“We Are the Latinos en BloNo: Our Stories in Words & Photographs” is the art and work of Yolanda Alonso. The exhibit is part of Illinois State’s celebration of Latinx Heritage Month and is free to the public at the Illinois Art Station through November 4.
In this exhibition, Alonso explores and celebrates the experiences of Latinx community members in Bloomington-Normal that she has documented through her online blog Latinos en BloNo.
Alonso immigrated to Bloomington-Normal in 2019 with her husband and daughter. As a journalist and entrepreneur, Alonso was eager to explore what the community had to offer.
Utilizing Facebook and Instagram, Alonso shares community events, information, tips, and recommendations for the Latinx community in Spanish, making opportunities more accessible to those who may have previously felt a barrier to attending.
In January 2023, Latinos en BloNo began sharing interviews to meet and recognize outstanding Latinx community members with the slogan “We Are the Latinos en BloNo.” What made you decide to begin telling these stories?
The part of journalism I like the most is interviewing. I find it very interesting to get to know someone through an interview, because it is not so easy to get to know such specific aspects of a person. That level of connection with a person can take a long time. Interviewing gives you the ability to establish a connection with someone in a special way.
I also observed that there is no Spanish-language media in Bloomington-Normal, so no one is doing this work of interviewing and getting to know the community through their stories. The Latino population has been here for many years, and nobody knows about or talks about it because we’re not trying to preserve the stories. So, I decided to start with the interviews.
I am grateful to all the interviewees for having the confidence to open their hearts and share their stories with me. And that, in turn, we will share with many people.
I really appreciate that each of the 11 participants so far has had the confidence to do this exercise with me. I value their time and their willingness to share their joys and fears of migration. Even though each of the stories is so different, I believe that our community can connect with all of them and that the whole community, even if you are not Latino, you can learn something from the Latino community.
Your art exhibit will feature people you have interviewed for “We Are the Latinos en BloNo.” Where did the idea of collaborating with the Illinois Art Station to bring to life your interview series as an exhibit?
I am a huge fan of Illinois Art Station. I think they do incredible work in the community and that each workshop and visit in Bloomington-Normal fulfills their mission of bringing art to children and families from all neighborhoods and backgrounds.
A year ago, I participated in a piñata workshop with them as part of their first anniversary celebration, and my daughter and I visit the Illinois Art Station from time to time. So, we know firsthand the great work of all the art professionals at the Illinois Art Station.
Knowing the great work of Hannah Johnson, M.A. ‘14, their executive director, who supports a lot of proposals in the city, knows the Bloomington-Normal community very well, and is always one step ahead of what can be done to bring art to the community. I discussed the proposal with her, and she told me she loved the idea. Shortly thereafter, we revisited the proposal and now we have opened the first Latino exhibition and the first fully bilingual exhibition at the Illinois Art Station.
This is a big step for Latinos en BloNo, but also for the community. It’s great to see your community in a physical space because everything I’m doing is on social media. We are very grateful for the opportunity to take our interviews from digital to physical with this exhibition.
What would you hope the audience takes away with them after viewing your art exhibit?
The stories that we presented in “We Are the Latinos en BloNo: Our Stories in Words & Photographs” are very interesting and can lead anyone to a better understanding of the community. The knowledge will ultimately lead us to connect with each other. We can know and understand that we have more similarities than differences with every group in the community. We are all here looking for better opportunities for ourselves and our families, and that is why I think this exhibit is interesting for the entire community, whether you are part of the Latino community or not. There is something in these stories that we can all relate to.
Your blog has made spaces and events more accessible to the Latinx community who may have previously felt a barrier to attending. Are there any new collaborations like your current collab with Illinois Art Station in the works to continue to grow awareness and participation in community events?
Yes. The Normal Public Library and the Bloomington Public Library have seen growth in participation from the Latino community in recent years and understand the importance of bringing reading to the Latino community. We have participated in some events with them and helped spread the word about their programs. With the Normal Public Library, we celebrated Children’s Day/Book Day this year with a reading of bilingual stories. As the Bloomington Public Library finishes construction, we are helping to spread the word about their English conversation program for people whose second language is English.
You have a wealth of experience as a businesswoman and journalist. How have your life experiences have shaped your life and led you to where you are today?
There’s a famous speech that Steve Jobs gave at Stanford where he said, “you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking back.” I think that’s true. Having a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism and a master’s degree in administration and management completely changed my perspective. Later, I was able to apply that to my work and my business. With that experience and that journalistic nose, you come to a new place and see everything with different eyes. You can know the needs of the community, understand the shortcomings that exist, gather that experience, and try to open a different channel of communication in their native language so that people can connect. Be an ally. So, I think I’ve connected the dots and created something new in Bloomington-Normal.
Visit the Illinois Art Station to view “We Are the Latinos en BloNo: Our Stories in Words & Photographs,” September 16-November 4.
