New Jurors, Round Two! Critical Mass 2019

Each year, Photolucida puts together a diverse and talented team of 200 jurors for Critical Mass.  It’s a fantastic panel of museum curators, gallerists, publishers, editors, festival directors, and media producers – important voices in the photography world today. There are a lot of new faces on the Critical Mass roster this year, so we thought we’d take a moment to make some introductions! 
And – check out the growing list of 200 jurors, and read some of the success stories from previous years!

STACY PLATT, Editor, Exposure Magazine


Stacy J. Platt is a writer, photographer and the editor of the Society for Photographic Education’s Exposure Magazine. Exposure’s mission is the same as the SPE organization itself: to understand how photography matters in the world. As editor, Stacy is interested in featuring in-depth critical writing on emerging and mid-career photography portfolios.

Exposure publishes thoughtfully considered analysis of a photographer’s work, the context in which they are producing it, and the larger implications for both the field and culture at large. She is actively looking for innovative and smart work that she can include in future publications of Exposure. Stacy J. Platt lives and works in Colorado.




STEVEN EVANS, Director, FotoFest


Steven Evans is an artist, writer, curator and executive director of the award-winning arts organization FotoFest International, which founded and sponsors the first and longest running international Biennial of Photography and New Media Art in the U.S. Appointed in 2014, he is responsible for exhibitions, art programs, administration and Biennial organization. He recently represented FotoFest at photography events and festivals in Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Korea, Lithuania, and Russia.

Evans has co-curated many exhibitions internationally including: the FotoFest 2018 Biennial, INDIA, Contemporary Photography and Mixed Media Art, the FotoFest 2016 Biennial – CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, Looking at the Future of the Planet, and both the International Discoveries V (2015), and International Discoveries VI (2017) exhibitions, featuring new artists from around the world. In 2014-2015 Evans curated the FotoFest inter-biennial exhibitions I Am A Camera and Collector’s Eye: The Maloney Collection.

Prior to FotoFest, Evans worked with a wide range of artists and collaborators as managing director of the Dia:Beacon Museum in New York State and as director of the Linda Pace Foundation in San Antonio, Texas.




VERENA KASPAR-EISER, Curator, Kunst Haus Wien, Photo Vienna


Verena Kaspar-Eisert (*1981), studied art history in Vienna with a focus on contemporary fine arts and photography. Her professional career began at Galerie Knoll and Galerie Krinzinger and she freelanced in numerous exhibition projects from 2003. 2005 to 2011 she was exhibition manager and curator at Kunstraum Niederoesterreich in Vienna.


From 2011 to 2014 she was director of the Galerie OstLicht, in addition from 2012 to 2014 she was director of the private Fotomuseum WestLicht, Vienna.

Since 2014 she has been curator at KUNST HAUS WIEN. She is an expert in portfolio reviews, lectures on photography and is a member of various juries.


AMELIE SHULE + MARINA PAULENKA, Curator + Artistic Director, Unseen Amsterdam

Unseen is a platform for contemporary photography that presents the latest developments in the field of photography and amplifies the careers of boundary-pushing artists.

As curator, Amelie is responsible for the speakers programme, exhibitions, and onsite projects at the annual fair, Unseen Amsterdam, as well as for various other events and projects throughout the year. She enjoys researching and developing exhibition concepts that incorporate different materials and textures, integrate audio, and concentrate on themes such as sustainability and inclusivity. Prior to her role at Unseen, she worked as Associate Director at Christophe Guye Galerie where she collaborated with artists including Roger Ballen, Stephen Gill and Rinko Kawauchi, among many others.

Marina is an Artistic Director for Unseen Amsterdam. Prior to her new role at Unseen, she worked as a curator and Artistic Director of the Organ Vida International Photography Festival and the Organ Vida Photography Organisation, the leading institution for contemporary photography in Croatia. She has curated numerous solo exhibitions of artists such as Nina Berman, Katrin Koenning and group exhibitions such as Vigilance, Struggle, Pride: Through Her Eyes. Paulenka is the recipient of the Lucie Awards 2018 for best curator/exhibition of the year for the exhibition Engaged, Active, Aware: Women Perspectives Now. Paulenka is interested in contemporary practices, new approaches to medium and showcasing, and in works dealing with feminism and socio-political issues of our everyday life.

ROULA SEIKALY, Senior Editor, Humble Arts Foundation

Roula Seikaly in an independent writer and curator based in Berkeley, California, and Senior Editor at Humble Arts Foundation. She has curated exhibitions at Blue Sky Gallery, SF Camerawork, SOMArts, and the Utah Museum of Arts. She is a regular contributor to Photograph, Hyerallergic, BOMB Magazine, and KQED Arts.