Present Tense Artist Talks
Event date: February 7, 2026, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
PRESENT TENSE ARTIST TALKS are quarterly events hosted by Medium Photo that spotlight emerging voices in photography.
Each program begins with a public portfolio walk, where eight artists share a recent photographic project in an informal, conversational setting. From there, four photographers are selected to deliver 15-minute artist talks, offering deeper insight into their work and creative process.
During each talk, artists present a single body of work projected on screen, bringing their images to life through personal reflections on process, ideas, and stories. Each presentation concludes with an open Q&A, giving the audience a chance to connect directly with the artist.
Designed to be welcoming and engaging, Present Tense fosters meaningful dialogue between artists and community. Submissions are free for Medium members ($15 for non-members), and all events are free and open to the public.
Present Tense Artist Talks, February 7, 2026
Location: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, CA (La Jolla, CA)
700 Prospect St.
La Jolla, CA 92037
Event Timeline
2:00 - 2:50 Open Portfolio Walk
3:00 - 4:30 Present Tense Artist Talks
4:30 - 5:00 Peer networking
EUGENIA BRODSKY (Presenter)
I’m a visual artist with broad international experience in video and photo production for editorial and commercial projects. My work is recognized for its poetic vision, deep color, and contemplative rhythm. Currently, I focus on film photography—capturing the stillness and depth of the present moment through a reflective, analog lens.
JODIE HULDEN (Presenter)
Jodie Hulden is a fine art, contemplative photographer whose photography focuses on the poetry of intimate spaces, both wild and man-made. She has a degree in art from San Diego State University. She discovered her passion for black and white photography in the 1970’s. In 2017 she completed a month-long artist-in-residency at Zion National Park. She was an award winner in 2018 at the Center Choice Awards in Santa Fe. In 2019 she published a book with Dark Spring Press of interior Bodie images titled Left Behind. She has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally at the Center for Photography Arts in Carmel, the Center of Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont, the Yosemite Renaissance Exhibitions, the Photographer’s Eye Gallery in Escondido, and in Barcelona. She has been featured in On Landscape Magazine, FotoRelevance, Black + White Magazine (UK), and BETA Developments in Photography magazine.
CHRISTOPHER KEACH (Presenter)
Christopher Keach is a photographer from San Diego
Follow Christopher on Instagram.
TIM KEANE (Presenter)
Tim Keane is an environmental portrait and documentary photographer whose work explores mutual revelation, self-awareness, dignity, intimacy, and emotional truth. Rooted in conversation, his photography sessions begin in trust, where guardedness fades and authenticity emerges.
His projects include Masculinity, which reimagines strength through vulnerability; Working, a study of labor and identity; The Giving Forest, documenting the sustainable stewardship of the Menominee Tribe to be published in 2027; and On the Way to Somewhere Else, an inspirational story of one man’s 40 year attempt to improve the lives of others in Montana, finalist for the High Plains 2023 book award.
A lifelong teacher and mentor, Tim approaches photography as a relational act shaped by decades of guiding others.
His background also studying with the Center for the Studies of the Person in La Jolla, CA.
Additional Portfolio Walk Artists
NOLLE OCEN-ODOGE
GUY TORRES
TILA TORRES HAGEN
DANIEL WILKINS
Present Tense #8 Juror: Karen Hymer, Owner & Director, Light Art Space Gallery, Silver City, New Mexico
Each edition of Present Tense Artist Talks will have a different juror of note drawn from across North America, and each juror will select three presenters for the talks, and four additional artists for the portfolio walk. The fourth presenter at each Present Tense talk is a student selected by the faculty of a participating college.
About Karen
Karen Hymer was born in Tucson, Arizona. She earned her BFA from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Tufts University, Medford, and her MA and MFA in Fine Art Photography from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Karen actively exhibits her work both nationally and internationally. Her work is in several public collections, including the Center for Creative Photography and the Polaroid International Collection. Dark Spring Press released a book of her work in 2018.
Karen’s approach to image making explores the blending of photosensitive materials, digital media, and printmaking. She is fascinated with how the passage of time affects the human body and other natural elements in the world. In addition to working as a fine art photographer, Karen taught photography for over 25 years at Pima Community College, Tucson.
In 2018, Karen relocated to Silver City, NM, to open and operate Light Art Space in the historic downtown district. The space features galleries, wet darkrooms, a sculpture garden, and a printmaking/teaching studio. Karen teaches workshops and private sessions in Photopolymer Gravure and other alternative photographic processes. She lives on 28 acres of pinon-juniper forest with her standard poodle, Nigel, in an off-the-grid solar adobe home.
You can find Karen’s work on her website www.karenhymer.com and you can find out more about Light Art Space at the gallery’s website www.lightartspace.com and their Instagram account @lightartspace_karenhymer.
Call for Submissions
Submissions for Present Tense Artist Talks are $15 dollars for non-members and members receive one free entry per event. All types of photography may be submitted. Everyone may submit, including both established artists, emerging photographers, and students. You don’t have to be from San Diego or Tijuana, but you do have to be in San Diego to present your work at this live, in-person event.
The submission window for Present Tense 9 will be announced soon stay tuned to our newsletter and our Instagram for the Call for Submission!