Utata is a global collective of photographers, writers, and like-minded people who share a compelling interest in the arts. We began (and continue to exist) as a salon-style gathering of photographers who came together on Flickr.

We have become a large, semi-civil virtual tribe devoted to creating and promoting good art, and to engaging in lively, wide-ranging discussions. As a community, we are continuously evolving; Utata is more of a process than a final product.

Utata Projects

The Utata community maintains three ongoing projects. Iron Photographer is based on the Iron Chef model: the Utata staff selects three elements (two compositional and one artistic/technical); the members incorporate those elements into an artful photograph. The Weekend Project is theme-based; the staff selects a theme and the members interpret it photographically. Our oldest ongoing project is the Thursday Walk, which began in April of 2006. Every Thursday since then, our members have gone for a walk and photographed what they saw. Given that we have members throughout the world, the Thursday Walk has grown into an extraordinary document of daily life. The entire archives of Utata Projects can be found at our Projects page.

Utata.org also produces two larger projects each year; a summer project whose emphasis is on photography and a winter project that emphasizes writing.

In order to participate in the projects, you must be a member of Utata.org. Membership is free, easy, and painless.

Utata Discussions

The Utata community talks a lot. The discussions are lively, sometimes amusing, sometimes serious, sometimes heated, but always civil. Art, religion, politics, movies, books, television, science–no topic is out of bounds. In order to join our discussions, however, you much be a member of the Utata group on flickr.