Jay Dunn, photojournalist

LIST of ALL STORIES

2008-07-25T01:07:15-05:00

Lost on Chaoyang Lu, China The price of change in China: swept forward or left behind. gallery slideshow A Stranger's Eye, China At once essential and neglected, Shanxi is fiercely independent. gallery slideshow Wutai Dreams, China A mountain-top treasure of more than forty temples retains its mystery. gallery slideshow Hands of Pride, China Labor and farming remain powered by the human back. gallery slideshow Outside the 5th Ring Road, China Relentless construction in Beijing offers choice but also marginalizes. gallery slideshow Ordinary Days, China Away from the new urbanization, life as it has always been. gallery slideshow Spirit Matters, China...

A Mass for Arturo, USA

2009-04-27T15:36:24-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Chicago, April 21, 2009. A moving funeral for community leader and philanthropist Arturo Velasquez at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago. Born in 1915, Mr. Velasquez entered the US at age 8, parlaying good business sense and a generous heart into multi-million dollar family enterprises. He wished to be remembered with Violet Parra's poem "Gracias a la Vida." "Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto, me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro, perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco, y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado, y en las multitudas el...

Young Mariachis, USA

2009-06-27T17:02:44-05:00

view slidehow here USA, IL, Chicago, June 4th, 2009. Young "mariachi" Ivette Espinoza is able to maintain a strong link to her Mexican cultural heritage through classes offered at several Pilsen schools. The solo in "El Cascabel" (The Rattle from the Snake) is difficult - the instrument is known as a "vihuela," unchanged in design since the Renaissance. Veteran musician Victor Pichardo, of the band "Sonos de Mexico," and his son Yahvi, a former Chicago Public Schools music teacher, began a pilot program in 2008 which enables students to build upon their skills year after year. Photographs commissioned by "Hoy"...

Transcending Frontiers, USA

2009-07-10T19:16:07-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Illinois, Chicago, June 13, 2009. Never less than original, Mexican painter Hector Duarte’s pointedly beautiful “Murallas sobre lienzo” at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is a classical lesson in muralist traditions, blending art, current events and politics in a dream-like commentary on borders and the influence and importance of immigrants. Photographs comissioned by HOY newspaper for a feature story.

Luna Negra Dance Theater, USA

2009-07-25T10:58:02-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Chicago, July 2nd - 24th, 2009. Founded by Cuban-born artistic director Eduardo Vilaro, Luna Negra Dance Theater celebrated the company's 10th anniversary with a triumphant pair of Millennium Park performances in collaboration with Brazilian jazz singer Luciana Souza and the Grant Park Orchestra. Luna Negra creates, performs and teaches the work of contemporary Latino choreographers. Photographs commissioned by "HOY" newspaper for a two-page feature story.

Fiesta del Sol, USA

2009-08-03T20:12:49-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Chicago, July 30 - August 2, 2009. "Fiesta del Sol," one of the largest Latino festivals in the USA, began in 1972 as a block party. Originally concieved of as a fund-raising event by the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, which focuses on grassroots issues such as education, healthcare, housing and immigrant civil rights, it is now a full-bodied celebration of roots, achievement, and Hispanic pride. Photographs for HOY newspaper by Jay Dunn.

Aguijon Theater, USA

2009-08-20T20:55:28-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Chicago, August 4 - 12, 2009. Founded in 1989 by actress/director Rosario Vargas, Aguijon Theater Company is committed to creating and performing Spanish-language work that "stings" the social consciousness of its audience. Working from its own dedicated space in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood of Chicago's West Side, Aguijon has built an international reputation, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a gala at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Photographs commissioned by "HOY" newspaper for a feature story.

La Cueva, USA

2009-09-24T20:47:08-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Chicago, IL, September 16, 2009. Late into the evening and the small hours of the next morning, celebrants of Mexico's Independence Day flocked to Ruben Lechuga's "La Cueva" club to cheer on six candidates for "Miss Gay Mexico 2009." Miranda, the winner, will get to perform onstage for a year. Unsigned and unadvertised, this club is a haven of welcome in a still conservative society. Photographs commissioned by HOY newspaper for a cover story.

