Melissa Nolledo, a Eugene based photographer, is at Cecilia Lee Head’s house in South Eugene.
She’s photographing Head for an ongoing project called, “Our Stories: Immigrants of America.”
As she takes pictures, she guides Head and her daughter, Jenny Jonak, making them pose and directing their movements for each shot.
“I feel like an actress,” laughs Head, as Nolledo clicks away.
Before the photoshoot, Nolledo sat down with Head and Jonak–a 4J school board member–to learn about Head’s experience as a Korean immigrant.
“My mother asked me, she was so worried, because I'm the only one in the States, and especially [married to a] American, she worried, ‘what happens if they don't like her, and then, you know, if they didn't treat her nicely and all that stuff,’” said Head. “When I called her, my mom always said, ‘How are your in-laws? Do they treat you okay?’ And I told my mother, ‘Mom, I like my mother-in-law better than you!”
Nolledo captures moments like these and shares them through her ongoing photo project. According to her, the project aims to share stories of immigrants as a way to show their humanity and to connect people beyond their labels.
The project was first exhibited at the 2017 Oregon Asian Celebration and is currently on display at the Downtown Eugene Public Library.
At the library, the photos and blurbs line the walls of the second floor. There are a wide range of people photographed, from Misa Joo, a Japanese-American descendant of Japanese internment camp survivors and Eugene 4J School District’s new superintendent, Miriam Mickelson.
Martha Sutherland, the Adult Services Department Supervisor at the library, said it was important to bring this exhibit to a place where folks from all walks of life can experience it.
“I think this exhibit is very important. It invites people to come and read the stories," said Sutherland. “It invites curiosity, reflection, and really, our hope is to build empathy and understanding so that folks come here and see not strangers, but neighbors, you know, people who also have very similar hopes and dreams.”
Nolledo echoes this sentiment as she talks to Head. She says even though people always think they don’t have a story to tell, there are often some connecting threads that speak to other people.
“When you're saying that your story is boring, everybody says that. Everybody says that, and it's really not true,” said Nolledo. “We all have a story, and believe me when I say, I get reactions on social media, and they always say something like, ‘it resonated with me’ and then it makes people feel good to see that.”
For Nolledo, the thread of the project stays true, even in its eighth year.
“I think it's important because we all come from different backgrounds, but this is, we're weaving these stories together. This is our, this is our culture, this is our humanity,” said Nolledo.
The exhibit is at the Eugene Public Library and will be on display through Sept. 28.
