Watercolors of ‘Colorful Threads’ (aka Immigrants)

I happened to come across the opening reception of this exhibit in a quiet residential neighborhood of St. Louis while I was out for an evening walk. I love portraiture as a method of storytelling (“I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America” is the first book of photography I ever purchased), and I am always inspired by accounts of immigration (having lived in another country for six years myself).

In “Threads: A Celebration of the Immigrant Story in Watercolor,” artist Carol Carter is responding to the newcomers in her community, going one-on-one with them through the intimate act of painting their portraits. As the introductory essay promises, “Each one acts as a beacon of freedom and opportunity; together—drawn from every corner of the world—Threads shows an America bursting with energy.”

There are many authors and artists who explore the characteristics of those who leave everything familiar and make lives for themselves in a totally new place. I’ll be sharing them often, because these explorations are so important in helping us better understand who we are and why our society is the way it is. After all, the vast majority of us are descendants of immigrants ourselves, and we inherit those same characteristics generation after generation.