iFiesta Fotográfica! is an exhibition commemorating El Pueblo’s past, present and future through
photography, storytelling and design. This well-publicized pilot event (coverage by Channel 13, Channel 4, Tucson Sentinel), iFiesta Fotográfica: El Pueblo Celebration!, was hosted at the historic patio on May 6, 2023, and launched the ongoing partnership between UArizona courses and community reinvestment efforts uplifting this celebrated Southside community center through collaborative study, interpretation, and design thinking.
El Pueblo Neighborhood Center is a hub for recreational and public services, neighborly exchange and community placekeeping in Tucson’s Southside. Located at the intersection of Irvington & South Sixth Avenue, it is adjacent to the Laos Transit Center and the Tucson Rodeo Grounds, houses such key Tucson Chicano cultural landmarks as the Frank De La Cruz Public Library and the headquarters of US Congressman Raúl Grijalva. Wrapped in murals and memory and traversed by families and public servants, the center is now the focus of efforts by multiple stakeholders in the city and private sector for revitalization and reinvestment. The centerpiece of the event "¡Fiesta Fotográfica: El Pueblo Celebration!" was held in May 6, 2023 – a multimedia exhibition featuring photography, film and newly commissioned artwork commemorating El Pueblo's past, present, and future, drawing from two courses offered that Spring at UArizona through the College of Humanities and College of Architecture, Planning and Architecture (CAPLA). The Center for Creative Photography (CCP), as part of community engagement for the major retrospective for Linda McCartney, supported student learning through visual literacy modules inspired by the photographic pedagogy of Hazel Larsen Archer, celebrated Tucson-based photographer and teacher of McCartney. The reception welcomed over two hundred audience members from mixed communities in an event that highlighted local entrepreneurs, caterers, organizations and cultural treasures, with remarks by elected officials and community advocates and collaborative memory-making including an interactive timetable, photobooth and Polaroid station.
We would like to acknowledge funding for this project from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA); the Marshall Foundation; the UArizona Experiential Learning Design Accelerator; UArizona Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) Faculty Seed Grant, which supported sessions with Latinx digital humanist scholar and course artist-in-resident, Dr. Leigh-Anna Hidalgo; Arts|Humanities|Resilience Grant from UArizona College of Fine Arts (CFA) Research, Innovation & Impact (RII) and the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR), which is providing support for our newly inducted community documentarians and artists-in-residence, Luis Gonzalez and Jessica Wolff. We want to thank community and teaching partners, collaborators and storytellers from Sunnyside Foundation; the Office of Congressman Raúl Grijalva; Nuestras Raíces Pima County Public Library (PCPL) and Frank de la Cruz-El Pueblo Public Library; Raúl Council Member Lane Santa Cruz and Ward 1; Council Member Richard Fimbres and Ward 5; Supervisor Adelita S. Grijalva - Pima County Board of Supervisors, District 5; City of Tucson Parks and Recreation, UArizona, especially the College of Humanities (COH) and the Department of Public and Applied Humanities (PAH), College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA), Center for Creative Photography (CCP), UArizona Libraries Special Collections.
None of this would be possible without members of our communities who participated in our Community Reinvestment Days, site visits, storytelling panels, community photo-shoots, workshops, pin-ups and reviews, who took the time to help us learn and share the story of El Pueblo.
Community Storytellers: Jesse Aguilar, Netza Aguirre, Richard Barker, Michael Barton, Cassandra Becerra, Martha Diaz, Vanessa Gallego, Mona Grijalva, Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Sharayah ‘Shay’ Jimenez, Yolanda Herrera, Nancy Johnson, Beki Quintero, Ruben Reyes, Lupita Robles, Alfonso Romero, Anna Sanchez, Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz, Melissa Salazar, Jesse Soto, Brianna Velador,
Sunnyside Foundation Staff: CEO Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Soltero, Director of Operations, Veronica Cruz-Mercado, Education & Community Manager, Karla Toledo, Administrative Coordinator, Laura Corrales, Community Investment Fund Coordinator, Selina Barajas
UArizona and Guest Instructors and Reviewers: Mireya Ballesteros, Cara Buchanan, Michelle Nicole Boyer Kelley, Denisse Brito, Lisa Duncan, Federicco Fabbri, Dr. Leigh-Anna Hidalgo, Stephanie Husman, Dr. Meg Jackson Fox, Ashley Swinford, Juliana Tobar, Emily Weirich, Kenny H. Wong, and all the UArizona students and members of our communities who made this project come to life.
