My Man (2025-)

Blue Spring (2025-)

Contact me :)

ryspann@gmail.com

Instagram
@kingraat

Bio
I was likely conceived sometime between August 12th and August 25th.
9 months later, I was briefly the youngest person in the world.

I currently live in Portland, ME, and am the father of two cats, Whisk and Spatula. Despite their names, I think it is unsanitary for them to be used as utensils.

... and yes, that is a real hat that I own, and it's very real.

Artist Statement
Working through communities and loved ones, I use the body to dissect ideas of masculinity and vulnerability, exploring how image-making can reveal moments of softness within structures that demand control. My work sifts through the lingering effects of an unchecked patriarchy, revealing how these systems shape identity, intimacy, and behavior. I am interested in what is left behind, how men internalize power, suppression, and distance, and how those forces continue to circulate through everyday life.

Through photography, I look for small gestures that suggest a challenge to those patterns, a pause, a hand resting on another's shoulder, a shared glance that feels uncertain yet tender. I am not seeking to dissolve masculinity, but to reimagine it, to find its softer edges and allow room for care, reflection, and openness.

CV(might not be up to date sry)
Solo/Duo Shows
Ryer Spann and Quimby Danger
49 Oak Gallery
Portland, ME
March 2026

Group Shows
Scene
Zand Head Gallery
Portland, ME
Nov-Dec 2025

BFA Show
MECA&D
Portland, ME
Oct-Nov 2025

Summer of Hope
Lenscratch
Online
Aug-Oct 2025

Nature
CICA Museum,
Gimpo, South Korea
Feb-March 2025

On the Line
Cumberland 380
Portland, ME
Dec 2024

Small Works
Main Street Arts
Clifton Springs, NY
Nov-Dec 2024

BFA Show
MECA&D
Portland, ME
Oct-Nov 2024

INT’L All Media
Northwest Arts Center
Minot, ND
Oct-Nov 2024

Co-Lab
49 Oak Gallery
Portland, ME
Oct 2024

Semblance
82 Parris Gallery
Portland, ME
July 2024

Published/Featured in Titles
“&” Magazine
Spring Edition

Awards, Scholarships, and Grants
BFA Show Jury Select
MECA&D, Portland, ME
2025

Irving B. and Judy Ellis Glickman
Award for Photography
Portland, ME
2025

B&H School Photo Contest
3rd Place
2025

BFA Show Jury Select
MECA&D, Portland, ME
2024

Above and Beyond Grant
MECA&D, Portland, ME
2024

Honorable Mention
Animalistic
Galerie Biesenbach
Cologne, Germany
2024

Merit Scholarship
MECA&D, Portland, ME
2022

Education
BFA Photography
MECA&D, Portland, ME
2026

Professional Experience
Publishing Intern
Prayer Books
Portland, ME

Teacher’s Assistant for Justin Kirchoff
Narrative Cinematography
MECA&D, Portland, ME

Studio Assistant to Dylan Hausthor
Portland, ME

Scanning Technician
Designtex
Portland, ME

Skills
Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve, InDesign
Analog Photo (Large Format, Medium Format, 35mm)
Digital Photo (Fuji, Sony)
Cinematography (Sony FX Series)
Lighting (Strobe, Continuous, Reflector)
Silk Screen Printing

Download CV here

RYER SPANN

NEWS