iFiesta Fotográfica!



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. 
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