Meet for Coffee at the Bruce: Conversations with Robert Kalman
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 9:00-10:30 am, Aux Délices at the Bruce Café
Join us for a morning of culture and conversation with Robert Kalman, a celebrated photojournalist, educator, and lifelong storyteller. Born in Manhattan and raised in Queens, Robert’s journey spans decades of rich experience, from working as a news assistant at The New York Times to leading schools in New York and New England. Along the way, he built an impressive portfolio of photographic work, capturing compelling narratives of diverse communities across the globe.
For the past four years, Robert Kalman has been traveling the country asking everyday Americans he met on the street this question: What’s it like for you to be an American? Each person hand wrote their answer, and had a formal portrait made with an 8x10 view camera. At the end of his travels, he photographed 492 people and had 492 hand written answers to the American question.
Robert's photographic projects delve into themes of identity, history, and human connection, with acclaimed series exploring mixed-race couples, indigenous communities, and the complexities of American life. His work has been exhibited nationwide, and his upcoming book, What’s it like for you to be an American?, is set to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
In addition to his photographic achievements, Robert brings a wealth of knowledge in education and communication, including training in neurolinguistic programming (NLP). His multifaceted career includes teaching photojournalism at Marist College, leading workshops at SUNY New Paltz, and delivering communication trainings at The NLP Center of New York.
The photo-making part of the American’s project is now complete; at the May 3rd Meet for Coffee gathering Robert will fully explain the creative method that went into making the work, and he will talk about the ongoing process involved in making the project come alive as a book. The book is now in production, and it includes a collection of 76 of the folks he photographed. The book will be completed in time for the 250th anniversary celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Robert in the welcoming ambiance of the Bruce Museum Café. Enjoy a cup of coffee, engage in meaningful dialogue, and explore the stories behind his work.
This event is free and open to the public. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.
Robert’s presentation at Meet for Coffee will include:
- a live, hands-on demonstration of working with the 8x10 camera; talking us through the “how” and “why” of his creative process with a spontaneously selected member of the audience. That audience member will receive a finished print.
- viewing twelve finished prints and hearing the stories behind each one. (Robert will be gifting one of those prints to a member of the audience.)
- showing artifacts assembled during the project
- sharing several different mock-ups and dummies of the book, including a beautiful handmade version that has been chosen by the Codex Foundation to be part of its national, travelling exhibition starting next January.
Robert indicates that this will be a very comprehensive, experiential presentation, and you will have an opportunity to handle all of the prints, mock ups and materials.
Robert Kalman Bio:
Robert Kalman is a baby boomer who was born in Manhattan and grew up in Queens. Consequently, he considers himself a life-long New Yorker, even though he spent the better part of seventeen years living in New England, first as a co-op undergraduate majoring in English literature at Northeastern University in Boston, and then as a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire. While at Northeastern, he was assigned to the New York Times, eventually working as the news assistant to Richard Reeves, the chief political correspondent, and Abe Rosenthal, the managing editor. In New Hampshire he served as a teacher and a school principal in the small town of Chester through the 1970’s while also pursuing a part-time career as a freelance photojournalist for local newspapers.
Additionally, Robert is trained in a field of communication known as neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and has had extensive experience training teachers, parents, and college students, teaching courses in photojournalism at Marist College, graduate courses in education at SUNY New Paltz, and leading communication trainings at The NLP Center of New York.
Robert returned to New York’s Hudson Valley in the early 1980’s to lead schools in Rhinebeck and Purchase. All the while, Robert continued to build an extensive portfolio of photographic work both as a magazine freelancer and through self-assigned projects. This led to published books on mixed race couples, Nicaraguan villagers, members of the lesbian community, NY City dog owners, indigenous people in Panama, and Confederate monuments. His latest project, entitled What’s it like for you to be an American? will be published to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
Selections of his portfolio have been exhibited across the country, and he is a former member of New York’s SoHo Photo Gallery. In 2022, his Americans portfolio was recognized as a Top 50 choice in Photolucida’s prestigious Critical Mass. He will be profiled in a cover story in the April 2025 edition of Black & White Magazine.
Robert lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, Linda.
