Redwood City -"The food on the table doesn't get there by itself," Guillermo Ramirez said.

It gets there because of people like him.

Ramirez is one of dozens of farmworkers featured in Harvesting Dreams/Cosechando Sueños, a traveling photo exhibit now on display at the San Mateo County government center in downtown Redwood City.

The photographs, large portraits printed on canvas and mounted along lobby walls, show farmworkers holding the tools of their trade or the crops they harvest.

The County Office of Arts and Culture and community based organizational partners will host a public reception for the exhibit on March 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 500 County Center, part of Farmworker Awareness Week (March 25-31).

The event will include remarks from the artist and community partners in Spanish and English, performances, food and opportunities to meet some of the farmworkers featured in the portraits. (RSVPsare encouraged but not required.)

"Art has the power to bring awareness to the everyday heroes in our community. Through this exhibit, we are reminded that the food on our tables is made possible by the hard work, resilience, and humanity of farmworkers in our community," said Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, who serves as the Board liaison to the Arts Commission. "I'm proud to support this work that uplifts their stories and brings our community closer together."

José Luis Aguirre, the photographer of the exhibition who works in community outreach for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, began thinking about the project after the 2023 shootings in Half Moon Bay that claimed the lives of six farmworkers. Watching the community respond to the tragedy, Aguirre said he began asking himself what he could contribute.

"I wanted to focus on the person, not the worker," said "But I asked them to bring the clothing they use at work, the tools they use or something they harvest - so people can connect the person to the work," he said. "I'm a photographer. So I started thinking, what can I do to honor them, to give them visibility and highlight the work they do?"

Working with community organizations including Puente de la Costa Sur, Coastside Hope and ALAS, Aguirre organized portrait sessions over several evenings in Pescadero and Half Moon Bay.

Forty-four farmworkers came forward to be photographed. Many of the portraits include QR codes linking to recorded video interviews with the workers, allowing visitors to hear their stories in their own words.

"Exhibits like this help us see the people, families, dreams and stories behind the harvest," said Noelia Corzo, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. "Visibility matters because when we truly see our farmworker neighbors, we recognize their dignity, their contributions and their place as valued members of San Mateo County."

Ramirez, 53, has worked on farms in the Pescadero area for about 20 years. He sat down recently at a picnic table outside of Puente de la Costa Sur, a nonprofit that advocates for farmworkers and supports the rural community along the San Mateo County coast, to talk about his work and his life.

Through an interpreter, Mayra Chavez, director of community engagement and public policy at Puente, Ramirez described a life shaped by long days in the field. He wore a zip-up jacket the muted gray-green of late winter fields against the evening chill.

"It's something beautiful," Ramirez said. "Working in the fields brings me joy."

In his portrait, Ramirez holds in his right hand freshly harvested carrots by their green tops, more vegetables in his left. He smiles in the portrait - and again in a photograph of him standing beside it at the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco.

"Our neighbors who plant, care for, and harvest our food are essential to this community," said San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 includes the vast majority of the county's farmland and nurseries. "This exhibit showcases these hidden heroes. It's fitting to share their stories here at County Center."

The exhibit arrives as the County has expanded programs aimed at supporting farmworkers and their families after the 2023 Half Moon Bay shootings shined a spotlight on the challenges faced by agricultural workers.

Those efforts include new housing developments for farmworkers such as Stone Pine Cove in Half Moon Bay, enforcement by the County's Office of Labor Standards and Enforcementto combat wage theft, and outreach through the Office of Community Affairsto help workers know their legal rights.

County leaders have also worked with nonprofit organizations along the coast to strengthen access to health services, education programs and advocacy resources for farmworkers and their families.

For Aguirre, the portraits are meant to start conversations.

"The food we eat doesn't come from Safeway or Costco," he said. "Who is behind that? Who is harvesting it? Who is working in the fields when it's raining or when it's very hot?"

For Ramirez, the portrait is less about recognition than about the future.

As a boy, Ramirez said, he once dreamed of becoming a nurse. He arrived in the United States about two decades ago, intending to stay only briefly. He said the steady work he found allowed him to raise a family and provide his children with opportunities he never had.

In recent years, Ramirez has also become an advocate for farmworkers. He is part of a grassroots farmworker advocacy group and is soon expected to be sworn in as a member of the County's Farmworker Advisory Commission.

He has four children. His youngest son is 14, and his only daughter, he said, is studying law at the University of California, Davis.

His hopes for his children are simple.

"Nothing backward," Ramirez said. "Everything forward."

Harvesting Dreams/Cosechando Sueños

Location: First floor lobby, 500 County Center, Redwood City
Hours: Open to the public, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., through April 30

A public reception will take place in English and Spanish on Thursday, March 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Co-sponsors include Puente de la Costa Sur, Coastside Hope, ALAS, the San Mateo County Sheriff's CARONprogram and the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture.

RSVPsare encouraged (but not required).

Media Availability - March 25

Supervisor Ray Mueller will be available to speak with the media ahead of the public reception for Harvesting Dreams/Cosechando Sueños.
When: Wednesday, March 25, 2 to 3 p.m.
Where: Interviews available in person, by phone or video
Contact: Cassandra Matter, [email protected], 650-363-4569

"The Office of Arts and Culture is proud to exhibit Harvesting Dreams/Cosechando Sueños. The show tells the stories of San Mateo County's farmworker community, most importantly in their own voices. This body of work is a clear example of how art can help us see the world from different perspectives, create change, and bring together community."
- Aimee Shapiro, executive director, San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture.

Media Contact

Aimee Shapiro
San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture
[email protected]