Arts community members rallied to prevent the closure of the 52-year-old photo nonprofit.
Aug 31, 2026
Updated 5:04 pm PT
An installation view of Charles Lee’s show ‘sweat + dirt’ at SF Camerawork in 2023. (Courtesy the artist)
Nearly three weeks after SF Camerawork announced its sudden, permanent closure, the 52-year-old photography nonprofit now says it will remain open, thanks to a new interim executive director and a fully replaced board.
“After a period of uncertainty, we are thrilled to announce that SF Camerawork will continue,” the organization announced on social media and its website on Aug. 29.
“Nobody knew really what was going on,” Fischer told KQED that day. “And I am getting emails, calls from all over, from LA. ‘We wanna help, we wanna stop this.’”
Over the past three weeks, Fischer, Deschaines and a working group of supporters made a proposal to the former board: let us look at the books and put forward a new board, and we can help fund the organization through early 2027.
The transition to new leadership has gone fairly smoothly, Fischer said. “I think they were pretty fatigued,” he said. “I think it’s been a really tough road.”
The reversal is happy news for an arts community that has suffered its fair share of institutional closures in recent years. For his part, Fischer is optimistic about the future: “What Camerawork does for emerging photographers, emerging curators, there’s more need for that than ever.”
SF Camerawork will reopen with a members’ exhibition Sept. 16–Oct. 4, 2026. An opening reception will take place Thursday, Sept. 17, 5–8 p.m.