Louisville Photo Biennial

04/01/2026

Good things happening over Maybeitsfate…

Join us on April 10th for an evening of art, community, and celebration at Maybeitsfate.

This show will feature the work of Ann Dawkins, a local artist known for her striking still life pieces capturing pastries, fruits, vegetables, and the beauty found in everyday food. Her work invites us to slow down and appreciate the textures, colors, and stories behind what we eat.

At Feed Louisville, we see food every day as both nourishment and connection. This show reflects that same idea through art, highlighting the beauty and value in the foods that sustain us.

Come out, support a local artist, and spend the evening surrounded by creativity and community.

03/29/2026

We’re looking forward to this one!

Curated from the collection of fine art photography housed in University of Louisville’s Archives & Special Collections, "Chasing the Shot: Travel Photography Off the Beaten Path" takes up the themes of travel, movement, and place as represented in a selection of photographs taken in the 20th and 21st centuries. Rather than directly addressing the American concept of travel guided by tourism, the photographs included here point to a different approach. They persistently guide us to typically overlooked details, reveal new perspectives on well-known destinations through abstraction or film manipulation, offer flipped perspectives on well-known subjects, and bring us along to otherworldly, sometimes even unbelievable destinations and situations.

This exhibition will be on view in the Julius Friedman Gallery located on the lower level of Ekstrom Library from April 16 to December 11, 2026. Join us for an opening reception on Thursday, April 16th from 5-7pm! The opening is free and open to the public. Light snacks and refreshments provided.

02/20/2026

THis weekend! Will we see you there?

02/13/2026

Save the date!

01/23/2026

Save the date for this great cabin fever cure!

01/07/2026

We loved to see this hat tip to our late Board member and local art icon C.j. Pressma!

12/19/2025

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/conrad-pressma-obituary?id=60320558

View Conrad Jay "CJ" Pressma's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

12/18/2025

We are heartbroken at the news of the death of photographer C.j. Pressma . C.J. wore many hats over the years-founder of the Center for Photographic Studies, leader of Louisville Visual Art, member artist of PYRO Art Gallery- but he was also a Board member of the Biennial and frequent participant (his work was featured in two shows in the 2025 festival). We appreciated his advice and wisdom and his hard won connections enriched the Biennial many times over. Our understanding was that he kept making art until the end, which seems both enviable and somehow just right.

12/15/2025

To Our Partners in the 2025 Louisville Photo Biennial

I want to thank each of you for the stellar work you did in organizing the exhibits and programming for the 2025 Louisville Photo Biennial.

This was an incredible cooperative effort by the 54 galleries, museums, colleges, universities, and other cultural venues, and by all the photographic artists and curators whose work was shown. You produced 64 exhibits, and over 60 receptions, artist talks and other participatory activities for the public to enjoy. All of you contributed so generously of your time, talents, and resources. You have shown what we can do when we work together to promote the visual arts in this region. You are the heart and soul of the Louisville Photo Biennial, and you made this year's events the best we have ever experienced.

We were truly blessed to have Sam Abell as our Keynote speaker (you can watch his talk by accessing it through our website, LouisvillePhotoBiennial.com.) He is a great story teller, and it was fascinating to learn about his past and present, and the ways he created the elegant images for which he is so famous. Sam was especially grateful to us for the opportunity to re-connect with so many of his friends and colleagues from Lexington and Louisville. I have received a great deal of feedback from people who were inspired by his stories, his ideas, and his teaching style. Sam is currently working on a two volume retrospective of his photographs, and we would like to bring him back in 2027 to help launch this.

Special thanks to the Speed Museum for hosting the Keynote event, and to our board member, Marvin Young, who video recorded Sam's presentation.

Of course, we couldn't have organized and publicized the 54 venues and over 60 exhibits without the organizational skills, patience and persistence of Sam Miller. Her collection and management of the thousands of pieces of information which comes in from all our venues is the foundation of the Louisville Photo Biennial.

Elizabeth Spaulding, and her 21 Skye Design team, including Grace Dringenburg, have once again created a beautiful program guide and website for us. Their creativity in choosing, organizing, and presenting the photographic images and information has resulted in wide ranging visibility, and has been a tremendous asset in helping people attend our exhibits and events. We distributed almost 7000 of the guides.

I wish to especially thank to our Board of Directors and our volunteers, who continue to support all of our efforts with their creativity, time, and willingness to take on any number of tasks, which require hands-on activity. In this regard, I want to point out the outstanding dedication and extra work performed by Julie Schweitzer, Fred DiGiovanni, David Modica, Diana Durham, Bob Hower, John Nation, Marcelle Gianelloni and C.J. Pressma, and David and Cindy Becker. They all gave so much extra time and effort, using their special talents to draw people together and accomplish our goals.

All of us are very grateful for the generous financial support of our business sponsors, and all of the individual patrons who donated to help us make the 2025 Louisville Photo Biennial a reality and a success.

Thank you all, and congratulations on such a successful and wonderfully received Biennial.

Now it's time to start work on the 2027 Louisville Photo Biennial, which will run from September 9 to November 14, 2027.

Our challenge is to make the next one even better.
And together, we will.

All the best.

Paul R. Paletti, Jr.
Director

11/28/2025

Far be it for us to state the obvious but original art makes a one of a kind gift!

Tomorrow, we’re opening our doors from 10–6 PM for a special, one-day-only Artwork Sale featuring two extraordinary photographers: Melissa Plush and Tresa Megenity.

Both artists will be setting up at The Root with framed pieces, prints, and stories behind the images that have stopped people in their tracks throughout this exhibition season.

From disappearing rural landscapes to cinematic Americana, their work captures the kind of beauty that lingers with you.

If you’ve been looking to bring meaningful, local art into your home, this is your moment.

📍 The Root, New Albany, IN
🗓 Small Business Saturday — November 29
🕙 10 AM–6 PM

Support artists. Support local. Support the creatives who shape the soul of our community.

See you tomorrow. ✨🖼️

11/14/2025

Michael Morris Biennial show, "Hallelujah Anyway", runs through December 1st at the Folk Art Center in Morehead. A great time to see it would be during their
annual Appalachian Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair, which will take place at the Morehead Conference Center on Saturday, November 22nd, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fair features a diverse array of regional arts and crafts, showcasing everything from traditional items to contemporary works, including holiday decorations. Over 100 vendors participate each year.