Colorado Photographic Arts Center

Colorado Photographic Arts Center The Colorado Photographic Arts Center is a non-profit organization supporting the photographic arts. All of our exhibitions are free and open to the public.

The Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) is the only nonprofit organization in Denver dedicated exclusively to the art of photography. Founded in 1963, we serve as a resource center where photographers can learn new skills, pursue their artistic vision, build community, and seek inspiration and creative growth. CPAC hosts 7-10 high-quality exhibitions each year that showcase the finest example

s of contemporary photography from local and national artists. We offer classes and workshops year-round at affordable rates, taught by a faculty of established artists and industry professionals. We offer resources for artists, including a darkroom and digital lab. Finally, we organize more than 50 events each year to engage the broader Denver community, including artist talks, gallery openings, Final Fridays, workshops, and the Month of Photography Denver Festival. Learn more about our organization by visiting cpacphoto.org.

Join us this month for 'Introduction to Framing Works on Paper'!⁠This in-person workshop introduces participants to the ...
09/08/2026

Join us this month for 'Introduction to Framing Works on Paper'!
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This in-person workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of framing works on paper through a combination of demonstration, guided instruction, and hands-on practice. Students will learn how to assess the condition of a piece, measure it accurately, design an appropriate framing approach, and move through the full process from raw materials to a completed framed object.⁠
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When: Friday, September 18th, 6:00pm-8:00pm, Saturday, September 19th, 1pm-4pm
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center⁠
Instructor: Megan Coleman⁠
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For more information and to register, click this link: https://cpacphoto.org/introduction-to-framing-works-on-paper-september-18th-19th/
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Image Credit: Megan Coleman

It is the last week to submit to Emerging Vision: Biennial Student Show!This show is an open-theme exhibition juried by ...
09/07/2026

It is the last week to submit to Emerging Vision: Biennial Student Show!

This show is an open-theme exhibition juried by Laura Sackett, Creative Director at LensCulture.

Current undergraduate and graduate photography students are invited to submit work in any subject matter, capture type, or photographic process. This is an opportunity to share your unique perspective, have your work seen by a wider audience, and exhibit in the professional galleries of Colorado’s only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to photography.

▸ Applicant Deadline: Friday, September 11, 2026⁠
▸ Exhibition Dates: November 20, 2026 – January 2, 2027⁠
▸ Fees: $20 for the first 3 images
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https://cpacphoto.org/emerging-vision-submit-by-sept-11-2026/

Image Credit: Beihua Guo

Learn the fundamentals of black & white analog photography in our workshop, 'Beginner & Intermediate Black & White Film ...
09/06/2026

Learn the fundamentals of black & white analog photography in our workshop, 'Beginner & Intermediate Black & White Film and Darkroom'!
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In this darkroom-based class, students will learn the basics of black and white film photography, including how to process film and make darkroom prints.
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When: Tuesdays, September 29th - November 3rd, 6pm-9pm⁠
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center⁠
Instructor: Jackie Webster

For more information and to register, click this link: https://cpacphoto.org/beginner-intermediate-black-white-film-and-darkroom-september-november/
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Image Credit: Jackie Webster

Our workshop 'The Photographer’s Eye' with Mari Howells examines how the decisions made when taking a photograph create ...
09/05/2026

Our workshop 'The Photographer’s Eye' with Mari Howells examines how the decisions made when taking a photograph create structure and meaning, how to communicate with specificity and intention.

Through class lectures, weekly shooting assignments, and in-class exercises based on the ideas in John Szarkowski’s book, The Photographer’s Eye, students will dissect the elements of photographic grammar.

When: Thursdays, September 10 – October 8, 4-6pm
Where: Online via Zoom

Register here:
https://cpacphoto.org/online-the-photographers-eye-september-10th-october-8th/

Image Credit: Mari Howells

We have planned another incredible travel workshop! Join us in May, 2027 for The Art of Seeing Retreat in Florence, Ital...
09/04/2026

We have planned another incredible travel workshop!

Join us in May, 2027 for The Art of Seeing Retreat in Florence, Italy.

Spend a week immersed in the company of like-minded artists, with Angela Faris as your guide. Drawing on decades of artistic practice and teaching, Angela will help you refresh your creative vision and deepen your unique photographic voice through illuminating presentations, hands-on guidance and individual and group critiques.

Sign up by November 20th to secure your spot!

https://cpacphoto.org/the-art-of-seeing-retreat-italy-may-24-28/

Image Credit: ©Angela Faris

Come see the work of Justin A. Carney, whose project 'Full of Dreams' is currently on display in the CPAC Gallery for ou...
09/03/2026

Come see the work of Justin A. Carney, whose project 'Full of Dreams' is currently on display in the CPAC Gallery for our exhibition, Sites of Memory.
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Carney writes about his work, "Full of Dreams began with a realization that I do not know much about where I come from. Most of the people who could have told me stories died before I knew to ask. What remains are fragments: neighborhoods in Baltimore, roads in Virginia, churches, funeral homes, family photographs, and sites where houses once stood. I photograph these places to consider how identity is shaped by inherited histories, absences, and memory.

