Save the Date: Opening Reception of Capturing Community: Farming, Fishing, and Canning in New England

Tufts University Art Gallery, Aidekman Arts Center

Tuesday, May 10, 5:30 – 8:00 pm, and with a gallery talk by Markham Starr at 6 pm

Black-and-white photographs by Starr document dairy farming in Connecticut, trap fishing off the coast of Rhode Island, and the now-closed Stinson Seafood Cannery in Maine. Curated by students in the Tufts Museum Studies graduate program, the photographs portray not only the daily mechanics of work in three industries, but also the relationships and traditions that made them important in the lives of those who work there and to the region as a whole. Various economic and legislative pressures have contributed to the decline of these traditional New England livelihoods and Starr’s photographs capture what may by the last vestiges of once-booming industries.

Motivated by a desire to document slices of New England life before they’re gone, Starr spends time getting to know his subjects and their daily routines-from sardine packers whose decades-long friendships help them work together faster and more efficiently, to close-knit dairy farming communities connected by family ties and common business interests, to trap fishermen following in the wake of generations-old traditions. “In fifty or a hundred years people will want to see how these fishermen worked, how sardines were canned, or what dairy farms looked like. Having the images out there is a way of helping these traditions survive,” Starr says. “I want to show that these are things worth saving.”

For directions and other general information call the Tufts University Art Gallery at 617-627-3518 or visit http://artgallery@tufts.edu. The Tufts University Art Gallery is located in the Aidekman Arts Center, 40R Talbot Road, Medford, MA 02155.

The Tufts University Art Gallery animates the intellectual life of the greater University community through exhibitions and programs exploring new, global perspectives on art and on art discourse. The Gallery is fully accessible and admission is free ($3 suggested donation). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11-5 & Thursdays until 8pm. During regular visitor hours, there are free visitor parking spots in the Gallery parking lot behind the Aidekman Arts Center, off Lower Campus Road.