In the Spring of 2023, UArizona students in Public and Applied Humanities (PAH) 200: Introduction to Applied Humanities, “the El Pueblo Urban Humanities Studio,” in partnership with the Sunnyside Foundation and the Center for Creative Photography (CCP), visualized the legacy and future of El Pueblo as part of their coursework with Dr. Jacqueline Barrios. Together with teaching partners and community storytellers, they deployed an urban humanist toolkit (case-study and archival research, site-visits, spatial ethnography, interviews and photography) to bring El Pueblo’s cultural, historical and speculative imaginaries into the public eye.
Guided by stories community members shared, and the philosophies of artists they studied, students created images about themes that intrigued and inspired them, from intergenerational celebrations held at the patio to traces of a lifetime of public service at the Congressman’s office, from pride in bilingual culture at the Frank de La Cruz Library, to the dynamic flows of public transit through the Laos Transit Center. In staged and candid shots, in portraits, still-lifes and collages, a way of perceiving the center emerges: how to see the parking lots that launched Familias Unidos Ganando Accesibilidad (FUGA) bike rides and Covid-19 vaccinations, or the meeting rooms that witnessed the Unified Community Advisory Board (UCAB)’s historic advocacy for clean water, or the bus routes that encircle and connect us. Taken as a whole, the course allowed students glimpses of el pueblo, the people whose daily lives and dreams, memories and movements, keep El Pueblo alive.
Exhibited here are a collection of images curated by the teaching team and community partners of the studio from the final PAH 200 projects. They are snapshots in a vast and multilayered vision of El Pueblo that we hope to continue to see and share in making. A selection of the images from this project was exhibited within CCP's exhibition, Sessions on Creative Photography: Hazel Larsen Archer, that ran till August 05, 2023.
GROUP 1 — El Pueblo Sites, Histories, and Space
Community Culture, Marisol Marquez, Digital, 2023
Community culture is important because it allows people to connect with one another and work together towards a common goal. It also helps to create a sense of belonging and identity within the community. These banners were placed in the courtyard for the Dia De los Muertos celebration hosted a while back at the courtyard of El Pueblo. Many events have been hosted in the space, such as quinceaneras, birthdays, and weddings, which have all brought the community together. When speaking to many of the community members, they explained that these celebrations are what enriched the community and brought life to the center. The artist chose to capture the banner with the courtyard in the background because the courtyard has played an important role in cultivating the culture at El Pueblo. The picture was edited to look brighter and more vibrant because the courtyard of El Pueblo has always been a lively place that holds special memories for many. The brightness in many of the photos is a great representation of the bright future El Pueblo holds and the joy it can continue to cultivate for the community.
Light in the Dark, Maelyca Dravkowski, 2023, Digital
This image is of a shadow from one of the remaining banners hanging from the Dia De Los Muertos celebration that was held at El Pueblo Center. Dia De Los Muertos directly translates to Day of the Dead. It is a celebration of remembrance for those that came before you whether they be loved ones or historical figures that paved the way. I was moved to take this photo because the courtyard pillar in which this shadow is so perfectly placed, the courtyard being a part of the original building of El Pueblo Neighborhood Center. I feel as though this image is the perfect celebration of the center that used to be, and what it has become–the little library that started in an office size building and the multi-purpose room they are starting renovations on. Throughout this photo-project we refer to El Pueblo Center as a who, personifying its presence in the community and continuing this sentiment. I feel as though this photo represents the current El Pueblo Center, celebrating the person that came before it, almost like a daughter celebrating her mother and who she encouraged her to become.
