EMU Senior Depicts Bolivian Town

Vista de Calle de Pucará
Photo by Veronica Amstutz

Dusty streets, windmills and old rusted trucks come to life in a photography exhibit opening Saturday, Oct. 15, at Eastern Mennonite University.

The photography exhibit by EMU senior Veronica B. Amstutz is entitled "Pucará," after the unique old town near where she grew up in Bolivia. Her parents were missionaries in Santa Cruz; her best friend's family was from Pucará.

A reception for the artist and gallery talk will be held 2:30-4 p.m. Saturday in the gallery on third floor of EMU's Hartzler Library.

Ms. Amstutz's photography work, depicting the culture, people and geographic setting of Pucará, is a combination of portraits, landscapes and daily life. Her appreciation for the town of Pucará has taken her back to visit almost every year since she was 15.

"I have an appreciation for Bolivia, I was born there," Amstutz said. "I hope this exhibit will help viewers learn something new from a different culture and some of their customs; it’s so simple and rustic and completely different. No technology, no lights, so rustic, it’s incredible," she added.

Amstutz has always wanted to put together an exhibit on Bolivia. However, it was just recently that she narrowed her focus to one town. "I went to Pucará three times this past summer to take the photographs that are in this display," she said.

The display may end up in the very place it began. Amstutz would like to present it to the people of Pucará as a gift, a way for them to take pride in their own culture and way of life.

Amstutz is a senior art major with a concentration in photography.

The exhibit will be open daily during regular library hours through Nov. 4. Admission is free.

Hartzler Library (and art gallery) operating hours:
Mon.-Thur. 7:45 a.m.-11 p.m.
Fri. 7:45 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Sun. 2 p.m.- 11 p.m.

— article by: Emily Huffman; posted October 10, 2005