NASHUA, NH–Photographs by Becky Field will be on exhibit at the Nashua Public Library from January 2 to 29.
The photos will be accompanied by text panels, all of which come from Field’s book, “Different Roots, Common Dreams: New Hampshire’s Cultural Diversity.”
“This photo project started because of an act of hate,” says Field. In 2011 and 2012, malicious graffiti was scrawled on the Concord, N.H., homes of four families that had escaped violence and persecution in their home countries. Field decided then to use her camera to honor the diversity of new Americans, to recognize their determination and expertise, to raise awareness about paths to resettlement, and to stimulate public dialogue on immigration.
Since then, Field has met thousands of recently resettled people in New Hampshire, from nearly 50 countries. Her book showcases her photographs and also includes six essays by immigrants about their journeys.
A reception for the photographer will be held at the library on Sunday, January 24, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. She will give a short talk about the project at the event. It is free and open to the public.
Field’s photographs have been displayed in numerous New Hampshire galleries. In 2013 her portrait of a New Hampshire girl whose family had come as refugees from Somalia was a contest winner in Photo District News. The cultural diversity project was featured in New Hampshire Magazine in 2015.
Field holds a certificate in photography from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Previously she was communications director with the American Red Cross in New Hampshire and before that, a wildlife research ecologist with the U.S. Department of Interior and a university faculty member.
