The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape

Photographs of New Americans by Mark Chester

Opening Reception and Artist Talk on Thursday, September 29 at 7:00 P.M.

Exhibit runs through October 31

Orders for Mark’s companion book will be taken

Portraits of more than 300 naturalized U.S. citizens of the Commonwealth benefitting The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA).

Mark Chester says his interest in undertaking the project to find and photograph two people - a man and a woman - from each of the countries that have naturalized citizens living in Massachusetts emerged from his response to the 2010 census showing Massachusetts residents’ wide range of country of origin. By working with community groups and attending citizenship ceremonies, Chester tracked down and approached naturalized citizens to appear in his portrait exhibit and book. The result is a captivating collection of portraits, each of which tells a unique story of immigration and naturalization.

All are invited to view this exhibit, but encouraged to attend the opening reception, at which Mark will discuss his Bay State project and answer your questions. Light refreshments will be served. .

Mark was Director of Photography and staff photographer at ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), in New York City. His photographs are in the permanent collections of Baltimore, Brooklyn, Corcoran, Denver, Portland (Maine), and San Francisco museums, among others. National museum and gallery exhibitions of his work, solo and group, include OK Harris and SoHo Photo (NYC); Camera Obscura (CO); the San Francisco Airport, and other venues. Chester is a Copley Artist member of the Copley Society of Art in Boston.

His photographs also accompany his own travel articles as published by the L.A. Times, Boston Globe, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor among other newspapers and special interest magazines.

Visit Mark’s website and the web pages devoted to this project at:

http://www.markchesterphotography.com

http://www.markchesterphotography.com/multicultural-landscape/