Press & Interviews
“I needed to tell the true story of my Italian immigrant family following a familiar path to pursuing the American Dream”. (EXCLUSIVE) Interview with Gina Cunningham
2022 NOVEMBER 23
–Who is Gina Cunningham?
I’m a novice director, who also happens to be a disabled mom and grandmother. After various careers as a restaurateur, social activist, high school teacher, and visual artist, I felt compelled to make my documentary film at 66 years of age when I researched the history of my great Aunt Pasqualina.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
I needed to tell the true story of my Italian immigrant family following a familiar path to pursuing the American Dream. In Pasqualina of Springfield, the mafia anti-hero is a powerful, complex woman. The gangster movie genre has not been about female central characters. Pasqualina of Springfield couldn’t be timelier.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in society?
Cinema has contributed to many societal shifts for more than a hundred years continues to influence culture in sometimes positive, other times negative ways. Cinema is one of the most influential and powerful art forms. Movies have shaped the world we live in, and their power can’t be ignored.
-What would you change in the world?
My list is too long for this interview, but to start; I’d like to stop the injustices caused by racism. I’d raise awareness of the fact that North Americans occupy and continue to destroy land stolen from Native Americans. I’d change the situation where I live in Los Angeles. The United Nations has declared certain areas humanitarian crisis zones because as many as 70,000 unhoused people exist on the streets in this wealthy city in absolute squalor. Far-right nationalism grows around us. War, out-of-control capitalism, and all the destruction it brings, I wish I could change these problems and more.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Ha-ha! I really do not know where the film industry will be in the next 100 years. When I was growing up, I was clueless. I didn’t know we would have streaming, digital images, online platforms, etc. I’m not super high-tech. So, I can’t imagine what experiences the future will bring, but I know human beings are natural communicators. There’s cave art 40 thousand years old telling stories. So, I assume we will always be storytellers.
Wild Filmmaker © 2023
Miami Artist Takes a Stand for Immigrants in FOR ALL BOAT PEOPLE
Courtesy of Gina Cunningham
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017 AT 10:05 A.M.
BY MINHAE SHIM ROTH
In the days following President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting Syrian refugees from entering the United States and banning citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries in any visa category, heated protests broke out at airports in many states where travelers were detained. For many people, particularly immigrants, it has been an exhausting and devastating couple of weeks since Trump took office.
Miami-based artist Gina Cunningham knows the struggle. She has been producing work about the plight of immigrants for years. “As an artist, I raise social and moral issues. It’s particularly important at this point in this crisis that I feel we’re having with the government,” she says.
Cunningham’s latest installation, For All Boat People, is a continuation of the work she has been doing locally and internationally in Haiti, Russia, and Iceland, among other locations. The show will open this Sunday in what has been framed as “an emergency protest against Trump's anti-immigration ban,” according to a news release.
For the show, the artist has created a collection of boats, both large and small, made of paper and industrial material, in a reference to the poem “Boat People,” by Haitian writer Félix Morisseau-Leroy. The poem reads, “All Americans are immigrants/But it’s us they call boat people/We don’t come to make trouble/We come with all respect/It’s them who call us boat people.”
The installation integrates several artistic modalities and consists of indoor and outdoor components. The indoor installation has video, photos, 200 small paper boats, and a large eight-foot boat. The small boats are made of weather-proof plastic paper, while the large canoe was purchased and wrapped in a metallic decorative material. The canoe also serves as an altar of sorts, where visitors can place devotional offerings with a wish or a prayer for the safety of refugees and travelers.
Canoes hung in a tree at Standing Rock by the disputed Cannonball River, with the Dakota Access Pipeline in the far background.
Courtesy of Gina Cunningham
"Unless you’re a Native American, you’re a boat person as well," Cunningham says. "With the current ban, it’s our moral duty to stick up for the disenfranchised. We’re all immigrants; this country is built on immigrants.”
