Teaching Award

Established in 1998, the annual Callanan Excellence in Teaching Award honors a high school, college, or postgraduate teacher’s dedication and commitment to their students and field. Educators in all areas of photographic teaching are eligible – including but not limited to fine art, documentary, history, and criticism.

EDUCATORS MUST POSSESS
• A genuine passion for teaching
• An ability to excite students to learn
• A respect for students as individuals
• An enduring artistic curiosity

AWARD PACKAGE – $5,000 USD, Review Santa Fe Admission, Access to Professional Development Seminars, and inclusion in the CENTER Image & Library

2024 Winner

Kathleen Sanker • Artist, Photographer, and Professor of Art, St. Charles Community College, St. Louis, MO • kathleenmsanker.com

FROM THE JUROR’S STATEMENT
“It was reaffirming to read the impact we can have in the classroom, when we take the time to recognize our students as individuals and teach with curiosity and humility. In this digital age, we are all photographers, but with the mentorship of a dedicated teacher, one can become excited about the practice of photography and strive to advance their skills...

Her nominators credit her with a relentless pursuit of creating the best possible learning atmosphere; which includes supporting students along whatever academic path they choose and ensuring they have the resources necessary to do so. As an educator it is natural to teach from one's own perspective, often resulting in a classroom of homogenous photographs; Kathleen Sanker's students instead speak of how she encouraged them to follow their instincts, find their own influence, and create a unique style of their own.”

– Alanna Styer, Documentary Artist, Educator, Activist, Education Research Fellow, Photographer's Green Book, and Director of Education, Venice Arts | 2024 Juror

FROM THE NOMINATIONS

"Kate's encouragement is contagious. She inspires everyone around her to pursue their passions and strive for excellence. Her dedication to both the academic and personal growth of her students makes her a truly outstanding professor, deserving of recognition and appreciation.”

"The empathy that she leads her classrooms with has no choice but to consume the space, resulting in a collaboration that can only harbor growth."

"Through her actions, my classmates and I were taught to think and speak critically about creating and critiquing artwork; we were taught that through kindness and an openness to new experiences, we could become better artists and uplift those around us to develop a greater art community in general."

"She created an environment where curiosity became passion, skills became talent, and encouragement led to self-confidence... I would not be the artist I am today without her inspiration, guidance, and considerate support."

Previous Winners

  • 2023 • Alanna Styer

    Documentary Artist, Educator, Activist, Education Research Fellow, Photographer’s Green Book, and Program Manager, Media Arts Education and Mentoring, Venice Arts Los Angeles, USA

  • 2022 • Uche Okpa-Iroha

    Visual Artist, Art and Culture Producer, Art Educator, Independent Curator, Mentor, and Founder and Director, The Nlele Institute Lagos, Nigeria

  • 2021 • Peter Brown

    Photographer and Instructor, Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA

  • 2020 • Frank Lopez

    Photographer and Teacher, Greenhill School, Addison, Texas, USA

  • 2019 • Tony Chirinos

    Artist, Photographer, and Associate Senior Professor of Photography, Miami Dade College, Miami, Florida, USA

  • 2017 • Cig Harvey

    Maine Media College, Anderson Ranch, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Maine, USA

  • 2015 • Joe Johnson

    Head of Photography Department, University of Missouri, Lecturer at Carnegie Mellon, Indiana University, MassArt, Rhode Island College, DeCordova Museum, and the Beach Museum, Missouri, USA

  • 2014 • Aline Smithson

    CENTER Workshop Instructor, Fine Art Department Instructor, Los Angeles Center of Photography, Los Angeles, California, USA

  • 2013 • Jessamyn Lovell

    Art Department Senior Lecturer, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

  • 2012 • Stephan Hillenbrand

    Associate Professor, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

  • 2011 • Kerry Skarbakka

    Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA

  • 2010 • Sean Kernan

    Savannah College of Art and Design, Maine Photo Workshops, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and the Art Center, Pasadena, Connecticut, USA

  • 2009 • Archy Baker LaSalle

    Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, Massachusetts, USA

  • 2008 • Patrick Hebert

    Instructor, Art Center College of Design, CA, and Associate Director of Education, AIDS Project Los Angeles, California, USA

  • 2007 • Joan Dooley

    Bell School of Humanities Academy, Los Angeles, California, USA

  • 2006 • John Weiss

    Professor of Art, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA

  • 2005 • Rose Marasco

    Professor of Art, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine, USA

  • 2004 • Lauren Shaw

    Associate Professor, Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

  • 2003 • Susan Kae Grant

    Professor of Photography, Texas Women’s University, Denton, Texas, USA

  • 2002 • Don Gregorio Anton

    Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, USA

  • 2001 • Joleen Mahoney Roe

    Bethlehem Central High School, Delmar, New York, USA

  • 2000 • Catherine Angel

    Associate Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

  • 1998 • Eddie Soloway

    Instructor, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, National Geographic Presenter, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Supporter

Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, the Callanan Excellence in Teaching Award, provides recognition and financial support to a photographic educator annually.

Thank you to all of those who help to recognize unsung heroes of photographic education by nominating for the Callanan Excellence in Teaching Award.