For El Puente: On Juvenile Incarceration and Foster Care in Argentina (working title), I travel to La Plata, Argentina to work with incarcerated juveniles. I partner with El Puente Arte y Cultura, an organization that facilitates access to the arts with underserved communities, and the artist residency program Residencia Corazón.

Through these partnerships, I gain regular access to five juvenile prisons near La Plata in Buenos Aires province: Centro Cerrado Almafuerte, Centro de Recepción Eva Perón, Centro Cerrado Eva Perón, Centro Castillito, and Centro Cerrado Pellegrini. I have also spent time making photographs with five group foster homes: Hogar Mil Flores, Hogar Varones, Hogar Juan Carlos Márquez, Hogar Ramón Carillo, and Hogar Servente.

The lines between these types of spaces is blurry at best, dictated by limited resources and delicate balances between freedom, care, and control. I approach this work and these spaces humbly and earnestly, eager to listen, learn, and find productive ways to contribute through pictures.

The camera is a focal point in my conversations with the youth. I work by observing, photographing, and sharing images for feedback and further conversation. The youth are also active participants, making photographs with my primary camera, secondary camera, Instax camera, and phone.

The speed and novelty of the Instax camera creates ideal conversation spaces. I also share images through personal phones (initially permitted during the pandemic and now difficult to rescind) and DMs on Instagram.

The photographs we created together pierce my heart like an arrow, both through the powerful imagery and the challenging realities of the social conditions. I will continue to work with El Puente and Residencia Corazón to identify pathways for public policy impact.

I am deeply grateful to my Argentine collaborators, whose dedication and support have been instrumental in making this work possible:  Juan Pablo (Juampa) Ferrar, Rodrigo Mirto, Claudia Lopez Lombardi, Mora Gutiérrez, Luciano (Lucho) Guglielmino, Daniela (Dane) Guerisoli, Carlos Ignacio (Nacho) Bogino, Aimé Portela Gallo, Nicolás (Nico) Zaccardi, Eleonora Ghioldi, and Hanna Kratsman-Robles.