"Xantolo" in Veracruz, Mexico

2009-11-01T13:05:43-06:00

view full-screen slideshow here MEXICO, Veracruz, Tantoyuca, Oct 27- Nov 4, 2009. “Xantolo,” the Nahuatl word for “Santos,” or holy, marks a week-long period during which the whole Huasteca region of northern Veracruz state prepares for “Dia de los Muertos,” the Day of the Dead. For children on the nights of October 31st and adults on November 1st, there is costumed dancing in the streets, rather than a graveside vigil, and a carnival atmosphere, while Mexican families also honor the yearly return of the souls of their relatives at home and in the graveyards, with flower-bedecked altars and the foods...

"Todos Santos" in Veracruz, Mexico

2009-11-15T10:21:21-06:00

view full-screen slideshow here MEXICO, Veracruz, Oct 27- Nov 4, 2009. The miracle of a Todos Santos “Day of the Dead” celebration in Veracruz, Mexico is that while parts may be somber, they are never sad, while they are irreverent, they are never irreligious. Memorial services as Europeans may think of them are rarely full of joie-de-vivre - here in Veracruz they are more New Orleans than New Testament, color, creativity and expression overwhelming morbidity and recrimination in a tide of released tension. Making the souls of the dead feel welcome as they return for a yearly visit, Mexicans in...

The Traveling Virgin, USA

2009-09-28T21:01:03-05:00

view full-screen slideshow here United States, Illinois, Chicago, September 25, 2009. Since 1623, the revered figure of "Nuestra Senora de los Lagos," or "Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos" in Jalisco, Mexico has provided comfort and miracles for those who believe. Sometimes known as "The Traveling Virgin," for seven days she graced the Church of the Good Sheperd in Little Village, and hundreds of Catholics came from miles around to pay their respects. Yellow police tape outside politely marked where tonight's lines on this seventh day would form. For Father Benjamin Arevalos, saying the early mass and new...

Wutai Dreams, China

2008-08-02T07:08:28-05:00

click for full-screen slideshow Wutai Shan, or "Five-Terrace Mountain," as it is known, is one of China's four major monastic communities. Spared destruction during the Cultural Revolution, in part due to its remote Shanxi location, modern-day Wutai Shan is still a wonder of religious history, home to a national treasure of more than forty Buddhist temples set among some of North China's most rugged alpine scenery. At 3,000 meters, Yeduo Feng reigns over the valley. Northernmost of the five peaks ringing the village of Taihuai, it is often snow-capped far into the summer. For the most devout of Tibetan and...

2010-01-14T21:01:27-06:00

Xantolo - a film by Jay Dunn from Jay Dunn on Vimeo.

2010-06-17T12:05:42-05:00

Mexico Cultural Calendar is a unique, easy-to-use resource for cultural tourism to Mexico, which lets tourists and travel agents plan itineraries around the country’s hundreds of ceremonies, religious rites, and ethnic rituals yearly. Across Mexico, there are many traditions that are in danger of being neglected, not for want of interest, but through the slow atrophy of passing time and changing priorities. We believe that this valuable cultural heritage needs a home, to preserve its best elements for the future, to allow people to find out about it and experience it, and to funnel some conscientious tourism dollars into the...

"Viva Mexico! Happy 200th Anniversary

2010-09-19T15:17:36-05:00

view full-screen slideshow here What makes a great city is not what it is, but who it is. More than the ghosts of its illustrious past, a great city must also be the real and ready smile of the present, and during this week of Bicentennial festivities, Mexico City was that and more, for all the world to see. In eager, tri-color painted faces, frizzy wigs and flashing glasses, waving “banderas” of every description, Mexicans from all over the country filled the streets of the capital, flocking to the immense main square of the “zocalo” by the thousands, braving long...

"The Axe of God," Chihuahua, Mexico

2010-08-20T12:41:41-05:00

Mexico "The Axe of God" Jay Dunn - Images by Jay Dunn >> view full-screen slideshow here << The small plane banked steeply for a second pass, morning sun briefly flashing through the cockpit as we leveled off, the view below impossibly green, then revealing black and granite through gossamer cloud, as if we were the first to discover the twisting river and sheer cliffs far below. “See, it is as I told you,” exclaimed Ismael Torres, our Cessna pilot, “like God has taken a great axe and cleaved the Earth.” Spread out before us as in an eagle’s eye...

