This time we have the great opportunity to display photos that we took during this trip and the ones taken during our previous trip two years ago when we were in Ecuador at Casa De La Danza. The photographs used in our exhibition at CityArts in Providence, Rhode Island were used here as well. Each artist created a coherent body of work with five photographs along with an artist statement. The students’ artworks from Colegio Filippo Brunellschi were also displayed there. It was a great night that the parents of the students were able to attend.
Artist Statement:
Language is a mechanism used for communication. What if you do not speak or understand the language? Does this handicap you from expressing your feelings, inhibit you from communicating your thoughts, and exclude or isolate you from others? At first, I thought not speaking Spanish was most certainly and definitely a challenge. Nonetheless, I was excited about the adventure ahead of me. I learned that language was not the only way of communication.
Art speaks to us in a language that we need to use our heart to appreciate, our hands to feel and our eyes to capture the enduring beauty. Knowing that photography can affect people in many ways, I wanted to fully explore photography as a form of art. I have always known that photography was used in social documentaries. However, it was not until this trip that I truly understood what it meant to be living with art. We found beauty and grace with the people of Ecuador. We found harmony and serenity in the landscape of Ecuador. Our cameras not only captured the moments but also the compassion and the empathy. Experiencing something firsthand rather than from a spectator's point of a view was very different. Art was presented as a communication breaker, a bridge between different cultures. I learned art was everywhere; the role of art in bridging cultures and the role it has in capturing the beauty of the land, culture, and the individuals we met. If we could just slow down and take in the beauty around us, then we would be able to live in art everyday of our lives. Taking pictures in Ecuador allowed me to slow down and appreciate life.