BIO
Tomás Gaspar is an author, educator, entrepreneur, and photographer. Studied photography at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City. He was born in La Verne, California, to immigrant parents from the Philippines and Mexico. Tomás was an elementary school teacher for eight years. He received his teaching credentials from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Master's in Education from the University of California, Irvine. His first children's book, The Adventures of Yolanda/La Aventura de Yolanda, was published in 1974 by New Seed Press. In 1995, Ginger's Book: An AIDS Primer (Into the Light Press) was published.
The photographs from this upcoming book sprang from a photography assignment at ICP under the tutelage of Nan Goldin and Patt Blu and span for more than 30 years of photo documentation. In the early stages, Gaspar's project was part of an epic photo projection piece called the "Electric Blanket." It was created by Nan Goldin, Allen Frame, and Frank Franca. It was presented nationally in New York City, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Washington State. In addition, it was shown internationally in Norway, Hungary, Russia, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Gaspar's ongoing series about the Lofton-Croteau Family of HIV-positive children was always an integral part of the Electric Blanket. His photography has been widely exhibited and published. There has been no story like it – the compassionate dedication of two gay men, caring for, adopting, and raising "a new kind of family" from the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
