"Crying in the Wilderness: An Immigrant's Journey in Detention" at Mariposa Museum

"Crying in the Wilderness: An Immigrant's Journey in Detention," is a powerful and telling exhibit currently on display at Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center in Peterborough through April 14. In the exhibit, powerful words from an asylum seeker and images from New Hampshire photographer Becky Field (who specializes in exploring the experiences of immigrants in New Hampshire) illustrate the physical and emotional toll of immigrant detention. Field has master's and doctorate degrees in wildlife ecology and decided to get into photography after retirement. She found an interest in how culture adds strength and vitality to the human community and now focuses her images primarily on social documentary issues. Since early 2012, she has photographed cultural, ethnic and religious diversity in New Hampshire. "I originally planned on this being a one-year project and then I would go back to photographing butterflies and dragonflies," Field said. "But here I am, 12 years later." Field spent that time looking at the diversity across the state of New Hampshire, "I have met such amazing people who are just trying to do everything they can for their families and to make sure their children get a good education. Refugees are escaping dangerous situations." With her research and her photography, she published two books, one called "Different Roots, Common Dreams," which has many photographs with a few stories. The second book is called "Finding Home: Portraits and Memories of Immigrants," which combines photography and recorded stories of immigrants coming to this country. After photographing so many different families across the state, Field decided to go deep with just one person that had come here. "In 2021, I came across a man from Africa, 'Antony'. Antony is a pseudonym, and the photos don't show his face in a recognizable way. This was important to make sure that his family is kept safe." In 2018 when he was seeking asylum—which is a legal right under immigration law—he had been shackled, chained and thrown in jail. He was jailed for two years in the south, then they moved him to New Hampshire when Covid happened. He was placed with a family in the seacoast area and put under house arrest with an ankle monitor for three years. "He's a very smart person, was an administrator in his own country and he is an artist and a poet. He became the subject of this project, and he became a partner. We worked together to decide how best to present his story. He and I worked so closely, I visited him every week for a year and a half." "Crying in the Wilderness: An Immigrant's Journey in Detention," features ten large black-and-white photographs that are printed on canvas and suspended within a freestanding black frame with a black cord, symbolizing the bondage of detention. Each photo is accompanied by poetry written by Antony about his difficult journey. "This is such a powerful exhibit. The power is both in the photographs which are in black and white and in the words written by Antony. Normally, I love to photograph in color, but for Antony's project, it was really important to be more somber and more quiet—we both decided for it to be in black and white," explained Field. "This exhibit is not directly about Antony, it's about the way we treat asylum seekers. It's very important for the public to understand the way these people are treated for seeking asylum— and this is a perfectly legal thing. There are better ways to treat people rather than throwing them in jail, essentially for five years. Being detained and trapped causes a lot of anguish and a lot of pain." The Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center is the sixth venue that this exhibit has been in. Prior, it spent four months at the University of New Hampshire Library. Next month, in late April, it will be going to an art gallery in Northampton, Mass. Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center is located at 26 Main St., in Peterborough. The museum, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is wheelchair accessible and has an elevator. For more information, visit www.mariposamuseum.org.