By Jorge Casuso

September 10, 2026 – Portraits that offer a cross-section of the people "who happened to meet at the edge of the continent" will be exhibited this month at the historic Merry Go-Round building on the Santa Monica Pier.

“Afterglow: Portraits by Sam Comen” will open with a special reception Thursday, September 17, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. during the Santa Monica Pier’s Locals’ Night and will run through September 30, Pier officials announced this week.

Over three days, Comen conducted brief sittings with 274 locals, travelers and international visitors representing different ages, backgrounds and moments in life and talked to them about what brought them there and how they see America today.

“I chose the Santa Monica Pier because it’s a place where so many different people and journeys come together,” said Comen, an acclaimed photographer who specializes in photographing human stories connected to American political and social issues.

"Taken together, these portraits reveal an America that is incredibly diverse, deeply personal and always changing," Comen said. "There’s something especially meaningful about capturing that at the edge of the continent, during the country’s 250th year.”

During his 20-year career, Comen has collaborated with civic institutions, labor unions, foundations and community organizations to document the people and policies shaping American society, exhbit organizers said.

His photographs are held in the collections of the Library of Congress, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs' Art Bank and have twice been exhibited at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Comen's touring documentary exhibitions “The Newest Americans” and “Working America” have reached more than 50,000 viewers at 26 venues nationwide since 2018, organizers said.

"The Santa Monica Pier has always been a place where people from across Los Angeles and around the world come together,” said Jim Harris, executive director and historian of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, the non-profit that manages the landmark structure.

“Afterglow captures that beautifully," Harris said. "These portraits remind us that the Santa Monica Pier isn't defined only by its history and landmarks, but by the millions of people who bring their own stories, experiences and perspectives here."

“Afterglow” is a collaboration with the Santa Monica Pier Corporation and was made possible by Art of Recovery, an initiative of the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs. Art of Recovery was created after the coronavirus shutdown "to harness the power of the arts in revitalizing community life," City officials said.