September is the month that San Antonio celebrates the art of photography. Now in its 28th year, FOTOSEPTIEMBRE “has fostered a tremendous growth in the photographic arts in South Texas.” There are photography exhibits at various venues throughout San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country.

And there are several right here in our neighborhood. Exhibits that will be on display for another couple of weeks or more. If you haven’t checked them out yet, now is the time to do so.

The local exhibits are:

Instantes Del Teatro De La Vida — Personajes De La Cultura En México

This exhibit, curated by Aredo Avalos and Main León, features the work of Paulina Lavista, a legendary photographer, who has been capturing the ‘art scene’ and culture of Mexico in her photographs for decades. This exhibit includes photographs of ‘everyday life’ in Mexico.

It will be on display Mondays - Fridays (9am - 2:30pm) through Friday, September 30th at UNAM San Antonio Gallery, 600 Hemisfair Plaza Way.

A History of Devotion

Curated by Martin C. Rodriguez and Verena Gaudy, Sol Macias’ exhibition — A History of Devotion — “Sol explores space, myth, and geography through the lens of the bicultural experience having spent half her youth deep in the sierras of Coahuila, Mexico. Feeling displaced from one’s roots to family and homeland this series attempts to meld those cultural cracks.”

It will be on display by appointment through Tuesday, September 20th at Un Grito Gallery in the Blue Star Arts Complex Upstairs Studios, 1420 S Alamo.

Septua

San Antonio photographer Reg Campbell was diagnosed with leukemia when he was in his late thirties. He was ready to fight, and he was dedicated to documenting the process by photographing his treatments, his hospital stays, and the time he spent with his family. This was his way of raising awareness of the ‘Be The Match Registry’ and donating blood. Sadly, Reg succumbed to the cancer and passed away in May of 2020. This exhibition documents his fight and the last years of his life. 100% of the sale of prints from the exhibition will be given to his family.

This exhibition will be on display every Saturday from 1pm - 5pm through Saturday, December 3rd at The San Antonio Center of Photography, 724 S Alamo.

The Horizontal Priest — Recent Photos From Italy

Ed Malcik describes himself as a documentary photographer, and travels the world capturing the culture and people of urban areas. This past year, he spent time in Italy — in Sicily, Capri, the Amalfi coast, Rome, Siena, and Florence — photographing people, often tourists, in the environment.

His exhibition is on display at Mockingbird Handprints Blue Star (1420 S Alamo) Thursdays through Sundays from 11am to 5pm, through Sunday, October 2nd.

Streetwise

This exhibition, organized by Deborah Kelller-Rihn features the work of photographers Maria Jessica Alvarado, Emily Blase, Lenard Brown, Jiawen Chen, Chel Delaney, Michael Drapala, Laurel Gibson, James A. Gonzales, Beata Gomola, Yasmin Gudino, Siegmundo Hirsch, Christine Elizabeth Juarez, Deborah Keller-Rihn, Annette Xuchitl Landry, Robin Raquet, and Becki Rinner-Doege.

The exhibition is on display at Blue Star Arts Collective (Blue Star Arts Complex Upstairs Studios, Studio 209, 1420 S Alamo) by appointment through Friday, September 30th.

Face of Islam

In this exhibition, San Antonio photographer Ramin Samandari has captured images of the Muslim community in San Antonio, in response to the anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic attitudes fostered by the 2016 presidential elections. His goal was to portray this community as individuals like anyone else, “they’re our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, etc. They just happen to practice Islam as their religion.”

Ramin’s exhibition is on display at Dock Space Gallery Annex (107 Lone Star Boulevard) through Friday, September 30th. Viewing hours are from 10am - 5pm on Wednesdays, and by appointment.

There are more than twenty FOTOSEPTIEMBRE exhibits throughout San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country. Visit the FOTOSEPTIEMBRE website for information on them, and for more information on the exhibits here in the Southtown area.

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Author note: the passages of text in quotes in this article are from the FOTOSEPTIEMBRE website.