Somehow in the shiny blitz of new restaurants made out of stainless steel, you may have missed the arrival of the Eric Quezada Center for Politics and Culture right in the thick of the Mission. That’d be a shame — the space where the Abandoned Planet bookstore stood until 2010 now hosts some of the most vibrant alternative events in the country. Last time I made it through, it was for a poster show of screenprinted calls for immigration justice. A theater group comprised of Filipina caretakers performed, and in the back you could buy homemade butterfly cookies and sangria.
Speaking of the Quezada Center, if you’re a Latino photographer, you’re in luck — a local non-profit wants to put your snaps up the gallery walls.
The contest is sponsored by Accion Latina, a local nonprofit intent on empowering the Latino community (the group runs El Tecolote, the well-loved bilingual Mission District newspaper whose editors will judge the shots). The group is looking for photos that capture life here in the Bay for Latinos. Winners will get cash and prizes from local photography contests, and yes, have their shots displayed in an exhibit that will open at the Quezada Center in August.
All photos must be submitted by the person who took them, taken between March 1, 2012 and July 31, 2013, and not overly digitally manipulated. These are the categories they’re interested in seeing snaps from:
(1) Traditions, rituals, celebrations
(2) Politics, controversy, protests
(3) People, characters, families
(4) Everyday life, people at work, at play, family
(5) Activities representing environmentally friendly concepts.
Full contest rules available here