Project aspires to preserve a 'day in the life' of Westfield

Date: 3/29/2011

March 30, 2011

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Editor

WESTFIELD — Mention the word "archivist" and most people immediately think about a collection chronicling a place's history.

That's exactly what Athenaeum Archivist and Technology Librarian Kate Deviny wants to do for Westfield.

Only her idea is to preserve a snapshot of the here and now — more specifically, a day in the life of the city.

"I'm looking to chronicle what Westfield is like at this moment in time," Deviny said. "I'm always interested in the historical part of Westfield — what the [buggy] whips were like, what the schools were like, what the women's clubs were like — but people forget to chronicle what's going on right now . the mundane and the magnificent."

The project, called "Picture Westfield," is the brainchild of Devine and Eileen Doherty, a member of the Westfield Camera Club and frequent photography teacher at the Athenaeum. Devine said she and Doherty invited a collection of "city leaders and innovators," including representatives from Westfield State University, the Westfield Business Improvement District (BID), city councilors and local photographers to a meeting at the Athenaeum on March 23, where the two women explained their idea of a one-day citywide photography event.

The plan, Deviny said, is to have residents sign up with the Athenaeum to act as photographers and snap digital pictures at home, work, school or a business during the week of Oct. 1 through 8.

"We had eight people at [Wednesday's] meeting," Doherty said. "The reaction was very positive with lots of ideas and helpful input to help us get organized and to consider a variety of ways to make this exciting project as successful as possible."

The Athenaeum will not be providing cameras, but Deviny said she doesn't expect people to go out and purchase equipment to participate.

"Just grab your home camera and take photos," she said. "We want everybody to submit photos — every program and every business and every walk of life."

Deviny added that this would be an "all-ages project."

"I want kids taking pictures of kids playing, moms taking pictures of their husbands washing the car," she said.

These city chroniclers will be asked to submit the photos, preferably on a computer disc, with documentation including photographer's name, the names of people in the photos, the photo locations and other descriptions, if necessary. The Athenaeum plans organize and curate the submissions and display the photos in the Athenaeum's art gallery during the month of December.

"I don't think we understand, really, what goes on in Westfield and if you look at [the fact] that it's a very complex kind of life, as it is in any city," Devine said. "I want to capture it ... the postman delivering mail, the fry cook, the insurance salesman, the mayor writing out papers, a surgeon at Noble Hospital."

Deviny said prospective photographers could begin signing up now to participate. "We want to start taking commitments, and then we'll contact people and groups who haven't signed up," she said.

Doherty said photographers interested in learning more about the project, in participating in the ongoing planning or in signing up to take pictures could e-mail her at doherty.eileen@comcast.net.