Becky Field has been a member of New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists for 11 years, since the start of her project, "Different Roots, Common Dreams: New Hampshire's Cultural Diversity," which documents the lives of immigrant families and communities. Her first entry in a NHSPA group exhibit was in Exeter, 2013. In 2021 she was a participant in the NHSPA project "New Hampshire Now: A Photographic Diary of Life in the Granite State."
Photo of Becky Field © Michael Sterling
Becky says she is motivated in her work by a passion for photography combined with a strong sense of social responsibility and advocacy. “I use my work to honor the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in state known for low diversity.” In 2012, after hateful graffiti was scrawled on the sides of 4 refugee homes, she began a photographic project in response. “Having just started the certificate program in photography at the NH Institute of Art, I decided to use my camera to welcome people who had come here looking for safety and a better life for themselves and their children. I was especially inspired by Gary Samson's photo projects in Ghana and Cape Breton. At the time, I thought I would do this for a year as my final project at NHIA, then go back to photographing dragonflies and flowers. But I have stayed with this body of work for all these years because I have met such wonderful people and heard such powerful stories of their journeys to resettle here.”
She works exclusively in digital photography. “For reasons I don't understand, I am drawn only to still photography; videos just don't do it for me. My work has almost always been in color because of the vibrant colors of so many of NH's immigrants. However, recently I have done a more somber body of work about the struggles of an asylum seeker. [That work] seemed naturally to require black and white.”
Exhibits, talks and continued work on her photo collections are how Becky spends her time. “With the current public interest in diversity and inclusion, there has been increasing calls for exhibits of my work. Also, I am collaborating with the University of New Hampshire to archive my photographs as a record of the state's diversity over the past decade, but also as a photographic resource for educators and researchers.”
She also has an exhibit of photographs and stories of immigrants based on her second book, "Finding Home: Portraits and Memories of Immigrants,” a history of New Hampshire's immigration, in collaboration with the Manchester Historic Association.
Supported in part by a grant from the NH State Council on the Arts, Becky has a collection of work on tour and currently at the Manchester Community College. “It shows the life of an immigrant who fled his African country and legally asked for asylum in 2018. Instead, he was shackled and jailed for no other reason than asking for asylum. Now, almost five years later, he is still under house arrest and required to wear an ever-present ankle monitor which tracks his movements. To protect his family back in his country, his face cannot be recognized in my photographs, and I cannot identify him by his real name or country. He is an artist and poet, so his artwork and words accompany my photography. The exhibit is unusual; ten large black-and-white photographs are printed on canvas and suspended inside black backdrop frames with zigzags of blackcord. The exhibit at the Manchester Community College is up from 3/21 to 4/15. In January-February, this exhibit was in Harrisville, and will be going next to Newfields, Hanover, and Peterborough.
When asked what she would like to learn or do next, Becky said, “My top priorities now are managing the exhibits and working on the archive with UNH. However, I have found with this project that new opportunities and new side projects relating to photography of immigration and refugees always seem to pop up. I also go to multicultural events and conferences where I talk about my work and sell my two books, both of which have won several awards.” 
You can see more about Becky and her work on her websites: http://www.fieldworkphotos.com/index.htmland http://differentrootsnh.com
