Dock Space Gallery and Lone Star Gallery Host FOTOSEPTIEMBRE Exhibitions By Latino Artists
Latinos In America
Ricardo Romo Ph.D

Two exhibits are featured as part of FOTOSEPTIEMBRE at Dock Space Gallery and Lone Star Gallery in San Antonio’s Lone Star District. Ricardo Romo’s Fifty Years Of Photography is on display at Dock Space Gallery, and Close to Home, an exhibit of the work of thirteen San Antonio photographers, curated by Ricardo Romo is featured at Lone Star Gallery. The photographers include Lead Artist Monica Sandana, Al Rendon, Joel Salcido, Enrique Navarette, Kathy Vargas, Guillermina Zaballa, Ramon Hernandez, Oscar Castillo, Chris Hernandez, Victoria Martinez, David Ortega, Gloria Cruz, and Ruben Chavez. 

FOTOSEPTIEMBRE, now in its 32nd year, has a long and colorful history. San Antonian Michael Mehl, a photography historian, festival entrepreneur, and founder of San Antonio’s FOTOSEPTIEMBRE, was living in Coyoacán, Mexico in the 1980s when he met Patricia Mendoza, a recent graduate of Universidad Iberoamericana who had a degree in Art History. Mehl had established a studio/atelier in Coyoacán, showing his work and that of other artists. Patricia served as director of Los Talleres, a private cultural center owned by the dancer Isabel Beteta, which was located just a few blocks from his studio. Mehl and Patricia soon became fast friends and project partners. 

Michael Mehl and Patricia Mendoza discussed creating an open, accessible photography festival—something Mehl envisioned like a féria popular (a popular fair)—independent of wealthy patrons or government directives. FotoSeptiembre came to life in 1994, when Patricia Mendoza was named Director/Founder of the Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City. At the time, the United States had only one major annual photography show. Based on Mehl’s national/international presence as an artist/organizer/producer, Mendoza asked him to consider establishing the international component of FOTOSEPTIEMBRE. 

Mehl adapted and independently established FOTOSEPTIEMBRE in San Antonio in 1995 as a platform for photographers from across the community. Mehl and his wife Ann Kinser note that they founded FOTOSEPTIEMBRE as a “unique and eclectic forum for the exhibition and celebration of photography and photographically based art.” Mehl observed on his website that “It’s been a long and daunting thirty-some years of producing a festival every September and maintaining an archive of a very broad range of photographic expressions; all the while keeping FOTOSEPTIEMBRE private, independent, ongoing, and free.” Mehl’s FOTOSEPTIEMBRE eventually became the only version to adhere to the original purpose of a community-based, gatekeeper-free festival. Mehl and his wife Ann Kinser own all FOTOSEPTIEMBRE Trademarks and domain names. 

In its third decade, FOTOSEPTIEMBRE has become one of San Antonio’s major art festivals. It attracts regional, national, and international photographers who are currently showing their work in 30-plus exhibits at venues large and small. The openings start in late August and continue throughout September.

(Read the full Latinos In America feature by Ricardo Romo below)

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