SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In partnership with California State Parks and the California State Railroad Museum & Foundation, the Center for Railroad Photography & Art will hold their first-ever western regional conference -- Conversations West 2018 -- at the Railroad Museum on September 21-22, 2018. The conference will offer a full day of presentations about railroad photography and art focusing specifically on the American West. The conference will also serve as a kick-off event for the Center’s new exhibition titled Beebe & Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy, as well as for festivities surrounding the upcoming 150th anniversary of the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.
Registration for Conversations West 2018 is open to the public for $95, with a student rate of $50. Those interested in supporting the Center’s mission to preserve and present significant images of railroading can register as a patron for a slightly higher fee. This additional support helps offset travel costs for presenters and other operational fees relating to programming. Registration is available online by visiting: http://www.railphoto-art.org/conferences.
Event activities will begin the evening of Friday, September 21, with an opening reception to highlight the debut of the photography exhibition that showcases Lucius Beebe (1902-1966) and Charles Clegg (1916-1979) who were instrumental in introducing railroad photography and the world of railroading to a wide audience. The opening for Beebe & Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy is free and open to the public from 6 to 8 p.m. with appetizers, refreshments and a cash bar for those interested.