A Trip to the Festival
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.