A former nightclub owner taking adult education classes at Morton Community College in Cicero has earned national recognition for his photography.
Arturo Barron, 31, of Cicero was one of 16 students out of 31,000–and the only community college student–tapped for special recognition by Photographer’s Forum magazine. Barron was one of five 4th-place finishers in the black-and-white category, earning $50 and a place in Nikon’s Emerging Photographers Hall of Fame.
For his untitled photograph, which Barron likens to a door to heaven, he spent eight hours in a darkroom manipulating four photo negatives. They depict stairs leading to a wooden door with clouds hovering overhead and two seagulls flying through the door.
“I couldn’t believe how something so simple could cause such an impression on you,” Barron said.
Raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, Barron was a restaurant and nightclub employee before owning a nightclub. It went bust, and Barron came to Cicero in 1999 to earn enough money to help support relatives. Throughout, Barron’s real passion has been photography, but his financial struggle limited his development until he enrolled in a class at Morton two years ago.
Barron works as a repair technician and collections representative at an optical frame distribution company in Wood Dale. But he plans to get an associate’s degree and turn photography into a profession. Meanwhile, he plans to pursue his unique vision in Chicago.
