Exhibit highlights women in Mexico

An art exhibit touring the state highlights the advances women have made in Mexico, and the photographer hopes the pictures show Iowa’s new Hispanic women can make the same kinds of contributions. A photography exhibit touring Iowa until next spring has some serious Girl Power. “Daring to Be: Portraits of Women Leaders in Yucatan, Mexico” is the project of Central College Professor Jann Freed and her assistant Georgianne Huck. She says the project rose out of their interest in women leaders.The women who were interviewed and photographed were all unique, but one in particular stuck in Freed’s mind. She was a woman who started a school for kids with Down’s Syndrome.Freed says the women featured in the exhibit are strong, and have assumed their leadership roles for personal reasons, not to improve their resumes.Freed says she chose to display the project photographs in communities with growing Hispanic populations for a reason. She hopes the exhibit will help communities understand and embrace other cultures.Freed says the ultimate goal is to get all of the interviews and portraits together to form a book.”Daring to Be: Portraits of Women Leaders in Yucatan, Mexico” is a black and white exhibit, and features both English and Spanish captions. Freed’s subjects range from women who hold political offices to schoolteachers. The exhibit will make stops in Ames, Perry, Des Moines, and Indianola, and will end its tour next spring.