IMMIGRANT LABORERS by Lupita Murillo Tinnen

IMMIGRANT LABORERS by Lupita Murillo Tinnen

BY LUPITA MURILLO TINNEN

Immigrant Laborers Series

The images from this series titled, Immigrant Laborers, help express a more complex narrative about hard-working immigrant laborers primarily living in the North Texas area. I have a unique perspective as an insider who comes from a working-class family of Mexican immigrants. The occupations I chose to represent include those most commonly discussed in regards to low-skilled immigrant labor. These occupations encompass areas associated with factory work, construction, landscaping, agriculture and farming, domestic services, and custodial or building maintenance. I have created a documentary record to pay homage to the laborers who usually are relegated to the status of “non-belonging other” and not as an equal. Instead of marginalizing the laborer by depicting them in their work environment, or in a uniform, they are dressed in their chosen attire and collaborate in the decisions regarding their portrayal. My aim is to expose the laborers as more than a simple statistic; instead, there is a face for the viewer to meet and encounter as an equal.

Angelica
Angelica (“Immigrant Laborers”)

Ismael
Ismael (“Immigrant Laborers”)

Leticia
Leticia (“Immigrant Laborers”)

Luis
Luis (“Immigrant Laborers”)

Miguel
Miguel (“Immigrant Laborers”)

Santiago
Santiago (“Immigrant Laborers”)


Lupita Murillo Tinnen

Lupita Murillo Tinnen was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. Since 2005, she has been a Professor of Photography at Collin College and in 2006 became the faculty advisor for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) council #4780. Tinnen has been awarded the LULAC National Young Adult Advisor of the Year four times. She is a PhD candidate in Aesthetic Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas and holds degrees in Photography from the University of North Texas (MFA ’01) and from Texas A&M Commerce (BA ’98). Tinnen serves on the National Board of Directors and is the treasurer for the Society for Photographic Education where she has been a member since 2002. In addition, she is a board member and treasurer of the Texas Photographic Society. As a practicing artist, her work deals primarily with cultural and personal issues stemming from her background as a first-generation Mexican American. Her work has been exhibited in over 100 shows (solo, two-person, juried, and invitational group exhibitions) throughout the United States. In 2008, she was awarded an artist-residency through the Center for Photography and Woodstock.

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Header Image by Kelcey Parker Ervick.

Spot illustrations for Fall/Winter 2023 issue by Dana Emiko Coons

Other spot illustrations courtesy Kelcey Parker Ervick, Sarah Salcedo, & Waringa Hunja

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