In Between by Delilah Anaya
I have a friend KB who I met back in Eugene quite a few years ago who is in the Coast Guard. While she was stationed in a different part of Oregon and I was living in Portland we’d still get together and one weekend she brought a couple friends from the Coast Guard with her. I enjoyed Del the first minute I met her and have been lucky enough to follow along on her photographic journey ever since she finished her time with the Coast Guard. When we started to consider opening Cambium Gallery and discussing upcoming solo shows I knew I wanted Del to be one of the first shows we hosted. Her work is so important and speaks to the stories of millions living in the United States. However I was completely unprepared for the ways in which this show touched me.
In Between, in Delilahs words, gives insight into liminality and exemplifies how our virtues don’t always align with the rule of law. It is also rooted in location, the border and the Rio Grande. This is one story out of more than 8 million children in the United States with the same legal circumstances. Cesar and his four siblings are US Citizens and both of his parents are “undocumented”. He lives with his family in a small southwest town of Anthony New Mexico.
This show is important to us because the political issues of the border can feel so far away from those who live in Oregon and Washington. Yet the reality is that these issues affect families living here in Astoria when their family members are sought out and deported by ICE which is a reality for many. It’s also important because these stories are human stories. Stories that exist in the very fabric of this country. For our partner organization we are donating 10% of sales to Consejo Hispano a local organization whose primary mission is the equitable integration of resident Hispanics into the broader social and economic fabric of the Oregon and Washington coast. What that really means is this organization is helping those families deal with the economic truth of family members being deported.
This video shares with you in Cesars words his experience. Cesar voted for the first time this year and here at Cambium Gallery we are honored to have his story as part of our story. You can shop the photographs in our In Between shop and view more of the artists work at https://delilahphoto.com/
