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Founded by Argentinian artist Sol Aramendi, Project Luz aims to create a community of immigrants that helps and empowers each other. For the past 15 years, Aramendi has conducted photography workshops in Spanish for Hispanic immigrants in New York City.
“For me the most important thing is that a community is created,” said Aramendi, “There are a lot of people who are alone [when they migrate to the U.S.].”
The workshops encourage participants to get out of their comfort zones and explore the city through image-making, giving them a way to express themselves and share their experiences without the constraints of language.
Besides the photography workshops, Project Luz also partners with other organizations to support causes such as transgender rights and fair labor laws.
“Project Luz is great because it gives support. It supports minorities, it supports women and it supports the LGBTQ community,” said Jessica Aquino, a transgender woman and member of the LGBTQ+ organization Lunicorns. “It has made us feel like we are worth it, like people, like women.”
Project Luz was part of this year’s annual Photoville exhibitions, where Aramendi led the event’s first-ever workshop taught entirely in Spanish.