On July 18th of this year, I was finally able to visit the Filter Photo gallery space in Chicago. I have submitted work to a call there before, but this was the first time I was in Chicago and able to get out there.

This gallery space opened in 2015 and is really nice. It is a hip building with other art spaces, the only downside is that it is West Town which is a little way from downtown.

When I got there, I met Kenn Cook Jr who is a Fellow at Filter and who was holding down the reception desk. Kenn was a great host showing me around the space and explaining their mission. We also talked some about our own work and cool making a Chicago photographer friend. I love the fact that Kenn is focused on documenting his community, that is so important.

“Shaping the Land” by José Ibarra Rizo.

Was the solo exhibition up when I visited. José Ibarra Rizo (American, born Mexico) is a lens-based artist living and working in Atlanta, GA. His work examines cultural memory, identity, and the migrant experience in the American South. José’s work is part of the permanent collections of the High Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Rizo’s prints are wonderful and what he is documenting is so important, especially at this time. I also like the framed work without matting, it fits the space and the portfolio. What I didn’t get was the design of the exhibition, it seemed sparse on the walls. I don’t know if that was by design or if Rizo only supplied a small number of prints. Obviously you don’t want to overcrowd a space, and it is good to let images stand out, I wanted to see more of Rizo’s photographs and almost felt cheated.

FILTER PHOTO - Information from their website:

Filter Photo supports, elevates, and connects photo-based artists through social and educational programming. Through year-round initiatives, Filter provides a platform for artists, curators, publishers, and other arts professionals to collaborate and connect with opportunities that support their artistic and professional growth.

Our mission is to foster meaningful dialogue around contemporary photography and to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive community dedicated to advancing the medium while positioning Chicago as a leading hub for contemporary photo-based practice and critical discourse.

HISTORY

Filter Photo was founded by artists to meet the needs of emerging and mid-career photo-based artists working in the Midwest, with a particular focus on Chicago as a hub of artistic practice. Filter Photo aims to be a thought-leader in the field of photography—demonstrating the ever-evolving importance of the medium in contemporary art practice and discourse. Our organization aspires to support sustainable career pathways into the art world, while presenting exhibitions and educational programming that represents a strong creative vision. We work towards these goals through two primary programmatic outputs: our gallery and project space, Filter Space; and our annual Filter Photo Festival.

Since 2009, Filter Photo has been the driving force behind the annual Filter Photo Festival. The Festival hosts portfolio reviews, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and other career-building initiatives to support photo-based artists nationwide. The portfolio review program has been instrumental in connecting artists with curators, galleries, editors, and arts professionals who can provide artistic feedback, professional guidance, and career opportunities.

In 2015, Filter Photo opened Filter Space, a gallery and project space located in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Through this space, Filter hosts a year-round program of exhibitions, critique groups, workshops, and an emerging arts administration fellowship, all aimed at fostering support for photo-based artists in Chicago and beyond.

Filter Photo Festival September 17 -20, 2025:

Filter Photo Festival is a celebration of photography that takes place every September in Chicago. The 2025 Festival will be held at the Columbia College Chicago Student Center, centrally located downtown in proximity to museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions. Renowned photographer Dawoud Bey is speaking on the opening night and many top photographers, curators, and educators will be taking part in the weekend lectures and portfolio reviews. I have not attended this festival yet, but I have heard it is an outstanding experience.

Programming includes portfolio reviews, workshops, lectures, and artist talks. Additionally, exhibitions will be hosted at Filter Space gallery

LOCATION

Filter Space is located in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, at 1821 West Hubbard Street, Suite 207.

Last month I had the incredible opportunity to participate in a Maine Media workshop, held via Zoom, with Dr. Rebecca Senf who is the Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, in Tucson. The workshop, Building the Curator - Fine Art Photographer Relationship comprised of two three-hour sessions with 8 participating photographers. The first session started with Dr. Senf talking about herself and her role as a curator. In the second half of the session the participating photographers shared their work with the group. Dr. Senf critiqued presentations and then during the week between the two sessions Dr. Senf reviewed written artist statement we provided her and reviewed everyone's websites in detail. The second session began with critiques of our sites and submissions and finished with an open discussion period.

This was the best education experiences of my photography career since I graduated from college. To have so much quality time with one of the top curators in the world, giving valuable insight to the curator’s perspective, then reviewing my work’s web presence was priceless. There was also a great benefit in listening to the critiques of the other seven photographer. When I say she reviewed our websites it was obvious she spent at least twenty minutes on every one of our sites and more time than that reviewing our written work. I have met Dr. Senf, Becky, a number of times and I had high expectations for this workshop, she exceeded those expectations tenfold. I normally wouldn’t write a post about this since it has already occurred, but Becky said she really enjoyed the experience and is hopeful to do more of these workshops in the future. For any serious photographer who is mid-career or established I highly recommend participating in this workshop if you see it available in the future. I signed up as soon as I saw Becky make a post about it and it sold out quickly, I am so happy I didn’t hesitate.

Becky said throughout this workshop, networking and developing relationships is the key to obtaining success for most anything. Through the workshop experience I got to know seven other interesting photographers, I have listed their website links below and I encourage you to visit their sites to see their work. We are a stylistically diverse group which helped to make the workshop that much more interesting.