Emvergeoning

Fotofronteras
Photography by Immigrant Youth in Detention and Emergency Shelter

Opening Reception
Monday, September 21, 2009
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Johnston Branch Library
6307 Sun Valley, San Antonio, TX 78227

The photos are striking, sad, poignant, humorous: clouds drifting over a high fence, a small plant growing out of parched and cracked soil, a mop wearing a hat, a silhouetted hand pressed against a window through which a road is dimly visible.

These are photos by immigrant youth, overwhelmingly from Central America, currently being held in detention while their immigration status is sorted out. Placed in the care of Child Protective Services, these children live in Emergency Shelters, where they are provided a number of services, including lawyers to help with their immigration hearings, school, and English language instruction.

Fotofronteras is an innovative vocational photography program developed to extend the frontiers of these youths’ lives by opening opportunities for meaningful employment and entrepreneurial activities in the field of photography. Developed by Dianne Monroe and Fadela Castro, the program is part of The Healing Arts, a collaborative managed by Jump-Start Performance Co. The program was made possible by a generous grant from the City of San Antonio’s Neighborhood Arts Program. The exhibit takes place at the Johnston Branch Library in Council District 4, in collaboration with Baptist Child & Family Services, who cares for the youth involved in this program. This exhibit is part of Fotoseptiembre 2009. The exhibit continues through, during regular library hours, Monday –Thursday, 9 – 9 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 9 – 5 p.m.

Approximately 100,000 undocumented immigrants under the age of 18 are stopped at the border each year. El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, account for about 85% of the youth detained. Texas hosts 58% of these youth, far more than any other state. Most of the youth taken into custody were attempting to join relatives already living in the U.S. The vast majority will be deported to their home countries, where they face deeply entrenched poverty and limited employment opportunities.

“I learned to develop skills I didn’t know I possessed,” said Carlos (not his real name), a program participant.

Through photography, Fotofronteras empowers participating youth to document their life stories, expand their personal horizons, and enlarge their vision of what is possible for them to accomplish in their lives.

The Healing Arts Project is partially funded by the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, San Antonio Area Foundation and Valero Energy Corp.

Visit the official Healing Arts website here.

“The artists from Jump-Start Performance Co. have provided the abused and neglected children residing at St. PJ’s with incredible opportunities to discover hidden talents and learn more about themselves. The respectful and creative interactive process between the artists and the children has led to many healing experiences, as well as significant improvements in self-esteem.”
- Susan Bomalaski, former Executive Director, St. Peter’s/St. Joseph’s Children’s Home

The Healing Arts project is a unique collaboration between ten community human service agencies and arts organizations that serve abused, neglected, or abandoned children. The program places trained artists and mentors in residential and community centers. The arts help traumatized children discover their creative talents and overcome expressive disorders resulting from abuse. The program began as a pilot project in 2000. As a result of its initial success, the Healing Arts program received major funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Currently, Jump-Start provides services at the Westside and Eastside Boys and Girls Clubs, Seton Home, Baptist Children’s Home and Santa Rosa Hospital.

Healing Arts projects include On The Loose, a rap CD with songs written and performed by children ages 11 to 15, puppet books featuring felt puppets in watercolor environments, an ongoing photography club where children learn basic principles of photography, and a Girls Club with arts activities that build self-esteem and address issues of concern to pre-adolescent girls.