If you haven't heard, Exposure has secured some of the most incredible reviewers for the 2026 Exposure Portfolio Review! The Exposure Portfolio Review offers photographers the opportunity to share their work in one-on-one sessions with professionals from across the photography community, from curators and editors to educators and practicing artists, each offering distinct perspectives, experiences, and opportunities. Participants receive 20-minute review sessions from four of the reviewers, gaining focused, individualized feedback on their work and practice. Now, let's meet the 2026 Exposure Portfolio Review Reviewers!
Beate Wichmann
Beate (she/her) is the Art Director at Alberta Views magazine. In this capacity, she oversees the magazine’s visual direction and collaborates with a broad network of local photographers and illustrators. Her work is grounded in visual storytelling, with a particular emphasis on photography as a means of fostering emotional engagement and deepening readers’ connection to editorial content.
Before joining Alberta Views, Beate held design positions at Vancouver Review magazine, Serengeti Design in Vancouver, and multiple design agencies in Germany. With over 25 years of experience in the design profession, she brings a keen eye for visual storytelling and a deep understanding of how thoughtful design and photography can elevate meaningful narratives.
Brad Zellar
Brad Zellar has worked as a writer and editor for various newspapers and magazines. He collaborated with the photographer Alec Soth on the seven-part LBM Dispatch, an irregularly published newspaper that chronicled American community life in the 21st century. Zellar is the author of Suburban World: The Norling Photos, Conductors of the Moving World, and House of Coates (with Soth). His most recent novel is Till the Wheels Fall Off (Coffee House Press). He works frequently with photographers and photobook publishers, and along with Ethan Aaro Jones is the publisher of Nocturno Books.
Dona Schwartz
Dona Schwartz received her PhD from the Annenberg School for Communications, University of Pennsylvania, and is the author of Waucoma Twilight: Generations of the Farm (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992) and Contesting the Super Bowl (Routledge, 1997). Her photographic monograph, In the Kitchen, was published by Kehrer Verlag in 2009. Kehrer published On the Nest in 2015. Her award-winning work has appeared in publications world-wide and has been exhibited at international venues including the Saatchi Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria, National Portrait Gallery, London, Blue Sky Gallery, and Milwaukee Art Museum, among many others. Her work is included in the collections of the US Library of Congress, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, George Eastman Museum, Musée de l'Elysée, Harry Ransom Center, Portland Art Museum, Center for Creative Photography, and Kinsey Institute. She is Professor, Department of Art and Art History, University of Calgary. She is President and Chair of Exposure.
George Webber
George Webber’s artful photographs spring from his affection for the people, culture and architecture of the Canadian West.
His books include: Borrowed Time, Saskatchewan Book, Alberta Book, Badlands, Prairie Gothic, In this Place, Last Call, People of The Blood, A World Within and Requiem.
George’s photographs reside in many Canadian and international museum collections including: The National Archives of Canada, Glenbow Museum, The Art Gallery of Alberta, The Australian National Gallery, Museum Ludwig (Germany) and The Bibliothèque Nationale (France). In 1999 he was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in recognition of his contributions to the visual arts in Canada. He has twice been awarded the National Magazine Gold Award for Photojournalism.
Jasmine Piper
Jasmine Piper is an artist and arts administrator based in Mohkinsstsis (also known as Calgary), with family ties spanning across the prairies—from Cold Lake First Nations to Peace River County. For the past five years she has been working with Artist-Run Centres and artist-led initiatives to lead and support artistic programming including events and exhibitions. Piper aspires to find ways to sharpen her skills as a drum maker, fisherwoman and bead artist. Her practice includes researching decolonization, laughing with friends and exploring reconnection to her Nehiyaw, Métis and Denesuline ancestors by connecting with the supernatural. Aliens, magic and medicine are common themes played with throughout her work.
This artistic practice is intertwined with a passion for supporting fellow artists, community members and arts organizers by collaborating with them to create equitable programming and opportunities.
Lexi Hilderman
Lexi (Lex) Hilderman, a trans-non-binary interdisciplinary artist and settler to Mohkinstsis Treaty 7 Territory otherwise known as Calgary, Alberta. Weaving together traditional techniques in printmaking, sculpture, photography, written word, installation, and performance, their work explores themes of identity, sentimentality, and orientation, queering pathways forward. They hold a BFA in Sculpture with a minor in Social Practice and Community Engagement from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and a BA in Sociology from the University of Calgary. They have exhibited with Stride Gallery, the Fem Assembly, Calgary Animated Objects Society, Arts Commons, and participated in residencies such as the Agua Viva Water Residency at Santa Rosa Art and Healing, and a Studio Residency at Stride Gallery.
Shauna Thompson
Shauna Thompson is currently Curator at Esker Foundation, Calgary. She has supported solo projects and exhibitions with many local, national, and international artists, including Oliver Beer, Babak Golkar, Mel O’Callaghan, Ragnar Kjartansson, Fin Simonetti, and Katie Ohe, among many others. She is co-curator of the exhibition 'Like everything alive that we try to hold forever' (currently touring with Independent Curators International) which features the work of Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Diane Borsato, Stephanie Dinkins, Bridget Moser, Sondra Perry, and Miya Turnbull.
Prior to joining Esker Foundation, Thompson was the Curatorial Assistant at the Walter Phillips Gallery, The Banff Centre. She has also worked with the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (now the Art Museum at the University of Toronto) and YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Toronto, as well as the Art Gallery of Mississauga. Thompson holds master's degrees in Curatorial Studies from the University of Toronto and in English from the University of Guelph.
