Allison Park Photos
Imagine a life of forced removal from a war-ridden home at just two years old, and relocation to a foreign country where education was scarce, support was inadequate, and comfort was not an option. For Gladys Mwilelo, this consumed 13 years of her life.
Mwilelo’s portrait now hangs on the side of Trinity Church overlooking the Green as part of “WE ARE: A Nation of Immigrants,” a public art exhibit that had its unveiling on the New Haven Green Friday evening. Mwilelo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was one of dozens of immigrant subjects photographed by artist Joe Standart. The portraits, ranging from about 7 to 25 feet tall, will ornament the historic Green and its three churches through Aug. 15.
About 40 other portraits accompany Mwilelo’s, some in vibrant color and others in black and white. Through the various poses and facial expressions — some laughing and beaming, others looking almost on the verge of tears — these portraits reflect and underscore our common humanity, allowing onlookers to contemplate and appreciate the diverse backgrounds that define New Haven and the United States.
In the exhibition’s official opening ceremony, which drew a diverse crowd of over 100 people, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal commended Standart’s powerful artistic message. The son of a German refugee and immigrant, Blumenthal spoke about the immigrant experience and how “strength is in our differences,” making America “wonderful.”
Blumenthal.
“[We’re] going to reform America’s broken immigration system” and “stop cruel, inhumane policies,” he said. “As long as Donald Trump continues … we will never give up.”
“We will move forward,” he added. “We will give dreamers a chance in this country.”
Fresh out of her freshman year of college, Mwilelo is a testament to immigrant resilience in the face of hardship and adversity. In the 13 years of her life she spent in Burundi, she got schooling in only five of them. Mwilelo said her life as a refugee was “about survival” more than anything else.
Standart recalled his experience listening to the stories of his immigrant subjects, including Mwilelo. He described them as “bone-chilling,” “uplifting,” and reflective of the “American continuum of immigrants being our backbone.”
Standart.
Standart emphasized the power of public art, in that it becomes a “universal language” that people can “easily comprehend.” WE ARE was Initially created as a community-building effort for the city of New Haven. But Standart said that he ended up “grappl[ing] with issues that are very deep and revealing to work with.”
Standart echoed State Sen. Blumenthal’s political message by emphasizing the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which “the leaders in Washington seemed to have turned their backs on.”
Regardless of the underlying political message, onlookers on the New Haven Green enjoyed the unique exhibit, some snapping photos and others collectively attempting to unpack the complex expressions on the faces of the photographs’ subjects.
Standart hoped that this exhibit would help “establish a new and bright future.”
“[These] photographs say a thousand words about who we are,” Mwilelo said about Standart’s work. “I feel like being here gives me the opportunity to be a part of the bigger message,” she continued. “I am looking at you, and I am a refugee.”
Mwelilo will become an official U.S. citizen this year.