Conexión Américas is pleased to announce the winners of the first “Capture the Spirit of International Nashville” photo competition.
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Person Category
First Place Winner
Carol Johnson for “All Cultures Welcome,” portrait of her daughter and three friends in traditional Indian dress.
The judges said:
“The image captures a spirit of community and friendship. It shows Nashville as a welcoming city that invites us all to participate in each other’s cultural traditions and experiences. This photo is our hope for Nashville, who we are and who we want to be.”
Honorable Mention
- Camilo Garcia, for “My Flag,” an image of a smiling child waving the American flag.
- Judit Pap, for the black and white photo of a child at the 2012 Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival.
- Naomi Florentino, for “Honor Thy Dream,” portrait of a young Latino man.
Place Category
First Place Winner
Rachel Swayne for an image of three Somali immigrant women standing at the banks of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville as they surveyed the historic flooding of 2010.
The judges said:
In the days after the flood of 2010, Nashville residents turned out to help each other clean-up and restore. The t-shirts sold during that time read: “We are Nashville” and Rachel’s image speaks to that moment in time that reminded us we really are all in this together. Additionally, in the midst of such a devastating event, this image captures the beauty and strength of the city of Nashville.
Honorable Mention
- Judit Pap, for the black and white image of Brazilian Capoeira performers at the foot of the Parthenon.
- Gaby Aguirre-Iriarte who took the image of a group of International teens at Dragon Park.
- Alfonso Nieto, for the colorful image of Hispanic soccer fans at LP field.
Thing Category
First Place Winner:
Chad and Travis Trout, for an image of the Deg Thai food truck.
The judges said:
Food is the ultimate culture connector and with the growth of Nashville’s international community, ethnic restaurants and food trucks have heightened awareness of our local diversity and creativity. Chad’s photo of the Deg Thai truck captures the flavor of life in Nashville today as it enjoys a trend that has brought Nashvillians together to enjoy good bites and civic camaraderie.
Honorable Mention
- Abby Hannifan, for a photograph of a needlepoint pillow with the word “Welcome” in Arabic.
- Gaby Aguirre-Iriarte, for the nighttime image of the Chilean Flag
- Leslie Rodriguez, for “Bem-vindo Y’all,” a welcome sign at a Brazilian/Nashville wedding.
The Prizes
The three First Place winners will receive the Freedom to Travel Award, two roundtrip airline tickets, compliments of Southwest Airlines.
The winning photographs, and a collection of selected entries, also will be the first art exhibit at the Casa Azafrán Community Center, Conexión Américas new offices, scheduled to open December 1.
Casa Azafrán, the gateway to Nashville’s most international district, at 2195 Nolensville Road, is a $5 million nonprofit collaborative with offices for health services, counseling, education, plus a commercial community kitchen, meeting, event, culture and art spaces.
The photographs and artist bios also will be displayed in a 2013 exhibit at the Nashville International Airport, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and available for traveling exhibits to partner organizations in Middle Tennessee.
The Judges
The competition was judged by a panel of talented and creative Nashvillians.
- Ana Schwager, Manager, Corporate Community Affairs, Southwest Airlines.
- Shaun Giles, Educator for Outreach, Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
- Caroline Carlisle-Vincent, Curator, Arts at the Airport, Nashville International Airport.
- Irma Paz-Bernstein, co-owner, Las Paletas, Nashville.
Special Gracias
A very special thank you to everyone who submitted photographs, many of which will be on display at Casa Azafrán this fall. The variety of photographs were wonderful and really showed Nashville’s International Spirit.
Also, a special thank you to Southwest Airlines for the generous contribution of airline tickets for the First Place winners and making this unique collection possible.
