, former General Manager for Digital at National Geographic; filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu and artist Terri Weifenbach, both Guggenheim Fellows; and Renée Comet, food photographer.

In 2020, the Photography program commissioned artists Marissa Long and Raul Zahir de Leon to produce a site-specific media installation for the AFA gallery, and give a gallery talk with curator James Huckenpahler.

Workshops and Artist Talks

The Alexandria and Woodbridge campuses regularly welcome visiting artists, photographers, and creative professionals. Students have the opportunity to engage with them through exhibitions, talks, workshops, and presentations held in classrooms and galleries.

Previous Visiting Artists & Workshops

Mehves Lelic

Mehves Lelic is an Istanbul-born photographer, educator, and curator based between Istanbul and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In her work, she explores the intertwining relationships between the female body, the environment, and the self, particularly in the context of modernity and material culture.

Kat Thompson

In fall 2024, artist and photographer Kat Thompson visited the Woodbridge campus to lead a hands-on workshop where students combined photographs and textiles to create unique and meaningful collages.

Saleem Ahmed

In 2022, Philadelphia-based photographer Saleem Ahmed joined Photo + Media students for an artist talk, sharing his work and offering insights into sequencing, storytelling, and the art of bookmaking.

Instruction Manual

A multimedia installation by artists Marissa Long and Raul Zahir de Leon, curated by James Huckenpahler, was on display from January to February 2020.

Tintype Workshop

In February 2020, artist and photographer Elena Volkova visited the Alexandria campus to lead a hands-on tintype workshop for Photo + Media students, offering a unique opportunity to explore this historic photographic process.

Kottie Gaydos

In fall 2019, artist & photographer Kottie Gaydos showcased her work in a featured exhibition at the Woodbridge Art Gallery, highlighting her innovative approach to photography and sculpture.

Brian Dailey

At the AFA Fine Art Building, Brian Dailey’s multi-screen video installation WORDS is the artist’s investigation into the relationship between language, culture, and national identity and the challenges we face in our efforts to communicate key concepts across linguistic boundaries and national borders in the age of globalization.

Teri Weifenbach

In 2017, the Alexandria campus welcomed the acclaimed photographer and Guggenheim Fellow Teri Weifenbach for a special guest lecture.

Renee Comet

In 2015, leading food photographer Renée Comet shared her thoughts and experience on workflow, collaboration, and making the food the star in the studio.

Akosua Adoma Owuso

In 2016, award-winning filmmaker and Guggenheim Fellow Akosua Adoma Owusu visited to screen several of her short experimental films and lead a discussion about her work and creative approach.

Jason Horowitz

In 2015, the AFA gallery featured the photographer Jason Horowitz, who exhibited his portrait work and gave an artist talk to students.

Radhika Chalasani

Radhika Chalasani is an award-winning American photojournalist and photo editor based in New York who has covered conflict and in-depth issue-driven stories. Her work documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was on view at the Alexandria campus in 2007.