FORGET ME NOT
The Forget Me Not portrait series began as a project to celebrate the heroes of everyday society. Photographer Norma I. Quintana chose her subjects by scanning the local papers, stopping strangers on the street, gathering referrals from neighbors. She photographed vineyard workers, violin teachers, priests, chefs, veterans, vendors, and surgeons as a way to document the fabric of a community.
The inspiration came from family heirlooms. Every year, the Quintana family would travel from Ohio to visit relatives in Puerto Rico. During these visits, the tradition was to arrange documentation in the form of a family portrait – photo booth images taken at the same studio year after year. With this tradition in mind, Norma commissioned an artist to paint a 10' x 14' backdrop and wooden column prop to recreate the look and sentiment of her family photographs. These portraits document the fabric of a community. The series has been exhibited in Napa, CA and in Washington D.C. at the Katzen Art Center (2006).
Quintana plans to resume her series by traveling to Puerto Rico to track down family memories captured in vintage images collected over the years. See BACKSTORY below.
“With her keen eye and profound sociological bent, Quintana penetrates the layered complexities of her community and manages to artfully convey a rich, multi-faceted portrait of this special corner of the world.”
Back Story
As a Puerto Rican American, I have distinct memories of my family growing, harvesting and roasting their own coffee. I would spend summers on my uncle’s “finca” near Lares, picking coffee beans with my cousins. My grandfather was a carpenter and built the family’s sifter to sort the beans. The sights and smells of coffee go hand-in-hand with my personal history.
As a documentary photographer, I am intrigued by the origins of family traditions. For years I have collected vintage photobooth images and used them to inspire my series titled Forget Me Not/No Me Olvides. Since 2003, I have been photographing subjects from all walks of life in front of a hand-painted backdrop similar to ones in my own family portraits.
Below are a selection of studio portraits of Norma’s extended family in Puerto Rico through the years.
