Mary Kent

In 1988, Mary Kent started doing P.R. photography for the largest salsa music management firm in the world. Through her work, she came in contact with many salsa superstars. Her access to the Salsa Festivals and performances placed her in the heartbeat of salsa and provided the perfect spectacle for her photographic eye. The colorful images and her passion for salsa became the driving force behind her salsa book project. Completely bilingual in English and Spanish, Mary has translated two feature films and has done extensive editing and translating of art critiques and writings. Her informal yet informative articles on fellow photographers have been published in the Advertising Photographers of America Newsletter. Her articles on Latin music have been published in Latin Beat Magazine, Descarga, Ultimate Audio, and New York Latino. Her photographs have been published in Time, Vista Magazine, New York Latino, Latin Beat, San Francisco Chronicle, El Diario La Prensa, Mas Magazine and other newspapers. One of her photos was chosen for Latin Jazz: The Perfect Combination/La Combinación Perfecta, published by Chronicle Books in association with the Smithsonian Institute. A twelve year stint in Venezuela renewed her passion for Latin America and its cultural heritage. During the seventies, Mary worked in the Education Department at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas for three years and later headed the Audiovisual Department in the same Museum. In 1991, Mary took up graphic design and computer imaging. Mary was born in the Caribbean coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia. She also speaks Portuguese and French and earned a B.A. in French at Florida International University in Miami. Mary lives in Orlando, Florida.