Invisible Threads: Portraits and Stories of Our Global Neighbors

September 23- December 20

Invisible Threads: Portraits and Stories of Our Global Neighbors is an evolving, collaborative photography and storytelling project that explores the lives of members of Cape Cod’s global community. First exhibited at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in 2025, Invisible Threads continues at the Cahoon with a largely new body of work while building on the original exhibition, expanding the project through extended conversations and close collaboration with each community member.

Photographer Julia Cumes and Lighting Director and Visual Collaborator Lipe Borges worked with each participant to shape how they wished to be represented, thoughtfully considering location, lighting, color, clothing, personal objects, and gesture. The resulting portraits reflect the stories each individual chose to share, while the accompanying narratives were developed from extensive interviews and reviewed with each participant.

Experienced side by side, the photographs and narratives explore themes of home, identity, family, resilience, belonging, and hope, inviting visitors to look beyond first impressions and recognize the threads of connection that unite us.

About the Artists

Julia Cumes is a South African-born photographer based on Cape Cod whose work explores themes of identity, belonging, and human connection. A former photojournalist, her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and other publications. In 2024, she was named Artist of the Year by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod.

Lipe Borges is a Brazilian photographer and visual storyteller whose portrait and documentary work celebrates the individuality and resilience of people and communities. Based on Cape Cod since 2020, he is a recipient of both the Creative Futures Fellowship and Teaching Artist Development Fellowship from The Cordial Eye and was selected for the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s 2024 Creative Exchange Cohort.