SPEAKING AND OUTREACH
A thoughtful documentary photographer and speaker who helps communities, organizations and educational institutions reflect on identity, memory, craft, and human connection.
Presentations have included insights and ideas to a wide range of civic and professional organizations, businesses, libraries, schools, nonprofits, and trade associations.
Learn more about outcomes from the programs below by sending an email to e.dusenbery@gmail.com
Common Ground: Curiosity, Story, and the Art of Seeing
This multimedia presentation reflects Eric Dusenbery’s belief that art and storytelling have the power to transform not only how we communicate, but how we understand one another and the communities we inhabit. At its core, this talk considers how each of us—through attention, curiosity, and intention—has the capacity to create meaningful change.
Drawing from years of documentary photography and long-term, place-based historical projects, Eric explores how the medium functions as both an artistic practice and a civic act. His work engages questions of identity, belonging, and shared history, offering a lens through which audiences can reconsider their own relationships to place, work, and community.
The presentation bridges artistic insight with practical application, demonstrating how the principles of documentary practice—attention, patience, and empathy—can strengthen communication, support creative thinking, and foster more authentic connections in professional and civic life.
Key Themes Explored
• Curiosity as a driver of creativity, leadership, and innovation
• The role of stillness and attention in decision-making and perspective
• Listening as a foundational creative and relational practice
• Storytelling as a tool for strengthening organizational and community identity
The Long Way Home
A Documentary Exploration of People, Place, and Belonging in Contemporary America
A presentation for photography, art, humanities, civics and the general public by exploring both the craft and ethics of documentary photography and storytelling. The program is centered on documentary practice, visual storytelling, and the enduring relevance of large-format film photography in contemporary culture. For nearly four decades, I have worked with a 4×5 view camera to create carefully composed portraits of individuals in rural and historically underrepresented communities. The long-term project, The Long Way Home, examines identity, place, heritage, and labor through a collaborative documentary approach informed by the traditions of mid-20th-century American documentary photography.
The multimedia presentation explores both the technical and philosophical dimensions of documentary image-making — including working with large-format film, visual composition, portraiture, ethics, pacing, and the role of photography in preserving cultural memory. Audiences are introduced to a slower, more intentional creative process that contrasts sharply with today’s image-saturated digital environment while highlighting how historical photographic traditions continue to shape contemporary practice.
For additional information, please view the description on our Projects page.
"Thanks again for joining our dynamic team of special speakers with The Enrichment Academy program. You hit a home run last night with our residents. They really enjoyed it!"
Melanie Sarakinis, The Villages Enrichment Academy
"Eric is the vehicle that tells Florida's stories."
Robert Redd, Executive Director, New Smyrna Beach Museum of History
"Your program was very interesting, and the guests loved the photographs, as well as the stories that brought your subjects to life.Through your observations of the present and knowledge of the past this helps form our understanding of the place. In order to form a complete understanding, we have to experience the stories, memories, traditions, and cultural history of that place."
Katherine A. Turner
Citrus County Historical Museum
"Eric's presentations at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement have not only been educational but entertaining — the audience interaction was wonderful. The demonstrations and talks made perfect sense as the topic related to our organization's mission of preservation and education on local folk arts and traditional trades."
Debra West, Executive Director
Barberville Pioneer Settlement
