January 2020 Artist in Residency: Samantha Cabrera Friend
Samantha Cabrera Friend is a Chicago based visual journalist who uses photography to discover and explore the local histories, cultural practices, and social issues affecting many female-based communities. She is a graduate from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and is an independent archivist and curator. With a methodology based in historical and observational research, Samantha focuses on producing long form narratives and reporting on stories through the greater lens of the Latinx diaspora. In both editorial and ethnographic work, she views each subject as an integral thread of their local history and believes in the power of documenting the everyday occurrence.
Q & A
Q&A with Samantha Cabrera Friend, interviewed by Lucy McDonald
Much of your work focuses on the culture and tradition of the quinceañera. How did your interest in this subject form and how has it developed over time?
I had always been looking at these kinds of cultural signifiers and societal expectations which deeply influence female and youth-based communities but never put them together in this way until I began reading about the tradition of the quinceañera. It was a mere sentence in probably the most publicly circulated text on the tradition available which launched my thought process of viewing the modern quinceañera as an inherently feminist act.
From there I began researching more heavily but was amazed to encounter a clear lack of scholarly materials, comprehensive studies, or visual practices devoted to understanding the history itself atop of seeking to honor its contributions to the present.
Samantha Cabrera Friend, Quinceañeras in traditional dress, 2018
When looking back at the history of the quinceañera, how has its cultural significance shifted and what impact do you see it having on Latinx American culture today?
We have such limited historical information on it documented from within the Latinx community that I find its past is best defined by observing its growth and recognizing the journey to the present.
By contrasting our concept of its origin story—an indigenous Aztec rite of passage from 1400s México—with what we most recognize the celebration as today, it becomes clear that those responsible for first breaking the tradition loose from any patriarchal restraints were the silent generations of women (both old and young) who participated in the tradition, both intentionally and inadvertently progressing the tradition by way of their natural celebration.
Of course, the tradition operates on a spectrum of progress, but in recent years I find it has served as a form of cultural activism by use of the inherent tools shared within the quince community; embracing mother languages, rewriting traditions and amplifying personal histories to indirectly fight against oppression.
Outside of the Latinx community, I think it’s high time we recognize how much this tradition has shaped the larger American narrative in girlhood and many groups’ coming of age practices today. Cough, cough, Sweet 16!
Samantha Cabrera Friend, Quinceañera Nathaly Reyes and mother, 2018
You shoot the majority of your work using medium and large format cameras. How does this influence your working style, especially when capturing large crowds or events?
Yes, I have been strategic and persistent in placing medium and large format film as my primary practice and I constantly feel amid a journey! Whether making work within a controlled community or at a larger public event, I find being transparently ablaze with your passions and motives will always get you to where you need to be.
I find that the most satisfying methodology one can add to their practice is to become consistently efficient with the gear they love and stick to it. I’m still learning of course every step of the way, but I respect the ebb and flow needed to create these kinds of self-subject-camera collaborations by ensuring as much heavy lifting is done in advance as possible, through thorough research and communication.
What will you be working on during your residency at LATITUDE?
Choosing one part of the plan to divulge: I’m secretly excited to begin working in method of printing which will allow me to play with scale and exterior installations. If you’d like to know more, just stop by!
Samantha Cabrera Friend, Surprise Cake Arising Size, 2018
Tell us more about your Instagram Project, Quinceañera Archives, and how people can get involved.
Quinceañera Archives is an extension of my overarching quinceañera project which continues to develop more working explorations and visual facets. I originally began it years ago by way of inherent personal research, and then became deeply moved and empowered by the growing social movement of new community-centered archiving and curatorial initiatives online. Thanks to the support of my brother, I found that putting something on its feet whether its “ready” or not was the best way get involved.
Now, we are a historical photo archive community, sourcing all images of the quinceañera in an effort to repair the undocumented history of this tradition and create new community around it. If you would like to join our larger archival dialogue online and help grow visibility around the tradition's journey of changes across time, we encourage you to help spread the word, follow us on Instagram, or submit!
We welcome and share all submissions of quinceañera photo, video and ephemera from any era. Should you want get involved yourself or on behalf of a loved one, send us an email at quinceañeraarchives@gmail.com or DM at @quinceaneraarchives!
What are you currently reading, watching, listening to?
Currently, I am studying the text Mexican Phoenix, being hypnotized by the film Monos, and listening to my mom.
Samantha Cabrera Friend, Untraditional Dress Study #12, 2019