ANJALI NAMBRATH

The seaside town of Mandvi in Gujarat has a long and rich tradition of shipbuilding, particularly of large wooden trading vessels called dhows. Here, men build a new dhow that will be used for fishing and transportation along the coast.

CHERYL L. GUERERRO

Maya women in Guatemala have been creating textiles on the backstrap loom for millennia. Esperanza creates the complicated double-face textiles weavers in her town are known for. (From the project “Endangered Threads”)

JO ANGILEE

Maya Beth is a hide tanner based in Northern California who has been working to preserve hide tanning for many years. This photo was made at a weekend hide tanning workshop wherein students were able to procure and reclaim a sheepskin through the art and tactile practice of hide tanning.

JENNIFER LOTHRIGEL

On Beltane, flowers decorate the hole that the Maypole goes into

DEEPA PARAMESWARAN

Traditional secrets of Marble art in Agra, known only to descendants of Taj Mahal artisan families

JO ANGILEE

Maya Beth is a hide tanner based in Northern California who has been working to preserve hide tanning for many years. This photo was made at a weekend hide tanning workshop wherein students were able to procure and reclaim a sheepskin through the art and tactile practice of hide tanning.

ALFREDO COYOTL CUATLACUATL

El Carnaval de Puebla is a vibrant celebration that commemorates the historic Battle of Puebla on May 5th. The event features traditional attire and elaborate reenactments of the famous battle, bringing history to life through performance and ritual. More than just a commemoration, the carnaval is considered the largest living Mesoamerican ritual gathering in Mexico today. It principally honors the region’s Indigenous ancestry, preserving deep cultural roots through dance, costume, and storytelling. One of the central groups in the celebration is known as Los Indios. Within this group, El Patrono del Pueblo stands out as a symbolic figure. While representing Puebla’s Indigenous heritage, the Indios’ costumes and features are a striking fusion of Indigenous and European influences—reflecting the complex cultural identity shaped by centuries of history.

EDWIN CARUNGAY

A split moment of a pre-Lenten procession in Zaachila, Oaxaca during a beloved, community-led celebration offers a color filled variety of unique visuals. From sunrise to sunset, Zaachila’s stilt dancers (zancudos) perform exhaustively amidst the kaleidoscopic backdrop of this southern Méxican town.

ALAN SHAW

Nezha, whose self-sacrifice for his parents caused him to be worshipped as Taizi Ye, the patron god of filial piety and children, dancing in Beigang, Taiwan, on the occasion of the birthday celebration of Matzu, the patron goddess of seafarers and of Taiwan.

ALAN SHAW

One of the goddess Matzu's demonic attendants celebrates her birthday in Beigang, Taiwan

ALAN SHAW

The child god Taizi Yeh arrives in his sedan chair at the temple of
Matzu, the patron goddess of Taiwan, in Beigang, Taiwan

NATE LOVE

Carnaval SF, Grand Parade

CHERYL L GUERRERO

A member of the American Indian Cultural Center dances on Mission Street during the 2024 Carnaval celebration. It reflected the theme "Honoring Indigenous Roots".

ELISA MONTEMAYOR

In Cuetzalan, Mexico, the Danza de los Voladores honors ancient traditions. Voladores leap from the sky, spinning in a sacred descent. Each flight is a ritual — a prayer in motion.

ADRIANO JIMENEZ

Taken at Carnaval in San Francisco. This image depicts a hand helping in the placement of feathers, the hand is there to assist in those hard to reach spots in life.

STEVE BAUM

Nearly every day, weather permitting, multiple groups of men and women gather to socialize, play cards and board games in Portsmouth Square Park, located in San Francisco's Chinatown.

CHERYL L GUERRERO

Though no longer common in the U.S., the barber shave is still a ritual performed in many parts of the world.

LINNEA ZULCH

At the southern tip of Japan is a house dedicated to seahorses. There along the ocean you can buy prayers in the shape of seahorse to tie up and leave open to the elements.

