Arthur Severio

Arthur Severio's story is one of artistic exploration and self-discovery in rural Louisiana during the 1970s. Growing up as an outsider in Livingston Parish, Severio found solace in the works of Tennessee Williams and the power of photography to reveal the harsh realities of Southern culture. However, it was not until he joined the vibrant LGBTQ+ community of New Orleans' French Quarter during the 1984 World's Fair that Severio fully embraced his identity as an artist and photographer.

Inspired by his older brother, Severio began to explore his passion for photography and French Quarter culture.  His photographic studies are of classic techniques.  Buying his first digital camera while evacuating from Katrina, he became obsessed.  Returning to New Orleans,  he attended Prospect 1 and saw Skylar Fein's "Remember the Upstairs," his passion to become an artist rose to a new height-he'd only heard about it from a friend.  
Attending Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and studying with masters like Kurt Mangum and Norman Maskopf, as well as celebrity portrait photographers Greg Gorman and Joshua Smith, he began to refine his cinematic and environmental photography.

Severio's photography has been exhibited and published in various shows and collections, including Straight Outta New Orleans, Street Meat (Chicago), and Framed (San Francisco). Notably, his work was featured in the 2016 Louisiana Contemporary exhibition, sponsored by the Helis Foundation, at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Severio's artistry and journey serve as a testament to the power of artistic expression and the importance of embracing one's identity in the face of adversity.