Cynthia Rivera is a multidisciplinary artist who has been the Exhibition Manager at the Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) since 2016. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Photography and minor in art history. Besides curating exhibits, she handmakes photo/art books, specializing in works with family and social justice themes. Originally from Manhattan’s Lower East Side, she now resides in the South Bronx.
While at the BDC, Rivera has been involved in the design and production of several significant exhibitions. In 2016 New Documents displayed historic works of citizen journalism ranging from the early 1900’s up until the “viral” livestream videos of today such as the shooting death of Philando Castile by a Minnesota police officer. The Latin American Foto Festival--New York City’s first--in 2018, featuring work from over a dozen photographers in 9 exhibitions. War And Peace In Liberia highlighted the 15th anniversary of efforts by the United Nations Peacekeepers to stop civil warfare in Liberia. The exhibition featured the work of photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, who were both killed in 2011 by artillery in Misurata, Libya. This show attracted worldwide media attention including a feature by Ted Koppel on CBS Sunday Morning.
While at the BDC, Rivera has designed, co-curated, printed, and produced numerous exhibitions, including Not Forgotten: An Arkansas Family Album, New Documents, Spanish Harlem: El Barrio In The 80’s, Journeys: Immigration Stories, Flint Is A Place, Attacks On The Press: Mexico, and War And Peace In Liberia.