Nestor Hernández, Jr., Photographer

5514 Blair Road NE
Washington, DC 20011

Contact Nestor Hernández Sr. at blackpea@erols.com or
(301) 927-0648. See instructions for purchasing images.

Professional Photographic Experience (including photo-documentary projects and teaching experience)
Exhibits
Awards
Memberships

Professional Photographic Experience

Exhibits Historian
The National Children's Museum
Responsible for providing photographic documentation of museum programs and exhibitions. Researched and gathered materials related to the history of the museum and developed a permanent museum history document and file. Developed museum digital image file.
March 2004 to present

Staff Photographer
Public Information Division, District of Columbia Public Schools
Responsible for covering a wide variety of assignments involving events in the DC Public School system. Production of photographs for distribution to media outlets in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and for in-house publications.
March 1994 to August 2002

Contributing Photographer
The Metro Herald Newspaper
Contributor to weekly newspaper covering community events in the Washington/Metropolitan area.
January 1998 to Present

Staff Photographer
Bulletin Board Newspaper
Chief photographer for weekly community newspaper covering neighborhood events in North West Washington, DC
October 1990 to 1994

Staff Photographer
The Current Newspapers
Chief Photographer for the Current chain of weekly newspapers. Responsible for covering political, sports and community events in the Washington region.
April 1992 - June 1994

Black and White Lab Technician
Library of Congress
Responsible for producing custom and exhibition quality contact and projection prints from the Library's vast collection of historic photographic materials.
March 1992 - June 1992

Staff Photographer
Capital Children's Museum - National Learning Center
Responsible for all museum photographic needs, including special events, dignitary visits, slide show presentations, exhibit documentation and producing photographs for grants, newsletters, special exhibits and other materials.
January 1980 - June 1991

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Photo-Documentary Projects

Project Photographer
Afro-Latino Voices
Photographer for book and exhibition collaborative project with writer Luisa Bonilla documenting Latinos of African descent throughout the United States.
May 2004 - Present

DC's Historic Drum Circles
Photographer for project by scholar and writer Corinna J. Moebius documenting the drum circles of Dupont Circle and Malcolm X Park, both in Washington, DC
August 2002 - Present

Accra Up-Close
Documented the city of Accra, capital of Ghana, West Africa, for a UNESCO funded book and exhibition.
November/December 2000

D.C. Historic District Contemporary Life Documentation Project
Documented 12 historic Washington, DC neighborhoods for the DC State Historic Preservation Office of the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs. Resulting images were produced into an exhibit that was displayed at the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference.
January - September 1999

Book Photographer
Master Weaver of Ghana
Spent one month in Ghana, West Africa documenting traditional Kente weavers in villages throughout Ghana's Volta region. Resulting photographs are featured in the award winning children's book, Master Weaver from Ghana published in 1998 by Open Hand Publishing. Images are also included in a Web site on traditional African textiles and crafts.
October / November 1995

Teaching Experience

Project Director/Teacher
African Eyes
Gambia - Ghana - Mali
Will organize photography workshops for children in Gambia (February 2005), Ghana (December 2004) and Mali (November 2005).

Calidoscopio Cubano - Cuban Children's Photography Project
Havana and Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Organized and taught in a three-year photography workshop for Cuban youth as part of CubaFoto, a cultural exchange project between American and Cuban photographers. Photographs resulted in the exhibitions, CUBA En Foco:, Photographs by Cuban Children, which was shown at the Capital Children's Museum and the Sumner Museum in Washington, D.C., and Calidoscopio Cubano which was held in November 2004 at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. A major exhibition of the children's work will take place in July 2005 at Fototeca Gallery in Havana, Cuba.
July 2002 - 2004

Program Instructor
Kiddafest 1999 - The Accra International Children's Festival
National Theatre of Ghana
Taught photography workshop for 30 children from Ghana, Togo, Benin, Senegal and Nigeria participating in the 7th Annual Kiddafest children's festival in Accra, Ghana.
December 1999

Program Director
Mount Pleasant in Focus
Director of photography program at Bancroft Elementary School in the Mount Pleasant community. Program was design to give neighborhood young people not only skills in the photographic arts, but also to help them see their community in a new way. Students produced hundreds of photographs documenting the Mount Pleasant neighborhood which resulted in two major exhibitions.
October 1991 - June 1993

Project Director
Shooting Back Education and Media Center
Nationally known community oriented photography program designed to give at-risk youth exposure to photography. Program developed by former UPI Photographer Jim Hubbard.
February 1993 - March 1994

Program Instructor
Option School/National Learning Center
Taught photography course in media arts components of alternative school (now a charter school) for at-risk 7th graders in the DC Public School System.
February 1990 - June 1992

Program Director / Instructor
Photo Lab at Media Works, Capital Children's Museum
Developed a successful after school and summer program to teach neighborhood young people basic black and white photography skills. Student works were displayed in Galleries throughout the Washington area and in sister exhibits in Beijing, China.
June 1980 - January 1990

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Exhibits

Walking to Their Own Beat: Afro-Cuban Musicians and the Black Identity
Solo Show
Latin American Youth Center (Washington, DC)
April 29 - June 14, 2004

De Acquí y de Allá: A Survey of Contemporary Cuban Artists
Group Show
Fraser Gallery (Bethesda, MD)
September 12 - October 8, 2003

¡DESCARGA!: Musical Images of Cuba
Group Show (Curator / Exhibitor)
The Latin American Folk Institute (Mount Rainier, Maryland)
March 14, thru June 6, 2003

