Notes from the field.

The Lumiere brothers' Autochrome process is 100 years old. The famous color process was patented on December 17, 1903, but the Academy of Sciences in Paris had to wait until May 30, 1904, to be presented with the first results.

The Society for Photographic Education will hold its 41st National Conference in Newport (RI), at the Hyatt Regency on Goat Island, March 25-28. This year's theme is "Photography and Place: Home-Neighborhood-Nation-World." The key-speakers will be Mark Sealy (the director of Autograph, the Association of Black Photographers in London), Frank Golhke, and Jerome Liebling (introduced by his former student Ken Burns).

Sophie Calle's Retrospective at the Pompidou Center (Beaubourg) was the main photographic event in Paris this winter. The show, on the last floor of the musuem closes on March 15. A catalogue, M'astu vue? (Did You See Me?) has been published in its French version by the Pompidou Center; Prestel is releasing its English counterpart. The bilingual French magazine art press released a very interesting review "The Woman Who Wasn't There" by Robert Storr in its November 2003 issue (#295), pp. 23-28.

The Houston Center for Photography receives $25,000 from Fondren Foundation for campaign to expand its facilities and educational programs. The HPC Learning center will occupy an additional 1500 square feet of space which will allow them to offer new photography courses. [phone].

Columbia College of Chicago presents lecture series: Hokin Auditorium, 623 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago. Artist Lucinda Devlin will host the April 15-16 series and Shimon Attie is the artist for May 6-7.

Katherine Ware, the Curator of Photography at the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be the juror for the 2004 Photo Review Photography Competition. Accepted entries will be published in the Summer 2004 issue of The Photo Review. All entries must be received by mail between May 1 and May 15, 2004. Call [phone] or see www.photoreview.org.

The McKnight Foundation of Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota's Department of Art announce the 2004/2005 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Photographers. Fellowships are available to mid-career artists residing in Mnnesota. Forms may be downloaded from www.mcknightphoto.org.

MadCat Women's Film Festival seeks provocative and visionary films and videos from around the globe that are original in their use of the medium. The Festival is committed to showcasing women directors who challenge the use of sound and image and explore notions of visual storytelling. Early Bird Deadline: March 29, 2004, final Deadline May 21, 2004. www.madcatfilmfestival.org.

The Camera Club of New York annunces its 2004 National Photography Competition, open to all US residents 18 years or older except members of the Camera Club of New York or their families, and employees. Deadline for reciept of slides is June 16, 2004. www.cameraclubofnewyork.org.

L'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts de Paris is seeking submissions for their two-years' Research Program, La Seine. Applicants of any nationality may apply but must have graduated at least one year prior to application. The six selected young artists will receive an annual stipend for research and creation. The program focuses on how to make work, show and distribute it. Contact: Laurence Maynier, [33] 147035074; [e-mail].