Amy Friend

The Candela Collection

The mission of the Candela Collection is to support photographers through the purchase of original photographic work and to actively pursue opportunities to donate said works to a notable permanent collection. The Candela Collection currently includes 149 photographic artworks and fine art photography books.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

The Candela Collection grows each year through acquisitions from our annual juried + invitational exhibition, UnBound!. Funds raised throughout the course of the exhibition are used to purchase select works from participating artists.

BUILDING THE COLLECTION

When purchasing works for the Collection, the gallery redirects its typical 40%-50% cut from the sale into purchasing additional works for the Collection, giving raised UnBound! funds twice the buying power. The artist is still paid for their normal 50%, giving them both a paycheck and a space in a permanent collection. Our collection has grown to house nearly 150 pieces, including framed works, sculptural pieces, and photographic artist books.

ARTIST HONORARIUMS

As of 2025, Candela uses funds raised to offer honorariums to 1-2 artists to fund a solo exhibition opportunity in our gallery for the following programming year.

STORAGE AND CONSERVATION

Despite the majority of UnBound! excitement being experience from April to July, Candela Gallery lives with the growing collection 24/7/365. Remaining funds in the pool allow us to properly store, frame, and protect the 100+ unique pieces when they aren’t on display.