The Art of Documentary Photography in Devon

A symposium to be held at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, on Saturday 1st October 2022

2022 marks 50 years since two leading documentary photographers started out on their careers in Devon.

Half a century ago James Ravilious was appointed by the Beaford Arts Centre to be its resident photographer in North Devon. James dedicated himself, until his untimely death in 1999, to photographing the rural communities around his home leaving behind a stunning record of rural life and landscape in the Beaford Archive.

In the same year, 1972, Chris Chapman, while still a student at Torquay School of Art, took his first photographs of Dartmoor. He has gone on to assemble an unrivalled portfolio of the people and places of Dartmoor.

Surely no other English county can claim to have given home to two master photographers who have rooted themselves so deeply in their local communities, dedicating their careers to portraying so authentically the rural world around them.

To celebrate this joint 50-year anniversary, Beaford is organising a day symposium on The Art of Documentary Photography in Devon at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter on Saturday 1st October 2022.

As well as discussing the history of documentary photography and the continuing impact of Ravilious’s and Chapman’s work, speakers will look at future priorities for commissioning new photography in Devon. The symposium is open to all and the programme and booking details can be found at beaford.org/symposium

A Photographic Friendship, a new book for the first time publishing the work of both these photographers side-by-side, is due to appear in the autumn. Details about this book will be available in October at beaford.org/shop