Jess and I, our first week of graduate school

Jess Dugan recently completed her MFA at Columbia and she is already well on her way to having success in the field of photography.

Ely

Before coming to Columbia, Jess was already on her way in the photo world. She had a number of exhibitions at galleries, and coming to Columbia afforded her the opportunity to refine her practice and make connections that would have otherwise been difficult or impossible.

Hand on bed

While here at Columbia, Jess was able refine her practice,  living with her MFA and a body of work 3-years in the making. The imagery has come a long way, as has her method of working–namely a big move to digital that has changed Jess’ process of making images.

The Panel at SPE. Photo Rafael Soldi.

Jess has also become very involved with SPE, which is the Society for Photographic Education. Jess has attended the SPE national conference each of the three years she has been here. SPE was hosted in Chicago last year, and she was included on a panel discussion. This year, SPE was in Baltimore and she organized a panel discussion of her own, which included Columbia College Faculty Kelli Connell as well as Richard Renaldi and Chad States. SPE is a highly visible institution in the photo academic world and can be a great resource.

Jess has also expanded her showing resume since beginning Columbia, with shows at the Griffin Museum of Photography and the San Diego Museum of Art. Jess had a solo show at Cornell Museum of Fine Arts at Rollins College in Orlando, and was included in a group show titled “Family Matters” at ASU in Tempe.

Juan

Jess would have been on a similar trajectory without having come back to school, but because of the environment and faculty here at Columbia, and the amount of time afforded to concentrate on and refine a students work, that trajectory can tick upwards much faster.