I have been a regular at Trilogy Coffee in DeLand since 2020, and since then Trilogy has been quite the meaningful part of my life. I developed a deep appreciation for craft coffee at Trilogy, spending hours upon hours in conversation with the baristas that have worked there over the years. Many of these baristas and fellow regulars have become great friends. When I have a meeting with someone in town, Trilogy is the spot. I basically did my entire senior year of my undergraduate degree at Trilogy.

One of many special things about Trilogy is that there are local artist exhibits, rotating every month, thoughtfully curated by friend-of-the-blog Crystal Freeland. And so, as Sofia and I have gotten further and further into photography, it made sense to eventually do an exhibit at Trilogy. That day, my friends, that month, is today!

And so, for all ye faithful thinkers & doers who can’t make it out to DeLand to see the exhibit in person, or perhaps it is years from the time of writing this post and someone wishes to reflect upon our artistic brilliance, I have immortalized the exhibit in this post. Please enjoy!

August Maulfair and Sofia Drissi are DeLand photographers intent on capturing the town that they call home. 

August seeks to capture candid moments taking place in Downtown DeLand. They aim to portray the moments and people that make DeLand what it is, in all its complexity. By depicting the Friday night market alongside the Saturday morning protests, August highlights that the communal moments of the market are no more of a representation of our town and the people that inhabit it than the protests are.

The market and the protests take place less than a block away, and less than a day apart. The two are often seen as fundamentally different; August sees them as reflections of the same community — the festivity of the market is present in the protests, and the politics of the protests in the market. August invites viewers to reconsider where politics begin and end.

The private sphere — our homes and the lives we live within them — captures Sofia’s eye. They are interested in the ways domestic spaces reflect not only personal history, but force us to confront the history of our town. After moving to DeLand, Sofia became fascinated by the city’s contrasts. its aging homes and complex history exists alongside a striking wealth disparity. Observing this dichotomy shaped the way they look at domestic spaces, not just as places to live, but as a mirror of economic realities, family histories, and personal opportunities.

Their work explores how the spaces we occupy reveal the systems we live within and the institutions that uphold them. Who gets to excel? And who gets left behind? These decisions were decided generations ago but the impact is still felt today. By focusing on the ordinary and everyday details, they invite viewers to think about what a home can tell us — not only about the people who live there, but about the communities and histories that surround them.