Bridge Builders/Puntos de Unión

This year’s Latino Photography exhibit grew out of last year’s project, “Who Opens the Doors of the Town in the Morning?” in which we portrayed townspeople who work in the businesses along Main Street in Point Reyes Station. We realized that many who are vital to the life of the town were missing from our photo essay – childcare providers, social workers, therapists, clinic staff, and other individuals and work crews who provide outreach. We called this project Bridge Builders because these people perform their work at the interface of two cultures within our community. Some faces will be familiar, some you have never seen, but all play an important role in the wellbeing of the town. As we went about making these portraits, we came to realize there are many bridge-builders; here we show a group of local people representing both their own work and that of many others.

The photographs were made by second and third year Latino photography students – Juanita Diaz, Serapio Diaz, Yolanda Gutierrez, Betty Macias, Imelda Macias, Ramon Ramirez – and by Rosalyn Miller, co- cordinator, and by Columbian-born photojournalist/teacher Luz Elena Castro.

This exhibit was sponsored by Gallery Route One, with funding from individuals and from Marin Community Foundation. We extend our great appreciation to the Dance Palace Community Center and the Marin Literacy Project for their partnership. We also thank many who have helped: Gus Conde, Esperanza, Loretta Farley, Carol Friedman, Jill Gilbert, Jim Kravetz, Carlos and Rebecca Porrata, Eileen Puppo, Ana Maria Ramirez, and all the subjects of these photographs.

We extend special thanks to Bob Vaughn of Frameline Photo in Sausalito for great, affordable lab work, and to photographer Steven Brock of Inverness for his help with matting and framing, and for his generosity and skill producing the final prints.