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Houston's picture-perfect FotoFest returns with a showcase of can't-miss, cutting-edge works

Don't miss Jakayla Monay's Houston-centric works.

One of the city’s preeminent cultural and visual arts offerings is back after a reimagining during the pandemic.

FotoFest, Houston's all-encompassing, biennial showcase of timely, socially relevant photography, officially launches its 2022 Biennial Saturday, September 24, with an impressive array of events including a swanky gala and reception, exhibit unveilings, and more.

The organization, dedicated to showcasing the best in photography and visual culture, produces and sponsors a number of exhibitions across the city. The Biennial is on view from September 24 through November 6 at Sawyer Yards and a host of other participating venues and offers compelling exhibits and other programming.

The central exhibition, "If I Had A Hammer," explores how artists around the world capture the essence of cultural movements. These works showcase how people of all ideologies come together, resisting and replacing the legacies of colonialism and imperialism.

On Saturday, September 24, visitors can head to Silver Street Studios for the FotoFest Biennial 2022 grand opening. From 8 to 11 pm, guests can meet the artists and curators behind the central exhibition, "If I Had A Hammer," along with the concurrent exhibitions "African Cosmologies: Redux" (a must-see) and "Ten by Ten," a curated showcase of cutting-edge works. (One "Ten by Ten" standout is artist Zana Briski, who works patiently on moonless nights to capture wild animals in Animalograms, making exposures of them directly onto large sheets of photographic paper.) It’s also an opportunity to be among the first to see these important works from talented artists.

Bearogram Zana Briski Zana Briski cleverly captures wild animals in Animalograms.ZanaBriski.com

Those looking for a more in-depth understanding of these works should take part in some of FotoFest’s programming offerings on Sunday, September 25. These include a curatorial walkthrough of "If I Had A Hammer," where co-curators Steven Evans, Max Fields, and Amy Sadao will discuss each of the included artists and highlight several pieces. In addition, several featured artists will be there to talk about their approach to their art and answer questions.

That evening features a performance of DASH by Ho Rui An, which opens with footage of an accident captured by a dashboard camera.

Thursday, September 29’s Fine Print Auction at the Whitehall Houston Hotel gives guests the opportunity to bid on museum-quality prints from some of the world’s finest contemporary photographers. This fundraiser is essential to the ongoing programming that FotoFest provides, giving photography lovers an incentive to take home gorgeous works and support a great cause.

Art lovers and observers of global cultural contexts and piercing socio-political will find much to celebrate and ponder in all of FotoFest Biennial 2022’s offerings, which remind that some pictures truly are worth a thousand words.

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Musical theater veteran joins prominent Houston company

Courtesy of Stages

Stages has named Valerie Rachelle as its new associate artist director.

A Houston theater company is adding an accomplished artist to its ranks. Stages announced that Valerie Rachelle will be the company’s new associate artistic director beginning in January 2026.

For more than a decade, Rachelle has been artistic director of the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland, Oregon, where she oversaw artistic vision and operations. That theater specializes in musical theater performances offered in a cabaret setting.

Rachelle comes to Houston with a career spanning nearly 30 years as a director and choreographer. She has extensive experience in developing new musicals and plays for regional theaters and opera companies across the United States, including the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Sierra Repertory Theatre. She was appointed to her position at Stages following a nationwide search.

“I’m beyond thankful for this opportunity to join this incredible company, and I’m excited to be a part of a creative entity that has a strong mission and vision as Stages,” Rachelle said in a statement.

In her role with Stages, she will support artistic director Derek Charles Livingston with season planning and casting; liaise with artists, press, and staff; and coordinate day-to-day operations for the artistic department. She will also assist with crafting educational materials, direct and choreograph productions, and serve as the primary liaison with theatrical unions.

“We are thrilled to welcome Valerie to Stages in this role,” said Livingston. “I have seen her work as a director and director choreographer — she's excellent. Those skills combined with her experience as a theatre artistic director and manager only further fortify Stages' commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement.”

Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Rachelle began her career as a dancer and apprentice ballerina with the Eugene Ballet Company before earning her BFA in acting from California Institute of the Arts. She received her MFA in Directing from the University of California, Irvine. She has held teaching and directing positions at numerous institutions, including the University of Southern California, Southern Oregon University, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and others. She has also served as a mentor through Statera Arts, an organization dedicated to gender equity in the arts.

Rachelle teaches musical theater, auditioning, and singing at Southern Oregon University when she isn’t on the road as a freelance director and choreographer. She’s also a classically trained singer and toured the world with her parents and their illusionist show as a child.

“Joining the team that has a long-standing reputation of excellence in theater is an honor,” Rachelle added.

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