Art Nelson Left Behind
The "Found Story" and the Vessel of Memory
The heart of this collection lies in an unexpected encounter in May 2025 between organizer Chiara Cox and Maria Lourdes Pérez Muñiz, a Puerto Rican neighbor of the late Nelson Baldemor. Nelson, a Filipino American living in Virginia, passed away suddenly in 2021 with no next of kin. This collection was transformed from salvaged belongings into an homage when the work on the archive unexpectedly aligned perfectly with Nelson’s birthday, signaling the enduring power of art to link generations and cultures across time.
The "Quiet Exchange": The DeHart-Baldemor Connection
A centerpiece of the archive is a series of untitled, black-and-white photographs from the first half of the 20th century. These images were gifted to Nelson’s mother, Dr. Anita Baldemor, in 1978 by Robert Dempsey DeHart, an American news photographer who was working as a security guard at her workplace. This "quiet exchange" represents a profound cross-cultural appreciation of the Philippines and serves as a tangible connection to Nelson’s country of origin.
