Vann Thomas Powell, Lisa Beard, and Micah McCoy remotely joined Michael Chovan-Dalton and Dani Paglione at the JKC Gallery at Mercer County College to talk about their newly formed photography collective, Disparate Projects. We will also discuss the process of publishing their first book, Fractured by Christiaan Lopez-Miro.

Vann Thomas Powell is a photographer, curator, and researcher. Vann received his MFA in Experimental and Documentary Art at Duke University (2023) and has been featured in solo exhibitions, books, and periodicals in the United States and abroad including The Independent (UK), Glitterati Editions (New York, NY). His books and works can be found in private and public collections including the Rubenstein Rare Books and Manuscripts Library (Duke University) and the Museum of Fine Art Special Collections (Tufts University). Vann is a Photolucida Critical Mass 2023 Top 200 Finalist.

Lisa Beard is a photo-based artist, writer, teacher, and curator. Featured in national and international exhibitions, her work has appeared in group and solo shows, recently as a featured exhibitor for Head On Photo Festival in Sydney, AU. She has also been included in publications for The International Center of Photography, The Hand Magazine, Float Magazine, and Broad Magazine. She is a 2024 Klompching Fresh Finalist and Photolucida Critical Mass 2024 Top 200 Finalist. Lisa received her MFA in Media Arts from Maine Media College (2022).

Micah McCoy is a photographer, curator, and poet based in Northwest Arkansas. He received his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago (2022) and has exhibited work in solo and group exhibitions both in the United States and abroad. His work explores issues of religiosity, anxiety, and social detachment. Micah’s editorial photography has been featured in publications including NBC News, The New York Post, and others.

https://disparateprojects.com

Disparate Projects is an evolving collective and platform dedicated to the exploration of contemporary photography. Founded by Lisa Beard, Micah McCoy, and Vann Thomas Powell, we are committed to thoughtful photographic curation, engaging critical discussions in photographic theory, and nurturing collaborations with photographers of disparate approaches.

This podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club

Begin Building your dream photobook library today at

https://charcoalbookclub.com

The Real Photo Show is hosted and produced by Michael Chovan-Dalton

The JKC Gallery Artist Talks are hosted and produced by:

Real Photo Show/Michael Chovan-Dalton, Julia Colonna, and Dani Paglione.

Amani Willett is a Boston-based photographer whose practice is driven by conceptual ideas surrounding family, history, memory, and the social environment. Working primarily with the book form, his three monographs have been published to widespread critical acclaim. Disquiet (Damiani, 2013), The Disappearance of Joseph Plummer (Overlapse, 2017) and “A Parallel Road (Overlapse 2020)” were selected by Photo-Eye as “best books” of the year and have been highlighted in over 70 publications including ​Photograph Magazine, PDN,​ ​Hyperallergic, Lensculture, New York Magazine, The New York Times, 1000 Words, NPR, The British Journal of Photography, Collector Daily and Buzzfeed and recommended by ​Todd Hido,​ ​Elisabeth Biondi (former Visuals Editor of The New Yorker), Vince Aletti and Joerg Colberg (Conscientious), among others.

https://www.amaniwillett.com/invisiblesunbook

https://www.instagram.com/amaniwillett/

INVISIBLE SUN is a visual meditation on survival, transformation, and fragility by artist Amani Willett. The project traces the impact of childhood medical traumas and the ways they continue to reverberate through the present.

Slideshow from book:

https://youtu.be/dl5-nDcpfoc

Confronting these early challenges amid new chronic health challenges, Willett turned to intensive therapies. Within this process he encountered vivid, unsettling memories, often of his younger self, that became a generative source for the work.

This podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book ClubBegin Building your dream photobook library today athttps://charcoalbookclub.com

Amani’s photographs are also featured in the books​ American Geography (SF Moma/Radius Books, 2021), Bystander: A History of Street Photography (2017 edition, Laurence King Publishing), ​Street Photography Now​ (Thames and Hudson), ​New York: In Color​ (Abrams), and have been published widely in places including The Atlantic, A​merican Photography,​ Newsweek​,​ Harper’s,​ ​The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine and The New York Review of Books​.​ His work resides in the collections of the Tate Modern, The Library of the Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Sir Elton John Photography Collection, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Oxford University, and Harvard University, among others.

Anika Burgess | Flashes of Brilliance, The Genius of Early Photography and How It Transformed Art, Science, and History

WW Norton & Co

Anika Burgess is a writer and photo editor. She has been published in The New York Times and Atlas Obscura. Anika has won a Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York and has presented at Photoville New York. She holds degrees in law and history from the University of Sydney, and qualified as a lawyer before changing careers to journalism. Anika lives in New York with her husband, son, and an obstinate schnauzer called Sigmund.

Photo credit: Amir Hamja

The eighth and final installment of attendee recordings from the 2025 Chico Review with those who came to Chico to share their work and their stories with incredible reviewers. This year I recorded with over 40 attendees! I’ve also linked to the guest’s Instagram and Websites so you can see the work. And again this year, I was recording in a variety of spaces at the beautiful Chico Hot Springs resort so there may be a number of different ambient sounds across the recordings.

The Chico Review is the country’s premier Photobook Retreat. Organized by Charcoal Book Club, The Chico Review takes place over six nights at Chico Hot Springs Resort, near Livingston Montana. Sixty-four applicants will spend the week with over twenty of the most influential and creative photographers, book makers, gallerists, museum curators, and photobook publishers in the industry.

The 2026 Chico Review is now open for applications. https://chicoreview.com

https://www.charcoalworkshops.com

03:28 - Giovana Schluter Nunes

https://www.giovanaschluter.com

https://www.instagram.com/giovanaschluternunes

12:01 - Robert Stone

https://robertarthurstone.com

https://www.instagram.com/robertarthurstone

20:47 - Stephanie Schwiederek

https://www.schwiederek.com

https://www.instagram.com/steph.schwiederek

29:24 - Valerio Geraci

https://valeriogeraci.com

https://www.instagram.com/valeriogeraci

This podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club Begin Building your dream photobook library today at https://charcoalbookclub.com

The seventh installment of attendee recordings from the 2025 Chico Review with those who came to Chico to share their work and their stories with incredible reviewers. This year I recorded with over 40 attendees! I’ve also linked to the guest’s Instagram and Websites so you can see the work. And again this year, I was recording in a variety of spaces at the beautiful Chico Hot Springs resort so there may be a number of different ambient sounds across the recordings.

The Chico Review is the country’s premier Photobook Retreat. Organized by Charcoal Book Club, The Chico Review takes place over six nights at Chico Hot Springs Resort, near Livingston Montana. Sixty-four applicants will spend the week with over twenty of the most influential and creative photographers, book makers, gallerists, museum curators, and photobook publishers in the industry.

The 2026 Chico Review is now open for applications. https://chicoreview.com

https://www.charcoalworkshops.com

02:05 - Anastasia Davis

https://www.anastasiadavisphoto.com

https://www.instagram.com/anastasiadavis_

09:16 - Chris Mammone

https://www.chrismammone.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/chrismammonephotographer

17:55 - Christina Diaz

https://www.christinamdiaz.com

https://www.instagram.com/christina___diaz

24:14 - Jesús Umbría

https://umbriabrito.com

https://www.instagram.com/milton_bananas

This podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club Begin Building your dream photobook library today at https://charcoalbookclub.com

