Miguel Gandert has an exhibition titled "Sacred and Secular: Photographs by Miguel Gandert" on display at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center.
Daily Lobo: What got you interested in photography and photojournalism?
Miguel Gandert: Well, I started working on the yearbooks when I was in the seventh grade. It was the coolest thing I ever did, just taking pictures and sharing them with the world, telling stories with the camera. You have the right to go anywhere.
DL: What is the central theme of the exhibition?
MG: The Robert Johnson program here at UNM asked me to do a show about New Mexico, and I have been photographing New Mexico for the last 40 years. We took work that has been shown at different venues, and what we are showcasing is the culture of New Mexico, the traditions and cultural celebrations throughout the state.
DL: Where have your other works been shown?
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MG: I've had shows all over the world. I've had shows in New Mexico, New York, Spain, South America, and I'm working currently on a show that will be in Mexico next year. That's what I do. I'm a photographer - a documentary photographer. I've been really lucky to have shows at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art. I've got a number of books out as well.
DL: What brought you to work here at UNM?
MG: Well, I'm a native New Mexican, and the Department of Journalism - it wasn't Communication and Journalism at the time - recruited me and said they were interested in having me work here, and, with some luck, I was hired to be a professor. I've always wanted to teach here, and I'm a graduate of UNM with my undergraduate degree and my master's in art. So it was like a dream come true for me to be invited to teach here. I mean, I'm teaching in the same building that I took classes in.
DL: Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers?
MG: If you really love taking pictures and sharing them, then that is enough. If you care about going through the hard work and the time involved, then it's all worth it.