Cuba Now!: Images of Cuba by Cuban and American Photographers
Group Show (Organizer / Exhibitor)
Sumner Museum (Washington, DC)
January 30 - April 30, 2003

Pictures That Tell Stories
Group Show (Curator / Exhibitor)
Thurgood Marshall Center Gallery (Washington, DC)
November 1, 2002 - March 28, 2003

Cuba: An Exhibit by 12 Washington Photographers
Group Show (Curator / Exhibitor)
Wohlfarth Gallery (Washington, DC)
September 13 - November 9, 2002

In the Arms of Elders
Group Show
Smithsonian Anacostia Museum (Washington, DC)
October 20 - December 31, 2002

Entre Luces y Sombras: Una exposición de fotógrafos norteamericanos
Group Show (Curator / Exhibitor)
Galería de Arte René Portocarrero
Teatro Nacional de Cuba (Havana, Cuba)
July 5-August 31, 2002

Latin Americans in DC
Juried Group Show
Espacio Cultural Salvadoreño (Washington, DC)
April 5 - May 10, 2002

Ghana Life: Photographs from the West African Nation
Solo Show
Art Spin Gallery (Hyattsville, MD)
March 1 - 29, 2002

The Washington We Know: A Photographic Look at Washington Neighborhoods
Group Show (Curator / Exhibitor)
Capital Children's Museum (Washington, DC)
February 1 - April 1, 2001

Eye on the World: Global Images by American Photographers
Group Show
White Meyer Gallery
Meridian International Center (Washington, DC)
December 6, 2000 - January 28, 2001

Celebrate America
Group Show (Curator / Exhibitor)
United States Embassy to the Rupublic of Ghana (Accra, Ghana)
November, 2000

Eye of the Beholder: Washington, DC on Canvas and Film
Group Show
Martin Luther King Memorial Library (Washington, DC)
May 8 - June 25, 2000

Forever Young: A Portrait of Childhood
Solo Show. Major exhibit documenting children from the USA, Cuba and Ghana.

• Galería de Arte René Portocarrero
  Teatro Nacional de Cuba (Havana, Cuba)
  July 15 - August 31, 2001
  
  
• "Kiddafest" The Accra International Children's Arts Festival (Accra, Ghana)
  May 1 - June 30, 2000
  
  
• Capital Children's Museum (Washington, DC)
  Exhibit Grand Opening
  January 14 - March 25, 2000

Cuba Reflections: A Photographic Journey
Solo Show, Comprehensive exhibit documenting contemporary life in Cuba. Images resulted from 18 trips to the island nation.

• Joysmith Gallery (Memphis, TN)
  August - September, 2003
  
  
• Mattye Reed African Heritage Center
  North Carolina A&T University (Greensboro, NC)
  August, 2002 - April, 2003
  
  
• International Visions Gallery (Washington, DC)
  October 15 - November 30, 2002
  
  
• District West Fine Art Gallery (Leesburg, VA)
  August, 2001
  
  
• Center for Collaborative Art and Visual Education (CAVE) (Washington, DC)
  June 4 - 27, 1999
  
  
• Christina Cultural Arts Center (Wilmington, DE)
  September 1 - December 31, 1998)

Portraits of African American Life
Group Show
The Exposure Group, African American Photographers Association
Gallery of African Wildlife and Contemporary Art (Capitol Heights, MD)
June 19 - September 8, 1999

Portrait of a Neighborhood: Photographs of the Mount Pleasant Community
Solo Show
Mount Pleasant Library (Washington, DC)
June 11, 1998 - February 29, 1999

"Metaphors": An Anthology of Visual Images by Cuban Artists
Group Show
Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center
American International College (Springfield, MA)
April 18 - June 2, 1998

Fotocraft Camera Club 60th Anniversary Exhibit
Group Show (Curator/Exhibitor)
Blackburn Center, Howard University (Washington, DC)
April 6 - May 18, 1998

Entre Cubanos (Among Cubans)
Group Show
Casa de Africa (La Habana, Cuba)
January 2 - March 4, 1998

Black Pearls: African-American Boys & Girls
Solo Show
Ramee Art Gallery (Washington, DC)
July 1995

Christina Cultural Arts Center (Wilmington, DE)
September 1996

Hidden Faces: AIDS in the Latino Community
Group Show
El Centro de Arte (Washington, DC)
December 1994

Days in May: Photographs from the 1991 Mount Pleasant Riots
Group Show
Wilson Center Gallery (Washington, DC)
May 1992

Two Weeks in Cuba
Solo Show
Capital Children's Museum (Washington, DC)
June 1990

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Awards

• 2003 Artist Fellowship Award
  District of Columbia Commission for the Arts and Humanities.
  
  
• 2001 Distinguished Leaders Award
  District of Columbia Public Schools.
  
  
• 2001 "Photographer of the Year Award"
  Exposure Group - African-American Photographer's Association.
  
  
• 2000 Mayor's Arts Award for "Outstanding Emerging Artist"
  District of Columbia Commission for the Arts and Humanities.
  
  
• "1999 Children's Book Award"
  "Best Book for Young Children"
  for the book, Master Weaver from Ghana
  African Studies Association
  
  
• 1998 "Community Service Award of Merit"
  Exposure Group - African-American Photographer's Association.
  
  
• Fotocraft Camera Club / Greater Washington Council of Camera Clubs
  • 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001: Photojournalism Award
  • 1987 - 1999, 2001: First Place in Black and White Print Competition
  • 1991 and 1993: First Place Slide Show Production

Memberships

The Exposure Group:
African American Photographer's Association

FotoCraft Camera Club (Past President, 1990 - 98)

Greater Washington Council of Camera Clubs

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