Jose Cotto Photography

11/08/2025

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paying attention to the little things in costa rica some moons ago.

11/06/2025

“Crepe Myrtle High School, later renamed J.S. Slocum High, was opened for black students in Pineville communities including Wardville, Smithville, and Ruby. It opened despite the 1955 Supreme Court decision, made more than a decade earlier, that school systems should desegregate.”

(africanamericanhighschoolsinlouisianabefore1970.com/john-s-slocum-high-school-pineville-la/)

11/26/2022

forge
/fôrj/

1. make or shape (a metal object) by heating it in a fire or furnace and beating or hammering it.
2. create (a relationship or new conditions).
3. move forward gradually or steadily.

woke up thinking about these pieces i began recently to pay homage to the minds and hands that gave new orleans one of its most iconic signatures. blacksmiths and ironworkers have adorned the city for centuries — carrying forward wisdom and language that was cultivated along the coasts of west africa and embedding it in their craft. every lineage had its “stamp” — those who have been in this game can spot the differences and hip you to who made what.

one of the more common adinkra symbols you’ll see is the sankofa — which comes from the akan tribe in ghana. the word sankofa is derived from the words: “san” (return), “ko” (go), “fa” (look, seek and take). in other words, “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.”

there was a time where we were more connected, more grounded, more intentional. where the symbols we erected in our built and natural environments were utilized as vehicles to tell stories of our origins, beliefs, and aspirations.

walking around the neighborhood while in residence at , it’s hard to not see how much is at risk of being left behind. as the place we now know as new orleans continues to evolve and shift, i hope the work i inject into the ether allows us to reach back, establish new relationships with the present, and inspire us to forge new (and old) ways of being that hold more space for love and community.

lastly, i couldn’t help but connect the dots to the old boricua aphorism — “pa’lante, siempre pa’lante” — while sitting with these thoughts, as it’s essentially a reminder to continue to forge ahead. that’s what we’ve always done. that’s why we’re still here.

come see these two pieces and more at next friday, december 2 from 7-9pm during our open studios happy hour.

03/04/2018

Last night was love. Thank you to all that joined us for at the opening of id•entity at . Much love to and the brotha for the curation. Shoutout to all the artists: , , and . Catch y’all at the next one. ✊🏾

02/25/2018

A few women that constantly inspire me with how much good energy they contribute to New Orleans.

02/25/2018

reflect.

07/20/2017

New Orleans family... Come swing by the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans for White Linen Night 2017 - New Orleans and check out some dope work from some dope artists... I'll have a few photos up from a series called "Mother's Things" that I've been quietly working on whenever I visit my momma... One of them being the photo below/on the exhibit page.

http://cacno.org/ephemera-obscura

Most people think that shadows follow, precede or surround beings or objects. The truth is that they also surround words, ideas, desires, deeds, impulses and memories. —Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) It is only in the world of objects that we have time and space and selves. —T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) Openi...

07/11/2017

Whenever folks ask me to take their photo on the streets, I happily do. Even if they will never see it beyond the preview on the camera... Even if I never see it again, or print it, or throw it in a portfolio. Because that interaction, that moment of acknowledging our shared humanity, is worth more than anything else photography affords me. It's why I shoot. To celebrate life, even if it's just for that split second.

06/26/2017

Last month I had the honor of playing groomsmen alongside my brotha as he and celebrated and cemented their love for one another. As usual, I brought my camera along to document moments whenever I could get away from groomsmen duties... It's been a joy combing through these images over the last few days.

05/31/2017

I hit up the at peak tourist hours when in NYC a few weeks back... That made for not ideal conditions for photographing the space. However it forced me to the outskirts of the spaces, where I was looking for moments that allowed me to escape the chaos -- this moment was one I appreciated.