As FotoFocus celebrates its first decade, we get the behind-the-scenes scoop of how it started—and what the future holds—from eight people who have lived it.

I. Origin Story

TOM SCHIFF, Founder, FotoFocus and CEO, Lightborne: The idea started maybe 12 years ago or so with James Crump, who was the curator of photography at the Cincinnati Art Museum. I mentioned to him that I thought there were never enough photography exhibits in Cincinnati. I thought, If we could have a... Continue

The Camp Washington art center worked fast to act on their mission of "pairing a community’s needs with artists’ sense of possibility" by distributing food and art, transitioning projects—and finding ways to pay artists.

For anyone familiar with the work of Wave Pool Art Center and its director Calcagno Cullen, their stunning agility and creative vision tied into social action is hardly a surprise. Throw in an unprecedented global pandemic, a screeching halt of society as we know... Continue

Originally published on April 30, 2020, in The Art Newspaper, Mary Ellen Goeke, FotoFocus Executive Director, and Kevin Moore, FotoFocus Artistic Director and Curator, discuss why, as the coronavirus pandemic raised concerns about the FotoFocus Biennial's 10th anniversary plans, the organization decided to cancel the event and use the funds to support the local arts community instead.

A recent New Yorker cartoon shows a building façade with windows full of self-isolated children, and one of them saying: “Remember, when we get back outside, it’s still the top... Continue

FotoFocus announces today that in lieu of presenting the fifth FotoFocus Biennial, originally slated for October 2020, it will pledge its Biennial budget to financially support the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio art communities during the coronavirus pandemic.

FotoFocus will grant an immediate and unrestricted $800,000 to over 100 Participating Venues and Partners that were selected to present as part of the 2020 FotoFocus Biennial. These collaborators work every other year towards making the FotoFocus Biennial a success, including 8 of the regions most prestigious arts venues: Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati Art Museum, Taft Museum of Art, Wave Pool, and... Continue

On April 28th FotoFocus announced that in lieu of presenting the fifth FotoFocus Biennial, originally slated for October 2020, it pledged its Biennial budget to financially support the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio art communities during the coronavirus pandemic.

FotoFocus gave an emergency art grant in the amount of $800,000 to over 100 Participating Venues and Partners that were selected to present as part of the 2020 FotoFocus Biennial.

The next FotoFocus Biennial will take place in October 2022 with a new theme. The Program Week is scheduled for Friday, October 1 –... Continue