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from the back cover
"Santa Fe is an art mecca. However, in 1994, an exhibition by young artists from the Santa Fe Boys & Girls Club was censored and removed from a local mall. An authentic community voice was silenced. From this incident, Reality from the Barrio was born. Through words and images, we are given an intimate glimpse into an a seldom seen Santa Fe community. Reality from the Barrio is an important contribution to the literature of the region, an eloquent and sensitive examination of Santa Fe's barrios. This book is an eye-opening look at the pride and dignity these young artists have in their barrios."
-Miguel Gandert, Fine-Art and
Documentary Photographer
"Reality from the Barrio is a powerful collage of photographs and prose about life as seen through the eyes of native Santa Fe youth. It is a celebration of family, culture and community through rites of passage, and the pain and love of every day living. This book offers a glimpse into the hope and potential for change that can emerge in communities where marginalized populations are afforded legitimate means of expression."
- Leslie Alsheimer, Project Director
"Do some of these pictures glorify gangsters? Perhaps. But that,
too, is reality in neighborhoods where gangs represent both escape and
apotheosis in the absence, or at least elusiveness, of other opportunities.
If the images disturb you, if you feel discomfort at the hostility and anguish in some of the prose, this book will have fulfilled its mission as a social documentary.
Reality isn't always pretty. But it's all we've got. Look closely and learn."
-Tamar Stieber, Journalist
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