When Marianela Villao snaps a picture, she has a simple objective.
“I’m just looking for something I definitely want to remember again down the line, whether it be kind of, like, a funny license plate,” she said. “Or just my friends hanging out.”
Villao was an avid photographer as a teenager, but then her hobby fell by the wayside. That was until she spotted an ad for a class at the Bronx Documentary Center in 2017.
“We went around the Bronx taking a couple of photos,” Villao said. “And it was exciting to just get back into the magic of seeing those photos develop.”
The nonprofit trains photographers and gives them access to resources like darkrooms and light tables. They also use the medium to discuss neighborhood issues.
Villao started volunteering at the center in 2022.
“I’m a Bronx native, and it felt right to give back to my community,” she said. “And additionally, the mission statement of the BDC really resonates with me. When they did focus on Latino photographers, Bronx photographers, and it felt like I was just right at home.”
The Norwood resident’s work has since been featured in two exhibitions. One showcased Latin American photographers, and another featured pictures by volunteers.
Villao has helped prepare dozens of shows. She frames the pictures, paints the walls and installs the final products.
“She knows exactly what we need to do,” said Alexa Pacheco, an exhibition assistant at the Bronx Documentary Center. “We don’t even have to teach her that much. She just jumps right in, and she’s super helpful.”
The shows include a group exhibition debuting this week to celebrate the Bronx Documentary Center’s 15th anniversary.
“It is very essential to bring over these education programs together to inspire the photographers or aspiring photographers that are coming in so they can tell their own stories and kind of continuing on to inspire future photographers,” Villao said.
For focusing her lens on serving others, Marianela Villao is our New Yorker of the Week.