Artist Statement
True
Faces of Colombia
Las Verdaderas Caras de Colombia
During these past few decades the image of Colombia as a lawless
society dominated by drug lords has developed. I remember
countless movies or TV shows showcasing Colombian mafiosos
and their cronies (Can you say, Miami Vice?). When images
of Colombia were presented it was either the extravagant hacienda
of a drug lord or the poor villages or jungles where everyone
else supposedly lived. A good recent example is the movie
“Mr. And Mrs. Smith” where Bogotá is depicted
as a tropical jungle. Bogotá is a modern metropolis
of nearly 5 million people and there isn’t any jungle
within hundreds of miles. I don’t blame the filmmakers,
however. If they showed Bogotá the way it actually
is nobody would buy it. I wouldn’t have believed it
myself if I hadn’t visited Colombia, so ingrained are
these mass media stereotypes.
Experiencing the beauty and diversity of Colombia and its
culture for the 1st time as a 20 year-old college student
completely changed my life. Previously, I had been ashamed
of my heritage because of all the negativity surrounding Colombia,
but after that trip I accepted and embraced it. A few years
ago I began planning “True Faces of Colombia.”
I realized that I had to do something to change people’s
perceptions of Colombia and as a photographer I had a way
to do it.
True Faces of Colombia is my attempt to present
Colombians as they truly are-- to give a variety of faces
to a people who have been denied them by the media. Most of
my time was spent in Cali and the surrounding Departamento
(state) of Valle del Cauca. Despite tough economic conditions
and other challenges, Caleños are known to be the happiest
and most fun loving people in Colombia. Now you have an opportunity
to meet some of them and learn a little about Colombian culture
as well.
I would like to thank the Independence Foundation and the
National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) for
their support, without which this project and exhibition would
not have been possible.
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| Awards
2005
National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Arts Fellowship
2004
Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts
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| Professional Experience
2001–present
Julia de Burgos Bilingual School, Philadelphia, PA
Bilingual Technology Teacher
2002–2004
Latinos in Philadelphia Project, Historical Society of Philadelphia
and Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, Philadelphia, PA
Photographer
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| Professional Affiliations
2004-present
President, Philadelphia Center for the Photographic Image
(PCPI)
2001-present
Member, 3rd
Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Secretary, 2001-2002
2000-present
Director, Exposure Photography Outreach Program
1999-present
Co-Founder and President, The Light Room
Member, School District Committee on World Languages
1999-2002
Member, Mayor’s Transition Committee on Urban Blight
1999-2000
President, Police-Barrio Relations Project
1998-present
Member, National Association for Bilingual Education
1998-1999
President, Gamma Phi Sigma, Hermanos Unidos
Volunteer Technology Instructor, Kensington High School
1997-1998
Vice President, Amigos de Roberto Clemente
1994-present
Board member, Amigos de Roberto Clemente
1994-1996
Board member, Taller Puertorriqueño
1993-present
Co-Founder and Board Member, Police-Barrio Relations Project
1993-1995
Board member, St. Simeon's Community Center
1992-present
Co-Founder and member, Gamma Phi Sigma, Hermanos Unidos
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| Bibliography
2006
Hill, Lori, “Recasting Colombia”, City Paper,
January 2006
2005
Hill, Lori, “Moving Pictures”, City Paper,
July 2005
Rosado, Geraldine, “Exhibición muestra las verdaderas
caras de Cali”, Al Día, July 2005
2004
Fallon, Roberta, “When they were Puerto Rican”,
Philadelphia Weekly, January 2004
2003
Williams Vance, Donna, “Photo Exhibit Explores Latino
Communities”, Philadelphia Daily News, November
2003
