Please join us on Thursday September 15th from 6-9 PM  for the opening of Capturing Community a photo essay by Marilyn Montufar.

Capturing Community is a photo essay by fine art photographer Marilyn Montufar. Marilyn is interested in photographing diverse life-styles that surface in major metropolitan areas and often results in an extended study of people over several years. She is interested in documenting the transitions inherent in gentrification and human relationships through a practice of portraiture and an exploration of the evolving urban and natural landscape. Individuals are depicted in intimate environments, such as their homes and neighborhoods. In many cases, the subject may be a stranger who she met by chance and the photographic encounter only their second meeting. Therefore, an exchange of trust and risk is necessary on both ends.  

In the fall of 2015 Marilyn was awarded the Artist Trust GAP Grant to assist her in photographing across the United States. On this journey, she photographed individuals who do not fit neatly into a mold in order to give a voice and face to people marginalized in mainstream society; individuals who are on the periphery of society, socially, economically, or racially. The exploration of identity in people’s environments has been an ongoing theme in her photography; for these reasons, she was interested in photographing places such as border towns in Texas, where culture is a mixture of two identities, neither Mexican nor American. In an attempt to understand how different environments influence communities and the people who reside there, the photo essay was extended to numerous locations across the country.

The photographs featured at Feast Arts Center were captured in Los Angeles, New York, New Mexico and Juarez, Mexico - the border towns of Chihuahua and El Paso, Texas.

Marilyn’s ultimate goal is to become part of a new generation of women who create art through a feminine lens, different from the male counterparts who have historically dominated the field. She considers herself to be an arts activist, both in her role as a youth art mentor and through the photographs she creates. It is equally important for her to be an active artist who exhibits photography that raises social consciousness and a teacher who continues to share the knowledge she acquires with younger artists.

To learn more about Marilyn and her work please visit www.montufarphotography.com