Boston–A new photography exhibition at BSA Space delves into the rich history of Boston’s Haymarket. Boston’s centuries-old open-air food market has weathered economic downturns, the advent of the supermarket, and massive construction projects like the Big Dig. For most of the twentieth century, Italian produce vendors lined Blackstone Street. Today the market reflects the city’s changing population and includes Halal butchers, artisanal cheese mongers, and fruit sellers, with vendors and customers from South America, the Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean.
Curated by Historic New England in association with the Haymarket Pushcart Association, the exhibition presents 40 photographs by Justin Goodstein. Images capture activity across all four seasons at Haymarket, which has served a constant stream of longtime residents, newly arrived immigrants, students, and tourists since the first half of the nineteenth century.
Ken Turino, Manager of Community Engagement and Exhibitions at Historic New England and curator of the exhibition says: “Boston is distinctly about place, The North and South Ends, the Public Garden, Kenmore Square, etc. Haymarket is a distinct meeting place for people of all races and classes. This exhibition celebrates that diversity while making people aware of the pressure from development facing it today.”
Mike Davis FAIA, 2016 BSA Foundation chair, reflects on the exhibition: “Part of our mission is to enhance public understanding of the built environment and the processes that shape it. Those processes are essentially human ones. And there’s nothing more human than Haymarket.”
While visiting this exhibition, visitors will experience the history of Haymarket through music, imagery, and videography. Haymarket, a documentary film produced by Historic New England and directed by Justin Goodstein, discusses the history of Haymarket and its role in Boston today. The show also includes images of the pushcarts and shops, and interviews with workers and customers that document the market’s history, changes over time, daily life, and challenges. For more details visit architects.org/bsaspace/exhibitions/haymarket-soul-city
