Stop by the Main Library in May or June 2023 to enjoy the solo art show by Kimberly Espinosa “Memories That Make Home.” This exhibition is on loan from Las Fotos Project.
Las Fotos Project’s mission is to elevate the voices of teenage girls and gender-expansive youth from communities of color through photography and mentoring, empowering them to channel their creativity for the benefit of themselves, their community, and future careers. Las Fotos Project was launched to provide opportunities for those who are both systemically and socially silenced to make themselves heard.
About the Artist:
Kimberly Espinosa (she/lebe’) is a Zapotec community organizer and photojournalist from Koreatown, Los Angeles. Their work highlights connections to family history, youth culture, and community solidarity.
Growing up in a community where storytelling exists as a prominent method of preserving ancestral knowledge, she understands the importance of practicing this in the work she documents. During her high school experience, Kimberly was a student with Las Fotos Project and the Koreatown Storytelling Program. She developed intergenerational interviews along with photographs of community members who spoke about their hometown memories, experiences as part of the working class, and their dreams for a better world. This fall, Kimberly will be attending Northwestern University as a first-year student in the Medill School of Journalism.
About the Exhibition:
I grew up in Koreatown with Bene’ Xtidxa (Zapotec) parents who told stories about what home back in Veracruz, Mexico was like. Often, I saw parts of their stories reflected in our experiences while living in Koreatown, especially in the celebrations and community fundraisers we went to that mirrored the same network of intergenerational support.
At these events, jarabes play in the background by La Banda de Santa Cecilia de Los Angeles, there are danzas, and traditional foods from our pueblo are also served. Many relatives also reconnect during this time as it is usually the only time they are able to get together outside ofbwork. These community fundraisers, commonly referred to as kermeses, are an important element of building solidarity and mutual aid networks. At kermeses, folks pitch in to help raise funds for an individual when faced with financial distress, for various community festivities held throughout the year, and sometimes, to also support community-based projects back in our hometown.
This year, I had the blessing of visiting our homeland where I felt many of my parent’s memories come alive. Memories like coming together to support one another as a community while honoring traditions like playing music, sharing dialogue with one another, and eating comfort foods. As I prepare to move and experience new spaces at college, I find comfort in being able to remember, celebrate, and honor the memories that make home. This exhibition is a documentation of my memories with family, community members, and places existing across Koreatown and the greater Los Angeles area, an extension of our hometown in El Nigromante, Playa Vicente, Veracruz.