The Case for Acquiring The Notable People of San Antonio in 2020

This document makes the case for a singular, unrepeatable opportunity: the acquisition of “The Notable People of San Antonio in 2020,” a complete, curated archive of 69 portraits of the city’s leaders at a moment of profound historical pressure. For a visionary patron or institution, this is a chance to perform a significant act of civic stewardship, preserving a unique historical asset that will serve as a cultural and educational cornerstone for generations to come. This is not simply a purchase of art; it is a strategic investment in the permanent story of our community.

The default state for history is to be forgotten. The reason collections like this often “die”—relegated to dusty attics or broken up at estate sales—is because the case for their enduring value is never successfully made. A collection’s actual value is not in the individual prints, but in its cohesive power as a historical document. To preserve it, we must first understand it. Great societies have always understood that to know where you are going, you must know where you have been. They make deliberate, strategic investments in preserving their story, in the tradition of masters like August Sander or the photographers of the Farm Security Administration. The Notable People of San Antonio in 2020 Collection stands in this tradition.

A Project Forged in Conviction

This collection’s power has matured over the five years since its creation. In 2020, it was journalism. Today, it is history. The passage of time was essential to allow the immediate anxiety of the moment to fade, revealing the collection’s actual subject: not the crisis itself, but the enduring character of the people who navigated it.

In an era of global uncertainty and digital placelessness, a powerful renaissance of civic pride and local identity is emerging. This collection serves as a tangible anchor for that movement. It provides a focal point, a shared story of our community’s character that transcends politics. It is a teaching tool for the next generation, a wall of faces that proves that steady, thoughtful leadership is the bedrock of a thriving community.

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The Film: A Collective Vision

This short film invites you to look into the eyes of these 69 leaders and witness the strength and character captured in each timeless portrait. It is a four-minute journey through the steady resilience that defined an unprecedented moment in our city’s history.

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The Opportunity: An Act of
Civic & Political Stewardship

The value of this collection to the community is permanence. Its future home must be a place of learning and civic life: a university archive where future historians can study it; the halls of a civic center to inspire the next generation of leaders; or a local history museum where it can tell its story to the public.

A visionary patron acquires this not to own 69 prints, but to become the steward of a singular piece of their city’s history. The acquisition is an act of civic stewardship of the highest order. It is an opportunity to shape the community’s narrative for generations, to provide an invaluable educational asset, and to make a definitive statement about the enduring importance of leadership, art, and the preservation of our collective story.

An Archive’s True Value

While the base value of the 69 individual prints exceeds $170,000, that calculation misses the essential point. An archive’s value is exponentially greater than the sum of its parts. A single page from a historical manuscript is a curiosity; the complete book is a priceless artifact. So too with this collection. Its profound value lies in its completeness, its cohesive vision, and its unrepeatable context as a definitive record of a society at a moment of profound challenge.

This project’s independence gives it a singular vision impossible to replicate in commissioned works. It stands alongside the artist’s other major works—from the World Heritage Missions to the Orchid Collection—as a cornerstone of a career dedicated to documenting subjects of enduring cultural and historical importance. For the five years since its creation, it has been professionally safeguarded as a single, indivisible archive.

An institution or patron is therefore not acquiring 69 prints. They are acquiring one, singular asset: a complete, curated, and preserved piece of their city’s history. The acquisition price of $425,000 reflects this total, multi-layered value—the tangible, the curatorial, the historical, and the utterly unrepeatable.

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The Proposition