Background image: Masahisa Fukase, A variant of photo number 15, 1972
2026 SLIDE SLAM: SO Slammed, A Necessarily Excessive Group Photography Event
A live photography event presented by PhotoAlliance and Pretty Gritty
PhotoAlliance and Pretty Gritty are proud to present So Slammed: A Necessarily Excessive Group Photography Event, a high-energy live slideshow presentation celebrating contemporary photography and artist storytelling.
20 local photographers will each present a 10-image series from a single body of work during a live event on April 25 at Pretty Gritty in San Francisco. This fast-paced format is part artist talk, part performance, and part community party — similar in spirit to a poetry slam, karaoke, or a short-form lecture — where photographers present their work live in front of an audience, then enjoy a meet-and-greet followed by musical performances at Pretty Gritty.
Venue:
Pretty Gritty (former Rayko Photo Center, 428 3rd St, San Francisco, CA):
EVENT LINEUP:
Saturday, April 25
Donation-based sliding scale of $10-25, NOTAFLOF (No One Turned Away for Lack of Funds).
Gallery open — Noon
Reception — 6:00 PM
So Slammed — 7:00–9:00 PM
Live Musical performance by Trona — 9:00 PM onward
Sunday, April 26 - free
Gallery open — Noon–6:00 PM
GALLERY EXHIBITION:
There will also be photos on exhibition at the gallery, including a wall of physical work from Slide Slam presenters, a wall curated by John Longyear, and work curated by Cat Coppenrath of women photographers from her group Photo Saloon.
ABOUT THE JURORS:
Kellye Eisworth is a San Francisco-based artist and consultant working with artists, institutions, and collectors. She specializes in archives, digital asset management, and writing. She has worked with numerous individuals and organizations across the country to develop exhibitions, publish photo books, and maintain physical and digital archives. Current and past clients include Lynn Hershman Leeson, Klea McKenna, the LA Art Show, and Scott Nichols Gallery. A Louisiana native, Eisworth received her BFA in photography from Louisiana State University in 2012 and an MFA in interdisciplinary media arts at the University of Colorado in 2016. Eisworth also serves as an editor and managing director of LENSCRATCH.
Nikki Greene is an artist based in San Francisco, California, with a concentration in analog photography, written word and installation. Her interests are in non-linear storytelling informed by personal and collective histories, memory and perception. Her projects range from documentary to deeply personal reflections and narratives. Her recent show ALTARS, exhibited at Untitled Gallery Vol 2 in Oakland (2026), is a collection of photographic transfers on materials like glass, plexiglass and aluminum. The work explores isolation, intimacy and the internet.
Adrian Martinez is a photographer and independent publisher based out of San Francisco, California. His work has been featured in Open Space (SFMOMA) and the British Journal of Photography, and has been exhibited in various group presentations including Around Group f.64: Legacies and Counterhistories in Bay Area Photography at SFMOMA. In early 2023, he presented a body of work alongside Austin Leong and Henry Wessel in an exhibition titled With Soft Eyes at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, CA. A companion publication titled Soft Eyes was released in late 2024 by Deadbeat Club. In 2016 Martinez founded illetante books, an independent publishing imprint, as a vehicle through which to collaborate with local artists and colleagues. He also co-directs Book & Job Gallery, a photographer-run studio, darkroom, and gallery space in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.
ABOUT THE VENUE
Pretty Gritty is a gallery/show space project operated and curated by Bill Daniel, currently housed in the former Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco. Since March 2025, Pretty Gritty has produced 10 large scale exhibitions — hosting over 200 artists, 40 bands and performers, and several film programs.
Instagram: @prettygritty_sf
EVENT SUPPORT
This event is generously supported by Fort Point Beer Company and Underdog Film Lab.
Underdog Film Lab will host a booth during the event weekend at Pretty Gritty on Saturday, April 25.
75% of the proceeds from event admission for Saturday’s program benefit PhotoAlliance.
ABOUT OUR SLIDE SLAMS
The Slide Slam format celebrates the voice of the photographer, combining visual storytelling with live presentation. It creates a dynamic environment where artists share work directly with audiences, collectors, curators, and peers, getting immediate feedback and recognition. We embrace this format as a way to showcase more of our local emerging photographers, and share their work with our community.
This Slide Slam encourages submissions from photographers working across styles, processes, and approaches—from documentary to conceptual, from analog to experimental to digital.