Date: Friday, December 6, 2024, 4-7pm
Location: Harvey Milk Photo Center
Cover image, Alice Bommer
This exhibit showcases film photographs created by students in Framing the Urban, an Honors College course at the University of San Francisco (USF). For many of these students, this marked their first experience with a film camera, processing film negatives, and printing photographs in a darkroom—skills they impressively mastered within just one semester.
The steep learning curve was met with remarkable dedication, as students applied their newfound expertise to thoughtful projects exploring the city of San Francisco. Drawing inspiration from Henri Lefebvre’s concept of urban space as a socially produced phenomenon—arising from the interplay of perceived, conceived, and lived spaces—students have created an evocative collection of photographs. Their work captures diverse facets of urban life in San Francisco, including architecture, interactions in public transportation, abstractions, the interplay of nature within the city, the serendipity of street photography, “non-places” like airports, and the city as a site of leisure, love, and connection.
This sixth edition of the collaboration between USF and the Harvey Milk Photo Center owes much to the dedication of key individuals. My deepest gratitude goes to Chris Gould for his outstanding workshop on darkroom printing and film processing, and to John Longyear for his unwavering encouragement and compassionate challenge for students to reach their full potential. Special thanks to Aaron Anderson for expertly guiding students through the intricacies of the center and to Melissa Keesor for her continued commitment to this partnership. Finally, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Honors College and the Dean’s Office at USF, especially Dean Jeff Paris, for their generous support and funding of this event.
Prof. Pedro Lange-Churión
University of San Francisco
Photographers:
Alice Bommer, Ashlee Cai, Aarav Gupta, Eli Hampton,
Shamim Hamzavi, Naomi Hardy-Njie, Anya Jordan,
Rachel Montoya, Shin Thant Sandee Myo. Quin Stevens,
Sydney Wright
