A CHILD'S-EYE-VIEW OF FAMILY LIFE IN PERU Opens at the New Howard County Arts Council, 7/14

Overtones: Tales Told Through the Eyes of Peruvian Children, a new exhibit opening July 14 at the Howard County Arts Council, offers a unique perspective on family life in two impoverished regions of Peru through photographs taken by the children who live there.

Curated by Andres Gomez, a Howard County Arts Council resident artist, the exhibit resulted from a photography project developed by Claudia Llanten, Country Director for the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) in Peru. The project is a means to learn more about the nutritional practices of the families who are benefiting from CMMB's programs to decrease anemia and malnutrition in young children. Gomez implemented the photography activity with the assistance of CMMB staff as part of his time spent in the area as a humanitarian aid worker. He was so taken with the children's perspective and their natural artistic vision that he wanted to share their photographs with others.

Children from 8 to 11 years old living in the marginalized settlements of Azapampa, Huancayo and La Esperanza, Trujillo attended a photography workshop led by Gomez and were then assigned the task of photographing their families using disposable cameras. The children were asked to take a variety of pictures, mainly during meals, and especially of siblings less than 2 years old. The resulting photographs provided CMMB with useful nutritional information but also offer an intriguing glimpse into the children's home lives, where love and family bonds are strong despite visible poverty and deprivation. The children's experimental compositions, coupled with the vibrant color palettes of Peru's coastal and Andean regions, make for a vivid and captivating collection of images.

Overtones will be on display with Paint It! Ellicott City 2014, a juried exhibit featuring work created during a three-day plein airpaint-out in Ellicott City, Maryland. Both exhibits run from July 14 to August 22, 2014. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10 am - 8 pm, Saturday 10 am - 4 pm, and Sunday 12 - 4 pm. To learn more about these and other HCAC programs call 410-313-ARTS (2787) or visit www.hocoarts.org.

Photo Credit: Jaime Sánchez Guillen, age 11

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