When We Look Back with Chloe Sherman

Santa Fe Workshops collection of free online events, Creativity Continues, features a special presentation by photographer Chloe Sherman, whose photographs of queer life in San Francisco during the 1990s have taken on new meaning over time. Originally made on 35mm film, these intimate portraits capture a vibrant period of creativity, self-expression, and community and now serve as an important record of queer life and culture during a pivotal moment in history.

Chloe shares her experience revisiting this work decades after making it and considers what happens when photographs become part of the historical record. She discusses the role photography can play in documenting communities that have often been overlooked in mainstream archives. She explores how photographs continue to shape our understanding of the past, giving visibility to stories that might otherwise be lost and creating a sense of connection and belonging long after they were made.

Chloe received her degree in fine art photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has been exhibited and published internationally and is held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Addison Gallery of American Art, and SFMOMA. In 2023, Hatje Cantz published a monograph of her work, Renegades: San Francisco – the 1990s.

The program concludes as Chloe engages in a live Q&A with the webinar audience. For those unable to attend live, a recording is available to all registered participants.

Creativity Continues is a program that collectively develops creative voices by offering connection and encouraging expression. Because the goal is to engage all within our creative community, we encourage you to extend invitations and share Santa Fe Workshops Creativity Continues events with anyone who expresses an interest.