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ave Pildas worked early in his career as a photo stringer for Downbeat Magazine in the Ohio Valley and Pennsylvania in the 1960's, and has been a successful photographer and educator for the past 40 years. In 1971 Pildas began working as the Art Director at Capitol Records in Hollywood and designed and photographed album covers for the label's recording artists. He launched a career as a freelance photographer and designer soon after, specializing in architectural and corporate photography. His photographs have been exhibited in one man shows at the: Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Photographers Gallery, London, Janus Gallery, Los Angeles, Gallerie Diaframma, Milan, Cannon Gallery, Amsterdam, Gallerie 38, Zurich and numerous group shows. They have been featured in: The New York Times Magazine, 'ZOOM', 'PHOTO', 'CAMERA', 'photographic' and many publications both in the United States and abroad . Photographs by Ave Pildas are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Bibliotheca National, Paris; the University of Arizona as well as numerous other public and private collections. He is a Professor Emeritus at Otis College of Design. Pildas created intimate portraits of Jazz greats in live performance, at small clubs and Jazz Festivals in the Midwest, many have never been seen before. Ave currently lives in Santa Monica, CA in the solar powered, zero scaped home and studio he collaborated on with W3 Architects. He is digitally archiving his vintage work, and continues with new projects while inspiring, polishing and guiding young talent.

http://www.avepildas.com

https://deadbeatclubpress.com/products/ave-pildas-star-struck

This podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club Begin Building your dream photobook library today at https://charcoalbookclub.com

APPLY NOW OR SOON:

https://www.chicoreview.com/2026

https://www.homecomingbiennial.com/submit

https://photowork.foundation/photowork-junior-fellowship/

The sixth installment of attendee recordings from the 2025 Chico Review with those who came to Chico to share their work and their stories with incredible reviewers. This year I recorded with over 40 attendees! I’ve also linked to the guest’s Instagram and Websites so you can see the work. And again this year, I was recording in a variety of spaces at the beautiful Chico Hot Springs resort so there may be a number of different ambient sounds across the recordings.

The Chico Review is the country’s premier Photobook Retreat. Organized by Charcoal Book Club, The Chico Review takes place over six nights at Chico Hot Springs Resort, near Livingston Montana. Sixty-four applicants will spend the week with over twenty of the most influential and creative photographers, book makers, gallerists, museum curators, and photobook publishers in the industry.

The 2026 Chico Review is now open for applications. https://chicoreview.com

https://www.charcoalworkshops.com

02:59 - Felix Denomme

https://www.instagram.com/godspeed.felix/

10:23 - Gregory Jundanian

https://www.jundanianphotography.com

https://www.instagram.com/gjundanian/

16:37 - Michelle Arcila

https://www.michellearcila.net

https://www.instagram.com/michelle.arcila/

22:30 - Owen Davies

https://www.owen-davies.com

https://www.instagram.com/owendaviesphoto/

32:26 - Susan Weiss

https://www.susanweissart.com

https://www.instagram.com/susanweissart/

This podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club Begin Building your dream photobook library today at https://charcoalbookclub.com

The fifth installment of attendee recordings from the 2025 Chico Review with those who came to Chico to share their work and their stories with incredible reviewers. This year I recorded with over 40 attendees! I’ve also linked to the guest’s Instagram and Websites so you can see the work. And again this year, I was recording in a variety of spaces at the beautiful Chico Hot Springs resort so there may be a number of different ambient sounds across the recordings.

The Chico Review is the country’s premier Photobook Retreat. Organized by Charcoal Book Club, The Chico Review takes place over six nights at Chico Hot Springs Resort, near Livingston Montana. Sixty-four applicants will spend the week with over twenty of the most influential and creative photographers, book makers, gallerists, museum curators, and photobook publishers in the industry.

https://chicoreview.com

https://www.charcoalworkshops.com

02:50 - Alana Perino

https://www.alanaperino.com

https://www.instagram.com/lanapino/

12:00 - Francesco Aglieri Rinella

https://www.francescoaglieri.com

https://www.instagram.com/francesco.aglieri

24:34 - Eileen Meny

https://eileenmenyphotography.com

https://www.instagram.com/meny.photo/

33:53 - Paul Fong Bothwell

https://www.paulfongbothwell.com/

42:20 - Pie Aerts

https://www.pieaerts.com

https://www.instagram.com/because.people.matter/