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CENTER CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF ADVANCING THE PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS
visura blog
Jun 27, 2024
CENTER, the nationally acclaimed non-profit photography organization in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is excited to celebrate 30 years of advancing the photographic arts and supporting a diverse community of artists.
For three decades, CENTER has supported projects that connect us through the global language of visual storytelling. Photographic imagery highlights our shared humanity by communicating across cultures and generations, shaping our collective memory, and inspiring us to learn more about the world in which we live. CENTER is best known for supporting the photography community with outstanding awards, project grants, fiscal sponsorships, and educational programs. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without CENTER,” says Tony Chirinos, Guggenheim Fellow and CENTER Teaching Award Winner. Other notable alumni include Julie Blackmon, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Phil Tolenda, Alec Soth, Aline Smithson, and Hiroshi Watanabe. CENTER has received grants and program funding from prominent arts funding organizations, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, New Mexico Arts, the Santa Fe Arts & Culture Department, the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, and more.
CENTER has always been committed to uplifting diverse voices, supporting environmentally conscious projects, and honoring outstanding educators in its 30 years of operation. Celebrating this major anniversary milestone highlights the important platform that CENTER has provided for many artists and justice-driven communities, historians, cultural critics, students, and the wider art world. Over the past three decades, CENTER has given nearly $600,000 in grants and awards.
CENTER is a locally founded arts organization in Santa Fe and has been operating here for the past 30 years, yet the organization’s work has largely flown under the local radar. CENTER’s programs are acclaimed both nationally and internationally for photographic arts advancement. CENTER also advances the legacy of photography at home in New Mexico by supporting local photographers and projects. Sara Abbaspour, Assistant Professor of Art at UNM, is the recipient of CENTER’s 2024 Development Grant. Sophie Hect, 2024 recipient of CENTER’s Socially Engaged Award, is a New Mexico resident who makes art about the legacy of Trinity and living downwind of atomic bomb testing sites.
CENTER creates a hub of artistic education and exploration with its renowned annual event, the Review Santa Fe Photo Symposium. Review Santa Fe is a conference for photographers and lens-based artists seeking audience expansion, critical discussion, and community connection. With Review Santa Fe, CENTER brings together huge art world names, including editors from National Geographic, The New York Times, Wired, and other major publications, curators from major institutions, and acclaimed photographers. By making Santa Fe a gathering place for world-class art professionals, our programs serve the local community and strengthen Santa Fe’s identity as an artistic destination.
One of the oldest juried portfolio review events in the U.S., Review Santa Fe, enters its 23rd year in 2024. This year’s Review Santa Fe Photo Symposium will take place November 1-3 at the Santa Fe Railyard and provides a wonderful way for local community members and artists to engage with CENTER’s outstanding programs. Characterized by a community of gifted and committed photographers, CENTER has proven for the last 30 years that it can help photographers and lens-based artists grow to their full potential. CENTER is a central part of Santa Fe’s art world and, through its programs, will continue to build the legacy of lens-based arts in New Mexico for years to come. ABOUT CENTER • CENTER is a 501(c)(3) founded in 1994 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that supports socially and environmentally engaged lens-based projects through education, public platforms, funding, and partnerships. Celebrating 30 years in 2024, CENTER will host its flagship event, the Review Santa Fe Photo Symposium, November 1-3, 2024.
Learn more - centersantafe.org/mission.
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