Typed Purpose

Throughout High School, I participated in a darkroom photography apprenticeship where with the guidance of my instructor Kristie Kahns, I grew as an artist and as an analytical thinker. 

As part of one of our field trips, Kristie took us to the Special Collections and Preservation Division at Harold Washington Library, where Mr. Akito Tsuda's photographs are currently housed. 

That is where I first encountered Mr. Tsuda's work. The striking resemblance to different scenes and people I encountered growing up in my neighborhood, Little Village astounded me. 

I have encountered the work of many talented photographers where days or even months after seeing their work I still ponder on it, but Mr. Tsuda's work struck a completely different level of inspiration and awe within me. 

This project was born while conversing with my beloved professor Dr. Carmela Ferradans about Mr. Tsuda's powerful photographs. I wanted to develop a project where I was able to share these photographs and the valuable impact they had on me and my peers.

Representation is everything to me. Coming into a predominantly white institution didn't change the fact that I am a first-generation, mexican-american daughter of immigrants, but I felt it did change the way people reacted and viewed this part of my identity.

I grew up on the southwest side of Chicago in the predominately Mexican neighborhood of Little Village. Growing up, people who looked like me and came from a similar background as me were the majority. My culture and identity were important but I didn't feel like it was the first thing people saw when they looked at me. 

Coming into college where instead of being part of the majority I turned into part of the underwhelming minority, I felt stuck. The label of 'first generation' went from being a simple box I checked on my college applications to a bright pink elephant in a room. 

I am a lover of all things analog due to my upbringing. I learned about photography through the darkroom so therefore when it comes to adaptation and change, I tend to prefer analog methods (much like my photographic interests).  

This project is much more than just a passion project for me. With it, I hope to introduce the work of Mr. Tsuda to those who may not have encountered it before and showcase the stories and lives of Mexican Pilsen residents. 

I hope that with this website the audience can see how influential and powerful Mr. Tsuda's images were to me and my peers. I also hope to show how the ideas of identity that Mr. Tsuda set in his images can be found in my work and the work of my peers. 

Thank you for taking the time to look through my website and the ideas I have put together.