Black Pinelands, 2022. Everglades Historical Pigments series. Photography. Pigment inkjet on baryta paper. Archival FineArt print on Hahnemühle Baryta paper. 21 x 14 in. © Francisco Maso. Courtesy of the artist. This series was produced during the residency at Everglades National Park, 2022 Artists in Residence in Everglades (AIRIE).
“Being an AIRIE Fellow has been a journey to the past. I have been meeting with rangers in the Park who have shared the fragmented and unknown stories of the Civilian Conservation Corps’ segregated camps. Working on the artistic outcome of this experience, I have been reflecting on how to build a creative narrative that highlights these hidden histories. I have had the opportunity to insert myself into the natural environment, drive through historical roads and trails, and visit the places where Black people from the Caribbean and the US worked and settled during the 1930s to eradicate the pink bollworm from wild cotton plants growing in the area of Flamingo and the Keys.” –Francisco Maso.