I'm excited that my project Every breath we drew was given a shout out by Jorg Colberg this week on his blog Conscientious.

I'm also excited that my project Transcendence was featured in the Russian edition of Esquire.  

I spent this past weekend at the 50th National Conference for the Society for Photographic Education, which took place in Chicago.  I was honored to present twice, once on a panel discussion titled Queer photography: an open and inclusive panel discussion on queer art in schools, studios, galleries, and beyond.  My fellow panelists were David Martin, Logan Rollins, and Rafael Soldi.  The discussion was passionate and intense, and the response to the panel was an indication that SPE could use many more discussions like these in the future.  Below is a photo from our presentation.

The second presentation was on my newest body of work Every breath we drew, and I was thrilled to see many familiar faces in the audience as well as quite a few new ones.  The highlights from the weekend are too numerous to mention, but I met so many wonderful people and am already looking forward to next year's conference.

I also recently released a new artist book, pretty boys looking at me.  It is handmade in an edition of 100 and was very well received at SPE (and is selling quickly).  If you're interested, you can get a copy here.

Two images from Coupled are featured in The Advocate's The Art of Gay Love: Getting in the Mood for Valentine's Day: A selection of art and photography from from some of our featured contributors shows a diversity of LGBT romantic expression.  

There are also images by Kelli Connell and Molly Landreth, among others!  Check it out.

Every breath we drew getting ready to be added to the collection at the Indie Photobook Library.

Thanks to the Griffin Museum of Photography and Larissa Leclair, Transcendence is now in the collection of the Indie Photobook Library. 

About the Indie Photobook Library:

Founded by Larissa Leclair in 2010, the Indie Photobook Library is an archive of self-published and indie published photobooks. This includes DIY, photobooks independently published and distributed, photography exhibition catalogs, print-on-demand photobooks, artist books, zines, photobooks printed on newsprint, limited edition photobooks, and non-English language photography books, etc. The iPL promotes and showcases the books in the collection through international pop-up and feature-length exhibitions, articles, conferences, guest lectures, and also preserves them as a non-circulating public library. Having a specific collection dedicated to this contemporary movement in publishing allows for the development of future discourse on trends in self-publishing, the ability to reflect on and compare books in the collection, and for scholarly research to be conducted years, decades, and centuries to come.

Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, a special collection within the John M. Flaxman Library at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago that contains over 6,000 artists' books.  I'm thrilled to say that they acquired several of my publications, including Every breath we drew, Transcendence, and A Moment Collected: Photographs at the Harvard Art Museum.  Below is a photo taken while filling out acquisition paperwork.  

Every breath we drew was chosen by David Bram of Fraction Magazine for a Juror's Pick Award in the 2012 Daylight Photo Awards.  As a result, Daylight created a wonderful multimedia podcast about my work, which can be seen here. 

I had a wonderful day today at Gallery Kayafas catching up with Arlette and Gus as well as getting some work done.  Gus and I added the finishing touches on my portfolio A Moment Collected: Photographs at the Harvard Art Museum.  Though the printing has been done for quite some time, and several of the portfolios have already been purchased, the remaining portfolios still needed a few finishing touches.  It felt good to get that done, and it is always great to spend time at the gallery when I'm back in Boston.  As a bonus, both Howard Yezerski and Judy Haberl happened to come by while I was there, which was a nice surprise and made for an especially nice day.  

UPDATE (as of December 24th, 2012):  Due to the attention via social media, JetBlue has offered me a $1,000.00 travel voucher.  While this does not replace my cameras or equal their value, it is a significant gesture on their part and I am appreciative that they made an effort to resolve the situation.  

Original Post:

On the morning of Tuesday, December 18, 2012, I took Jet Blue flight 922 from Chicago O'Hare to Boston Logan.  Inside of my checked luggage, I had packed digital camera equipment that included two digital SLRs, two professional lenses, a professional flash with attachments, and several memory cards.  I was forced to check this equipment because I was already carrying on two other sets of camera equipment and could not fit these cameras in my carry on luggage.  Due to TSA requirements, I did not put a lock on my bag. 

When I arrived at Boston Logan Airport, my suitcase felt lighter than when I dropped it off.  Upon opening it, I realized that all of my camera equipment (except for the camera bag, which was packed inside of my suitcase) had been stolen.  In Chicago, I handed my bag directly to the JetBlue baggage agent, and in Boston, I watched it come out of the luggage terminal, so there was absolutely no moment this theft could have happened except for when it was in the care of JetBlue. 

The insured value of my camera equipment is $1,977.00, though the original purchase price and my replacement cost is much, much higher.  Additionally, I needed the equipment for several jobs in Boston and am now forced to rent camera equipment, increasing my costs even further. 

I contacted JetBlue immediately and submitted a claim for my stolen equipment.  I also wrote a letter to Justin Thompson, Director of Customer Support, which I copied to David Barger, JetBlue’s Chief Executive Officer and Robert Maruster, JetBlue’s Chief Operating Officer.  I received a response (which I will post below) from Steve (JetBlue Airways Crewmember 30952), a specialist at central baggage who apologized but said JetBlue is not responsible for camera equipment in checked baggage and therefore I should not expect any monetary compensation.

