Founded in 2012, Urbana Museum of Photography emphasizes history and techniques of analog photography. Active as a small institution, the Museum offers classes, workshops, lectures and exhibitions. Our model combines 4 aspects: Gallery, Darkroom, Photo Lab, and Classroom.

Gallery 

Our focus is to represent local photographers working in analog photography. We are on a journey to discover forgotten artists and undiscovered talent who work(ed) and live(d) in Central Illinois.

Over the years of the Museum's existence, we have represented numerous national and international artists. In the past, we have hosted works by artists from Italy, China, Russia, Portugal, and more, but have primarily kept our attention on local photographers and emerging talents. The Gallery also showcases works from our own students of the Photo Classroom and our workshops.

Darkroom

We have a fully analog and operational darkroom. Along with developing, we specialize in the printing process. The final print is the “last step” - where all things come together in harmony: artistic vision, technical skill, and intuition. It is this crucial part that plays a major role and is our primary focus of our classroom sessions.

Photo Lab

With the recent popularity of film / analog photography amongst the younger generation, our Photo Lab is devoted and equipped to satisfy this demand for film processing, analog printing, and scanning services. Specific services can be found in the “Our Services” section of this website.

Classroom

The faster and further our progress takes us - the greater the distance between "Tradition" and "Avant-Garde.” It is more noticeable in photography - where the aesthetics are still in comparison - hence it is important not to forget where photography came from. 

History of photography is the history of people and the history of photographic techniques is the history of our progress as a humanity. That is what the photo class is for; to learn and to educate.