Biographies

Laura Vazquez

Laura Vazquez is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University, where she teaches media theory and production courses. Vazquez completed her Ph.D. in Radio/TV/Film at Northwestern University. Her research interests focus on documentary film theory and practice.

Vazquez is currently working on a documentary with labor historian Rosemary Feurer on a violent mine strike that occurred in Virden, Ill. at the end of the 19th century. The project is funded by the Illinois Humanities Council. Vazquez is also working on a documentary with Professor Deborah Robertson from the NIU School of Theatre and Dance on movement techniques created by Loyd Williamson. The project is funded by a Research and Artistry grant from the NIU Graduate School.

Her most recently completed project is “Lockout 484,” screened at the 5th Annual Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival in California. “Lockout 484” documents the labor issues facing workers in Meredosia, Ill. who were locked out of their jobs after their plant was taken over by a new company. The documentary has been shown widely throughout the Midwest on cable TV channels. Her previous documentary project, “Ruth Weisberg: On the Journey,” explores the dynamic breadth of Weisberg's art. Vazquez's camera captures Weisberg working in her studio where she discusses her artistic processes. Through the lens of Weisberg’s most recently commissioned work, “The Open Door Haggadah,” viewers explore her relationship to Judaism and feminism. The documentary reflects the subtlety and exquisite mastery of Weisberg’s art, which takes us backward in history and forward in time.

Vazquez supervised the post-production for “DeKalb Stories,” a 60-minute video on community history and ethnography. She was cinematographer/editor for “ Lincoln and

BlackHawk,” a film directed by NIU’s Jeff Chown for the Illinois Humanities Council. She is also co-directing a documentary on the campus unrest at NIU in May of 1970 for which she received a grant from the DeKalb Community Foundation.

Vazquez's previous work includes several video documentaries: “Turning the Wheel of the Law” is the story of the theft and recovery of a rare Buddha statue stolen from the ancient capital of Pagan during uprisings in Burma in 1988. “A Chance for Success” profiles students in the NIU CHANCE program, which offers educationally disadvantaged students an opportunity to experience college life. “ Coming Full Circle: Saving an Historic Landmark” is the story of community activists’ efforts to move a 100-year-old Victorian mansion to a new location in order to save it from demolition.