RICHLAND, Wash.- Over a span of nine years between 1967-1976, Irwin Nash captured the lives of farmworkers in the Yakima Valley through photography.
In 2023, the families of those farmworkers are able to step into the past and see their heritage Washington State University Tri-Cities Art Center in the CIC building.
“Rooted: Irwin Nash Photographs of Yakima Valley Farmworkers” is a collection of over 40 pictures of the people, jobs and communities that established a legacy for families in Central Washington. Some families have been lucky enough to still have their family with them, to see their lives on display.
“Thank you for Mr. Nash, who I don’t think any of us in our family have ever met, for documenting some very important people and the lives of our family, but also our communities and the state of Washington and beyond,” said Miguel Puente, who was joined by his mother and aunts, subjects of Nash’s work.
For Puente’s family, a family photo on the farm, two family friends and a grandmother were on at the exhibit. As a current school principal, he sees pictures of farmworker children in a different light; specifically, one of a young girl with her hand on her heart as she recites the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Pictures like these are alive right now,” said Puente. “They’re in our community.”
Enrique Cerna, a regent for Washington State University, saw pictures of his friends on display and recalled memories of his parents bringing him into the country from Mexico. He urges people to use exhibits that hit home to start a conversation to keep the history of a family alive.
“Record that history because our history is so important and that’s what I think these photos represent,” said Cerna. “They represent our history, our legacy and there’s this humanity about them.”
Nora Elena Gonzalez did not make it in the photos of Irwin Nash, but her sisters did. For her, the exhibit served as a reminder of her upbringing.
She says with farmworker parents, she was under the impression that her family was rich. Today, she calls her family “rich in love.”
“A lot of these pictures, we see them to this day,” said Gonzalez. “It’s important to not forget where you come from and to appreciate it.”
“Rooted: Irwin Nash Photographs of Yakima Valley Farmworkers” is a two part gallery, with new photos set to join the fray on September 12. The photos will be up until October 20.