"Cabalgata Villista" in Chihuahua, Mexico

2010-07-25T15:02:06-05:00

JDunn Cabagata 2010 - Images by Jay Dunn >> view full-screen slideshow here << Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, July 5th, 2010. Mexico’s crucial front-line in a war against domestic terrorism cheered today, not for the defeat of another greedy gang, but for a heartfelt victory of pride in cultural tradition at a particularly poignant time in Mexican history. Armed with little more than positive attitudes and leather “vaquero” clothing unchanged for centuries, over a hundred riders set off on horseback from this teeming northern city on a mission of good will, intent on vanquishing long stretches of the unforgiving desert with...

NEW! A 5-part series of positive stories from Chicago schools

2010-02-08T10:37:11-06:00

In a unique collaboration between the Chicago Tribune’s “HOY” newspaper and photojournalist Jay Dunn, this new, weekly series of photo-essays highlights community-driven alternatives for students looking to stay out of trouble in their often underserved neighborhoods. Friday, Jan 22, 2010- Part One:"Circus Galactica. At-risk students learn basic physics and enviable circus skills in this innovative community partnership between artists and educators. USA "Circus Galactica" Jay Dunn - Images by Jay Dunn Friday, Jan 29, 2010 - Part Two: Beyond the Ball. Beyond the Ball takes a personal approach, that neighborhood relationships matter, and that having safe places to play is...

Our Lady of Guadalupe, USA

2009-12-12T20:27:54-06:00

click here for full-screen slideshow USA, Des Plaines, IL, December 12, 2009. In a pilgrimage faithful to that which occurs in Mexico City, many thousands of devout Catholics make the frigid mid-winter trek to Maryville Academy's Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel late on the night of December 11, 2009 to make their prayers at the stroke of midnight. In 1531, the "Virgen de Guadalupe," Mexico's revered icon, appeared to peasant Juan Diego as he walked home to Tepeyac Hill - when asked to prove this miracle, the young Virgin Mary produced roses in winter, and a legend was born. Photographs...

Little Village Justice, USA

2009-09-13T20:15:13-05:00

View slideshow here USA, Chicago, September 14, 2009. The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, headquartered in a predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood of Chicago, campaigns not only against pollution but for clean power, park facilities, urban agriculture, and restoring public transit. Persistent grass-roots lobbying over the course of ten years for the conversion of the Celotex clean-up site into a much-needed park has kept the issue front-and-center for local politicians and residents alike. LVEJO's staff and volunteers make significant outreach and education efforts, and it is a fact that many of their most eloquent spoke-persons are teenagers – committed, passionate, and involved....

"Via Crucis" USA

2010-04-05T11:28:33-05:00

view full-screen slideshow here USA, IL, Chicago, March 28 - April 2, 2010. Salvador Zavala, a 33-year old Mexican carpenter, was chosen from among seven Catholic parishes to play Jesus in the annual “Via Crucis,” a faithful re-enactment of Christ’s last hours. Led by Jorge Nieto, who himself played Jesus in 1987, and his wife Carmen, the Way of the Cross Committee takes great pains to rehearse every step carefully, counting on the devotion and patience of its Chicago members to ensure the event’s success. Beginning at the Providence of God Parish with Pilate's condemnation of Christ, the three-hour Good...

Independence Day, USA

2009-09-13T19:50:10-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Chicago, IL, September 13, 2009. The neighborhood of "La Villita," or "Little Village" is host to one of the best-attended parades celebrating Mexico's Independence Day, with enthusiastic and vocal crowds lining the whole route along 26th St. from Kedzie west to Kostner. Photo for an "HOY" newspaper front-page story

"The Last Kings" Yucatan, Mexico

2011-01-12T13:41:50-06:00

view full-screen slideshow here With both hands, high priest Ildelfonso Ake Cocom raises the gourd of sacred baalche mixture to the skies one last time, sweat beading his brow as he calls out a closing plea to the gods in the full, rounded phrases that characterize spoken Maya. Perched on a stone platform below his uplifted arms is a table with the elements of the saka purification ceremony: a cloth painted with ideograms, candles in black, yellow, red, green, representing the Mayan world's four cardinal directions, a hand-made box of sacred herbs, four stout tobacco cigarettes, to smoke out bad...

