Throughout the yearKuzma and Ruebartsch have talked to refugees in Milwaukee and documented the stories ofindividual families. Refugees differ from immigrants in that they are displacedfrom their homelands by crises, often war or famine, and seek sanctuaries inwhich to begin a new life. Typically this journey begins at a refugee center;many people here are adjusting to the Midwest from countries in Southeast Asiaand Africa, including Burma,Laos and Somalia.
The WPCA displays about30 of Ruebartsch’s giclée prints on rag paper in which he photographs individualand community moments without romanticizing misfortune. Though he remainsobjective, Ruebartsch uses his photographs to transport observers to aparticular place to reveal the emotions of his subjects.
Kay’s Son Tends Chickens pictures a boy peering through the wiregrid of a chicken coop, a chicken clutched in his hands, in a tenderinterpretation of farm life. ChildrenAssemble for Burmese New Year’s Blessing portrays four boys dressed inoxford shirts with their hands held in prayer. The up-close, slightly angularperspective dramatizes these pensive young faces, evoking great empathy for afamily suddenly finding itself in a foreign land.
Certain photographs inthe exhibition provide viewers with a phone number that will allow them to hearthe voices of the subjects. These excerpts could stand to offer more insight,but there is pleasure in hearing the exuberance in many of the voices.
Through experiences intheir own lives, Kuzma and Ruebartsch truly relate to these portraits. Acatalog documents their process and purpose with heartfelt credibility. “Here,There, and Elsewhere” provides a valuable introduction to new Americans bypointing out the similarities among us. Everyone needs food, water, shelter andacceptance, no matter what land we call home.
“Here, There, andElsewhere: Refugee Families in Milwaukee”continues through Aug. 28 at Walker’s Point Centerfor the Arts, 839 S. Fifth St.
