Cara Romero facts for kids

Cara Romero (born 1977) is an American photographer. She is known for her digital photography that shows Native American life in a modern way. She lives in both Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Mojave Desert. Cara is a member of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe.

About Cara Romero

Cara Romero was born in Inglewood, California. She grew up on the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation. Her father is Chemehuevi, and her mother is German-Irish.

Romero studied Cultural Anthropology at the University of Houston. She later studied photography at the Institute of American Indian Arts. She also learned commercial photography at Oklahoma State University. Cara is married to Cochiti Pueblo artist, Diego Romero. They have two sons.

Romero was the first leader of the Chemehuevi Cultural Centre. From 2007 to 2010, she was an elected member of the Chemehuevi Tribal Council. She also led the Chemehuevi Education Board and the Chemehuevi Early Education Policy Council.

Cara's Journey to Photography

Growing up, Cara Romero lived in two different worlds. She spent time on the Chemehuevi Reservation and also in Houston, Texas. This gave her a "very bicultural" experience. In Houston, she realized that many people did not understand what it meant to be Native American today.

In the mid-1990s, Romero studied Cultural Anthropology at the University of Houston. She took two classes that changed her path. One was a Native American course. She felt it taught about Native people as if they were only from the past. She realized most people did not understand modern Native communities. Her next class was black and white photography. This class focused on the story in the picture, not just how good the photo looked. This sparked her interest. She knew photography was what she wanted to do.

This interest led her to the Institute of American Indian Arts in 1999. She then studied at Oklahoma State University. There, she focused on digital photography. She combined what she learned from these places to create her unique artwork.

Cara Romero's Photography Work

Early in her career, Romero was influenced by photographer Edward Curtis. Later, she felt her first style was not truly her own. She started trying new ways to take pictures. She began using digital tools like Photoshop. This allowed her to combine photos and use more color.

Romero's modern work often involves a lot of staging. This creates a theater-like feel. Her photos show many different Native American identities. The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper says her work is a "sometimes fun, often complex look at modern culture with a clear modern Indigenous view."

The Water Memory Series

Water Memory is a powerful photograph from a series called Water Memories. Romero took Water Memory in 2015. She says the photo is strong because it can mean many things. It connects to the idea of a great flood. But it also relates to her tribe's history. Her ancestors were forced from their homes to create Lake Havasu. She says the lake feels "haunted" because of the homes and lands now underwater. When she goes into the water, she feels "all that water memory."

Water Memory was a big moment in her career. It led to the Smithsonian museum collecting her work. After that, her art focused on important and sometimes scary truths. She started working with female figures. She wanted to change how Native American women were shown in photography. She aimed to break away from the old ways of seeing them. The Water Memories series is printed using a special method called archival pigment print.

The Bristol Post newspaper called her Water Memories series "breathtaking." It said the series shows the important connections between people, water, and life. Water Memories was shown in 2016 at an art show called "STILL" in Bristol.

Other Important Works

Romero's work was also shown in 2015 at an exhibit called "CAPTURED." This show included close-up pictures and fun recreations of famous artworks. In spring 2017, her strong female portraits were a main part of the 'We Are Native Women' exhibit. This celebrated the strength of Native American women. Her work was also presented at a conference in London in March 2017.

In a 2017 show called "Broken Boxes," Romero's photo TV Indians was featured. The Albuquerque Journal described it as her biggest project yet. This photo compares Puebloans (Native American people) with how Native Americans are shown in the media.

Romero received a fellowship from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation in 2017. In October 2018, her photos were shown in London as part of the 'Life Blood' exhibit. In 2020, Romero received a grant from the NDN Collective. This allowed her to put her photos on billboards and public displays in Los Angeles. She has also won many awards at major art markets.

Her work has been shown at the Four Winds Gallery in Pittsburgh and the Robert Nichols Gallery in Santa Fe. It was also part of the Desert X outdoor exhibit in Coachella Valley.

In spring and summer 2025, Cara Romero was the most shown living artist in the United States. Many museums featured her work. This included her special show “Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light)” at the Hood Museum of Art. Also, the traveling show “Cara and Diego Romero: Tales of Futures Past” was organized by the Figge Art Museum.

Awards

Public Collections