Between Three Cultures, USA

2009-06-07T16:24:45-05:00

view slideshow here USA, Chicago, May 28, 2009. Community within a community, Zapotec speaking Mexican-Americans and immigrants maintain their connection to San Pablo Guila in their native Oaxaca through religion, cultural traditions and food. A significant group lives in the Illinois suburb of West Chicago. At one time, the Zapotec kingdom was the most powerful and populous in Mesoamerica, as evidenced by the monumental architecture of Monte Alban, their ancient capital, and the widespread dialects of the Zapotec language. That their modern-day descendants have maintained such a strong connection to their culture is surely due to both a strong sense...

Hands of Pride, China

2008-07-26T05:54:09-05:00

click for full-screen slideshow Much of China today is about modern and money, admirable for its singular focus and determination to make up for lost time. Yet the public reality of progress in the cities masks an elusive and often passionate China of the countryside, a land of hard work and strong opinions. While there have been tremendous improvements in people's lives, many of the visible realities of labor in years past have been simply buried by an avalanche of cars, steel, and concrete. In most places, labor and farming remain powered by pride and the human back - pickaxe...

New Work from Mexico

2011-05-02T08:27:25-05:00

On the Sunday before Easter, Mexico's most important holiday, two very different congregations marked the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem with prayer and processions.The Templo de la Compania de Jesus welcomed Archbishop Jose Luis Chavez Botello for the “Blessing of the Palms” in central Oaxaca, while the small community of Santa Cruz de Xoxocotlan carried Jesus through rainy streets strewn with flowers. Stereo sound recorded on location - just "start" the media player above... For a full-screen slideshow (no audio) click here More at www.mexicoculturalcalendar.com

"Posadas" in Mexico City

2012-01-08T09:49:10-06:00

Mexico: "Posadas in Azcapotzalco" - Images by Jay Dunn The angel came early to number sixty-eight Calle Centlapatl, carried on a plain wood palanquin the way it would be during the first of the year's “Posadas,” by hand, from the church of San Martin de Tours a few blocks away. With a late afternoon's winter light slanting eastward over Azcapotzalco, this December 16th would be a special one, as the Marquez-Perez family had made great preparations to welcome their friends, neighbors and fellow parishioners in celebrating one of Mexico's sweetest traditions. “Posada” means “inn” in Spanish, and on each of...

The Pilgrims of Guadalupe

2012-01-08T09:56:32-06:00

Mexico: "The Pilgrims of Guadalupe" - Images by Jay Dunn At times, it feels like all Mexico is on the move, streaming toward the Basilica as if magnetised, disheveled, defiant, on knees bent and shoes scuffed from miles and miles of trudging along unforgiving concrete. For this will be a celebration, the “Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe,” patron saint of Mexico, and these are the true believers, the “peregrinos.” They come for many different reasons, profound and personal, to find something, to forget something, or to fulfill their “manda,” solemn promises made in public or in private. One wish...

Holy Week, Teotitlan, Mexico

2011-05-09T07:57:43-05:00

True faith suffuses every aspect of Teotitlan del Valle's painstaking recreation of the last hours of Jesus, from Thursday's afternoon's Last Supper through to a night vigil at a jail cell after his arrest. Village elders play the parts of the twelve apostles, and the town's devout fill the church for mass and communion, for the ritual washing of the disciple's feet, and for multiple gatherings which mark the hours. Good Friday dawns with music, scripture, and a solemn procession of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the town's own radiant “Virgen Dolorosa” through the streets. Stereo sound recorded on location...

Semana Santa, Oaxaca

2011-05-02T08:59:23-05:00

On a moody Monday in southern Mexico, the Zapotec townspeople of Oaxaca's Teotitlan del Valle reenact all fourteen Stations of the Cross through this mountain community's winding cobblestone streets. From the first station, where Jesus is condemned to die, to the last, where he is laid in his tomb, somber processions accompanied by flowers, singers and a brass band stop at each refuge, adorned with “tapetes” created by master carpet weavers and blessed with food and drink for all. Stereo sound recorded on location - just "start" the media player above... For a full-screen slideshow (no audio) click here More...