Pedro Ledesma III
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Born in 1978 in South Dakota and raised in a small town in Texas, Pedro has always appreciated wide, open spaces and tight-knit communities. His Korean and Mexican heritage, combined with his experience abroad as a World Bank economist, broadened his understanding of family, culture, and the intricate threads that connect us globally. This has fostered a deep connection to place, belonging, and history.
Pedro’s photography confronts social and economic inequities, aiming to inspire positive change. Drawing on his experience as a mixed-race, Southern Baptist-raised, Ivy League graduate, he examines how national issues unfold on the stage of small-town America, giving voice to underrepresented stories.
His artistic process involves deep immersion within the communities he photographs. He thoughtfully chooses his techniques, materials, and scale to create images that resonate with power and purpose, amplifying the voices he seeks to understand.
Since committing to photography in 2018, Pedro has garnered significant recognition, including the 2024 Grand Prize Trawick Prize (Maryland, DC, and Virginia), inclusion in the 2024 Virginia MOCA Biennial, and acquisition of his work into the permanent collection of the DC Commission of Arts and Humanities. He is also a finalist for the 2025 Richard Family Prize from the Griffin Museum of Photography and a 2025 Virginia Museum of Fine Art Fellow.