Loading...Interfaith Paths to Peace will host a gallery talk with photo-ethnographer Mari Mujica on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Louisville.
Her talk will be at 3 p.m. in Bishops Hall at the cathedral's Diocesan House, 425 S. Second St. This event is free and open
to the public.
Ms. Mujica will discuss her photo exhibit, "Women's Dreams; Immigrant's Barriers," which is on display in Bishops Hall through January 8, 2012.
According to Mujica, the exhibit consists of portraits and testimonies of Latina Immigrants who, like her, were born and raised in another country, and now call the United States of America home. As the title declares, and most of the testimonies corroborate, as women with dreams and as immigrants with barriers. She describes experience and content of her photographs below:
"Besides being self-transforming, art can also be a magnificent provocateur of social change. Through art sometimes we experience what our minds cannot explain. Through art we are able to bypass internalized messages about who we are and how we perceive others and which unintentionally teach us to see or not to see others, depending on how we see ourselves.
"I hope these photo-ethnographies will help give face to 'the immigration issue,' inviting us to appreciate the gaze of the women photographed. The testimonies attempt to give voice to the dreams and barriers Latina Immigrants brave on an every day basis. However, even though we share dreams and aspirations as well as the common identity of being Latina women and immigrants, just as it happens with any other racial, ethnic, religious, or national group, inequities frequently override our commonalities. Unequal access to education and opportunities, to a violence-free existence, to the possibility of obtaining 'papers,' or to a straightforward path to naturalization are exposed not only in the words of the women but also through the freedom only some have to disclose one’s identity. Not having to hide one’s face is in and of itself a privilege not all Latina Immigrants have.
"I am grateful to all the women in these pictures for sharing with me their testimonies. These are just a glimpse of their stories and yet they are filled with love and courage –which, I believe-- are two of the highest manifestations of our common human experience."
Mujica is an independent coach, trainer and consultant specializing in diversity leadership and cultural competence. She now merges her passion for diversity, inclusion and social justice with her training and experience in ethnography and photography. Her goal as a photo-ethnographer is to document the uniqueness and magnificence of the human experience in everyday life.
To find out more about Mari Mujica and her work visit: www.marimujica.com <//www.marimujica.com/>
