Studio Visit with Mary Teresa Giancoli
They work away like bees in a hive, quietly and industriously, in old manufacturing buildings in off-beat sections of the city. Artists, writers, designers, photographers. It’s always fascinating to visit and see work in progress. Recently I caught up with Mary Teresa Giancoli about her photographic exploration of Spanish culture in New York City and Mexico.
It’s not surprising to learn that Giancoli has a BA in Italian Culture from Wellesley College and an MFA in photography from Hunter. Her work combines a lush visual style with a deep interest in the customs of distinct Spanish communities. Her grandfather was born in Mexico, and many traditions were passed down through her mother’s side of the family. So it is not surprising that in the late 1990′s, Giancoli was drawn to photograph the Mexican communities in New York.
She began the project on December 12, 1997 in Our Lady of Guadalupe, a small church on West 14th Street where the mass is said in Spanish. She established a connection through a guitarist who was willing to serve as her guide into the community. She relied on natural light and asked permission before taking pictures. She worked on her Spanish. Still, it took a long time for her to “break in,” and she attended many events all over the city, slowly accumulating a body of work.
After the opening of a solo show at the UAM (universidad autónoma metropolitana) in México City, Giancoli visited the small town of Cuetzalan, halfway between Puebla and Veracruz. It is rural and lush, struggling to improve itself economically while trying to hold onto traditional ways.
She was drawn to the Maseualsiuamej, a cooperative of women who banded together in 1985 to gain independence. They broke economic ties with men, got a micro loan to manage an eco-hotel, established a tortilla factory, and began to sell their beautiful needlework in the markets to gringos.
Which strikes a note because the organization I am writing for, Professional Women Photographers, was founded by women photographers banding together to help other women photographers because at the time, no one else would. It was 1975, and there were few opportunities for women in the field. All of those who forged ahead have stories, some funny, some sad, about discrimination, and most struggled fiercely to survive.
Giancoli’s photographs capture the rhythm and texture of the Cuetzalan women’s lives, from their brightly colored home interiors to the beautiful blouses they make, which incorporate symbolically local flora and fauna–wild turkeys, lush vegetation, and exotic fruit like maracuya.
Giancoli also photographed a festival in which young women compete to represent their area and customs. As she describes it: “The festival of the Huipil (from Nahuatl, an Aztec language, meaning blouse or dress) revives indigenous customs in music, dance as a response to people who were displaced from their land and beliefs.”
“The Huipil contest is held in October to honor a young woman. Contestants are fourteen to twenty years old, fluent in their native tongue, Nahuatl and Spanish, know how to weave and perform domestic work in rural communities. The young women are judged on their beauty and purity of their customs. The Tatiaxas, a council of men, delivers the vote of the winner in a hat to the lead Tatiaxa. The Huipil Queen is carried through town, and dancing breaks out in the Plaza of San Francisco.”
When she came, the people of Cuetzalan told Giancoli they had been photographed before, but never seen any pictures. Not only did she win their trust, but gave them back beautiful and sincere images of themselves.
To see more, visit her website. All the photographs are archival digital prints on solid bamboo, 15″ x 15.” She will open her studio during the Long Island City Festival of the Arts on Saturday, May 17th 3-6 pm, and Sunday May 18th 3-6 pm, and by appointment. She will also lead a photo tour along the waterfront on May 17th.
What a great idea and great post!
I looked at your work and find it beautiful and inspiring. I had an e-mail from Linkedin on your behalf, but was not sure why. Perhaps I signed at Mole restaurant. My profile online is not yet up to date, and only reflects my work in 1 area. I am considering using my previous visual work (which was in silk) in some new way.
Michele