DAVID HAYDEN

This image taken at home on the first morning of my daughter's life marks the beginning of the beautiful and turbulent ritual of breastfeeding two humans into existence.

JEFF HAYMEN

Black and white photograph through a screen of a ritual dressing room at the Carmelite Monastery in Carmel, California

BEATRICE THORNTON

New rituals in old places, and old rituals in new places with old people, shot on expired color film

DAVID HAYDEN

The ritual of nursing becomes part of the rhythm of family life, providing both nourishment and comfort.

COLE LATA

The things they carry to provide sustenance, love, and home: the weight unseen. With bags appearing weightless in comparison, she strides forward to the next stall.

HEATHER FREINKEL

A second shot from a Halloween party in 2012, of my friend and former roommate Barker Gee, who sadly has also since passed away. This image captures Barker's sense of comedic timing, and his embrace of the absurd.

PHIL KRAYNA

Time exposure shot of people photographing the solar eclipse. Shot with a 100 year old box camera and expired film from the 1940s. The texture is from the backing paper degrading the film. All done in camera no photoshop.

SUDIE AKOSSIWA WENTLING

My son's graduation marked a time of celebration, honoring our ancestors and cultural heritage. The bird of paradise flower in this handmade lei has become a maternal family symbol and the kufni attire represents the paternal family.

DEA HOVHANNISYAN

A young woman sits in between her closest friends as they let their freshly-done henna (mehndi) dry. The mehndi is part of a sacred Indian ritual done amongst women a couple days before marriage, with the intricate designs symbolizing good health, prosperity, and happiness in the new union.

VICTORIA REMLER

Tomas reads from the Torah for the first time at Kehillah Synagogue in Oakland.

CATALINA GOVEA

One of the first weddings I've attended at St. Elizabeth's in Oakland.

GEORGIA SAVAGE

In March 2025, San Francisco hosted its second Cake Picnic at the Legion of Honor, where over 1,000 participants gathered to share homemade cakes and celebrate community baking traditions.

DOUGLASS DESPRES

Wedding day

VICTORIA REMLER

Oge blows out the candles on her 50th birthday cake.

SEAN KEELAN

After the guests are gone, the decorations become artifacts. Everyone has moved on but the energy of the event still lingers. The decorations did their part, and now they're just evidence.

DEA HOVHANNISYAN

As part of a sacred ritual in Indian tradition, a young woman is adorned with jewelry by her mother and aunt to bestow her with blessings in preparation for her marriage ceremony.

VIRIDIANA

These are the flowers we brought to decorate my grandpa’s grave—he passed before any of his grandchildren were born, but we’ve come to know him through family stories. The frame burn on the left feels like a quiet metaphor for memory: fading at the edges, but still glowing.

JORGE NIETO

The procession stops at altars set up by various households throughout the town. This is my grandmother's altar.

ARVIAN HEIDIR

“Menuju Api Suci” translates to “Toward the Sacred Fire.” This photograph was taken on the streets of Nusa Lembongan, Bali, during a Ngaben procession — a Balinese Hindu cremation ceremony. This vibrant and sacred ritual marks the soul’s journey to the afterlife, involving a cremation pyre, traditional music, and active participation from the entire community.

JENN CHEN

The offerings at my grandmother's Buddhist funeral altar. Items like food, water, and clothing (not pictured) are set to help people into the afterlife.

CARL WEINGARTEN

Moving a loved one into hospice is rarely spoken of ritual, and a major transition for any family.

BAEVY

Part of series of returning to Earth by burying myself in accordance with seasons, time of life, and the cycle of death and rebirth.

SARAH MCCARTHY GRIMM

My little sister Chelsea was last seen on 9/30/23, with 2 flat tires on FR6 northeast of Ashfork, AZ. Six months later, I went to some of the places we know she visited before. There is body cam footage of her speaking with a police officer at this cemetery in Williams, AZ on 9/28/23, perhaps the last recording of her voice I'll ever hear. Using my Mamiya C220 was a comforting ritual in taking this photograph because it flips reality, which mirrors my feeling of moving through the world with no idea of where my only sibling is.

