October 4, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE:
West Sacramento Historical Society presents Filipino American exhibit
Contact: westsachistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Or email: thealvaradoproject@gmail.com
The West Sacramento Historical Society, in conjunction with Exhibit Envoy, will present an exhibit of rare post-World War II photographs in “Through My Father’s Eyes: The Filipino American Photographs of Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado (1914 -1976).” The exhibit will be at the City of West Sacramento’s Community Center, at 1075 West Capitol Avenue, West Sacramento, California from Monday, Oct. 17, through Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.
Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado emigrated to the United States from the Philippines in 1928. His poignant photographs captured day-to-day rituals and special celebrations of the Filipino American (Pinoy) community after the war, including weddings, funerals and dances, as well as intimate family gatherings.
Twenty years ago, The Alvarado Project and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History celebrated works by aspiring artist, Filipino American photographer Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado. This landmark exhibit and national tour about the Filipino diaspora marked the first of its kind in any of its 16 museums. When he died in 1976, Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado left an archive of over 3,000 rare photographs and ephemera, a vital portrait of Filipino American life in the 1940s and 50s.
His daughter, Janet Alvarado, is instrumental in the exhibit. In 1997, Janet formed The Alvarado Project to ensure that her father’s unique record of Pinoy life would be preserved and would receive the attention it deserves.
An opening reception will be on Friday, Oct. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the West Sacramento Community Center, at 1075 West Capitol Avenue, West Sacramento, California. Brief program, light refreshments.
FREE ADMISSION
“Through My Father’s Eyes” is toured by Exhibit Envoy in partnership with History San Jose and the Alvarado Project. The exhibit originally toured through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.