After fifteen years as Candela Books + Gallery, we are excited to share that we have officially received our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and are reintroducing ourselves as Candela Photographic Arts, a transition that has been years in the making.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Christian Lee is a 2026 Documentary Fellow at The Gotham, supported by NBC Universal, and a 2026 A-DOC Allies Fellow, working on his feature film debut, a docufiction drama on the first African American church in South Central, Los Angeles. Working between photography and filmmaking, Lee studied under Cauleen Smith, Andrea Fraser, Bridget R. Cooks, Cosmo Whyte, and Renee Tajima-Peña.

Nicole Driscoll is a multidisciplinary artist based in Charlotte, working primarily with photography and video. Her practice explores themes of identity, memory, and the emotional impact of personal and collective histories. She uses analog and experimental techniques to create layered visual narratives rooted in nostalgia and transformation. Her work has been exhibited at The Light Factory, Goodyear Arts, The Curated Fridge, and McColl Center. In 2023, her photograph Hands in the Sky was selected by ArtPop Street Gallery for public display across Charlotte and in Times Square. Driscoll was awarded the Emerging Creators Fellowship in 2024 and participated in residencies at Mudhouse (Greece) and Walkaway House.

Wes Bell’s photographs have appeared in publications such as British GQ, Conde Nast Traveler, The New York Times Magazine and People. Bell focuses on art photography, deploying his square medium format film camera, and photographing outdoors on location. Wes' analog hand-printed gelatin silver photographs have been widely exhibited internationally, including the recent Oil - Beauty and Horror in the Petrol Age at Germany's Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and closer to home, Rapt and Callus, a solo exhibition at Contemporary Calgary for the Exposure 2022 Photography Festival. He is currently working on a photobook project called On The Line.

Christa Blackwood is a photo, text and installation artist working with themes related to identity, history, and popular culture. Raised in Oklahoma City and New Orleans, Blackwood now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. 

Kate Kaluzny is a photographer, collage artist, and photo archivist originally from Chicago. Her collage practice began as a creative outlet, allowing her to draw connections and create patterns from chaos. When not making art, she can be found reading and watching sad things, traveling, hiking, and hanging out with her dog and cat.