JENN CHEN

Part of a Buddhist funeral ritual and other holidays that honor deceased ancestors, is the burning of joss paper (ghost money) in temple furnaces. The lotus flower is created from multiple papers and another offering to honor ancestors.

VIRIDIANA

I took this photo on Dia de los Muertos, a tradition that dates back to Mesoamerican culture. This is the grave of a family relative who loved drinking Coke soda.

ERIC NOMBURG

Balinese parents concerned about their son working at sea performed a ritual to ensure his safety and well-being

ERIC NOMBURG

Following Bail’s Day of Silence (Nyepi), locals take part in the Mebuug-buugan mud bath ritual, a tradition believed to purify the body and cleanse negative energy.

ALEX DAFNIS

Surfing is a ritualistic practice. It begins with a structured preparation and immersion, from meticulously waxing the board to patiently waiting for waves in the lineup. The act of riding a wave is a transformative experience, creating a profound sense of presence and connection to the ocean. This culminates in a shared feeling of exhilaration, strengthening the community among surfers.

ERA MING

Bangkok street market during Sokhran, the New Year festival where celebrants adorn floral shirts and have water fights to cleanse themselves of the old year and usher in the new.

LEON URIAH

Shot in Frederiksted on St. Croix’s west end, Wet Fête captures J’ouvert revelers dancing beneath the spray of a water truck. The black-and-white image freezes a fleeting moment of release—bodies in motion, music in the air, water cascading over the crowd. J’ouvert in St. Croix is part of the annual Crucian Christmas Festival. While rooted in Caribbean carnival traditions of emancipation and resistance, here it’s a space for celebration, self-expression, and community.

CAZZ ALTAMORE

I believe it’s essential to capture moments of joy, defiance, and unity that showcase the vibrant diversity of queer identity. Folsom is a strikingly contrasting space—where leather and metal come alive with fierce energy—yet it remains one of the safest places to be, especially for those who are queer.

ADRIAN ACU

When I first moved to Oakland from nearby Emeryville, the July 4th street fireworks caught me off guard. The blanket of ankle-level smoke and sustained noise scared my dogs and left me worried about the fire risk during that dry year. But every year since, I’ve gone out to shoot the fireworks and have found in them part of why I love Oakland. The joy of people running fireworks to intersections from their houses and the families who drive up with kids hanging out of sunroofs and the side windows show me that Oakland captures something of the energy that July 4th was made from: a gathering of neighbors, a reason to be out in the cool of a summer night, and the belief that we can add even more light and color to our city.

CARL FISHER

Easter in the Park is an annual event in Delores Park, SF put on by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence that is so infused with color, fun, and fabulousness that you can’t help but smile. It’s always a a good time and an event that I look forward to setting aside the whole day to experience.

DANIEL DANZIG

July 4th Parade

LINNEA ZULCH

This is a photo of a friend whose family celebrate every 4th of July with a large party and their own firework celebration.

KATIE COFER

Lowrider cruises are an exuberant family celebration, while also incorporating themes of transit, movement, and the evolving vision of American car culture in an immigrant community.

DANIEL DANZIG

St. Patrick's Day Parade

NHIEN LE

Photo of a man dancing during a Mardi Gras parade in North Beach, San Francisco.

DREW BURGESS

I have attended the Solano Stroll in Albany and Berkeley many times. I have negatives of the event from different years. I am impressed with the tenderness of people when they experience communal events. The photo in the exhibit was taken with a camera my Dad had purchased before he passed away. Sadly he dropped the camera and it was poignant for me to use it. In 2015 I shot with a neutral density filter on the Minolta X700 with Kodak TMax 100 film exposed at F2.8 and 1/500th. I printed the picture in my garage darkroom. For this exhibit I found my print to be too dark. I had an archival inkjet print done on matte finish paper.