The Houston History Research Center, in partnership with the Houston Center for Photography (HCP), invites you to a conversation with photographer and scholar Job García on his forthcoming photo book ¡Qué Vivan las Cobijas, Cabrones! Family Artifacts and the Maintenance of Mexican Identity. Moderated by curator and cultural worker Areli Navarro Magallón, Exhibitions and Programs Coordinator at HCP, this program will explore García’s ongoing portrait series centered on the iconic Mexican cobija as both backdrop and cultural archive.

Through photography and conversation, García reflects on how everyday household objects carry histories of migration, labor, care, and cultural continuity within Mexican and diasporic communities. This discussion will examine themes of memory, identity, and the domestic spaces where culture is preserved and passed down across generations.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a pop-up portrait session with García, featuring the cobija backdrop from his series. A limited number of 25 portraits will be offered, with sign-ups available at the event on a first-come, first-served basis.

This event will take place at the Julia Ideson Building Reading Room on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 2pm. 

This event is free and open to the public. Parking in the garage under the Central Library is free. Registration is encouraged, but not required.

 About Job García
Job García is a photographer and scholar whose work explores identity, memory, and cultural belonging within Mexican and diasporic communities. His photography centers everyday life, documenting moments of intimacy, resilience, and tradition that reveal the deeper social and historical forces shaping contemporary experience. Through a careful and attentive visual practice, García’s images honor the dignity of ordinary people while illuminating the cultural worlds they inhabit. 
  
García holds a BA in English and an MA in Biblical and Theological Studies, and he is currently pursuing a PhD in Religion. His academic background informs his photographic practice, particularly in his attention to ritual, embodiment, and the ways cultural traditions persist and transform across generations. Working at the intersection of art, memory, and community, García’s photography seeks not only to document but to preserve and affirm the lived experiences of Mexican and diasporic life. 

Find out more about Job and his work at https://www.gijobgarcia.com/.

¡Qué Vivan las Cobijas, Cabrones! Family Artifacts and the Maintenance of Mexican Identity is an ongoing portrait series and forthcoming photo book by Job García that explores memory, migration, and the intimate spaces where culture is sustained within Mexican and diasporic communities. Centered around the iconic Mexican cobija—a ubiquitous household blanket often adorned with images of animals, saints, or luminous landscapes—the series positions these textiles as both backdrop and cultural archive. 

This program is presented in collaboration with the Houston Center for Photography (HCP).

About Houston Center for Photography (HCP)

Founded in 1981, Houston Center for Photography is a nonprofit organization that strives to encourage artists, build audiences, stimulate dialogue, and promote inquiry about photography and related media. HCP seeks to increase society's understanding of photography and its vital roles in contemporary, emphatically visual culture. Home to an on-site library of more than 4,500 books on photography and a state-of-the-art digital darkroom, HCP offers year-round exhibitions, fellowship programs, publications, lectures, public and outreach programs, as well as a wide range of educational opportunities. Learn more at www.hcponline.org.