U.S. Biennial III. A Juried Photography Exhibition. April 16-June 26, 1988.

Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, 1988. Foreword by Edwin J. Deighton. Introduction by Thomas W. Southall, Curator of Photographs, Amon Carter Museum and Juror for the exhibition.  Photographers illustrated with full page photos: Richard Colburn; Dean Dablow; Eva Enderlein; Suzanne Mitchell; Thomas Neff; Michael Northrup; Tom Patton; George Rehrey; Greg Erf; Steven Goff; Kimberly Liedel; Tanya Lynne Marcuse; Marcia Rubenstein; Bruce West; and Sean Wilkinson. Other photographers not illustrated but included in checklist, including some well known such as Vincent Borrelli, Cal Kowal, and Wendel White. Oblong wraps, 24 pages. Very uncommon, no other copies found offered for sale on Internet. Fine.  Summary:

U.S. Biennial III: A Juried Photography Exhibition (April 16–June 26, 1988) is a 24-page oblong softcover catalog published by the Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma. The publication documents a prestigious national competition curated to highlight cutting-edge trends and diverse visual talent across contemporary American photography during the late 1980s.

The Institutional Framework

• Foreword: Written by Edwin J. Deighton, providing context on the University of Oklahoma’s commitment to maintaining a pulse on national photographic trends.

• Introduction and Jury Process: Authored by the exhibition's sole juror, Thomas W. Southall (then the distinguished Curator of Photographs at the Amon Carter Museum). Southall’s text outlines the rigorous selection process, providing a critical overview of how contemporary photographers were pushing boundaries, varying their technical formats, and moving away from traditional purist landscapes toward more intimate, conceptual, and documentary narratives.

Catalog Presentation and Illustrated Portfolios

The slim, 24-page format prioritizes high-fidelity, full-page plate reproductions, highlighting fifteen featured photographers with a dedicated visual showcase:

• The Full-Page Plates: The artists chosen for full-page illustration include Richard Colburn, Dean Dablow, Eva Enderlein, Greg Erf, Steven Goff, Kimberly Liedel, Tanya Lynne Marcuse, Suzanne Mitchell, Thomas Neff, Michael Northrup, Tom Patton, George Rehrey, Marcia Rubenstein, Bruce West, and Sean Wilkinson. These selections display a stark cross-section of late-century styles, from intimate portraits and street-level social observations to crisp formal abstractions and architectural topographies.

• The Exhibition Checklist: The back of the booklet includes a comprehensive checklist of all accepted entries. This record features submissions from several other highly notable artists who were included in the physical gallery show but not individually illustrated, such as Vincent Borrelli, Cal Kowal, and Wendel White.

Significance

U.S. Biennial III serves as an important historical time capsule for American late-modernist photography. By compiling a national juried snapshot overseen by a curator from the Amon Carter Museum, the catalog acts as an essential ledger—capturing the exact aesthetic ideas, emerging regional voices, and darkroom methodologies driving the American photographic community just prior to the close of the decade.