Benefit to bring photography instruction to children of Mexico

Guests will enjoy an evening of Latin music by guitarist-songwriter Alfredo Gomez and friends, photos of Latin America by award-winning journalists, wine and cheese as Project Luz raises funds to bring photography instruction to the children of Mexico. The project will focus on how immigration issues affect the youth of a rural Mexican town near the U.S. border.

The fundraiser will be held Thursday, July 19, at The Mexican Consulate, 532 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94105, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A donation of $15 is requested at the door. The Ceja and Robledo Family Wineries of Napa and Sonoma will provide wine.

“Project Luz seeks to empower the economically and socially underserved children of northern Mexico with the help of dedicated and established artists,” said Jasmin Lopez, Project Luz founder and director. “We strive to provide children with resources, such as arts-based workshops, that will help build the confidence and creativity they need to make a positive difference in their lives and in their communities.”

Singer-songwriter Alfredo Gomez studied classical guitar in Guadalajara, Mexico. He now lives in the Bay Area, where he performs his original music at a variety of venues, singing of love and the human condition in a style known as “trova.” Gomez’ music can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/alfredoguitarra.

Trova is one of the earliest popular song traditions to originate on Cuba’s eastern coast. The style's practitioners, called “trovadores,” lived much like the medieval troubadours, traveling about and supporting themselves with the meager monetary rewards from performing. Their songs dispersed news and gossip, often through satire.

For more information, please email: Project_Luz [at] yahoo.com