OJOS nuevos - THE GRAND FINALE!!!

The OJOS girls from Hogar Nuestra Señora de la Paz and Hogar Aldea María Reina had an amazing exhibition! The opportunity to have a joint show to congratulate the kids with a proper grand finale to the workshop and share their artwork with the Chilean community was an absolute hit.

When putting the show together, Christy and I noticed incredible similarities in the girls work although both groups had never met nor photographed together. During the editing process, the photographs the kids took became even more alive by playing off each other with shots of hands, graffiti, self-portraits, shadows, silhouettes, repetition, pictures of people on the street, and hogar life. Behind the scenes, we worked overtime sizing, writing, printing, pasting, and passing out flyers promoting the event. The show was hung 2 hours before the opening night, but not without hesitation as to if everything would really be done in time for all the people that were invited! Luckily, the empanadas and soft drinks went over well and music set the tone with some of the kids' favorite Latin songs from Shakira, Mana, and Chancho and Piedra.

Girls from both hogares showed up in 2 bus loads, packing the gallery space with their energy and excitement. Directors, social assistants, parents, even one of the girl's professors came to see the show and show his support. The participants were so proud of themselves. They stared, pointed, and even walked right up and touched the photos, naming whose picture was whose, remembering when and where they had been taken. They bounced around between finding their own photographs on display and signing autographs for people who purchased their prints. One photo was selected from each girl and instructor and blown up to a 5x7 with the photographer's name and date as captions in the corner. Some girls didn't believe that anybody would actually buy their work, but when the night ended, they had collectively made $80 USD. The proceeds were split evenly between each hogar so that the participants could either print more of their own photographs for themselves or for their hogars' walls.

To end the night, the girls were congratulated and each was asked to sign the self-portrait board. They were given a diploma and a handmade frame with a collage of portraits of themselves as a memory of their experience participating in OJOS nuevos.

As for the future of OJOS nuevos, the volunteer program VE Global would like to continue teaching photography to the kids that the volunteers work with. In order to do that, they need volunteer photographers interested in carrying out the workshop in other hogares, schools, and community centers in Santiago. Now that Christy and I have finished our volunteer outreach projects in Chile, we hope to continue to travel through South America doing our own documentary photography while searching for the next OJOS nuevos project in another country.

Check out all of our sponsors OJOS nuevos Articles!
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*On behalf off all the children and both instructors, we'd like to especially thank the following sponsors that made OJOS nuevos and the exhibition possible: PENTAX, TakeGreatPictures.com, VE Global, Instituto ARCOS, Club Color, Maricarmen Fredes, Luke Bakke and Michelle Dady, and Max & Sara Drew.

Exhibition Invite -- OJOS nuevos OPENING

May 24th marks the date of my girls first photo exhibition! Not only will it be a chance to celebrate the end of their OJOS workshop, sponsored by PENTAX and TakeGreatPictures.com, but it will also be a chance for them to share their work with the community and have the opportunity to sell it, too. Together with the OJOS class of Hogar Aldea María Reina, the works of 10 girls will be featured. The show will be at the photo and art Institute ARCOS in downtown Santiago and will remain there until June 7th. We hope to highlight the girls photos that they took in the hogar as well as of themselves and of their community.

OJOS Girls Go to Val-PO

Valparaíso. Clusters of houses cling to the hills of this port town, covering the coast with a rainbow of colors making it a perfect place to take pictures. This has been the trip the girls have been looking forward to since we posted the photo workshop's schedule on the hogar's walls the first week OJOS started. "We're going to Valparaíso?!" -- better known to the gringos who visit as Valpo. "Qué bakan!" (How cool!)

4 girls ended up going on the field trip. To make sure we had plenty of protection and support so the girls could get individual attention and so we could avoid losing any more cameras, we had an adult pair up with each girl. One of the tía's came because the volunteers have never taken kids outside of Santiago -- a huge experience OJOS was fortunate to bring to the girls of both camera programs. And volunteers Eleanor and Michelle came along, too, making the day trip so memorable and fun for everyone.

We took pictures from the sea to the top of the cerros (hills) starting with a 30-minute boat tour of the port. The girls got a great view of Chile's NAVY yard close up and of the skyline off in the distance. When we got back to land, the tía bought them souvenirs from local vendors. Then we wandered up a mountain to get lost in the windy maze of streets that make up place. The first street we chose found us at a dead end doubly confirmed by 2 shady young men kind enough to warn us to head back down and try a street a few blocks in another direction. We found a stairway that lead up a more inviting route and started to climb.

The girls photographed wall paintings, street stencils, art vendors, strangers, each other, and the view from above. For the first time, they did great following their instincts to shoot their own subject matter while photographing in a group. Everyone was able to move at their own pace with an adult by each kid's side and nobody bothered us. The biggest complaint was how tired their little legs were from having to climb and climb, but around every corner was something entertaining or new that kept them going, kept them looking: a playground to explore, a cat to follow, a mural to contemplate.

We ate empanadas and fresh fruit on the bus ride back to Santiago while listening to Eleanor's iPod. The tía and I took the kids all the way back to the hogar, about an hour and a half from the bus station. On the way home, I told Evelyn that this was my last month at the hogar. A nostalgic look on her face was followed by tears that didn't stop streaming until a half hour later. I kept my arm around her whispering how much I enjoyed spending time with her and how we would keep in touch with e-mail and snail mail, pictures and looking forward to the next time we'd see each other. It was powerful feeling the impact of my presence on this little 15 year old. The despedida at the end of the month is going to be a tough goodbye.