The project questions what traumas, griefs, joys, and fears are carried through generations and how they continue to live within both people and place. While researching my grandmother’s life, I learned that I am related to the Quander family, one of the oldest documented African American families in the United States. Yet the Carney line, my direct lineage, remains largely undocumented. I do not know how my family arrived in Baltimore, what routes were traveled, where ties were broken, or what stories were lost along the way. The work exists within that uncertainty."

Sites of Memory is on display at Colorado Photographic Arts Center now until September 19th.⁠
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Gallery Hours: ⁠
Tuesday - Friday: 11am - 5pm ⁠
Saturday: 12pm - 4pm⁠
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Image Credit: ©Justin A. Carney

PhotoVox is one week away! Join us for a great online presentation by fine art photographer R.J. Kern: 20 Years In: What...
09/02/2026

PhotoVox is one week away! Join us for a great online presentation by fine art photographer R.J. Kern:

20 Years In: What I Wish I'd Known When I Started as a Fine Art Photographer
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This practical presentation will explore the habits, systems, and business decisions that support a long-term creative practice. From pricing work and communicating with clients to building professional relationships and creating opportunities beyond the gallery wall, Kern will offer real-world advice for photographers navigating the transition from making photographs to building a career around them.⁠
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▸ September 9th, 6:30pm MT, Online via Zoom.⁠
▸ Free for CPAC members; $10 for non-members.⁠
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Register:
https://cpacphoto.org/photovox-online-september-2026-20-years-in-what-i-wish-id-known-when-i-started-as-a-fine-art-photographer-by-r-j-kern/
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Image Credit: R.J. Kern

All of the classes still available in September ~ They're selling out fast so secure your spot now!Handmade Photo ZinesI...
09/01/2026

All of the classes still available in September ~ They're selling out fast so secure your spot now!

Handmade Photo Zines
Instructor: Vera Benschop
When: Saturday, September 5th & September 6th, 10am-3pm
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Cost: $225 Member | $250 Non-Member

The Photographer’s Eye (ONLINE)
Instructor: Mari Howells
When: Thursdays, September 10th – October 8th, 4pm-6pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: $297 Members | $330 Non-Members

FREE Info Session – The Language of Color in Photography
Instructor: Christine Callahan
When: Thursday, September 10th, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: FREE

Still Looking: Gentle Yoga in the Gallery
Instructor: Em Warnock
When: Saturday, September 12th, 10am-11am
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Cost: $10 Members | $15 Non-Members

DSLR/Mirrorless Camera Basics
Instructor: Mark Payler
When: Sunday, September 20th, 9am-12pm
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Cost: $99 Members | $110 Non-Members

FREE Info Session & Q&A with Mary Virginia Swanson
Instructor: Mary Virginia Swanson
When: Tuesday, September 15th, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: FREE

How to Develop Black & White Film
Instructor: Preston Utley
When: Wednesday September 16th, 5:30pm-8:30pm⁠
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Cost: $108 Member | $120 Non-Member⁠⁠

Introduction to Darkroom Printing
Instructor: Jackie Webster⁠
When: Thursday, September 17th, 6pm-9pm⁠
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Cost: $108 Member | $120 Non-Member⁠⁠

Introduction to Framing Works on Paper
Instructor: Megan Coleman
When: Friday, September 18th, 6:00pm-8:00pm, Saturday, September 19th, 1pm-4pm
Where: Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Cost: $225 Member and $250 Non-Member

Sign up:
https://cpacphoto.org/education

Come see the work of Letitia Huckaby⁠, in our current exhibition, Sites of Memory — Courtesy of Talley Dunn Gallery!Leti...
08/31/2026

Come see the work of Letitia Huckaby⁠, in our current exhibition, Sites of Memory — Courtesy of Talley Dunn Gallery!

Letitia Huckaby has a degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, a BFA from the Art Institute of Boston in photography, and her Master’s degree from the University of North Texas in Denton.
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Huckaby writes about this series, A Tale of Two Greenwoods, "This project documents two residential blocks. One block is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Haskell Place in a neighborhood adjoining historic Greenwood. The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre desecrated the Greenwood neighborhood—one of the most prosperous African American communities in the early 20th century. The other residential block is located on St. Charles Street in the town of Greenwood, Mississippi—the namesake of the district in Tulsa and the birthplace of my father."

Sites of Memory is on display at Colorado Photographic Arts Center now until September 19th.

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 11am - 5pm
Saturday: 12pm - 4pm⁠

Image Credit: ©Letitia Huckaby⁠, Courtesy of Talley Dunn Gallery

Address

1200 Lincoln Street, Suite 111
Denver, CO
80203

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+13038371341

Website

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