AROUND THE WORLD IN THIRTY DAYS

SAN ANTONIO When Fotoseptiembre USA was launched in 1996, it was a modest affair with a dozen exhibits. By 2000, the free photography festival had grown substantially, with 180 artists showcased in some 50 exhibits and conferences. Fast-forward another two years and those figures were up again: 230 artists, 75 exhibits, and 62 venues. But this homegrown forum has never sacrificed quality for quantity, nor has Fotoseptiembre USA—which was inspired by the biennial Fotoseptiembre Internacional, held in Mexico City—strayed from founder Michael Mehl’s mandate that it be a “vernacular festival without academic or elitist pretense.” And though its subject matter is head-spinningly global, it has managed to keep its grassroots charm. Even a cursory flip through this year’s program, which can be downloaded from the official Web site, feels like a trip around the world. But the best way to get a taste for the sorts of cross-cultural perspectives that will be on view is to first peruse the Web galleries, which include a Frenchman’s series on the people and places of Cuba, a Wimberley resident’s spare images of Romanian and Georgian children, and a Mexican American bassist’s snapshots from his travels around the globe. As for what’s on view at the physical galleries, the larger institutions, such as the San Antonio Museum of Art, the McNay Art Museum, and the Southwest School of Art and Craft, are showing works by Allen Ginsberg (of the Beat generation), Trish Simonite, and Richard Kline. The more obscure spaces (some of which are in Boerne and New Braunfels) will be displaying artwork just as interesting: The Louis J. Blume Academic Library Gallery at Saint Mary’s University will be exhibiting “Refugees From Darfur,” by local artist Caesar Ricci, who traveled to Chad last December; and Jim Rider and other members of Flickr-Club-SA (an online photo-sharing site) will be showing off shots they’ve taken of the streets of San Antonio at the Blue Star Arts Complex (well, an upstairs nook of it, anyway). Another don’t-miss at a venue you might otherwise overlook is the Doug Fogelson showcase at the City of San Antonio International Center; the Chicago-based artist’s signature is to take overlapping multiple exposures of, say, the Tate Modern, in London, or a busy crosswalk or a frothy ocean and make long, cinematic panoramas. Diversity, whether in locale or vision, can be quite picturesque. Sep 1—30. Various locations, fotoseptiembreusa.com, safotofestival.com