Still Waiting For Normal: The Enduring Spirit of Cuba and Its People
Photography Exhibition by Joe Guerriero
CCM Gallery
Masten Learning Resource Center
Exhibition Run: Thursday September 12, 2024 – Thursday October 31, 2024
Reception: Thursday September 12, 6:00-8:00pm, CCM Gallery, free and open to public, wine and light refreshments provided
About Joe Guerriero
A professional photographer for more than four decades, Joe Guerriero operates a small commercial studio out of his home in Fredon, New Jersey with clients that have included Barnes & Noble, M&M Mars, Zurich North America, Selective Ins., Poland Spring, and Samsung, among others. His first love, however, is travel/documentary photography.
His work has appeared in publications including Sports Illustrated, Family Circle, Photo District News, and many trade publications. Joe has completed international photo projects in Pakistan, Turkey, Cuba and Italy.
Artist Statement
“I first went to Cuba in 1999 with the Maine Photo Workshops, the first outside group permitted to hold workshops there. My project, a photo story on Chinatown, Havana, was published in Photo District News. With that trip, I was hooked —I knew there were many stories about Cuba to be told. I sought and was issued a photojournalist license from the U. S. Treasury Department.
In over 20 trips since that time, I have worked on many Cuban documentary projects. In my first excursions, I befriended some Cuban photographers and was introduced to a Babalawo, a high priest in the Santeria religion. He and I became friends as well, and we worked on a project aimed at giving the world a clear view of his religion. To this end and three years later, I produced a photo book and a short film that would win awards in the U.S. and China. In 2007, I photographed a story on the “Wemilere Festival of African Roots” in Guanabacoa, an annual May festival that celebrates the Afro-Cuban connection, especially in dance and music.
Joe Guerriero, Photographer