Euphrat exhibit aims to create 'A Sense of Belonging'

"The exhibit, which runs Jan.15-March 14 at the De Anza College museum, is presented in conjunction with Silicon Valley Reads and its 2026 theme, "Bridges to Belonging." Self, family and neighborhood portraits reflect South Bay Area faces and stories. Marie Cameron's "People in My Neighborhood" series grew from her desire to meet and celebrate essential workers and creatives in her hometown of Los Gatos. The portraits include her neighbor's caregiver, grocery store and café workers, an artist, an author and a small business owner."

"Photojournalist Josie Lepe set out to capture the diversity of often overlooked families in her San Jose community. Her "La Cena/The Supper" series focuses on the intimate connections within these families at the dinner table. "These images are a collaboration between me and contemporary 'Mexica' and 'Latines' families attempting to live the American dream," Lepe says. Photographer Susan Harding documents "A Day in the Life" of families, capturing candid moments of connection."

An exhibition at the Euphrat Museum of Art features portraits that examine belonging through self, family, and neighborhood in the South Bay. The show runs Jan. 15–March 14 at De Anza College in partnership with Silicon Valley Reads' 2026 Bridges to Belonging theme. Artists portray essential workers, creatives, overlooked families, candid domestic moments, eldercare and daily rituals to reveal intimate connections. Work includes Marie Cameron's neighborhood portraits, Josie Lepe's dinner table series, Susan Harding's candid family vignettes, Siana Smith's painted domestic scenes, and Mellon Scholar Fatima Artan's documentation of her family's art practices. The images celebrate shared humanity, interdependence, and the beauty of ordinary routines as pathways to belonging.

Read at The Mercury News