40 Years Later, Houston's FotoFest Keeps Its Edge

Houston’s FotoFest marked its 40th anniversary with a large retrospective, Global Visions: FotoFest at 40, which opened around the biennial’s March 7 reception and features work by more than 450 artists from 58 countries. Co-founder Wendy Watriss said FotoFest was created after she and fellow photographer Frederick Baldwin visited Rencontres d’Arles in 1983 and encountered photography not then shown in the United States, prompting them to launch FotoFest in 1986 with an emphasis on internationalism and thematic curation. The anniversary edition spans three buildings, includes commissions at Project Row Houses, and is accompanied by extensive public programs and partnerships across Houston, with a 192-page guide and a hardcover catalog published by Schilt Publishing. Executive director Steven Evans said he opposes censorship, while the festival presentation emphasizes FotoFest’s long-standing political and international outlook.

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