Mexico Through the Eyes of its Children
Posted by Hope In Shadows on May 19, 2009
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Contest winners were drawn to an exhibition because of its similarity to Hope in Shadows.
Eight of this year's top 40 contest winners embarked on an outing to see the exhibit Mexico Through the Eyes of its Children, on display at the Roundhouse Community Centre.
The exhibition featured photographs by children between the ages of 9 and 17 who had participated in a project sponsored by Fondo para Niños de Mexico, an international organization that supports the development of millions of children around the world who live in conditions of poverty.
About 90 children from six different Mexican states participated in this project. They received basic training in digital photography and were given the opportunity to represent, from their own perspective, their lives and surroundings. For many children it was the first time they had access to a camera.
The exhibition was impressive. As we poured over the images we'd sometimes pause to comment on the power of a photo and the emotional response it evoked.
Through their visual stories, the Mexican children showed us aspects of their daily lives - their tools for cooking and the insides of their homes, the stateliness of their Mayan elders, whimsical moments at play, the family dog perched on a wooden chair.
The Hope in Shadows photographers were interested in an image's content but also took note of technical elements like composition and the effective use of light.
As well as exploring the art of photography, the outing gave us an opportunity to come together and get to know one another a little better. Some of the contest participants had brought their own photos to show and they shared stories about their Hope in Shadows experiences. There was a moment when Garvin, a two-time contest winner and calendar seller, took a look around at the contest participants and exclaimed "we are all published photographers!"
We'd like to thank Christine, a graphic designer from Mexico who volunteers with Hope in Shadows, for translating the captions from Spanish and giving us a better understanding of Mexican culture.
Carolyn Wong started working as Project Coordinator for Hope in Shadows in May 2008.
