FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA 2021 Starting Soon

A pandemic is a slow-moving catastrophe. The updside is that in the best case, an intelligent response has a good probability of ameliorating any detrimental effects. The downside is that because it moves so slowly, there is a general perception that nothing is happening and an intelligent response is not considered of any urgency. We now know how it has mostly played out and a correct interpretation of the series of events will be years in the making.

What is reassuring is the confirmation that as in other large scale calamities, resiliency, energy and enthusiasm –the bounce-back factors– are in good supply.

And so it is, that now –in the latest hurrah of the pandemic, which has yet to resolve– thanks to the well-intended efforts of artists and galleries, we have a photography festival in place –online and at physical spaces– that presents a comprehensive picture of our San Antonio and Hill Country communities, as well as glimpses from other communities around the world.

We hope you will join us –carefully, safely– and take in all these wonderful efforts to assert the continuity of a creative lifeforce.

There are currently three formats in which photographic works are presented in Fotoseptiembre.

– First are the curated monographs in the SAFOTO Web Galleries. These are anthologies of bodies of work by photographic artists who have come to our attention throughout the years, and who have been invited to present their images in this curated format. International, national and local photographic artists have been featured in our SAFOTO Web Galleries monographs since 2011. For 2021 we are presenting The Submerged Beauty Of Formosa by Taiwanese photographer Yang Shun-Fa, and Wadako – Stories Of Japanese Kites by Japanese photographer Mami Kiyoshi, who lives and works in France.

– Second are the FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA Online Galleries, which we started in 2020 with the intent of allowing photographers to present their images in the middle of pandemic lockdowns and social distancing. In contrast to the invitation-only approach of the SAFOTO Web Galleries, the online galleries are open to anyone wishing to present a series of images as part of Fotoseptiembre. We are keeping this presentation format in place to compensate for any lack of available gallery space in our community. For 2021, the FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA Online Galleries feature the image series Education For All by Guilherme Bergamini from Brazil; Patient Portraits by Al Rendon and Event Horizon by Michael Mehl, both from San Antonio; Up Close by Fiona Lansing from somewhere in the Southwestern USA; We Live Here group exhibit by The Light Catcher’s Society from San Antonio’s East Side (also as a one-day exhibit at Brick At Blue Star); and Lotería De Comida by Tracey Maurer.

– Third are all the FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA exhibitions at galleries, art spaces, universities and other venues. These truly reflect the effort, commitment and enthusiasm of photography artists and exhibition venues in our community. It is difficult enough to present exhibits under normal circumstances. The difficulty becomes exponential when presenting an exhibit while grappling with all the unknown and unintended consequences of a pandemic that is not ready to subside. We are touched and honored by everyone’s participation. The FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA 2021 exhibitions currently include: San Antonio – Perspectives From The Sky by Gabriel Chávez Zeckua at UNAM San Antonio; Devotion – Photographs Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe group exhibit curated by Carla Ellard at the Wittliff Collections in San Marcos; Nothing To Say by Hayfer Brea at Un Grito Gallery; Transformations In Black And White group show at Blue Star Arts Collective; In Tempore group exhibit at Slab Cinema Arthouse; Cuentos De Cuba by Lilianna Story at Anarte Gallery; Perdóname, Madre Naturaleza by Martha Moreno at Bear & Ink; For More Than A Year at Mockingbird 2 by Ed Malcik; San Antonio River Authority’s 4th Annual River Clicks Photo Contest at The Witte Museum; Figments Of Truth by Mari Hernández at Trinity University; Paris – Peacocks, Truth, And Tony Parker by Ed Malcik at Mockingbird Handprints; Portraits – A Study Of Faces by Ramin Samandari at Magical Realism Studio; Desert Flowers by JC Gonzo, an online exhibit on Northwest Vista College’s website; Raising The Dead by Robert Claire at St. Mary’s University; City On The Rise by Francisco H. Cortés at Jump Start Performance Co.; Love Her Wild by Ciel Evans at Studio Comfort Texas in Comfort; Four Visions group exhibit at Ruiz-Healy Art; We Live Here group exhibit by the Light Catcher’s Society curated by Francisco H. Cortés at the Brick At Blue Star (also as a FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA 2021 Online Gallery); and Hot Shoe Photography Contest & Exhibition by Greater San Antonio high school and middle school students at Saint Mary’s Hall.

Detailed information on all these exhibitions is posted in our 2021 FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA Exhibitions & Events Calendar at: https://fotoseptiembreusa.com/fotoseptiembre/2021-fotoseptiembre/

Each venue has its own Covid-Safety protocols in place. Anyone attending a reception or an exhibit should comply with these protocols. Please visit the venue web sites or call them for information about safety requirements before attending.

Thank you.

FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA SAFOTO