Sozanski, Edward, , “Intimate Portraits”, The
Philadelphia Inquirer, April 2003
Hill, Lori, City Paper, April 2003
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| Publications
2004
“Immigrant Philadelphians: From Cobblestone Streets
to Korean Soap-Operas”, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
in Collaboration with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Edited by Anita Schillhorn van Veen
2003
“Latino Philadelphia: Our Journeys, Our Lives/Filadefia
Latina: Nuestros Caminos, Nuestras Vidas”
Exhibition script and photographs, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
with the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, Philadelphia,
2003
“The Transformers”, Trust Magazine,
Fall 2003, cover and pp 2-9, 12 images used in article on
the research and information produced by the PEW Hispanic
Center
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| Collections
Public
Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Permanent Collection
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Permanent Collection and Archives
Taller Puertorriqueño, Philadelphia, PA
Permanent Collection and Archives
Centro Cultural Comfandi, Cali, Colombia
Permanent Collection
Private
Alan Klein, Haverford, PA
Hope Proper, Cherry Hill, NJ
Alysa Bennett, Narbareth, PA
Marisol Lezcano, Norristown, PA
Dr. Carmen Febo San Miguel, Philadelphia, PA
Charles Allen, Philadelphia, PA
Jenny Lopez, Bogotá, Colombia
Al Wachlin, Jr., Philadelphia, PA
Julia Lopez, Philadelphia, PA
Marangeli Mejia, Philadelphia, PA
Alexa Dunn, Doylestown, PA
Magda Martinez, Philadelphia, PA
Hope Proper, Cherry Hill, NJ
Jennifer Steinberg, Philadelphia, PA
Carol Albrecht, Lansdale, PA
Vincent Sangmeister, Philadelphia, PA
Thomas Sheeder, Jr, Philadelphia, PA
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| Selected Exhibitions
Solo
2006
Caras Verdaderas de Colombia, Centro Cultural de
Cali, Colombia
2005
Caras Verdaderas de Colombia, Raices Culturales Latinoamericanos,
Philadelphia, PA
2004
A Focus on Women, Congreso Girls Center, Philadelphia,
PA
12 Years of Pictures, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia,
PA
2001
New Work, Feewee’s, Philadelphia, PA
Two-person
2006
Caras Verdaderas de Colombia, Third Street Gallery,
Philadelphia, PA
2001
Blanco y Negro, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia,
PA
Group
2005-2006
Photo National, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster,
PA
Juried Exhibition
Philadelphia Center for the Photographic Image Exhibition,
DaVinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
North of the Border Exhibition, ADM Gallery, Philadelphia,
PA
Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
Juried Exhibition
2004
Small Works, Perkins Center for the Arts Gallery,
Moorestown, NJ
Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Noches de Arte in El Barrio, Group Exhibition of
Light Room Photographers, Julia de Burgos School, Philadelphia,
PA
2003
Small Works VIII, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia,
PA
Noches de Arte in El Barrio, Group Exhibition of
Latino Photographers, Julia de Burgos School, Philadelphia,
PA
Our Stories Our Lives, Latinos in Philadelphia, Taller
Puertorriqueño, Philadelphia, PA
Primary Photographer/Visual Anthropologist
PHOTOgraphy 2003, The Sketch Club, Philadelphia,
PA
Juried Exhibition
Taller Puertorriqueño 28th Anniversary Art Exhibition,Taller
Puertorriqueño, Philadelphia, PA
2002
Latin Vibe, Aqualounge, Philadelphia, PA
Latino Photographer Exhibition, Manayunk Arts Center,
Philadelphia, PA
Photography Exhibition, Imaginestation Online Art
Gallery
http://www.imaginestation.net
Juried Exhibition
2001
Small Works VII, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia,
PA
1999
Perkins Center for the Arts Gallery, Moorestown, New Jersey
Juried Exhibition
1998
City Paper Photography Juried Competition, The Five
Spot, Philadelphia, PA
Honorable Mention
Juried Exhibition
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| Other
2004
A Night at the Bayou, Painted Bride Arts Center,
Philadelphia, PA
Art Auction
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