Portrait Series Celebrates the Faces of Villa Victoria

Billowy faces, replicating Villa Victoria’s current residents, line the walls of the art center’s Galeria.

There’s Maria Flores, an outspoken woman in a elegant hat who runs a senior dance group in the neighborhood. And Trevor, a young Haitian boy from a large family who, upon seeing his portrait, decided he would become an artist. Each image tells a different story, but it was a focus on the community as a whole that motivated Francisco De la Barra, the exhibit’s solo artist.

“A lot of individual decisions I made in each painting were influenced by things I saw in Villa Victoria,” said De la Barra during a recent interview. “When painting a particular face, I did think about that person, but most of the time was thinking of the Villa.”

Villa Victoria Center for the Arts is the largest Latino cultural center in New England. It’s one of the many programs of Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion, a non-profit organization started in 1968 by Puerto Rican activists looking to improve their community both socially and economically. Programs and classes based in education, economic development, technology, and art are offered to the Villa’s nearly 450 residents who occupy the surrounding affordable housing units.

Dedicated to learning about Villa’s community, De la Barra immersed himself in daily activities offered within the organization. He sat in on neighborhood meetings, took tai-chi, attended finance classes, taught youth art classes, and attended concerts and events. During his experiences, Francisco took photos of many residents, which he would later use as models for his portraits.

“I wanted to know more about Villa Victoria, not by reading a book about it, but by spending my time in the neighborhood,” said De la Barra. “I wanted my audience to get curious about this place and to get involved with it.”

Culturally, Villa Victoria has expanded beyond its Latino roots and opened the door to many diverse residents, including a growing Asian population. This can be seen on the faces of De la Barra’s work, which he painted using such elements as spices and ashes. Using these materials was his way of paying respect to various cultures, and the ancestors who helped shape them – and to honor the Villa’s unique community, which he feels lucky to have witnessed.

“What was most fulfilling was to see the intensity with which people live there,” said De la Barra. “There are no mild emotions.”

VICTORIA: Francisco Del la Barra runs through August 31st at La Galeria at 85 West Newton Street. Gallery hours are Thursday & Friday, 3-6pm and Saturday, 1-4pm. Private appointments are available by contacting Curator Anabel Vazquez Rodriguez at (617) 927-1742.