The task of an alternative photography is to incorporate photography into social and political memory, instead of using it as a substitute which encourages the atrophy of any such memory…. For the photographer this means thinking of her or himself not so much as a reporter to the rest of the world but, rather, as a recorder for those involved in the events photographed."
John Berger in About Looking
meditations on the poetry of place
Learn more about
"VACANCY, ART & TRANSFORMATION"
on the internet at <www.lulu.com>
available for $23.99
Before the current massive redevelopment of Winooski's downtown there
were numerous earlier attempts at transforming the town's character
following the closing of the textile mills in the 1950s. Vacancy, Art & Transformation documents the impact
of those policies on the people living there.
InVacancy, Art & Transformation I introduce the reader to a 1970s downtown where people socialized in the many restaurants and bars, where shuffleboard tables were ubiquitous, and where people filled the bingo parlor nightly. I recall the Urban Renewal project that in the 1970s demolished the east half of the neighborhood and the 1980s Historic Preservation project that renovated the west half and the mills.
I recall the importance to musicians of the Melanson's Mill Restaurant, of the town’s ongoing attraction for artists, and of the city’s visionary proposal to use federal funds to cover Winooski with a dome. I discuss the regional excitement over Winooski’s “Renaissance” in the 1980s, including the town’s legendary status as “the place to be” on Halloween. And finally I celebrate in photographs the influx of residents from other countries who have added to Winooski’s cultural richness.
Vacancy, Art & Transformation offers a 35-year photographic record of social change in this unique Vermont community.
InVacancy, Art & Transformation I introduce the reader to a 1970s downtown where people socialized in the many restaurants and bars, where shuffleboard tables were ubiquitous, and where people filled the bingo parlor nightly. I recall the Urban Renewal project that in the 1970s demolished the east half of the neighborhood and the 1980s Historic Preservation project that renovated the west half and the mills.
I recall the importance to musicians of the Melanson's Mill Restaurant, of the town’s ongoing attraction for artists, and of the city’s visionary proposal to use federal funds to cover Winooski with a dome. I discuss the regional excitement over Winooski’s “Renaissance” in the 1980s, including the town’s legendary status as “the place to be” on Halloween. And finally I celebrate in photographs the influx of residents from other countries who have added to Winooski’s cultural richness.
Vacancy, Art & Transformation offers a 35-year photographic record of social change in this unique Vermont community.
The book is available at the Winooski Library, Senior Citizens Center, and at Sneakers Restaurant.
Barrio Cocal, Bilwi, Nicaragua
Below are various images I have made over the years. To learn the context in which they were made click on an image.
Winooski, Vermont
Yaroslavl, Russia