This center, which has no permanent collection, is the Houston’s pre-eminent photography exhibition space. It exhibits photography from the medium’s early days to the contemporary. It was founded in 1981 as a visual artists’ organization, and is the only institution of its kind in the South or Southwest devoted solely to photography and related media.
The center is open to exhibiting all types of photography, and has recently shown exhibitions on landscape photography by Texas artists, aspects of aging, current conflicts in the Middle East, and classic photographs from Magnum Photos and Baume & Mercier.
Along with its exhibition space, the center maintains a 1,500-square-foot Learning Center in Houston’s museum district. Since it opened in 2006, it has grown to host 275 educational art classes each year. The center also partners with other local institutions including the World Affairs Council, FotoFest, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the University of Houston’s Visual Studies Program.
Houston Center for Photography Information
- Public Transportation: Excellent (Metro bus 78 at the Alabama St. and Mulberry St. stop is right across the street)
- Handicapped Accessibility: Good
- Hours: Wednesday & Friday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursday 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday Noon–6:00 p.m. Closed Mondays & Tuesdays, during gallery installation, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day through New Year’s Day
- Admission: Free
- Tours: Guided tours are available for schools and large groups
- Membership: Individual membership starts at $55; Household membership (2 adults and children living in the same household) is $80. Student (with ID), senior, and military are discounted at $35. Benefits include a subscription to SPOT magazine, invitations to exhibition openings and special events, 25% discount on HCP Educational Classes and Workshops, discounts at peer institutions as part of the Connections program, discounts on subscriptions to Aperture magazine, access to the John Cleary Library, subscription to HCP’s eNewsletter, eligibility to apply for HCP’s Annual Fellowship and Juried Membership Exhibition, invitations to Member-Only gallery tours, talks, and portfolio reviews, and access to post announcements on the HCP Active Member On-line Bulletin Board
- Other Benefits: At the Artist/Photographer level ($250), members receive one waived entry fee for the next Juried Membership exhibition or Juried Fellowship competition, one page on HCP’s online artist database, and a Digital Darkroom membership to use the Open Lab for one year. At the Professional level ($500), members receive a 1/8 page ad in the next issue of SPOT magazine and a 15% discount on critique room rental and gallery rental for special events.
