Cuentame

To visit our digital book and listen to the stories visit: HERE

Cuéntame, a project capturing the oral history of elders in our San Ysidro border community.  Over the past six months, Cuéntame connected emerging artists and local elders through collaborative art workshops and one-on-one storytelling sessions, harnessing the power of art to bridge generational divides. The project invited each elder to reflect on their childhood, migration, labor, family, love, and to offer their advice to future generations. The stories they shared are interwoven throughout this exhibition, forming a visual archive that aims to inspire generational healing. 

Each artist in this exhibition has uniquely interpreted the elders’ narratives using mediums such as  linocut, 35mm photography, oil painting, textile, sculpture, and installation. As you journey through the gallery, you can listen to the elders’ voices through vintage radios, as they recount the life journey that led them to San Ysidro. Cuéntame invites you to tap into the wisdom that our community holds, and to use creativity to deepen relationships with the elders in your life. When we connect to ancestral wisdom, we can move collectively towards healing and liberation.

Cuéntame Creators | Creadoras de Cuéntame: Yvette Roman, natalia ventura

Featured Artists |  Artistas en exposición: 

Scarlett Baily, Anika Bull, Carlito Espudo, Natalie Gonzalez, celeste hernández, Andres Howard, Yvette Roman, Dia Soto, natalia ventura

Interviewed Elders |  Adultos Mayores entrevistados: 

Antonio Ayala, Concepcion Gaytan, Rosa Margarita Hidalgo, Guadalupe Diaz de Barro, Raymundo Ildefonso Ley, Elena Lopez, Arleth Macias, Diana Mafnas, Elisa Ortiz, Teresa Price, Francisco Rivas Maciel, Estella Reynaga, Maria Isabel Ruiz, Carmen de la Torre   

Workshop Participants | Participantes de talleres: 

Norma Aguirre, Luz M. Chavez, Margarita Choy Rojas, Graciela Juarez, Maria Martin Del Campo, Esther Cuellar, Antonia Olvera, Ramona Preciado, Rosina Preciado, Hortencia Sanchez, Cristina Sandoval, Rosina Silahua, Enriqueta Thompson, Sandra Velasco, Beatriz Vazquez 

Cuéntame is a Far South/ Border North project, funded in part by a California Creative Corps grant from the California Arts Council, a state agency, and with additional support made possible by The Conrad Prebys Foundation. Supporting institutions include Casa Familiar, RISE San Diego and Villa Merced.