PSu Magazine Winter 2002

HOTOGRAPHER PRISCILLA CARRASCO MSW '71 has traveled the world photographing rural cultures. Her best-known works, however, developed in Woodburn, just a few miles away from her home. A series of her photographs titled, "Praise Old Believ– ers," has been exhibited in multiple venues, including the Oregon History Center and The Photographer's Gallery in London. The collection captures the lifestyle of early Christian Russians who migrated to Siberia, Turkey, China, Brazil, and eventually Oregon and Alaska. Carrasco says there are communities of Old Believers throughout the United States, but Woodburn remains the stronghold. Although she began photographing the Old Believers 37 years ago, it wasn't until after the end of the Cold War that the art world took an interest in the unique collection. Her first connection with the Old Believers came when she was working at a small news– paper and covered a story about their community. Initially drawn to them through their songs, their music was only the beginning for Carrasco. "These are some of the most wonderful friends I've ever had," says Carrasco. "They've struggled mightily, and I admire their tenacity to retain their culture and keep their families tightly knit together." Her work began privately, but once Carrasco started taking their photographs, she was so enamored of the Old Believers that she couldn't make herself stop documenting their lives. Carrasco has spent the last seven years raising funds to self-publish the "Praise Old Believers" collection in a book. It is an expensive and time-consuming process, and Carrasco is offering advance sales of the limited edi– tion printing in order to support the effort. Carrasco's admiration of various cultures is the driving force behind her life and career. She earned a Master of Social Work degree in order to find new ways to help those she met in rural communities. People new to this country often experience difficulty with bureaucracy and language barriers. Just managing crucial tasks like going to the doctor can create hardship for those unfamiliar with the system. So Carrasco educated herself in order to better assist them. While working for the Valley Migrant League, she was struck by the many migrant farmers that had fled Mexico. Carrasco traveled to Mexico to find out why they would want to leave their homeland. There, she saw great hard– Priscilla Carrasco's photos show the beauty of children in Woodbum's Old Believers community (left) and of the people of Mexico (top and right). ship but also indomitable spirit. "I met Caesar Chavez. He was a genuine leader and great believer in femi– nism. I became very inter– ested in Mexico, Mexican culture, and feminism in Mexico," says Carrasco. Some of the photos she took in Mexico will be included in her next endeavor, a book titled Women of This Earth. This collection will feature Carrasco's photographs of rural women and their working life in areas of India, Japan, Bali, Peru, Greece, Spain, Italy, France, and England. Car– rasco says she might con– tinue her travels and photograph other cultures to add to the book. She wants to visit rural areas of China, Africa, and the Middle East to learn about the lives of women in these countries too. Her commitment to the people she pho– tographs is evident in her work and is attracting attention around the globe. The Library of Congress recently con– tacted Carrasco, offering to be the eventual caretakers of the Old Believers photographic negatives. Carrasco is carefully considering this offer to protect her labor of love for future generations. "The most important thing is to love your work and the people you are with," says Carrasco. "I photograph unknown great heroes and heroines." -Kelli Fields WINTER 2002 PSU MAGAZINE 23