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• 1 media/c5547ae8979ce0a0043e0b81226c65c2.jpg 2021-04-23T22:22:29+00:00 A Trip to the Festival 16 Object 3 Submission plain 2021-05-13T03:45:58+00:00

  By Marilyn Brach

  An object within the Watkinson Library that sparked my interest was the extensive collections of photography. In particular, I chose an image of three women circa 1971 at some kind of festival. Their individual expressions and style is what drew me into this little world captured by the photographer, Ken Heyman. Though simple in nature, I believe the photo speaks to the past and present in many different and intriguing ways.
  
  Ken Heyman was a prominent American photographer who was born in New York City in 1930. Throughout high school he was interested in photography, but he only considered it a hobby. In college, Heyman studied with the famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead, going on multiple exploratory trips with her once graduating from college. Heyman went on to work for many magazines, including Life, and won “The World Understanding” award, which is considered to be the top award in photography. His work encapsulated the simplicity of human life, Mead had said Heyman “photographs relationships”. Personally, I love simple photographs of everyday life, they always affect me more than a photograph that was staged or had the intention of being a photograph. This way you can create your own story behind each image.
  
  The 1970’s have always been a period of interest to me, historically and culturally. It was such a turbulent time, yet some of the most influential and impactful artists were at their peak during this era. I think about now in the age of a pandemic, how artists and creatives were able to adapt and create beautiful works of art under the circumstances. The photograph captures this freeing and easy-going nature with the main subject, but when you look behind the one woman to the other two women you are left with something more serious and somber. Both I believe represent the two different aspects of the 70’s, the artistic hippie movement and another characterized by struggle and hardship. I view the festival as a way to escape everyday life, providing people with a place to just thrive. I long for the day when we as a community can get this feeling back and just thrive.