The Atelier Gallery at Stoneham Theatre
Massachusetts Avenue
Photographs by Jared Leeds
July 8 - August 29, 2010
Opening reception July 8, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
By taking photographs of the people who live and/or work along Massachusetts Avenue -- 16.1 miles that winds its way through urban and suburban communities in Greater Boston -- Jared Leeds explores the diversity of the residents and how the neighborhoods intersect.
The series of Leed's photographs, Massachusetts Avenue, is featured in The Atelier Gallery at the Stoneham Theatre in Stoneham, MA, July 8 through August 29. The exhibit runs parallel to the theater's production of Always... Patsy Cline.
"From the poor, ethnically and racially diverse neighborhoods of the Dorchester section of Boston, through the gentrifying sections of the South End of Boston, through the most prestigious universities in the world in Cambridge, such as Harvard and MIT, and through wealthy, mostly white suburbs like Lexington, Massachusetts Avenue is a connection and division between these segments of society," says Leeds.
Through his portraits, Leeds says, the viewer is "able to experience the divides defined by ethnicity, race, religion, culture and socio-economic status that still exist in our communities."
But, he says, "though there are geographic divisions defined by these distinctions, there are pockets where these differences co-exist."
Still, Leeds says, "The question remains, though, as the cost of living increases and gentrification continues to redefine neighborhoods, will people from varying backgrounds co-exist or will our communities only become more defined by these distinctions?"
And, he says, Massachusetts Avenue is a microcosm of not only Boston, but of many urban centers around the country.
Leeds graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and minors in photojournalism and English in 1996. He was a staff photographer for several newspapers until 1999, when he became a freelance editorial, commercial, and fine art photographer. He has been on the adjunct faculty of New England Institute of Art since 2007.
About the Griffin Museum
The Griffin Museum of Photography was founded in 1992 to provide a forum for the exhibition of both historic and contemporary photography. The Museum houses three galleries dedicated solely to the exploration of photographic arts: the Main Gallery, which features rotating exhibits from some of the world's leading photographers; the Atelier Gallery dedicated to showcasing the works of prominent, up-and-coming artists; and the Griffin Gallery, home to the extensive archives of Museum founder and world-renowned photojournalist Arthur Griffin. For more on the Griffin Museum of Photography, visit www.griffinmuseum.org.