How I See It — My Place
South Oxnard
Most of our group inside the library. L to R:
Front row: Ana Prado, Jose Sandoval
Row 2: Alejandra Montejano, Renata Hundley, Erica Martinez
Row 3: Andrea Hurtado, Hillary Ferrer, Lauren DeVine
Top Row: Christina Perea
Ana Prado getting ready to mount some photos.
(left to right) Andrea Hurtado, Lauren DeVine, Christina Perea, and Jose Sandoval choosing mounting boards and planning the exhibit.
(L to R) Hillary Ferrer, Christina Perea, and Jose Sandoval mounting photos and text to the boards
The whole group on our exhibit night. (L to R) Rene Garcia, Hillary Ferrer, Christina Perea, Lauren DeVine , Andrea Hurtado, Eliza Barriga, Erica Martinez, Jose Sandoval, Ana Prado, Alejandra Montejano.
Felicia Kelley, Senior Programs Manager, California Council for the Humanities at the opening of the exhibit
Behind the Scenes
South Oxnard is the “wrong side of the tracks” in our city. Many of its residents have lower incomes, less education, and less social skills than the north end of town. South Oxnard is home to many immigrants, many of whom do not speak English. Our side has a history of gang and other violence. Young people in our area are often stereotyped as troubled or troublesome.
Our group met officially for ten weeks between mid-September and Thanksgiving. By the time we were done, we had become such good friends that the teens continued to gather at the library for several more weeks and some joined our library’s Teen Council in order to stay in touch. Our first five weeks were spent exploring the area within a quarter-mile radius of the South Oxnard Branch Library. This was a much smaller area than I originally envisioned but even this much of our neighborhood was difficult to cover in the designated amount of time. Although we had more than enough photos to choose from, we would like to have revisited most places.
(top to bottom) Rene Garcia, Lauren DeVine, and Hillary Ferrer taking pictures
on one of our walkabouts. We used this photo on our flyers and postcards.
We found lots of interesting and beautiful things to photograph. Although we used Stilgoe’s Outside Lies Magic concepts on our explorations, everyone understood that they were not limited to seeing the area solely within the designated weekly emphasis. Since we met more than once a week, our discoveries were determined by variables: who was sharing the cameras, the weather and light, and activities on the street or school properties.
We found, more than anything, a sense of individualism and pride throughout the area. The gardens and landscaping around the houses and apartments are full of well-tended plants and flowers and lots of creative decorations. The cars parked on the streets and driveways are decorated to reflect their owner’s interests or their children’s achievements in school and sports.
(left to right) Erica Martinez and Ana Prado photographing sculptures
in one of our neighbor’s front yards.
Our participants learned about themselves and each other; they made friends with teens from other schools and of different cultures. They created something of which they were proud, and they were surprised that their work was appreciated by adults who actually talked to them about their efforts. They were exposed to a number of new experiences in this short time: putting on a reception, being filmed for a cable TV show, receiving commendations by City Council and a state assembly member, riding a taxi and a bus, and going out to dinner together.
We made use of our computer center by putting each teen’s photos on an assigned PC. This saved time as it allowed each participant to view and choose their best shots. (Top row, L to R: Eliza Barriga, Erica Martinez, Ana Prado; bottom row: Hillary Ferrer and Christina Perea)
Our biggest challenge was getting the exhibit together in the amount of time we had. We added extra sessions each week in order to get it done but due to family commitments or transportation needs our teens were not always available for those sessions.
Our efforts were greatly rewarded by the community’s response. Adults were introduced to teens who acted their age but who were responsible, thoughtful, and creative. Neighbors and visitors were presented with a positive image of a “bad part of town”. The library’s importance as a community meeting place was heralded as people of different cultures, incomes, ages, and education were brought together through the creative work of our young adults.
— Renata Hundley, Project Director
