Sol Y Tierra/ Sun and Earth

This project explores Mexico over the last thirty years by highlighting the challenges and beauty of life just south of the border. Collectively, the photographs invite dialogue between Mexico and the United States as viewers on both sides may recognize something of themselves in the pictures.
Emily Matyas is a photographer whose interests combine family relations, culture and psychology. She began her career as a journalist, then moved into fine art. Her work involves intimate settings in Mexico, Romania and the United States. Most of her imagery is figurative, utilizing immediate family, friends and herself. Her portfolio of life in rural Mexico spans 25 years. She received her MFA in Photography from Arizona State University in 2002. She has taught photography at the college level for several years and led many youth workshops. Her images are widely collected and exhibited.
Kirsten Rian is an independent photography curator, writer, and artist. She has curated or coordinated more than 375 photography exhibitions internationally, and picture edited or written for over 80 books and catalogues. She is widely published as a journalist, essayist and poet, and is the author of several books. Her newest book, Life Expectancy, was released in 2018. She has led creative writing workshops both domestically, as well as internationally in locations like post-war Sierra Leone and refugee relocation centers in Finland, and with human trafficking survivors, using creative writing as a tool for literacy and peacebuilding, and locally is a volunteer language facilitator for non-native speakers. She is the recipient of numerous artist fellowships and grants.
Amparo Wong Molina is a graduate in Chemical Sciences from the University of Sonora. She obtained a Masters Degree in Material Sciences in the Department of Investigation in Polymers and Materials. She published the scientific article "Interaction of Calf Thymus DNA with a Catonic Tetradrine Derivte at the Air-Water Interface," Biomedical Nanotechnology, Vol. 4, 1-10, 2008. Currently, she is a professor at the Technological University of Hermosillo, in the line of Paramedics, where she teaches classes in Biology and Chemistry-Biochemistry. She participates in development projects which contribute to the certification of educational programs, unification, and radio programs and magazine articles of dissemination.
Sergio Anaya is a Journalist from Sonora, Mexico. He has collaborated with diverse means of communication including printed matter and electronic media. He is editor of cultural publications and the author of "Retrospective of Cajeme," a book on the regional history of southern Sonora. Currently, he is editor for the informational portal at www.infocajeme.com.
Linda Valdez has been a member of the Editorial Board at The Arizona Republic since 1993. She has won many awards for her commentary about immigration and Mexico, including being a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. She wrote about her family in "Crossing the Line: A Marriage Across Borders," published by Texas Christian University Press.
"Sol y Tierra" is a convincing illustration of empathy.",
- F-Stop Magazine, March 30, 2019
"...takes us on a journey across the Northwestern border of Mexico and challenges us on what exactly separates us from those on the other side.",
- Musee Magazine, May 16, 2019