Held once a year in a remote corner of Umbria, twelve highly-experienced photography experts come together from around the world for a full week to think about where photography is headed. Each annual Circle is a different mix of curators, publishers, collectors, gallerists, dealers, museum directors, educators, critics, historians, sponsors, auctioneers, directors of festivals, fairs and prize-giving institutions, artists who use photography – and of course, photographers!

No formal papers are presented, no reports are circulated publicly afterwards. Emphasis is on spontaneous, free-wheeling conversation – heretical thoughts and contradictions are encouraged!

How are museums evolving? Are they becoming irrelevant? How are commercial galleries faring? What new challenges are being faced by publishing houses? Have there been shifts in academia regarding the teaching of photography? How are relations with the field of contemporary art evolving? What are the diverse impacts of the internet? Is serious criticism a thing of the past? Is photography as we have known it still relevant in today’s world?

Mornings at Todi are given for round-table meetings of the full group. Afternoon excursions to the nearby towns of Perugia, Asissi or Orvieto allow for smaller groups of two’s and three’s to converse and reflect on the morning’s discussions. Evenings are spent in the company of the Friends of the Todi Circle (the “Amici”), a group of collectors who open their magnificent homes to the Circle for intimate dinners.

The fundamental idea behind the Todi Circle is simple and straightforward: almost never in the rapidly mutating world of photography are we given sufficient opportunity for unhurried reflection on where our medium is heading. And no other forum exists with such a diverse mix of professionals in the field