We’re in a gallery at a Santa Paula Museum. In front of us is a gigantic photo, the size of a wall. It’s a portrait of a woman wearing a traditional Mexican dress. The woman in the photo is standing in front of it, seeing it for the first time.
"Well, in that picture you can see me, right? Who I am, the pride of my roots, and looking forward to the future, to be a better person, and better to serve this country," said Carolina Gallardo-Magana. She is one of dozens of immigrants featured in a new Museum of Ventura County exhibition called In Focus: Mexican Indigenous Voices of Ventura County.
There are more than three dozen photos here, sharing the cultural heritages of some of the county’s residents.
"There were 16 photo shoots, and over 40 photographs in this exhibition, which is a representation of all the groups that live in the county," said Museum Chief Curator Carlos Ortega.
"We have many different peoples. Mixtecos, Zapotec, Purepecha, Maya, Nahua, and Otomi are the main groups living in the county that bring their culture and work ethics which are outstanding. Mexican indigenous groups in Ventura County are not here to take away, but rather to contribute, and to make Ventura County a better place to live," said Ortega.
The museum curator tapped one of North America’s most famous portrait photographers to shoot the images for the exhibition.
"Diego Huerta is one of the best portrait photographers out there," said Ortega, "He has been documenting Mexican indigenous groups in in Mexico for the last two decades. He has never done this outside Mexico. Why not bring him to document the same groups in Ventura County?"
There was a month long photo shoot last August. Huerta shot images of members of some of the county’s indigenous communities wearing their traditional clothing in locations around the county.
"For me, the story is to show that the immigrant isn't just a farmworker," said Huerta. "We came with nothing, but at the same time we came with everything. We have our culture, our colors, our traditions. So, for me (the photos) are to show what the real immigrant looks like."
The photos almost look like three dimensional paintings.
The exhibition has been in the works for some time. But, given the new controversy surrounding immigrants, and immigration the timing of its opening this month couldn’t be better.
Gallardo-Magana and her husband came to the United States more than two decades ago as farmworkers. The Oxnard woman is now a successful business owner.
"I am Mexican. I am from the state of Guerrero. I came back in 1989, 23 years old I was, and I didn't know how to speak English. Now I am a citizen. I am very proud to contribute to this country," said Gallardo-Magana.
She said she’s proud of her Mexican heritage, and proud to be an American.
"We have contributed to this country...hard work, loyalty, and honesty. (But some of what's happening) really hurts my heart. I feel like people are saying that we immigrants are criminals. At the end of the day, there could be (a few), just like in any other race, but we are very hard workers, and I think I am the living proof I am not a criminal," laughed Gallardo-Magana.
Gallarado-Magana says she hopes this exhibition will help people have a better understanding of the county’s more than 100,000 indigenous residents.
"I am very, very grateful to be in this country. Mexico is my mother, and the USA is my very, very good stepmom," said Gallardo-Magana. "Mexico gave me life, and the USA gave me the tools to succeed."
"I hope that people can identify these people as their neighbors, because they don't live in a different planet, a different county," said Huerta. "They can be their neighbors. It's time to recognize that we live in the same space."
In Focus: Mexican Indigenous Voice of Ventura County is now open at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agricultural Museum, in Santa Paula.
