This essay with a small portfolio of my work was chosen as the top essay for The New Normal Project: Rockport, in partnership with Fine Line Group: Sasha and Edward Bass Foundation
Artist Statement:A homegrown Rockport artist, I spent my college years in the Fort Worth Metroplex. After having the wind knocked out of us by the Recession, my husband and I decided to move our family back to our hometown to raise our babies near the gentle bay waters. Navigating the path of a millennial mother and small business owner is no small task, but after seven years of business, I felt I started to find my footing. Experiencing the loss of our home through Hurricane Harvey was a force that was both unexpected and nearly devastating as a mother, an artist, and a business owner. Packing to move four times in the last three years, spending our mornings homeschooling in a cramped kitchen or down on the docks, and steadily booking clients visiting Rockport has kept me busy, putting one foot in front of the other day by day, month by month.Before it was mandated, my family made the decision to stay home. I turned away inquiries and spent more time than ever pouring into my daughters. COVID-19 Quarantine required that I slow down to acknowledge the healing still needing to be done in me, while I photographed the healing our local flora had attained since being ravaged in 2017. The pride I’ve always carried as a relaxed family photographer was humbled during this reflection. While I have been sincere in the representation of my own family made up of golden toned seventh and eighth generation Texans (of Irish, Mexican, and Native decent), I’ve been forced to face the fact that my portfolio does not showcase the diversity of ethnicities that make Rockport glow.
Unable to take on work that I’m not paid for, my portfolio is made up of mostly affluent, white smiling faces. I understood long ago that people will want pictures of what I show them, which is why I took a hard stance against posing on the beach in matching outfits, opting instead for real moments at home or in the waves. I have showcased my passion for elevated family portraits by being the only portrait photographer to have an exhibit at the esteemed Estelle Staire Gallery since Hurricane Harvey. If I were to receive this grant, I would take the opportunity to photograph families that represent the Latinx, Black, and South East Asian populations that call our coastline home. I believe that I have done a commendable job connecting to mothers with my honest images and stories of pain, patience, and persistence, but in order to showcase the multifaceted gems of our community, I need to show them a variety of melanated families who love each other and our town uniquely and as deeply as anyone else.As Rockport approaches it’s 150th birthday, I’d love to honor our colorful humanity through my honest and artistic portraiture. Generations of Vietnamese and Thai shrimpers gave us the economy to survive on our bays. Family recipes of cilantro, lime, and chilies define the taste of Rockport in our pho and taquerias. We have glorified the flora and fauna of our sweet city through every medium imaginable. A celebratory reflection of our people through the lens of a multiracial local would be a captivating addition to Rockport’s gallery of history.