We now inhabit CFA’s 20th year of operations — a full generation of fabulous people and phenomenal deeds. Some things have stayed the same and so much has changed. To me personally, the field of archiving and preservation remains a practice limitless in its intrigue, rigor, challenges and possibilities.
We are glad we dove in 20 years ago. Today CFA is a sturdy and valuable archive of Midwest media making. Perhaps what is more amazing is that we’ve attracted all areas of humanity to play with us in this sandbox….our neighbors down the block, filmmakers from all corners of the country, exhibitors, teachers, and fellow archivists from around the world and, not least of all, our artist friends who cast a gaze at our archival, historical stuff in very different and unusual ways.
Today we can see we’ve evolved from a scrappy small archive with a “can-do” attitude to an archive of significant promise and capacity that is, to be honest, slightly scary.
Thanks to you all…there are so many of you out there. Please stick around (or come join us!) for the next 20 years of intrigue and possibilities.
— Nancy Watrous, Founder & Executive Director
![[Rudy Lozano]](https://www.chicagofilmarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Lozano2.png)
