Mary Teresa Giancoli

I am an ethno-documentarian covering traditions and nature from the California and Italy of my youth. My grandfather was born in Aguascalientes, fled the Mexican Revolution, and settled in San Francisco. To understand my roots, I began taking pictures of workers at Tortilleria Piaxtla, a small Tortilla Factory in Brooklyn. Then, I photographed people praying at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on West 14th Street in Manhattan. On December 12th, immigrants and Mexicans who have been here for generations, worship a brown-skinned Madonna. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a symbol of hope for all of us, despite the heartbreak we suffer each day. For two decades, I took dance with Mazarte Dance Co and Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York, and traveled to the states of Puebla, Oaxaca and Yucatan in Mexico to photograph the same dance traditions at their site of origin. The rich culture arising from the out-migration of the Puebla region of Mexico to New York City, since the mid-1990s, has enrichened the cultural tapestry of life in Queens, NYC and beyond.

Born Berkeley, California, 1963
Live & Work in Sunnyside, Queens
B.A. Italian Culture, Wellesley College
M.F.A. Photography, Hunter College, CUNY