Whitinsville, MA (July 12, 2019) – Volunteer photographers with the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Photography Ambassadors will present their first ever gallery show at the Museum of Work & Culture (42 S. Main Street, Woonsocket, RI) throughout the month of September. A free, opening reception will be held on Thursday, August 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. where the public can come and meet the photographers and discuss their work.
The Photography Ambassadors are a volunteer group with the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Volunteers-In-Parks program. For this show, the group traveled to 19 different locations throughout the National Heritage Corridor, capturing images of the many historical sites and mill villages between Worcester, MA, and Providence, RI. The gallery show is being led by BHC volunteer and photographer Carol Dandrade who reveals that there will be four photos from each of the 19 sites and a special “Photographer’s Choice” wall will feature about a dozen more.
“Our group of photography enthusiasts has thoroughly enjoyed exploring history through our lenses,” Dandrade shared. “Winding our way through barns, attics and basements looking for treasure to photograph is as fulfilling as capturing the historic main floors of the sites. We like knowing that these non-profit locations receive all of our images for their use at no charge.”
Free Gallery Opening Reception August 29 at Museum of Work & Culture
The 19 locations the BHC Photography Ambassadors selected to visit include Blackstone River State Park, Lincoln, RI; Blackstone Valley Historical Society, Lincoln, RI; Daniels Farmstead, Blackstone, MA; Dorr Rebellion Museum, Chepachet, RI; E.N. Jenckes Store, Douglas, MA; Hearthside House Museum, Lincoln, RI; Hopedale, MA; Hunts Mills, E. Providence, RI; Moffett Mill and Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, Lincoln, RI; Museum of Work & Culture, Woonsocket, RI; Riverdale Mill, Northbridge, MA; Salisbury Mansion, Worcester, MA Slater Mill, Pawtucket, RI; Slatersville (N. Smithfield), RI; Smith-Appleby House Museum, Smithfield, RI; Uxbridge Antique Fire Museum and John Farnum House, Uxbridge, MA; Valentine Whitman House, Lincoln, RI; Whitin Lasell Manor, Whitinsville, MA; Whitinsville, MA.
Dandrade has had several of her photos featured in BHC’s calendar over the years and started volunteering with BHC in January of 2017 to share her photography skills. She is a longtime member of the Stony Brook Camera Club of Franklin, MA, where many members decided to join her as Photography Ambassadors with BHC. Throughout the year, volunteers take photos at BHC’s events, including the annual GO! event in September, which is where many of the ambassadors were introduced to locations in the show for the first time.
Suzanne Buchanan, volunteer coordinator at BHC, helped facilitate some of the photo shoots by reaching out to the various venues to get permission and arrange a time when there were no visitors. After the photos are taken and edited, the volunteers share them with the location to use on their website and marketing materials. “It’s incredible to open the digital photo albums after their visit and see these venues in a whole new light,” Buchanan remarked. “We are so excited to showcase their work and celebrate what makes the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor so special.”
All photos in the gallery show will be available for sale. The photos will be displayed in 11” x 14” mats, ready for framing. A portion of the proceeds will benefit BHC. Additional sizes are available by contacting the individual photographers.
Photography Ambassadors featured in the show include Debra Boucher, Woonsocket, RI; Carol Dandrade, Uxbridge, MA; Silvana Della Camera, Norfolk, MA; Rob DeRobertis, Franklin, MA; Denise Duhamel, Fall River, MA; Bob Evans, Northbridge, MA; Ellen Kawadler, Sharon, MA; Sarah Keates, Sharon, MA; Dennis Smith, Uxbridge, MA; Cynthia Vogan, Wrentham, MA.
For more information about the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Photography Ambassadors and the gallery show, contact Suzanne Buchanan at 508-234-4242 or sbuchanan@BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org.