Coco Conroy
Coco Conroy is a curator and arts professional with nearly two decades of experience specializing in 20th-century and contemporary photography. She has played a vital role in shaping both private and institutional collections, advising on acquisitions, and curating exhibitions that bring historical and emerging voices into dialogue. As former Gallery Director at Jackson Fine Art, she worked closely with collectors, artists, and museums to champion photography’s evolving place within the broader contemporary art landscape.
She currently serves as Director of Sales at Sasha Wolf Projects, representing a focused roster of contemporary photographers, and as Curatorial Director for Dash Studio, where she leads public art and placemaking initiatives.
Before transitioning to the visual arts, Conroy earned an MA in literary studies and worked as a journalist, digital editor, and producer of literary and arts programming—experience that informs her distinctly multidisciplinary curatorial approach. She has served on the advisory committee of Atlanta Celebrates Photography since 2016 and joined the Executive Board of Art Papers in 2023. A frequent juror and portfolio reviewer, she has contributed to PDN’s Curator Awards, FilterPhoto, PhotoNOLA, Photolucida’s Critical Mass, and numerous other national and international competitions.
Dennis Kiel
Dennis Kiel recently retired from the Dishman Art Museum at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas after serving as Director and Curator for ten years. He came to the Dishman from Charlotte, North Carolina where he was Chief Curator at The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film. Before joining TLF, Kiel was the Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the Cincinnati Art Museum for 24 years. He also taught the History of Photography at Northern Kentucky University as an adjunct professor.
Kiel hold a master’s degree in Art History from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor of fine arts degree in Graphic Design from Ohio University.
He has participated as a reviewer in portfolio reviews at Houston Fotofest, “Our World” for Photo Alliance San Francisco, Photolucida, Portland, Oregon, Review Santa Fe, Atlanta Celebrate Photography, Click! Photography Festival, Durham, North Carolina, Slow Exposures, Zebulon, Georgia, and Medium Photo Festival, San Diego. Kiel also served as a juror for Photolucida’s online competition, “Critical Mass 50”.
A partial list of photography exhibitions Kiel curated at the Dishman Art Museum include “Eliot Dudik: Broken Land | Still Lives”, “Jamey Stillings: The Evolution of Ivanpah Solar”, “Intrusions of Grace: Anne Berry & Lori Vrba”, “50 Years: Keith Carter”, “Liminal: Cathy Spence”, “To Live (Ukraine conflict photographs): Patrick Patterson”, and “Where the Amish Vacation: Dina Litovsky”.
Kiel also hosts a radio show on Lamar University’s NPR station, 91.7 KVLU.