FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: NICHOLAS WYNIA
Xalapa, Mexico Upper School photography teacher and professional documentary photographer and filmmaker Nicholas (Nic) Wynia is studying a map of Honduras. He’s specifically eyeing Tela, a Hernán Cortés settlement, and Trujillo, Columbus’ landing on his fourth voyage, two of the more popular beach towns that dot Honduras’ sleepy north coast. Wynia has worked extensively in Latin America retracing the steps of Spanish conquistadors. From traveling the route of Francisco Pizzaro fifteen hundred miles down the backbone of the Andes to Hernán Cortés’ march to what is now Mexico City, Wynia uses his camera to explore the themes of conquest and colonization and what these places look like a hundred years after the meeting of the western world and the indigenous populations of the Americas. “I am not Latino or a historian,” Wynia explained. “I’m approaching Latin America as an artist and a photographer, with open eyes and a curiosity to feel and look and try to understand. I find it to be a really warm culture. I love how people greet one another, including perfect strangers, on the street. When you travel through a lot of different cultures you learn that we really have a lot in common. The basic needs and wants and understanding between people are pretty similar everywhere.” Thanks to a GA Kast Grant in the summer of 2019, Wynia spent five weeks retracing the route of Francisco Orellana from Quito, Ecuador to Belem, Brazil. He
NicWynia inVera Cruz, Mexico, retracing the route of Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. journeyed over the Andes mountains, down the Napo River, and then traveled the length of the Amazon River to the Pacific Ocean. “You can certainly see the influence of Spanish culture in Latin America,” said Wynia. “The most glaring are probably in the architecture, religion, and the people themselves. Today the influence on developing countries is coming more in the way of popular western culture and the ideas, style, and norms seen on television and social media. That said, there are still a lot of really unique things about individual communities.” A native of Story City, Iowa, Wynia is a Fulbright Scholar and a graduate of the University of Iowa (B.A., Studio Arts) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Master of Fine Arts). He has worked for a number of news sites and publications. Some of his notable projects include Pond Hockey: Frozen Moments, Middle Man, On Exile, and Honduras: An Isthmus Country. As a teacher at GA, Wynia is not only looking to pass along his technical skills, but also to instill a level of self-reliance in GA student artists and for them to "trust their own ideas."
San Miguelito, Nicaragua
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I think the biggest reward is when students are invested in the work they are doing and taking ownership of their ideas.” –Nic Wynia
"It’s not just that they are doing this because I gave them an assignment. When they come up with their own assignments or projects and are excited about that— that’s what gets me excited. I want them to have more confidence, see the possibilities, and to be self-motivated."
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 23
