Opening the heartily built box-like cover of Juan C. Giraldo's artist book, "A View from Home," brings you immediately into his world and the world of his biological or found families with a sense of intimacy, vulnerability, and care. On the inside cover is a piece of silk to reference the silk mills that the city where Juan grew up is known for and where is grandfather once worked, Paterson, NJ. From there we see images that are full of intimacy, quiet drama, struggle, and hope. Content in the images range from work, family, faith, friends, and the interior still life scenes of homes that lie behind weather and economically worn facades of the houses, apartments, and commercial spaces that make up the cities of Paterson, NJ and Chicago, IL. In the end, the collection shows the life of an immigrant in urban America that is full of sincerity, personal narrative, and emotional truth. Juan is a a photographer who has been recognized within PDN 30 and the Photo Lucida Critical Mass Top 50. He is also a Photo Professor and Hopper Prize recipient.
This episode is dedicated in honor and in memoriam of our William Paterson professor Joe VanPutten.