I fully acknowledge that there is a risk of damage or loss when checking items in your luggage, but theft by the airline personnel is absolutely not acceptable.  While my luggage was in their care, someone opened my bag and simply took all of my cameras, and they are now claiming they are not responsible in any way for this occurrence.  Given the strict rules around not locking luggage and the restrictions regarding the size and amount of carry on luggage, JetBlue leaves no option but to ask their customers to trust that their checked luggage will be treated with respect and will arrive in the same condition in which they sent it.  It is absolutely appalling that they are refusing to accept responsibility for this theft.  Essentially, as their rules stand, they have created a system in which their employees can steal your things and there is nothing you can do about it. 

All I am asking from JetBlue is that they reimburse me for the insured cost of my stolen equipment and that they take responsibility for theft that occurs while luggage is in their care.  Any help you could provide in resolving this situation would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jess T. Dugan

JetBlue’s response (received December 22, 2012) to my initial letter sent on December 18, 2012:

Dear Jess,

Thank you for your message to JetBlue Airways. We sincerely regret to hear that your camera equipment was missing from your checked baggage. We can understand that this must have been an extremely frustrating and inconvenient experience. We can only assure you that your experience is not typical of the standards that we strive to maintain. We have shared your correspondence with our Baggage Leadership Team for review and training purposes.

At JetBlue we make every attempt to minimize situations such as that which you have described. Our crewmembers have extensive background checks and work in a closely monitored environment where they are not allowed to open your bag in most situations (barring safety issues, or in attempt to determine the owner of a bag that is missing its identification). The same may be said of the monitoring and employment verification of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Unfortunately, it is not always possible to determine the cause of this type of incident unless it is witnessed or the missing item is located.

We certainly do not allow or promote any type of disrespect toward our customers' belongings. Proof that a crewmember had not treated a customer's belongings with such respect as JetBlue's values dictate would result in swift and appropriate action toward that crewmember from JetBlue. If you have evidence of theft you may wish to also report this to the police, who are the proper authority to investigate allegations of criminal activity.

Our records do indicate that Baggage Report BOSB600262964 was opened for this incident. However, as the items that were reported as missing fall under limited liability per the JetBlue Contract of Carriage, please be aware that this is a courtesy report that will not result in monetary compensation. You may reference our Contract of Carriage on our website, www.jetblue.com, under the Legal link.

If we are able to locate your belongings you will be contacted to verify ownership.

Please be aware that TSA regulations do not prohibit you from placing a lock on your baggage. For more information about TSA policies regarding baggage locks, please visit the following link:

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/baggage-locks

You may also wish to contact and file a claim with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The TSA, Transportation Security Administration, is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security which oversees the security of air, ground and maritime transportation networks.

The TSA makes every attempt to ensure that your belongings are returned to your bag at the conclusion of the baggage screening, but they will assess any loss or damage claims that they receive. For the TSA contact information as well as the claim forms, please visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov.

We value you as a JetBlue customer and regret that you were disappointed with your recent experience. We hope that you choose to travel with us again and offer us the opportunity to regain your confidence. You can be sure that every effort will be made to ensure that our standard of service meets your expectations in the future.

Sincerely,

Steve
Specialist, Central Baggage
JetBlue Airways
Crewmember 30952

I'm sending a (tiny!) 4" x 6" print of "Devotion" to Visual AIDS for their annual Postcards from the Edge Benefit.  There is a preview party on Friday, January 25th and the postcards are available for sale on Saturday, January 26th and Sunday, January 27th.  All postcards are displayed anonymously and the artist's name is only revealed after the postcard has been purchased.  

All proceeds benefit Visual AIDS. Visual AIDS utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving a legacy, because AIDS is not over. Visual AIDS is the only contemporary arts organization fully committed to HIV prevention and AIDS awareness through producing and presenting visual art projects, while assisting artists living with HIV/AIDS.  Visual AIDS is committed to preserving and honoring the work of artists with HIV/AIDS and the artistic contributions of the AIDS movement.  Find out more info about Visual AIDS here.

I am thrilled that my exhibition "Transcendence" at the Griffin Museum of Photography was reviewed for Photograph Magazine. Read the full review here.

In preparation for a big review tomorrow, I have put together an edit of new work from Every breath we drew.  Here is a shot of the install.  There are a lot of self-portraits in the newest work- that seems to be where the project is headed, and I'm excited about that. 

I'm so excited that my image Devotion is posted on SFMoMA's Tumblr.  Check it out here.

Dear friends,

If you are in the Chicago area, please join me for the opening of my solo exhibition Every breath we drew at the Schneider Gallery this Friday, September 7 from 5 to 7:30.  Signed copies of my catalog, which includes a beautiful essay by former Art Institute of Chicago Photography Curator David Travis, will be available for sale.  If you can't make the show in person, you can purchase a catalog here.

I will also be giving a gallery talk as part of the Filter Photo Festival (more info here) on October 17th from 5-6 p.m.  Please join me if you can!

The exhibition will be on display through October 27th.

Schneider Gallery 
230 W. Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60654
www.schneidergallerychicago.com

I am excited to have been selected by David Bram of Fraction Magazine as a juror's pick award winner for the 2012 Daylight Photo Awards.  David selected my newest project Every breath we drew for this award and also featured it in Issue 41 of Fraction Magazine.  Thank you David! 

I'm excited that Dallas from Every breath we drew is featured on Flak Photo today.  Check it out here.

Intra Country: Patriotic Expressions opened yesterday at Gallery Kayafas in Boston, MA.  I'm honored to have this photo of my dad included in the exhibit, which will be up until August 11.