Fitchburg Art Museum’s “Fitchburg You R Beautiful” exhibit explores the “urban displacement” of area residents

FITCHBURG — Photographer Ruben Natal-San Miguel captures his subjects with an interplay of light. That’s why the peachy sheen from Mayor Steven DiNatale’s striped shirt reflects so perfectly from his hair in a portrait that’s now part of an exhibit at the Fitchburg Art Museum.

“He looked great!” Miguel said of DiNatale. Later adding, “That day I was looking for light. I don’t like shadows personally.”

Miguel has made a name for himself in the art world with his piercing, in situ photographs of everyday people, largely in urban settings. His work has been featured in The New York Public Library, The Makeshift Museum in Los Angeles and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, among many others.

A 9/11 survivor, Miguel began his photography career 20 years ago after deciding to leave his Wall Street career behind. He took to the streets of New York to take “environmental portraits” of marginalized people who are part and parcel of what Miguel describes as “scenery eradicated by gentrification.”

“I was interested in trying to discover the soul of the community. You know, not to portray the typical stereotypes,” he said. “I realized there was a social responsibility with it as I went on.”

Miguel’s exhibit, “Fitchburg You R Beautiful,” is a series of photographs of residents taken on Sept. 25 in front of a wall outside the museum.

“The gray wall in the background of all of the photos is one of our building walls. We were stationed at the museum. So, it was a mixture of people who were already coming to the museum, had heard about this and were coming for it, or had not heard about it and were just coming to the museum; or literally, Ruben calling from the sidewalk ‘come here and get your picture taken!’” said Marjorie Rawle, FAM’s assistant curator.

Miguel said the lighting provided by the texture of the wall combined with its grayish color made for a nice “blend” of his subjects’ skin tone.

“I play with the light mostly; it’s just me and the camera pretty much,” said Miguel. “It was important for me to find a wall that defines the institution and also provides a blank façade that doesn’t compete with the subject.”

One of the most memorable photos in the exhibit, “Dyanelis,” is of a young Latina woman in black laced gloves with her hands pressed to either side of her face. Her deep gaze is made more penetrating by the linear association of her purple eyeshadow and matching purple lace overshirt, which partially covers an otherwise black outfit.

“I like Fitchburg because people have this conception of the suburbs as very pristine and quaint, which it is, but there’s also an urban side to it,” said Miguel. Later adding, “A lot of these people are displaced. You can tell in their demeanor, they still have that urban feel about themselves, but they feel like they’re lost in a new landscape.”

If you are interested in learning more about Fitchburg You R Beautiful, it’s an ongoing online exhibit that can be viewed here: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/fitchburg-you-r-beautiful/.