QUESTIONING PHOTOGRAPHY
Why? How? For Whom?
An
8-Week Course
with Resident Instructor, Michael Wilson
Saturdays 10am - 1pm
October 24 - December 12
Registration Deadline: October 22, 2026
[ *** REGISTER HERE *** ]
Description
Why do we make photographs, and what keeps us engaged with picture-making over time? In this eight-week course, students will consider a range of motivations for making photographs while exploring ways to nurture inspiration, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the medium.
Through photographs drawn from the history of photography, classroom discussion, shooting exercises, and assignments, the course will explore different ways of approaching and thinking about photographic work.
Students will work across a variety of photographic approaches, including still life, landscape, portraiture, reportage, and abstraction. Regular group critiques will provide opportunities to share work, discuss ideas and approaches, and consider the choices involved in making and presenting photographs.
This course is open to all skill levels, and participants may work with either digital or film photography. Students choosing to work with film should consider the additional time required to process and prepare their photographs, as having work ready to share for group critique will be an important part of the course.
Tuition: $390
Class Size
Minimum: 5
Maximum: 12
Materials List:
Digital or Film Camera
Level of Study: Beginner
No experience? No problem. Or, perhaps you're returning to art after a hiatus. Beginner-level courses are designed for individuals with little to no prior experience in making art. These courses focus on building confidence, developing foundational skills, and encouraging creative exploration.
Suggested Optional Prerequisites
Intro To Darkroom Photography
LOCATION: Unless otherwise specified, all courses are hosted at Manifest's new facility at 'M1' in Clifton at 3464 Central Parkway (see map and directions below). Manifest's new facility provides multiple studio classrooms, private lesson space, a darkroom, a film processing room, a state of the art printmaking wing, and a multi-purpose lecture and class meeting space as well as on-site parking, grounds, and exterior spaces in which to relax, discuss, and make art. The studios are outfitted with professional equipment, furniture, and study aids.
Map to Manifest's M1 Studios | Studio Calendar | Darkroom Calendar
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About the Instructor
Michael Wilson, Manifest's Joseph A. Stoner Resident Instructor of Photography, is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, residing in Price Hill. He developed his interest in photography while attending Northern Kentucky University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1981. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions at such local venues as Baker Hunt Foundation (Covington, Ky.); Thomas More Gallery, Thomas More College (Crestview Hills, Ky.); In Situ Gallery (Cincinnati, Ohio); Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center (Covington, Ky.); as well as the Cincinnati Art Museum and Contemporary Arts Center. Wilson's photographs have been exhibited regionally at the J. B. Speed Museum (Louisville, Ky.); Rosewood Arts Centre (Kettering, Ohio); and Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art (Cleveland, Ohio). His work is represented in the Cincinnati corporate collections of E. W. Scripps; PNC Bank; Frost & Jacobs; Deloitte & Touche; and Duke Energy. He is also represented in the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum and the J. B. Speed Museum. In addition, his images have been featured in more than three hundred photographic projects working with musicians and record labels. Among the artists Michael has photographed are Lyle Lovett, B. B. King, Waylon Jennings, Randy Newman, Emmylou Harris, Bill Frisell, David Byrne, Philip Glass, Dawn Upshaw, and Doc Watson. Clients include Nonesuch Records, Warner Brothers Records, Sony Music, Capitol Records, Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Putnam, Mother Jones Magazine, Health Magazine, Uncut Magazine, and Pentagram Design.
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