Programs (Zoom) – Independent Book Publishing, Sequencing, and Image-Making with Jake Benzinger

Biography

Jake Benzinger is a photographer, book artist, writer, and educator based in Providence, RI. He received his BFA in photography from Lesley University, College of Art and Design, and is currently an MFA candidate at Rhode Island School of Design. His work reflects upon how text and image ask for and negotiate with faith, belief, and perception, investigating themes of empathy, myth, phenomenology, and death.

His work has been shown nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions at institutions including the Griffin Museum of Photography, Haute Photographie Rotterdam, Center for Fine Art Photography, Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Candela Books + Gallery, and more. Like Dust Settling in a Dim-Lit Room (Or Starless Forest), his debut monograph, was shortlisted for the 2023 Lucie Photobook Prize and has since sold out of its second edition. His publications are held in collections at the National Gallery of Art, the School of Visual Arts, SMFA at Tufts, and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

Jake is a photography and book arts workshop instructor, a content editor for Lenscratch, and the founder/director of wych elm, an independent imprintcreating small-run photo books, zines, and fine art ephemera.

Presentation Title and Short Description

Independent Book Publishing, Sequencing, and Image-Making

Exploring Jake’s personal fine-art practice, independent photobook imprint Wych Elm, and strategies for transforming work into book form, this lecture will explore sequencing, layout design, and the study of contemporary photography. Jake will talk through how he has navigated self-publishing, begun independent publishing through Wych Elm, and speak in depth about the numerous zines and books he has designed and published.