FALL RIVER – Life in Fall River from the perspective of a group of English language learners is the focus of “Through Our Eyes,” a photography exhibit opening at the Narrows Center for the Arts.
Over the course of several months, students at Southeastern Massachusetts SER-Jobs for Progress captured images from their lives, sharing an intimate look at their worlds. The immigrants’ new neighborhoods in Fall River, family and friends, and the traditions they brought with them from their native homes were some of the images they captured for the project, held in collaboration with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
More than 30 students took part in the project, producing about 250 images for the exhibit, which coincides with the 40th anniversary celebration of SER-Jobs for Progress. Originally founded to help Portuguese immigrants, SER-Jobs serves immigrants from varying parts of the globe who move to Fall River seeking a better life, said Maria Ferreira-Bedard, executive director Southeastern Massachusetts SER-Jobs for Progress.
When UMD anthropology professor Andrea Klimt approached Bedard-Ferreira with the idea of SER-Jobs students participating in the project, she said it was serendipitous that it coincided with the milestone anniversary. “We were founded 40 years ago to serve immigrants from Portugal and now we’re still serving immigrants. Many of the people on our staff are first generation college graduates and I hope we inspire our students,” said Ferreira-Bedard.
The photography project and resulting exhibition was a great opportunity for the students, said Bedard-Ferreira. “It exposed them to the arts, creativity and cultural organizations in the city, like the Narrows, they may not have been aware of before this project.”
For Fall River, the exhibit is a great way to celebrate the diversity of the immigrant community, added Ferreira-Bedard. “This city is all about immigrants coming into the city. There may be folks who aren’t aware of the people coming from all over the world to Fall River.”
In past years, Klimt also established photography collaboration projects with B.M.C. Durfee High School students and another one with UMD students that focused on Fall River manufacturing. This project, she said in a press release, “offers insight into family, community, cultural traditions, and what it's like to leave a homeland in pursuit of a safer and better life in the US. The exhibit, supported by a MassHumanities grant, provokes thoughtful and empathetic engagement with the immigrant experience.”
SER-Jobs ESOL instructor Cristina Raposo said the students who worked on the project emigrated from a variety of areas including Russia, Moldova, Egypt, Lebanon, and various parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
As they delved into the project, they talked about their images and what they wanted to convey to people through their photographs, said Raposo.
In the beginning, the students wanted to show how they were assimilating into the community here in Fall River with images of their neighborhoods and the parks they visit with their kids. As the project progressed, she said they became more comfortable sharing more personal images of their lives. Food was one of the common themes, said Raposo. “It’s a nice glimpse into their lives. I love the pictures,” added Raposo.
The opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Saturday, March 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St. It is free and open to the public, and families are welcome. It will be on display through May 4.
This project was made possible by a grant from MassHumanities, as well as contributions from SER-Jobs for Progress, Inc., and the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. The second phase of this project, which will entail public art installations of photographs throughout Fall River, from the "Through Our Eyes" collection, is supported by a Creative Commonwealth Grant from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. All the photographs are also accessible to the public via the Fall River Portraits website (fallriverportraits.org) which was made possible by a Creative Economies Grant from the University of Massachusetts President’s Office.