George O. Jackson, Jr.
Curriculum Vitae

I began working on the Essence of Mexico Project in January of 1990, intending to devote the remainder of the decade to capturing the essence of the Mexican festival as it exists during the final decade of the millennium. I was convinced that, in the rapidly-changing modern world, much of what has long been will soon be lost. Since then I have photographed more than two hundred of the most important festivals of the more than 60 indigenous cultures.

My plan is to document this fascinating subject and build an archive on the art of the Mexican festival. My idea is to present the resulting material not only on a photojournalistic anthropological level but also artistically, thereby expanding interest, appreciation and understanding of this indigenous ephemeral art form.

While building the Essence of Mexico collection, I have also been developing a portfolio of surrealistic images titled Embrujo Mexicano. Through means of photomontage, I create these images by juxtaposing and fusing the beautiful and sometimes bizarre images that I encounter on my travels throughout Mexico.