Legacy photography institution SF Camerawork is reopening in September after previously announcing it would be closing its doors August 31, following a last-minute effort by supporters to keep it operating.

SF Camerawork’s planned closure is now off, which was first announced August 10, after a group of supporters moved quickly to take over the struggling institution and keep it operating beyond the end of August, as SFGate reports. 

According to KQED, the reversal came together in just three weeks, led by photographer Hal Fischer, one of the nonprofit’s three original founders, and Monique Deschaines, director of Euqinom Gallery and a former SF Camerawork board member. 

The group reportedly approached the former board with a proposal to review the organization’s finances, install new leadership, and help fund its operations into early 2027.

SF Camerawork had previously announced its closure earlier this month, citing rising operating costs, declining public funding, and changes in the philanthropic landscape. The announcement caught much of the local arts community by surprise, with Fischer telling KQED that people were immediately reaching out from around the Bay Area and Los Angeles asking how they could help.

The timing left little room to maneuver, since SF Camerawork’s lease was set to expire at the end of the month. Fischer said the transition to the new leadership has gone relatively smoothly, with the former board agreeing to the proposed changes.

“I think they were pretty fatigued,” Fischer told KQED. “I think it’s been a really tough road.”

Fischer will now serve as board president, while Deschaines becomes interim executive director. The new board also includes artists and arts professionals Alexis Gordon, Sarah Miller, Adrian Martinez, Alex Ramos, Dave Elfving, and Erika Gentry, several of whom have longstanding connections to Camerawork.

Founded in 1974, SF Camerawork has spent more than five decades supporting photographers through exhibitions, publications, critiques, and other programming, per SFGate. The Fort Mason institution has reportedly exhibited and hosted artists including Sally Mann and Robert Mapplethorpe and has played an important role in the careers of emerging photographers and curators.

During a period of uncertainty for San Francisco’s arts institutions, which have faced a series of closures and funding challenges in recent years, Fischer said there remains a strong need for the kind of support SF Camerawork provides.

“What Camerawork does for emerging photographers, emerging curators, there’s more need for that than ever,” Fischer told KQED.

The organization will reopen its doors September 9, with a members’ exhibition scheduled for September 16 through October 4 and an opening reception set for September 17.

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