TUCSON, AZ.- The Center for Creative Photography (CCP) at the University of Arizona celebrates the legacy of Louis Carlos Bernal, a pioneering Chicano photographer and Tucson arts icon, in Louis Carlos Bernal: Retrospectiva, on view Sept. 14, 2024 – March 15, 2025.

The exhibition, the first major retrospective to highlight the career of Louis Carlos Bernal (1941–1993), is fully bilingual in English and Spanish. More than 145 photographs and archival objects were chosen by curator Elizabeth Ferrer, noted specialist in Latinx art, primarily from the Louis Carlos Bernal Collection at the CCP.

"Bernal is a groundbreaking figure in the history of photography. He was the first Chicano to work with the camera as an artist, and the first to create a sustained body of work reflecting the values and spirituality of Mexican Americans in the Southwest. His work deserves to be more broadly recognized in the history of twentieth-century American photography," Ferrer said.

The artist, born in 1941 in Douglas, Arizona, began his career in the early 1970s, capturing the resilience and cultural richness of Mexican Americans in the barrios of Tucson and the American Southwest. His photographs, often portraying individuals and families in intimate settings, resonate with a profound connection to his subjects and their surroundings.

Retrospectiva includes barrios portraits, early experimental pieces, photographs from his trips to Mexico, previously unseen images from Cuba, and his documentation of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

“My images speak of the religious and family ties I have experienced as a Chicano,” Bernal stated. “I have concerned myself with the mysticism of the Southwest and the strength of the spiritual and cultural values of the barrio.”

In addition to his photography, Bernal made significant contributions to education. He founded the photography program at Pima Community College in 1972 and served as an instructor for 17 years until 1989.

The Louis Carlos Bernal Collection at the CCP, comprising 1,200 prints, contact sheet, negatives, and other materials from Bernal's life and career, was donated by the artist's daughters in 2014. In 2021, the CCP received a $255,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to develop this exhibition and its companion publication. Additional funding from Bank of America will support several programs held both at CCP and in the community that celebrate Bernal’s commitment to Chicanx representation.

“As the steward of Louis Carlos Bernal’s archive, the Center for Creative Photography is honored to celebrate the artist’s legacy through a major exhibition and book that together bring greater awareness of and recognition for Bernal’s visionary and all-too-short career." said Todd J. Tubutis, Director of the Center for Creative Photography. “As we approach the Center’s 50th anniversary, we aim to spark dialogue and renew interest in his photography.”

Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator of the Center for Creative Photography, emphasized the importance of the exhibition: "This marks a significant milestone for the Center. Louis Carlos Bernal, known as the father of Chicanx photography, captures portraits that deeply resonate with community members, reflecting their lives and families."