The four videos in the piece are from different locations where she has staged the installation: the United States (Standing Rock), Russia, Iceland, and Mexico. The video she shot in Mexico is particularly relevant to the Trump administration. The footage shows Mexicans in their day-to-day lives with a running news ticker that says, “You generalize immigrants as drug traffickers, criminals,and rapists when you, a direct descendant of immigrants, are married to one. Do you think you and Melania are different because you are white? I cannot think of any other reason for your blatant insult and denigration of immigrants, especially Mexicans.”
Outside, there will be a dance performance with water and fire elements, choreographed by Colleen Farnum. The performers were chosen for their diversity; there are untrained dancers and professional ones, including immigrants from Haiti, Southeast Asia, and South America, as well as Miamians.
For All Boat People was not a direct reaction to the immigration ban that Trump issued January 27. In fact, the installation had already been in place at the nonprofit arts venue Under the Bridge when the executive order was announced. Curator Jane Hart and Cunningham decided to reorient elements in the installation in response to Trump’s order. They displayed the video from Mexico and the photographs referencing Trump more prominently.
“The overall environment in the gallery had been one of reflection, reverence, and ritual before. With Trump and what happened, it’s more frenetic, but it’s important to bring that more to the fore,” Hart says.
Screenshot of the Mexico/Trump video
Courtesy of Gina Cunningham
Cunningham’s work is political, but not aggressively so, Hart says. There are elements of meditation and reflection to her installations about displacement, immigration, and identity. "Her work is poetic and political," Hart says. "She is an artist/activist, not an artist passively creating work. Her work transcends being merely political, but it's political and poetic. We need more work in the world that can speak truth to power.”
The artist aims to address moral and social issues in her art, and she reflects on the importance of politics in the art world as a whole. “It’s important at a time like this for artists to create work that speaks out about what is happening in the world,” Cunningham says. “It’s not about the market, not about the money. Yes, [the artworks] are for sale, but they transcend that. It’s about making art that will shift people’s focus.”
For All Boat People
Opens with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, February 12, at Under the Bridge, 12425 NE 13th Ave., #4, North Miami; email ginyapling@gmail.com; facebook.com. Admission is free. The dance performance begins at 6:15 p.m.
Gina Cunningham | Artist & Activist
June 24, 2020
Hi Gina, how do you think about risk?
Creatives, entrepreneurs pioneering innovation, record-breaking athletes, and courageous individuals putting their lives in danger while saving others are universally respected and admired. As a society, we celebrate the out-of-the ordinary achieved by risk-taking. Decisions I made long ago to spend my life pursuing creative fields means I’m a risk taker too. When I opened Tap Tap restaurant and art gallery in Miami Beach in the 1990’s, I took risks. Tap Tap became an instant success; despite the fact that many were initially skeptical of Tap Tap’s unusual concept combined with it’s seedy location. Open for 24 years, the iconic restaurant became a popular, well known, international tourist destination. After I left Tap Tap, I taught for over a decade. Teaching was risky because my pay was inadequate. I was learning to teach on the job and often my early attempts did not work out as planned. I re-trained my ego to value the knowledge I gained from failing. From that personal struggle, I learned to tell my art students to “just try it”. I let them know they should never be afraid to take risks because of the likelihood of failure. After teaching, I sought a career in the visual arts at an older age. Artists have no job security, health insurance, guaranteed future and no promise of financial gain. Choosing this a career seemed irresponsible and possibly insane. Artists have no idea if they’ll ever see a return on an investment of considerable time, wild enthusiasm, and significant money. Purchasing supplies and investing in pricey art materials might result in financial loss. But I chose to risk it and started working as an artist. Before my solo exhibition in 2017 at Under the Bridge Project Studios in North Miami opened I had no idea if people would attend my opening. It felt scary to create large installations and put them out there for the world to see. I risked negative criticism for work I poured my heart and soul into. Despite my fears, the exhibition went well and opened to more press attention then ever for that venue. After this experience, I decided that risk taking is not only acceptable, it is desirable. In 2019, I switched my form of expression yet again, at an even older age and began work on my first- time documentary film project profiling my great aunt who was assassinated by the mafia. I’ve come to the conclusion that risk taking and even failure are part of my artistic process that I hope will lead to more fantastic discoveries in the future. Risk is important to my journey as an artist.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My recent visual art projects address issues of immigration, water protection, feminism, and disastrous climate change. My current project is a documentary film I am working on which is a curious exploration of my family’s mafia legacy from a feminist perspective. When I was still teaching, I sought out some challenging situations. I taught art to displaced teachers at universities in Haiti, after their devastating earthquake. I organized art classes in schools in India, one in a crowded slum and another in a Muslim school where girls have limited access to education. I am proud of my past endeavors. Professionally, I believe it’s better for me to generate creative projects outside of a museum, gallery or studio setting to reach all kinds of people. The path I have chosen has not been easy and doesn’t come with financial rewards. But I’ve learned that material gain is not what makes a person happy. Doing what you love to do, what you believe in and doing it to the best of your ability is what matters. As a working artist, I hope I can contribute to solving the mounting problems we face. In these challenging and uncertain times an artist/activist can make positive change by using their unique voice to demand change.
Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
When a friend visits me in Miami, I always take them to the beach. My favorite beach is about 6 miles away from the well-publicized glitz and glamour of South Beach. The epicenter of North Shore Park is 83rd street and Collins Ave. This beachside recreation area boasts the prettiest dog park I’ve ever seen. On weekdays, the beachfront is tranquil and often almost empty. The water is delightful the year round. There is a playground, picnic tables and barbecue grills. On the weekends the picnic areas are commandeered by families playing lively music. The recently renovated Bandshell venue, hosts reasonably priced or free events from salsa dance challenges to Afro Roots festivals. I kayak on one of the small canals in the same neighborhood, west of that beach. Kayaking on these lesser traveled waterways is a surprising experience. While gliding silently down the peaceful canal I can show off the variety of fish that populate the local waterways. Manta rays, manatees, white ibis, osprey sea eagles, cormorants, blue herons and anhinga are a few of the creatures you can see along these canals. Neighborhood kayaking is easier than a trip to the Everglades. But the Everglades does beckon, where I introduce my friends to the unique bike trail of Shark Valley. West of Miami and adjacent to the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, this 14 mile paved bike loop is located in a well-maintained National park. The bike trail makes for easy, flat riding when it’s not too hot. You often must bike around large, scary alligators who nonchalantly block this one-of-a kind bike path. During the cool winter months, local bike clubs meet at the Shark Valley bike loop for enchanting moonlight rides. I also bring my friends to the Venetian Pool. The Venetian Pool is a beautiful aquatic facility and a main tourist attraction of Coral Gables. Created in 1923 from an ancient coral rock quarry, the pool is fed with refreshing spring water from an underground aquifer. There is a charming bridge. waterfalls, loggias, porticos and iconic palm trees. An unforgettable Miami experience for my out-of-town friends. I would bring my friends to the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) our contemporary, waterfront art museum dedicated to exhibiting modern and post-modern international art. Designed by prize-winning Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, the amazing outdoor plaza features dramatic views of Biscayne Bay and lush tropical vegetation. From the museum it’s not too far to Little Haiti, where the Creole dishes served at any of the mom & pop restaurants located there will surprise my friends with sophisticated spices and exotic flavors. I would teach my friend “se Koupe dwèt” the Haitian Creole expression for “delicious, tasty and finger-licking good”. And of course I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t treat my visitor to the syrupy Cuban coffee you can find anywhere in Miami. No visit to Miami is complete without Cuban coffee.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My daughters deserve a shout out when telling my story. Becoming a mom meant giving up living a self-absorbed life. The love I immediately felt for my daughters was unconditional. Motherhood changed me instantly and I began to work hard to the best of my ability, despite life’s myriad challenges. And after raising these fragile beings, they became grown-ups who are smarter than me.
Website: www.ginacunningham.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginacunningham/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.o.cunningham
Image Credits
Bernadette Marchand