Space City Weather Guru and a Historic Houston Fire Station Give FotoFest a Boost: The Friends of Pictures

What: Literacy Through Photography Fundraiser Luncheon

Where: The Historic Houston Heights Fire Station

PC Moment: FotoFest, Houston’s long-standing venerable photography institution, held its third annual “Igniting Creativity” Luncheon benefitting its signature educational outreach, Literacy Through Photography. Now in its fourth decade, LTP has blossomed from its humble beginnings in 1987, to transform into full-year curriculum that has reached thousands of Houston public school students.

The intimate luncheon drew nearly 100 guests to the charming, historic fire station. The afternoon featured a three-course meal crafted by chef Søren Pedersen. FotoFest supporters then raptly listened to a keynote from Eric Berger, who runs the no-nonsense, essential Houston weather forecasting website, Space City Weather. Berger’s comments addressed his most challenging assignment, reporting on Hurricane Harvey.

The luncheon also boasted a lively set from Grain Free Quartet to soundtrack the silent auction.

Among the top lots was a coveted pair of VIP tickets to FotoFest’s upcoming talk headlined by acclaimed portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz. (Save the date: Monday, December 17, at University of Houston’s Cullen Performance Hall.) The lucky high bidder was gallerist Bryn Larsen of Foto Relevance.

PC Seen: FotoFest executive director Steven Evans; LTP’s Molly Blanchard and Emily Areta; host committee members including Bennie Flores Ansell, Rita Blanchard, Kath Blanco, Elizabeth Gates, Rashed Haq, Tayyba Kanwal, Bryn Larsen, and Janice Yoo; curator and photographic scholar Anne Wilkes Tucker; Houston Heights Association’s executive director Emily Guyre; landscape designers Thomas Strong with mother Georgann Strong (their firm donated the table arrangements); Foto Relevance’s Geoffrey Koslov; UH professor Nicole Bromfield; collector Stephanie Larsen; Cindy Quach; and artists including Julia McLaurin, Chris Silkwood, Marti Corn, Amy C. Evans (speaking about her time as a LTP teacher for FotoFest), Ryan Francisco, Lou Vest, and Deborah Bay.

Additional reporting Catherine D. Anspon