Black-and-white photographs that chronicle the lives of coffee farmers living in remote Mexican mountain villages will be on display from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov.12, in the Havens Lounge of Wilson Commons on the University of Rochester’s River Campus. The exhibit by Rochester writer and photographer Joseph Sorrentino is free and open to the public.
Sorrentino, who has documented homelessness and poverty in his writings and images for almost 20 years, will give two presentations at 2 and 4 p.m. about struggles of the poor in underdeveloped countries. The exhibit, titled “A Life Made of Coffee,” is made possible by the UR Make Trade Fair Campaign with the support of Grassroots, Students for Social Justice, Amnesty International, and the office of the Dean of Students.
The photographer made his first visit to Mexico in 1997. Then and on return trips, he began photographing workers in remote villages of Oaxaca and Puebla as well as political events and religious ceremonies. In 2001, Sorrentino moved to Rochester sparked by stories he heard in Mexico about the lives of migrant workers on farms and orchards in Western New York.
He has had more than two dozen solo exhibitions and is the recipient of awards and fellowships. His images and articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia City Paper, Delaware News Journal, The Oregonian, and Rochester’s City newspaper.
For more information on the one-day exhibit and talks, contact Sam Boyer at (585) 275-2174.