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Like migratory birds, most of Canada’s 20,000 “guest” farm workers arrive in the spring and leave in the autumn. Hailing primarily from Mexico, Jamaica, and the smaller countries of the Caribbean, these temporary workers have become entrenched in the Canadian labour force and are the mainstay of many traditional family farms in Canada. Many of them make the trip year after year after year.

Vincenzo Pietropaolo has been photographing guest workers and recording their stories since 1984 – in the process travelling to 40 locations throughout Ontario and to their homes in Mexico, Jamaica, and Montserrat. The resulting photographs have been highly acclaimed internationally through many publications and exhibitions, including a travelling show curated by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography that opened in Mexico City.

With a foreword by Naomi Rosenblum, his new book, Harvest Pilgrims: Mexican and Caribbean Migrant Farms Workers in Canada, is a beautiful and timely book of photography and exposition. It sheds light on a subject about which many Canadians know all too little.

Please join us for the launch of the book and meet the artist on Sunday, Oct. 18 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre in Hamilton, Ont. In the centre’s Main Gallery, an exhibition of the photos that inspired the book will also be on display. For more info see the attached flyer.