MIAMI, United States. – Cuban photographer William Riera received the first scholarship for artists queertransgender and women from the Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA), in partnership with the foundation Arts Connection.
Riera is known for his work as editor of the #SoflaFoto platform, which promotes photography linked to Latin American issues.
In accordance with a note from Arts Connection, the Cuban artist will join 15 other students in the “Photobook as Object” workshop from June 3 to 12, led by Japanese curator and editor Yumi Goto and Peruvian photographer Paola Jiménez. This workshop has previously trained photographers who have obtained prestigious awards, such as the best photography book of the year in PhotoEspaña.
Andreina Fuentes Angarita, director of Arts Connection, announced the news as part of the new educational programs supported by the foundation in Miami this year. Fuentes Angarita, also a photographer and curator, leads the identity adequacy movement “Identity Adequacy Movement” and developed the series “Transdecision”, which defends the right of trans people to choose their gender identity.
Since 1995, Riera has lived in Miami. She trained in Systems Engineering at the José Antonio Echeverría Polytechnic University (CUJAE) in Havana, in Analog Photography at Miami-Dade College, and in Professional Photography at the New York Institute of Photography (NYIP). Subsequently, she studied at the Página en Blando photography school in Mexico City and completed a Master’s Degree in Modern and Contemporary Art at the Casa Lamm Cultural Center in the same city in 2022.
The “Photobook as Object” workshop will allow Riera to explore the possibilities of photobooks, from materials and techniques to editing, publication and distribution. The end result will be the creation of your own photobook that addresses the trans experience.
Aldeide Delgado, founder of WOPHA, underscored the importance of the collaboration between her organization and Arts Connection, which dates back to 2018. According to Delgado, the shared vision is to turn Miami into a center for international photography studies.
Arts Connection, based in Miami-Dade, is a nonprofit organization that promotes events to foster cultural awareness, awareness, and sensitivity in the community.