Alfonso’s Stories, Calvin Welch, 2023, Digital Collage
This digital photograph is of local community member and City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Communications Supervisor, Alfonso Romero, after he shared with me a few stories of his childhood at El Pueblo. The interview/conversation that I personally had with Alfonso covered a variety of subject matter ranging from anecdotal stories of playing pick-up basketball with his friends in the patio (shown behind him), to volunteering for community relief events such as “Thanksgiving in the Barrio.” By creating a collage using photos including a group of children's basketball game, the 2016 “Thanksgiving in the Barrio” event held at the center, and Alfonso himself, I was able to blend them together by manipulating the opacity of each photo. Using Photoshop, I was then able to smoothly blend each photo together in order to create a natural transition between borders. The focus of this collage is composition and cultural context. The placement of each photo is carefully planned in order to truly encapsulate the full meaning behind it. Playing basketball with his friends and serving community members on Thanksgiving are not just memories of the past, these things are not behind him as much as they are within him. What I found to be most meaningful during our conversation was the moment Alfonso reflected on the impact that these events had on the younger generations. These events were so meaningful and helped so many peoples families that years later, the very children who attended them returned in order to volunteer and help their neighbors and southside community. Stories like Alfonso's really encapsulate the special bond that this center holds with all generations it has seen and will see.
El Pueblo Youth, Neylan Jeffreyes, 2023, Digital
This photo was taken in the office of Congressman Raύl Grijalva with the gracious help of Cassandra Becerra, Director of Public Engagement, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva. My goal and inspiration when we visited was to be able to capture the homey and vibrant essence of the past in the community center’s spaces. This image was taken during one of the shows that the staff and volunteers put on for the kids at the El Pueblo Center. They used to put on comedies, puppet shows, and different cultural events. I loved how eager and focused these kids look together. The youth of El Pueblo found great joy in going to this center every week. It was a place they could be around friends and family, but also a place to learn and know that you were safe. Many kids and parents found a sense of comfort coming to El Pueblo Center and was a great way to keep growing the culture of the community. You can really feel from looking at this picture how much life has been in this community for many decades. I was very lucky that Ms. Becerra was able to find this picture so that I’m able to share it and continue the circulation of the past of El Pueblo.
Collage of the Past, Lauren Fields, 2023, Digital
Through this photograph, I have managed to capture numerous glimpses of the past, all depicting events that occurred at the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center. The image I have chosen encapsulates the essence of the past and the aspirations of the community to return to it. It portrays events that highlight the community's emphasis on family values and providing a secure space for all its members. During our initial site visit, the storytellers expressed their desire for the community center to revert to its former state. These pictures showcase the events that fostered a familial atmosphere that the community aims to revive in the present.
Collage of the Past, Lauren Fields, 2023, Digital
Through this photograph, I have managed to capture numerous glimpses of the past, all depicting events that occurred at the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center. The image I have chosen encapsulates the essence of the past and the aspirations of the community to return to it. It portrays events that highlight the community's emphasis on family values and providing a secure space for all its members. During our initial site visit, the storytellers expressed their desire for the community center to revert to its former state. These pictures showcase the events that fostered a familial atmosphere that the community aims to revive in the present.
Limpia, Maelyca Drazkowski, Digital, 2023
This image that I have titled Limpia features many cultural fragments. We see the sage that is burnt before the Congressman is to return from Capitol Hill by his staff and burnt again by him upon return as well. I felt as though this picture was important when displaying who El Pueblo is because it shows the traditions and cultures behind the space. El Pueblo is more than just a space for the community to go, but a safe haven for its employees and staff members. Another element of this image that I really enjoy is the Virgen de Guadalupe candle that is placed right beside the sage. This candle cleanses your space, and is believed to bring positive energy. I believe that the entirety of this image shows just how dedicated El Pueblo is to bringing positivity to Tucson, and fulfilling a desire for its community to feel and see greatness. With that being said, I thought it was important to keep this image as raw and unfiltered as possible so that it would accurately display how this area is not only seen but how it is interpreted by each individual that comes into contact with the scene.
