We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carlos Morales. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carlos below.

Carlos, appreciate you joining us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

As a visual artist and documentary photographer, the isolation of the pandemic presented multiple challenges. In response, I began to explore creating graphic images using my photographs as a base. As the body of work developed, I incorporated video and sound to ultimately create video installations that could be projected in public outdoor spaces. This was particularly relevant and related to the isolation of the pandemic and following social distancing protocols in a way that would reach the most viewers during these times. The audio included interviews in multiple languages to support reaching and bringing together diverse audiences as a global community facing the pandemic. After proposing “Out of the Pandemic” to Gallery North in East Setauket, we worked together to project the pieces onto the various buildings of the gallery campus during Sept. and Oct. of 2020.

Carlos, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My interest in photography began as a volunteer with The Workplace Project, a community organization that advocates for immigrant and workers’ rights. After participating in a documentary project called Unseen America, I went on to complete an Associate of Arts in Photography at Suffolk Community College, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Related Media at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Last year, I was chosen to participate in the New York Foundation of the Arts Immigrant Mentoring program. Also in 2023, I was selected by the Mellon Foundation’s Public Humanities and Social Justice Scholars program to mentor undergraduate students at Hunter College in media making and collaborative storytelling. I have presented at the Pollock-Krasner House, the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro in Mexico, the Langston Hughes Public Library in Queens, and the Long Island Museum (LIM) in Stony Brook. A panelist at LIM’s ¡ESTAMOS! Symposium last fall, two of my multimedia pieces were shown in Somos/We Are: Latinx Artists on Long Island exhibit. As Director of LALI, Latino Arts of Long Island, I worked with LIM to provide bilingual programming and Spanish-language tours of the SOMOS exhibit. Long involved in community advocacy work, during the pandemic I also created THE CLASS, free virtual photography workshops for diverse ages and abilities in five Latin American countries and beyond.

I am currently working on my thesis as I near completion of the Master of Fine Arts in Integrated Media at Hunter College in New York City.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about artists is that it is an easy career to pursue. There is a lack of understanding about the creative process and all of the work that goes into creating a piece. When I approach my own work, I want to create something that engages and moves people in impactful ways while also incorporating my vision, my experience. It is an ongoing and sometimes tedious process that also involves technical considerations like color and composition, as well as other details to bring the piece together. I feel that the creative process is not reflected accurately with many of the common labels and processes perpetuated via social media.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

What is most rewarding for me is seeing how an idea transforms into something tangible that can be shared with the public. One recent example is the multimedia ofrenda which I created for the Long Island Museum’s SOMOS show. The piece incorporated my own experience and background using visuals, audio, and projections to go beyond the typical tradition of the ofrenda; for example, this year the ofrenda I created honored those that have passed before being reunited with their families here or in other countries. The piece was also immersive in that it encouraged the public to share their own stories regarding loved ones on notes they could place on the altar.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carlosmoralesphoto.com
• Instagram: @carlos_morales57

Image Credits

Carlos Morales