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Lectures

8pm

The Second Annual Photo-Culturalism Panel | “Is This AI? — Authorship, Aesthetics, and the Crisis of Trust in Photography”

Kelli Williams | Jenee Mateer | Brett John Johnson

Christophe Casamassima, Chair & Facilitator

Across the photographic landscape, a persistent and often reductive question has taken hold: “Is this AI?” While framed as a technical concern, the question signals a deeper shift in how images are made, evaluated, and understood.

Photographers, especially, are increasingly finding their work scrutinized not for its meaning, but for its perceived origin. At the same time audiences and institutions are navigating a growing uncertainty where visual sophistication can provoke suspicion, and where interpretation is often replaced by a search for honesty.

This panel will not attempt to settle the legitimacy of AI as a tool, but examine the broader implications of its potential and consequences, including

  • The instability of authorship and what it means to “make” an image today
  • The emergence of aesthetic suspicion, where technical excellence is questioned
  • The evolving role of the viewer, particularly in relation to trust, interpretation, and ethical judgment
  • The pressures faced by competitions, galleries, and institutions in defining standards and policies

We are intentionally bringing together a range of perspectives by artists, educators, and curators to create a conversation that is not about consensus, but about clarity. 

The Baltimore Camera Club, America’s oldest, continually-running photography society, has invited three artists and educators from the region to illustrate the stories behind their aesthetic and culture work, and answer questions that address the motivation to leverage artificially arbitrated media, and how this complements the work already being done in the field. 

Whether joining us in person or attending via Zoom, bring your questions, ideas, and your friends: this event is FREE and open to ALL members of the community. Everyone is welcome. 

*

Baltimore Camera Club

Mount Washington United Methodist Church

5800 Cottonworth Ave. Baltimore, MD 21209

baltimorecameraclub.org

*Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting chat link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89226681516

Meeting ID: 892 2668 1516 / Passcode: 155329

Bmore Art