Kickstarter

There are ten main commercial streets in Baltimore that I will photograph:

•            Howard

•            Eutaw

•            Baltimore

•            Broadway

•            Fayette

•            Pennsylvania

•            Greenmount

•            North

•            Monument

•            Lexington

Focusing on the historic architecture of each building, I will use a 4x5 view camera and Fujichrome Velvia slide film to capture saturated color images that will bring these faded and dilapidated gems back to life.

From past experience, I find that the more I photograph historical locations, the more people become interested in the history of the place. I hope to record the oral history of local residents through personal conversations and interviews and conduct research on the history of these neighborhoods through various institutions such as the Enoch Pratt Library and Maryland Historical Society. I want to work with organizations like Baltimore Heritage that are involved in historic preservation in the city. I am looking for information about these commercial hubs and how most of them fell into the poor condition they are today. I seek solutions how to bring these historic places back to life.

For the final presentation of this work, I will publish a series of books on each of these strips as well as display prints in a gallery, preferably in the neighborhood where the photographs were shot. In conjunction with the book and exhibition, the recorded oral histories will play out loud so that the viewer feels as if they are physically on that block experiencing its everyday vitality.

With your help, the funds I raise for this project will assist me in paying for film and processing, paper and printing, and a few necessary pieces of equipment I will need. It will also help with the costs of self-publishing my books which can become pricey. Any help with this project is very much appreciated and I look forward to making it happen!