Migration Series #4

Dimensions: 69 " X 46" X 4"

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Price: $6,000 ; Status: Available for Sale

Award: Molly Morpeth Canaday Award, 85th Annual Exhibition Toledo Ohio, Toledo Area Artist

Migration Series

Narrative

"Although some Latinos lived in the northeast at the dawn of United States history, large groups of Latinos didn't start settling in Ohio until the end of World War II and the beginning of widespread construction of the automobile. In Northwest Ohio, many Mexican American women and children worked to supplement the father's income. The children, along with their mothers, would spend their summers working in the fields: picking tomatoes and cucumbers and hoeing the fields to rid them of weeds.

Many of the Latinos who came north stayed here and made lives for themselves and their families. Others continued the migration lifestyle while many others stayed in the south and southwest. Currently, many migrants who are living in Northwest Ohio are from countries south of the U.S. It should be noted that my ancestors have been crossing the same rivers, deserts and mountains for thousands of years. In painting the Migration Series, I depict my family members, as they lived, worked and prayed shortly after their arrival in Northwestern Ohio.

All the paintings are derived from black and white photographs from the late 1940s. The clothing styles, automobiles, hairdos, hats and shoes all define the time and approximate region. As a young boy in Northwest Ohio, there were only one or two Mexican restaurants in Toledo. To me, it is remarkable that in 40 years, dozens of chain and private restaurants that cater to the demand for Mexican cuisine have opened in Northwest Ohio. It is one of many ways Latinos are changing how the U.S. accepts a large part of its history and its future. "

Emanuel H. Enriquez