a corridor of hope, Tyler Green, 2023, Digital Collage
This photo was originally of an empty hall near the main plaza. While walking through this hallway, I got a distinct sense of melancholy and something resembling nostalgia. After hearing the thoughts of the community members, I realized that the space itself gave off an inherently saddening effect, almost in a liminal sense. One gets the impression of a distant past vibrancy hinted at and echoing through the space. I was inspired particularly by the work of Kevin Lynch’s The Image of The City, in that this space is very much a transitive connection, and one that has been left off to the side as a result of the closing off of the area. My attempt with this edited final version was to show hints of how the spatial organization of the area could be completely different, and that it isn't written in stone. The hints of brightness and polka dots on the walls show little windows into a more lively space that could be created. The green door at the end of the hallway could thus be interpreted as a goal to be strived for, an ideal version of the area that is filled with vibrancy even more than the hints of which are already present. It gives a contrasting sense of both the past and present being within spaces all at once. Most aren’t actively looking for them, but people such as those who are leading El Pueblo do, and they are doing everything they can to bring out these hidden and reflected glimmers of hope and vibrancy. All it takes is imagination, and hope. Both of which the leadership of El Pueblo have a lot of.
GROUP 2 — Children of El Pueblo
Selina’s Girls, Piper Kilb, March 23, 2023, Digital
“Selina’s Girls” is part of the digital collection, “Intergenerational Families: El Pueblo Neighborhood Center.” In this project, several photographers and artists work together to compose images of intergenerational families from El Pueblo Neighborhood Center to show the impact that generations can have on a community and society. This photograph shows Selina Barajas, her mother Gracie, and her two daughters: Mia Sol and Sofia Luna. Working with Selina Barajas throughout this project all semester has been very rewarding. Our class hears her talk all the time about how important El Pueblo is to her and her family and you can tell how much she loves the site because we see how much work she puts into this project for our class. Seeing and talking to Selina’s mother and her two precious daughters about all of their memories with El Pueblo was very special. The comfort and security that the children felt there was very visible and I think this photo depicts that as well. In this photo, I captured Selina and her family in front of this tree which is very special to the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center. Our project as we focus on Intergenerational families and so it represents the concept of “family trees.” This photo was my favorite to capture because you can see the personality shine throughout each person in the photo. To see all of the personalities of one family and how different they are in the photo is very special and I was grateful to take part in it.
GROUP 3 — The Frank De La Cruz Library
GROUP 4 — Portraits
GROUP 5 — Public Transit
GROUP 6 — FUGA
Design Thinking at El Pueblo Center—Selected Works from SBE 301, Spring 2023
SBE 301: Intro to Design Thinking, led by Kenny H. Wong, Lecturer in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA), introduces undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments to the design process in order to promote buildings, landscapes and communities that are sustainable and resilient. Learning forms of place-based research and visual communication, students begin by observing, listening, and reflecting to connect social and cultural uses of space with their physical and material organization. They are tasked with thinking creatively to define opportunities, imagine possibilities, and test ideas for creating and sustaining vibrant places by shaping the built environment. This term, the class focuses on El Pueblo Center to apply their explorations and support community (re)investment at a unique hub and social infrastructure for Southside Tucson.
Students Exhibited:
Riley Auchampach, Kendall Boyd, Sena Brenden, Marley Chappel, Manny Lagarda Jr., Ashley Martin, Quinn McElvain, Rochelle Polushkin, Annika Risser, Timothy Sullivan Diagram of the Design Thinking Process
National Equity Project (April 2021, Oakland, CA) Liberatory Design for Equity Process
Arts | Humanities | Resilience:
Artist Residencies
“Documenting Resilience in Tucson’s Southside” is a co-creative visual engagement program in partnership with Sunnyside Foundation, a leader in advocacy for Tucson’s Southside. Made possible by a newly launched Arts|Humanities|Resilience grant program, the project establishes residencies for local artists to work with community advisors, public librarians and UArizona scholars to document, explore and manifest a “living” archive of El Pueblo and the communities that surround it.
