National Photographic Heritage Center

The National Photographic Heritage Center (Centro Nacional del Patrimonio Fotográfico), commonly known as CENFOTO-UDP, is a private cultural corporation attached to Universidad Diego Portales (UDP) in Santiago, Chile. It was founded in 2001 by the photographer and cultural manager Ilonka Csillag, with the participation of other prominent figures in Chile's cultural world, including Soledad Abarca, who later became director of the National Library of Chile. The organization works across the many fields related to photography, aiming to collaborate in public policy for the sector and to act as a national reference institution in photographic heritage. CENFOTO's mission centers on the rescue, cataloguing, preservation, research and dissemination of photographic archives. Its professional team has taken part in more than 40 projects on Chilean photography, covering preservation, management of photographic archives, research and outreach. Much of this work has helped reveal the diversity of Chile's photographic collections, the characteristics of photographic practice in the country, and the power of the image as a reference for the construction of a national imaginary. The center manages a range of collections and funds, including the Fondo Julio Bustamante, the Colección Rolando Calderón and the Fondo Ricardo Larraín Bravo, and it maintains an exhibition space known as Sala CENFOTO. Since its creation, CENFOTO has relied on support from public funds and from institutions such as Fundaciones Andes, Harvard University, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes (CNCA), the Dirección de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos (DIBAM) and Universidad Diego Portales itself. In 2011 the Biblioteca de Santiago opened the Sala Cenfoto-UDP, a room dedicated exclusively to exhibiting the work of contemporary authors. The center also organizes exhibitions, talks and publications, including shows on Álvaro Hoppe and Enrique Lihn, and a book that was a finalist in an international photography prize in Spain. CENFOTO is closely involved in major Chilean documentary archives. In 2014 the archive of the newspaper La Nación (1917–2010) was declared a Monumento Histórico by the Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales; a decade later, the Programa Archivos UDP and CENFOTO organized a meeting to highlight this vast collection and the university's efforts to conserve, organize and disseminate it. The center has also addressed contemporary challenges such as digital culture during the COVID-19 pandemic, organizing a lecture series on digitization programs in cultural heritage institutions. Through these activities, CENFOTO-UDP positions itself as a key actor in the conservation and public access of Chile's photographic memory.

The origins of CENFOTO lie in efforts during the 1980s and 1990s to create a center for the conservation of heritage sites. The project was initially to be carried out within the premises of DIBAM (Dirección de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos), but it lost institutional support. In 2001, the initiative received fundamental backing from Universidad Diego Portales (UDP) and began to manage resources through public funds. The center was founded by the photographer and cultural manager Ilonka Csillag, with the participation of other recognized figures from Chile's cultural world, including Soledad Abarca, who later became director of the National Library of Chile. From its creation in 2001, CENFOTO-UDP developed into a national reference institution in the photographic field, seeking to collaborate in public policies for the area. Its professional team has participated in more than 40 projects on Chilean photography, in areas such as preservation, management of photographic archives, research and dissemination. Several of these actions have revealed the diversity of Chilean photographic collections, the characteristics of photographic practice in Chile, and the power of the image as a reference for the construction of a national imaginary. The center's work has been supported by institutions including Fundaciones Andes, Harvard University, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes (CNCA), the Dirección de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos (DIBAM) and Universidad Diego Portales. In 2011, the Biblioteca de Santiago opened the Sala Cenfoto-UDP, a space dedicated exclusively to exhibiting the work of contemporary authors. CENFOTO has managed and disseminated numerous photographic collections and funds, such as the Fondo Julio Bustamante, the Colección Rolando Calderón and the Fondo Ricardo Larraín Bravo. It has organized exhibitions, including shows on Álvaro Hoppe and Enrique Lihn, and published books, one of which was a finalist in an international photography prize in Spain. The center also maintains an active public program of talks and encounters. A significant chapter in its history concerns the archive of the newspaper La Nación (1917–2010), which in 2014 was declared a Monumento Histórico by the Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales. Ten years later, the Programa Archivos UDP and CENFOTO organized a meeting at the Biblioteca Nicanor Parra to highlight this valuable collection and the university's efforts to conserve, organize and disseminate it. The event featured Alejandro Martínez, director of the Programa Archivos; Samuel Salgado Tello, director of Cenfoto; Constanza Bravo, archivist at Cenfoto; Cristián Castro, director of the School of History; Ricardo Martínez, academic at the School of Creative Literature; and Romina Lopresti, a student at the School of Creative Literature. Speakers reflected on the research opportunities offered by the archive, described as a gigantic archive of millions of documents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CENFOTO organized the lecture series "Experiencias sobre cultura digital en tiempos de COVID-19," addressing how digitization programs in cultural heritage institutions have sustained demand for access, education and knowledge during the health crisis, and how these projects might reshape conservation, documentation and digitization priorities. The center has also been involved in digitization projects, such as a UDP laboratory digitizing original plans of the Basílica de los Sacramentinos in collaboration with Universidad Central, and has strengthened alliances with the National Library to conserve and preserve photographic archives. Through these activities, CENFOTO-UDP continues to act as a key institution for the preservation and public access of Chile's photographic heritage.

• 2024

  Programa Archivos UDP and CENFOTO hold a meeting on the La Nación historical archive, ten years after its declaration as a Monumento Histórico.

• 2020

  CENFOTO organizes the lecture series "Experiencias sobre cultura digital en tiempos de COVID-19".

• 2014

  The archive of the newspaper La Nación (1917–2010) declared a Monumento Histórico by the Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales.

• 2011

  Sala Cenfoto-UDP inaugurated at the Biblioteca de Santiago, dedicated to contemporary authors.

• 2001

  CENFOTO founded with support from Universidad Diego Portales, founded by Ilonka Csillag.

A national reference institution in photographic heritage, working with public policy and preserving Chile's photographic memory.

• Sala CENFOTO

  Exhibition space dedicated to contemporary authors, inaugurated in 2011 at the Biblioteca de Santiago.

• Fondo Julio Bustamante

  Photographic collection managed by CENFOTO.

• Colección Rolando Calderón

  Photographic collection managed by CENFOTO.

• Fondo Ricardo Larraín Bravo

  Photographic collection managed by CENFOTO.

• La Nación historical archive

  Archive of the newspaper La Nación (1917–2010), declared a Monumento Histórico in 2014.

1. 1CenFoto UDP – Universidad Diego Portalescenfoto.udp.cl
2. 2Sobre CENFOTO – CenFoto UDPcenfoto.udp.cl
3. 3Programa Archivos y Cenfoto realizan encuentro sobre el fondo histórico de La Nación – CenFoto UDPcenfoto.udp.cl
4. 4Ciclo de Charlas Cenfoto UDP “Experiencias sobre cultura digital en tiempos de COVID-19” – CenFoto UDPcenfoto.udp.cl
5. 5National Photographic Heritage Centerwikidata.org
6. 6Centro Nacional del Patrimonio Fotográficoes.wikipedia.org