Meet the Artist: Karen Arango

March 2023—Karen Arango is a Sarasota-based visual journalist commissioned by several local and national magazines and organizations. These include the following: The San Francisco Chronicle, Your Observer, The Community Foundation of Sarasota, Manatee Community Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, United Way Suncoast, Goodwill Manasota, Ringling College of Art and Design, and others. Her work focuses on collaborating with local non-profits to create visual stories that promote awareness of the community’s social needs.

Karen earned a Digital Journalism Master’s degree from the University of South Florida, a Photography and Imaging Bachelor’s degree from Ringling College of Art and Design, and a photography certificate from the International Center of Photography. Karen is mainly interested in adopting her visual skills to  positively impact her community and beyond. Karen has exhibited her photography work internationally; her video “Faces of Goodwill” won a silver Telly Award, and local film festivals have featured her film, “Families Together”.

Karen’s upcoming show at Sarasota Art Center is an exploration of personal stories of local Hispanic individuals and their journey battling with Mental Health and Mental Health Care. Mental Health is highly stigmatized within the Hispanic community due to immigration, religion, and personal relationships. These photographs shed light on the struggles endured, and open up conversations about Mental Health and Mental Health Care, both within and outside of the Hispanic community. It is important to have these conversations, to better understand the Hispanic culture and their needs as part of this society.