Larry Gawel grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

(earning a BFA Degree in Applied Media Arts with a concentration in Photography), and ultimately

attended Penn State, graduating with a MFA Degree in 1994. After graduation he relocated to Tempe,

Arizona where he established his art practice, started a commercial photography business, and held

adjunct teaching positions at Arizona State University and within the Maricopa County Community

College system. In 1998, he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska and began working at Metropolitan Community

College in Omaha. Since 2002 he has acted as the Photography Program Coordinator, managing a

department that includes three full-time and five adjunct faculty members for a student body of about

100 students. From 2008 to 2022 he operated WorkSpace Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska to exhibit

photographic works by contemporary photographers. In 2013, he was elected as the Chairperson

of the Midwest Chapter of the Society for Photographic Education and currently is a National Board

Member for the organization.