OUR VALUES
Community-minded: We are community-minded and respectful. Innovative: We are dedicated to exploring and illuminating new ideas and approaches in photography. Inclusive: We are committed to welcoming and serving the full cultural diversity of San Francisco. Thought-provoking: We are inquisitive and willing to challenge ourselves and others. Focused on learning: We are in constant pursuit of learning and sharing new ideas internally and with our community. OUR HISTORY
SF Camerawork is a long-standing leader in the San Francisco arts milieu. The organization was founded in 1974 by a collective of artists who welcomed experimental photography, unconventional techniques, and sociopolitical themes and who fostered a range of alternative styles and approaches. The essence of the founders’ vision remains at the core of SF Camerawork even as the organization has adapted to the changing scope of photography and surrounding cultural landscape. In January 2020, SFMOMA opened the exhibition Thought Pieces, showcasing groundbreaking work by three of SF Camerawork’s founders: Hal Fischer, Donna- Lee Phillips, and Lew Thomas (now available to experience virtually). For more than 50 years, SF Camerawork has provided a launching pad for many artists' careers, supplying invaluable financial support, exhibition space, curation, and patronage. In its early years, SF Camerawork was the first organization in the Bay Area to host exhibitions and lectures by controversial but ultimately highly influential artists such as Sally Mann, Robert Mapplethorpe, Susan Meiselas, and Joel-Peter Witkin. More recently, the organization has presented the first West Coast exhibitions for artists including John Chiara, Binh Danh, Erica Deeman, Jennifer Karady, Jason Lazurus, Chris McCaw, Wang Ning De, and Meghann Riepenhoff—artists who have emerged as leaders of a new generation gaining international prominence. SF Camerawork exhibitions have continuously received attention from both local and national media, including The New York Times, CNN, National Public Radio, Art Forum, Art in America, The Huffington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Art Practical, Frieze, and Photograph magazine. As a nonprofit organization, SF Camerawork is uniquely positioned to present important new photography and opportunities that would not otherwise be provided by commercial galleries or museums. The nonprofit framework allows for creative freedom independent of a sales revenue model. SF Camerawork’s gallery presents installation-based, genrehybrid, and materially experimental work, as well as work that addresses challenging sociopolitical issues. For all of these reasons, SF Camerawork is a place where emerging artists aspire to exhibit and where collectors are drawn to discover them. The organization also offers a rich array of programming beyond artist exhibitions. An annual calendar of critiques, workshops, lectures, panel discussions, and curator-led museum and gallery tours offer unique insight and access to San Francisco’s local photography network. SF Camerawork is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization and an integral contributor to San Francisco’s position as one of the world’s most important centers for creative photography.
