Photojournalism nominee

A Glimpse Of Hope At The Migrant Shelter

Azucena (15) celebrates her quinceañera at the Casa del Migrante, posing in front of an altar dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe in the shelter’s courtyard.

Azucena’s family says they barely escaped being kidnapped by Mexican police before finding safety at the Casa del Migrante. Thanks to some assistance from a local tailor, she was able to don a custom dress on her special day. Still, it was an unconventional Quinceañera. Instead of extended family and friends, the guests were other migrants and shelter staff. Instead of traditional Guatemalan food and cake, there was spaghetti and fried chicken. Azucena, along with her brother and mother, were later allowed to reunite with her father in California as their asylum cases played out.

In September of 2019, Azucena’s family was one of the few granted permission to seek asylum in the United States.

Ada Trillo is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Philadelphia. Born on the American/Mexican border, she is influenced by her cultural heritage of the Southwest and Mexico, traveling there frequently for her artistic practice. She studied in Italy and Philadelphia, and her work has been featured in solo, two-person, and group exhibitions. Trillo is represented by Racso Fine Arts and Twenty-Two Gallery.

Ada is currently working on a photo documentary exposé of low-cost sex workers in Mexico. The series includes both a collection of photos taken in the brothels of Mexico deglamorizing prostitution and showing the dehumanizing conditions of their work, as well as an artistic depiction of each woman's spirit inspired by on-site interviews conducted with each of them.

Exhibits:
How Did I Get Here- A solo photography show- Twenty- Two Gallery July13 to August 6th, 2017
Philadelphia Historic House Museum- Solo Show-May 26, 2016

Group
Caliban Revisited- The Da Vinci Art Alliance June 7th to June 25th, 2017
Works by Latin American Women-Three woman show- RACSO Gallery October 8th to November 8th, 2016
New Works by Jose Ortiz-Pegan and Ada Trillo- RACSO Gallery August 2016

Collections:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Awards:The photo Review contest edition