Iaritza Menjivar Artist Statement:

FIRST GENERATION

“First Generation” documents the daily life of three generations of my immigrant family -   my parents who arrived from Guatemala and El Salvador, and the generations that followed, born in the U.S.

As “First Gens,” we have access to privileges that come with being born in the United States.  At the same time, we also navigate the particular pressures on our immigrant families, whose lives are marginalized by a society that limits access based on names, status and skin color.  The steps on our journey to move up in the world are colored by a goal to honor our family’s hard work and show them their sacrifices were worthy ones. We are both independent young adults in America, and members of a culture that has shaped us with the understanding that success is built on family love and unquestionable loyalty. 

In this cultural conversation, I show complexities that I experience for my own identity as a member of an immigrant family: engagement, gratitude, devotion and self-determination.