Alchemy exists to bridge the rich heritage of analog photography with contemporary visual culture, creating a dynamic space where traditional darkroom magic meets modern innovation. We preserve essential photographic skills — those "fading languages" of silver gelatin printing, film development, and hands-on craft — while embracing the evolving nature of visual storytelling in our image-saturated world.
Our mission is to provide accessible education, professional-grade facilities, and creative community for photographers at every level, from those discovering grandpa's camera to seasoned artists pushing boundaries.
Our primary goal is educational preservation and innovation. We offer comprehensive workshops spanning analog techniques, digital workflows, and hybrid approaches that honor photography's past while preparing artists for its future. Through hands-on instruction in our fully equipped darkrooms, digital lab, and experimental spaces, we ensure critical photographic knowledge transfers to new generations who hunger for tangible, meaningful creation.
We aim to build an inclusive creative community that celebrates photography's democratization — from the iPhone revolution to the analog resurgence. Alchemy serves as a cultural bridge, connecting diverse practitioners through shared passion for visual storytelling. Our gallery space showcases this evolution, while our collaborative environment fosters mentorship, experimentation, and artistic risk-taking.
Finally, we're committed to accessibility and cultural documentation. By providing affordable access to professional equipment and expertise, we remove barriers that traditionally limited photographic education to academic institutions. We're archiving not just techniques but stories — documenting how visual language shapes and reflects our rapidly changing world.
Jen Folsom
Founder & Director
When I transitioned from a commercial photographer to teaching at a high school in Palo Alto, California I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into. With no formal education training, I found myself leaning on my knowledge, my skills, and my passion for all things photography. Since that fateful day in 2008 I have earned my master's degrees in both education and photography and have had the opportunity to mentor and instruct thousands of students at all levels — K–12 to post-graduate.
Once you leave school, especially as an artist, the resources to create work as a photographer, printmaker, and installation artist become much harder to find. Expensive equipment, space to house it, and underutilized time are all factors. That is why I founded Alchemy — a space dedicated to the photographic arts for artist development, workspace, and display, where artists, the community, and visitors can come together to celebrate the visual image.
More than just a darkroom or a classroom, I see Alchemy as a space for inquiry, connection, and mentorship. As a teacher in a subject that was constantly evolving, listening to my students became a fantastic source of enrichment, and we used excitement, inquiry, and experimentation to develop hybrid techniques and amazing — or sometimes not so amazing — works.
Alchemy is about the process. It's about creating something precious.
MFA, Savannah College of Art and Design
M.Ed., National Polytech University
Shutterbug · Photo District News · Fast Company
University of Northern Colorado · Colorado State University · Front Range Community College · Polaris Expeditionary School · Henry M. Gunn High School
Jemma
Operations & Programs
Jemma keeps Alchemy running day-to-day — booking workshops, managing memberships, and making sure students, artists, and visitors find what they came for. [Add a sentence or two of bio here when ready.]