As an active member of the Society for Photographic Education, he has been a presenter at their regional and national conferences. In addition, he is a frequent lecturer, juror and conductor of photographic tours throughout America and Europe. Peter has served on review panels locally as well as for the state of Florida, evaluating grant applications from individual artists and arts organizations.

Artist's Statement

"As a young person growing up in Switzerland, I rebelled against the lack of changes in my home country; I found the age-old traditions stifling and limiting. In America, everything seemed possible! There were fewer restrictions on ones dreams. I was taken by the differences between my home and this new place; the American people’s pioneering spirit, willingness to adapt and to embrace the new. While I am still fascinated by the constantly changing character of America’s culture, I have also come to learn its price tag: uprooted communities, environmental destruction, out of control development and sprawl, and a lack of respect for the past—all resulting in a feeling of disconnect in many of its communities. As an American photographer with Swiss roots, I am interested in places, people, and communities that convey a sense of cultural identity, history, and heritage. I never tire of exploring rural Florida, the historic African American neighborhoods, the continually forming immigrant communities, the wide-open spaces of the West, and small towns all across America. I hope that my work will establish more than a photographic record, but will motivate others to become more aware of, to respect, and to explore their own community’s history and heritage."

Peter Schreyer
Winter Park, Florida, February 2006


 

Safari Room, Langford Resort Hotel
Winter Park, Florida, 2000

Mr. Jim Wright, owner and restorer of historic commercial buildings on Wright's Corner, Deland, Florida, 2001

Pounds Tractor Dealership, Winter Garden, Florida, 2003

Passenger Train Station, Lake City, Florida, 2000

Upcoming Exhibitions

"Where Two Roads Meet"
Two-artist exhibition with Rick Lang.
The Museum of Florida Art & Culture at the South Florida Community College, Avon Park, FL
October 1 to November 21, 2008

Selected Exhibitions

"Symbiotic Relationships," An exploration of the personal stories of seven foreign-born artists who make Central Florida their home.
Terrace Gallery, City Hall, Orlando, FL
September 18, 2006 to January 7, 2007

"Where Two Roads Meet"
Two-artist exhibition with Rick Lang.
The Art Center, St. Petersburg, Florida, 2005

"A Shared Legacy: Documentary Photography of Florida from the 1930s and Today"
A state-wide traveling exhibition
2004 to 2006

"Beneath the Surface:
Sixth Annual Photo Competition"
Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle, 2001

"The 2000 National Photography Competition"
Soho Photo Gallery,
New York, N.Y., 2001

"Florida's Lingering Past: A Change of Character" 
Solo Show, Harris House, Atlantic Center of the Arts,
New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 1993

Photo-Forum Gallery, Solo Show,
Biel-Bienne, Switzerland, 1985

Catskill Center for Photography,
Solo Show,  Woodstock, N.Y., 1985

Books

We the People... of Orange County
Public art project of environmental portraits
and oral histories, co-author with Rick Lang, 1999

Small Town Orange County
A public art project, co-author
with Rick Lang, 1998

A Sense of Place: Winter Park, Florida
A collection of 65 photographs
with text by Bernadine Clark, 1992

Grants and Awards Highlights

United Arts Professional Development Grant,
2003 and 2005

Visual Arts Fellowship Grant Award,
State of Florida, 1993/94

Rhea Marsh and Dorothy Lockhart Smith
Winter Park History Research Grant,
Winter Park Public Library, 1995

Public Collections

"Art in Public Places" program, permanent display of environmental portraits of local residents, Volusia County Courthouse, Deland, Florida

"Winter Park's West Side: A Living History of
Places and People," Winter Park Public Library,
The Peter Schreyer Collection.
 

Trailer City Documentary Project, Winter Garden, Florida

    Dusk on Lake Apopka, Trailer City, Winter Garden, 
    Florida, 2006

    Retired park manager Bob De Weese making his
    rounds, Trailer City, Winter Garden, Florida, 2005

    This project funded in part by a Professional
    Development Grant with support from United Arts
    of Central Florida.

"Small Stories from A Big Country"
A Retrospective Exhibition
of 85 American Photographs
Swiss Camera Museum, Vevey, Switzerland

     Between November 13, 2004 and  March 6, 2005,
     over 5,000 visitors viewed Small Stories from a Big
     Country. The exhibition was reviewed in newspapers
     and art publications in four European countries.