FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 (San Antonio, Texas)

FRANCISCO H. CORTES (San Antonio, TX)
City On The Rise
Curated by Clint Taylor, Jump Start Program Director
Jump Start Performance Co.
710 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78201
210-227-5867 | www.jump-startperformanceco.org
Opening reception: Friday, September 17, 2021, 6 – 10 pm
Closing reception: Saturday, September 25, 2021, 6 – 10 pm
Exhibit on display: September 17 – 25, 2021
Viewing hours: Monday, September 20 – Friday, September 24, 1 – 4 pm
Contact: Clint Taylor (210) 331-0874 | clint.taylor@jump-startperformanceco.org
Francisco H. Cortés (210) 488-8437 | efephoto@gmail.com | https://efephotography.com
Free and open to the public

Francisco Cortés was born on the border between the rural states of Oaxaca and Veracruz in Southern Mexico. After migrating to Texas at an early age, Francisco called the Southside of San Antonio his home, leaving to pursue Chicano Studies and photojournalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He is known for his photojournalistic storytelling, ranging from pensive moments, to civil unrest, to the experiences of immigrants in their alternating contexts. With film photography and darkroom printing techniques as his foundation, Cortés addresses his images with a minimalist approach, accentuating but not manipulating truths. He instructs young photographers of color through educational programs, such as: Detrás del Lente and The Light Catchers Society.

City On The Rise is an ethnographic look at the residents of the Cassiano Homes of San Antonio’s West Side and their connection and access to art. Recently, the majority of attention on public housing in the city has focused on the planned demolition of the Alazán-Apache Courts, an acknowledged center of cultura constructed beginning in 1939. Cassiano Homes, built in 1953, now faces the same fate. While Cassiano is widely known for its many historic and vibrant murals, most residents have limited access to arts education and the benefits it provides. As a community that is often associated with a negative narrative and whose homes will be lost, their stories must be preserved. Who makes the community of Cassiano Homes?