Newark Will See It Through, 2015 (revisited 2023)

These images were created during my time at the City of Newark, NJ Municipal Archive, where I played a role in digitizing its photographic records to enhance accessibility for the public. I was particularly captivated by around two dozen boxes of photographs, largely from the Mayor Kenneth Gibson administration. Gibson, the first Black mayor of a major Northeastern city, served from 1970 to 1986, and these files documented various aspects of his administration. The folders had diverse labels for individuals, some with names and their positions within the government, while others were designated with roles such as 'Janitor' or remained untitled. Within these folders, photographs were covered with glassines containing the editor's crop marks and notes, used for reproduction in the City's printed material. My photographs in this series look through the glassines, selectively removing the people from these confined frameworks, revealing a mysterious aura through time and place.