Richard Sexton Outer Sunset

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Pamplemousse Magazine, with support from Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP), is pleased to present selections from photographer Richard Sexton’s portfolio of Outer Sunset images almost 50 years since they were taken in the neighborhood.

After graduating from Emory University, Richard Sexton came west to study at the San Francisco Art Institute, and this Outer Sunset portfolio represents his first serious color photography project while at school. Shot on Kodachrome and Ektachrome color transparency film with a Leica M4 camera in 1977 and 1978, Sexton captured one of San Francisco’s most beloved western neighborhoods at a very unique moment in time.

Now, these images will be on view at Black Bird Bookstore and Café and The Last Straw gallery across the street from May to July 2025. The exhibition follows a feature in Pamplemousse Magazine’s Spring Issue, and is the first time the work has been shown in public since a brief 1979 installation at Ciné Cafe in the Surf Theatre. This is an incredible opportunity to remember the neighborhood as it was, or experience the Sunset as you’ve never seen it before.

Join us for a reception and artist talk on Friday, May 30th, 7:00-9:00pm, at Black Bird Bookstore and Café to celebrate this historic occasion! Nicole Meldahl, Executive Director of WNP, will moderate a discussion between Sexton and Pamplemousse founder Nora Lalle about process and place, delving into his experiences in the neighborhood, why Nora featured his work, and where he went creatively from here. WNP will also debut a history of the Surf Theatre crafted for the occasion, and Richard Sexton’s prints will be available for sale as well as issues of Pamplemousse.

Please RSVP to let us know you’re coming. The reception and artist talk is free, but donations to support Pamplemousse and WNP’s community history work are always appreciated. Light refreshments can be purchased at the Café. Seating is limited, and first-come, first-served.

Richard Sexton Outer Sunset is on view at Black Bird Bookstore and Café (4541 Irving Street) during regular business hours, 9:00am – 7:00pm; and at The Last Straw gallery (4540 Irving Street) from May 23rd to July 7th.

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Richard Sexton is a New Orleans-based photographer, author and book packager whose work has been previously featured in magazines such as Abitare, Archetype, Historic Preservation, Louisiana Cultural Vistas, Photographer’s Forum and Smithsonian. In 2014 he received the Michael P. Smith Award for Documentary Photography from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. His work is included in the permanent holdings of the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Frost Art Museum, High Museum of Art, Princeton University Art Museum, among others. Learn more at richardsextonstudio.com

Founded by Nora Lalle in 2021, Pamplemousse Magazine is an independent publication committed to highlighting the work of emerging and established photographers through photo features, essays, and interviews. The goal of Pamplemousse is to provide a platform for film photographers and analog artists to share their work in print, and create something beautiful and inspiring for readers to hold in their hands. Learn more at pamplemoussemagazine.com

Western Neighborhoods Project, founded in 1999, preserves, interprets, and shares the diverse history and culture of San Francisco’s west side. Yes, they’re the group that “saved the Cliff House Collection” from auction and managed The Museum at The Cliff in the former Cliff House Restaurant and Gift Shop from 2021-2022. In support of this work, WNP launched the OpenSFHistory program in 2014 to digitize and make accessible online thousands of historic San Francisco images. Learn more about at wnpsf.org

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.