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Lisa Wiltse
Bolivian Mennonites
May 15, 2012 – July
22, 2012
Artist's Reception
Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Lisa and Anna Van Lenten, co-curator of The Half King photography series,
will moderate a slideshow and discussion of Lisa's Mennonites work.
"When I visited the Mennonites
of Manitoba, Bolivia, a tension pervaded the colony, although
life was as it had been for centuries. Roughly 150 kilometers
northeast of Santa Cruz, the colony’s 2,000 residents owe their
prosperity to strict social discipline and traditions closely
guarded against outside influences. Modern conveniences are
avoided. Children study only High German, math, and religion.
Around puberty, they leave to join their fathers in the fields
and factories, or their mothers at home and hearth. Other forms
of work are forbidden to women, who speak Low German and are
discouraged from learning Spanish--unlike men, who travel to
Santa Cruz for trade. Over the course of my stay, I would
discover how their social mores bound them to silence just when
speaking out was most needed."
~ Lisa Wiltse
The Half King Photography Series is
dedicated to showing exceptional documentary photography and
film. In tandem
with its reading series, The Half King fosters a dialog
between photographers and writers that underscores the
importance of their unique relationship. Co-curating its
photography series are James Price, Photo Editor at
Newsweek, and Anna Van Lenten, writer and editor.
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