The team’s two local artists, also alumni (or soon to be) of the University of Arizona, are premiering new work at this exhibition. As contemporary image makers, they showcase how to fuse public archival efforts with university resources and training to translate privately held memories and experiences into a collective narrative of place. Their visual projects, of which these form a start, highlight the arts and humanities dimension of Southside resilience. Taken together, they show what a future “living” archival infrastructure for Southside communities might support, the means for the community members to continue to add their own multimedia histories and stories made at and with the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center and Sunnyside Foundation.
Celebrating; Finding a Voice; Creating a SpaceCollages by Jessica Wolff
Artist Statement: Growing up in South Tucson, I’ve passed by the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center more times than I can count, though I never knew anything about its history until joining this project, a history that exists in the memories of the community, but as I have learned, was never archived. In these collages, I interact with the images and documents that have recently been collected from the personal archives of various community members who have been a part of El Pueblo’s story. I use these collages as an attempt to piece together that story and I find that people are continuously coming together. Each collage represents a different way El Pueblo has served that community: celebrating the community, giving the community a voice, and creating a space for the community. In one of the donated documents, I found this quote that reads, “the building is the people.” This is the story I tell, and with the help of people from this community, we can continue to piece that history together for future generations to know.
These collages were created entirely with images and documents about the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, donated by members of the community. Most contributions were made during Sunnyside Foundation’s Community Reinvestment Day on February 23rd, 2023. Special thanks to Cassandra Becerra, Montserrat Caballero, Julissa Galindo, Raúl Grijalva, Roberto ‘Bob’ Temarantz, and Cathy Tullgren, whose contributions are featured in these collages.
Collage Keys:
Jessica Wolff is a Mexican-American artist, born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She is interested in exploring family, community and culture, especially regarding the ways in which they can become complicated when mixed. Jessica creates work primarily through photography, often changing techniques and exploring non-traditional approaches or mixed-media, reflecting the constant change and evolution that a community experiences. Jessica is an alum of the Sunnyside Unified School District (SUSD) and is expected to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Studio Art from the University of Arizona in May 2023. Jessica was introduced to photography from her mother and took her first course while a student at Desert View High School. She intends to continue her practice in Tucson.
Discovering The CenterVideo by Luis Fernando González
Artist Statement: The center is a place for many, it’s a place for all. The center has welcomed people with open arms since 1975, creating a culture of community on the southside of Tucson. Opening the minds of people for miles around, the center became a home for people to celebrate and live. El Pueblo Neighborhood Center became a space to celebrate life: people came to celebrate birthdays, the coming of new life, marriage– the space served a community of thousands. Food, health and education could be found here.
El Pueblo emphasized the importance of the community in relation to bringing that community together. As we move forward into the future, we must remember the past. This project is a visual reminder that history cannot be forgotten. This film will take you back to 1975, then goes through the decades of the center to show the many important values that the center has given to us.
This film incorporates media collected from the following sources: Sunnyside Foundation Community Reinvestment Days and PAH 200 El Pueblo Site Visits held in the Spring of 2023; the Tucson Journal’s story on El Pueblo Health Clinic from the Voices Unheard oral history archive and an interview conducted with Richard Ortiz Barker, former Director of the EPNC.
Luis González is a Salvadorian-American photographer and film artist. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Luis is familiar with El Pueblo Center, playing soccer across the street at Rudy Garcia Park and basketball with his father inside the Activities Center. His partner, Leah, and daughter, Khloe, have been both muses and subject-matter throughout his career as a photographer and film artist. His films and portraiture offer straightforward takes on everyday life as a father, partner and community member. Luis is a Tucson Magnet High Magnet alumni and graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Film & TV, with a minor in Photography. Luis plans to expand his multimedia company, Eigermultimedia, to continue to do passion projects here in Tucson.