It is during these days of September when the “Fiestas Patrias” take place in Mexico. I remember being at the plaza in my hometown to celebrate Independence Day. On that night, the plaza is full of people and you can smell the “guajolotes” and “enchiladas” that the senoras prepare on the street for the passersby. It is also a big tradition to go to dance that night and party all night long. At midnight everybody gets together to shout “Viva!” to the people’s names who gave us sovereignty. Meanwhile, here in Cleveland, “Hispanic Heritage Month” has already started; movies, workshops, storytelling, art shows, cultural festivals, dance, music and all the Hispanic expression fill almost three months of activities. Cuyahoga Community College produces the poster with the Hispanic Heritage Month calendar listing all the events. This year I had the opportunity to be part of the image featured on the poster. It was a collaboration between Ana Luisa and me. Ana Luisa is a Mexican artist who designs and creates papier mache “Catrinas” that are a traditional folk art form in Mexico. These are some of the image proposals and the final selection (the last image seen below) for the Festival Hispano Cleveland 2008.
I have had the opportunity to be part of the Latino Arts Ohio 2008 exhibit at the City of Upper Arlington, Ohio. If you live in Upper Arlington or close to Columbus, Ohio please take a look at this great show. There is only one week left. The Concourse Gallery is located in the Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Rd. Hours M-F 8-5 p.m. Admision Free. I would like to thank Eagle Gatins and Elena Osterwalder who curated this show. The exhibition showcases a variety of artwork by the following artists: Alejandro Rivera, Ana Luisa Sanchez, Elsie Sanchez, Hector Castellanos, Juan Granados, Mabi Ponce de Leon, Micaela de Vivero, Rafael Valdivieso and Wilfredo Calvo-Bono. The master Rodolfo Vazquez, flautist from Mexico, enhanced the opening exhibit with his quartet “El Viento Calido.” In addition, Latino poets Juan Armando Rojas, Mauricio Espinoza and Eduardo Jaramillo presented original poems inspired by the exhibit. Take a look at this event on this short video.
It was late spring when I did these wedding photos for Magda and Jim. The temperature was around 50 degrees Fahrenheit with some wind, but that did not stop them from posing for me at the Hope Memorial Bridge. I decided to go to this location that I had previously scouted and do some adventure photos as a remembrance of those 007 movies. The black and white wedding photography was perfect for that theme.
Thanks to the support of University Hospitals, West Side Ecumenical Ministry, friends and volunteers, last year I started a continuing project called “Our Latin Blood”. The idea of this project is based on the fact that we as Latinos or Hispanics have certain physical characteristics that make us representative of certain regions of this continent. We are a mix of cultures and ethnicities as diverse as those of the United States. One can tell by our physical appearance that some of us have blood of Indigenous, European, African or Asian peoples. This is a small sample of this mix of cultures that is represented by people who have immigrated to the US or were born here to Latino or Hispanic parents. I wanted to present, in a simple and straightforward photographic portrait, an homage to our roots, to the group of people that is growing and having more and more influence in all aspects of life in this country.
If you would like to be part of this project please contact me to schedule a photo shoot.
Also visit my commercial site to see more about this project:
I like to do portraits in interesting places around Cleveland, like the ones that I did for Dee Dee at the Literary Cafe in historic Tremont. Take a look at my Portrait Services in my website for more information.
I just set up two new websites and this blog. So let’s start rolling.
Visit my new commercial website where you can check out my personal projects, lifestyle photography, food photography and corporate photography : www.alejandroriveraphoto.com
Let’s start with a little bit of Salsa this year. But I am not talking about the one that makes you shake your bones. I will do some photos of that kind of Salsa in the near future. I am talking about the Salsas that are shaking up palates in Northeast Ohio. “Orale” (OR ah lay) is the name of Roberto Martinez’s stand at the West Side Market, specializing in contemporary Mexican cuisine. He is the creator of these colorful and delicious salsas. For more information about Roberto’s food, visit him at the West Side Market, stand F7.
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