Portraits of a Working Waterfront: Photographs by Jim Hooper
Oct. 11, 2014 — May 20, 2015
An exhibition of 71 photographs of men and women who make their livings working today in one of this country’s oldest seaports, Gloucester, Massachusetts. The images were taken by Jim Hooper and include photos of a wide range of individuals involved in the in-shore and off-shore groundfish fishery and in the shore side businesses which supports them.
After successfully completing a large community-based portraits project in Providence, Rhode Island, in 2012, Hooper was drawn to Gloucester by the city’s famed past and by the spirit and determination of the people who draw their living from the sea today. With the help of industry leaders from the Northeast Seafood Coalition and Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, Hooper was able to identify key individuals and families within Gloucester’s fishing community and entice them into sitting for their portraits. The project took 18 months to complete with the result being a powerful and thought-provoking portfolio of the people who make up the port of Gloucester today.
A series of educational and outreach programs will be held in conjunction with the display including gallery talks by Hooper, a historical review of Gloucester’s working harbor over the past century and other related programs.
This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Northeast Seafood Coalition.
Related Programs
Artist Talk with Jim Hooper
Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion about Gloucester’s Working Waterfront
Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.
Sounds of the Working Waterfront – Original Composition by Robert Bradshaw
Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Exhibition Catalog
Available here and in the Museum Shop.
Image, left to right: Joseph “Joe Sans” Sanfilippo, Accursio “Gus” Alba and Ignazio “Nazio” Sanfilippo. Digital inkjet print, 2013. Collection of the Cape Ann Museum. Gift of the photographer, 2014.