PNCA Instructor, Laura Masterson, Co-founds Portland Darkroom
February 06, 2018
After the closure of Portland’s Newspace Center for Photography last year, a group of seven photographers, all former Newspace users and volunteers, decided to create a new entity that would offer artists access to the film processing facilities their practices required. A Kickstarter campaign was launched, and the group raised more than $20,000 to buy enlargers, scanners, and other processing equipment from Newspace's closing sale. Now that equipment is installed in a studio in Northeast Portland at the newly named Portland Darkroom, an active space dedicated to continuing the craft of film photography.
Lauren Masterson, an instructor of photography at PNCA and one of the co-founders of the Darkroom, stated that while many local colleges have darkrooms and offer instruction on film photography, there are no darkrooms publicly accessible to non-students. The Portland Darkroom aims to change this by giving artists access to the facilities, community, and equipment they need to continue their work.
Learn more about the Portland Darkroom in this OPB interview with photographer Laura Peltz, a darkroom member and former Newspace user.
Image © Portland Darkroom