The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape—Photographs of New American

Since March of 2015, Mark Chester’s portraits of newly naturalized American citizens living in Massachusetts have been touring the Bay State’s libraries, universities, cultural centers, houses of worship and municipal buildings. The black-and-white photographs portray each participant in a location of their choosing and looking directly at the viewer. Entitled, The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape—Photographs of New Americans, and endorsed by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), the exhibition aims to shed light on the cultural diversity of Massachusetts while educating the public on the value of immigration. The show will culminate in a book to be published in 2020.

Mark Chester, Craigville Beach, Centerville, Negash Yusuf, born in Eritrea, 2014, archival print, 12 x 9″. Courtesy of the artist

Mark Chester’s photography career began in 1972. Early on, he was assigned to take photographs all over the United States to accompany a collection of essays by legendary CBS journalist Charles Kuralt for his book, Dateline America. Published in 1979, the book includes an essay on Ellis Island which Chester uses as introductory wall text in New Americans. In 1987, Chester traveled to China to photograph everyday life in Shanghai in commemoration of its sister city, San Francisco, where Chester was living at the time. Shanghai: In Black and White, would become the model for New Americans. Both projects are compilations of environmental portraiture in which the subjects regard the viewer. Both raise awareness and encourage tolerance for people and cultures from around the world.

Chester relocated to Cape Cod from California in 2002. He began photographing New Americans in 2011 in response to the 2010 census data which showed foreign-born residents scattered throughout Massachusetts. Surprised by the results, Chester set out to discover and document the state’s diverse population. Today, Chester has photographed over 400 participants representing 194 of the world’s 196 countries and territories. The images are straightforward: without distracting flourishes. Chester allows the presence of the individuals to become the focal point. Out of context the photos could seem unremarkable. However, as a group they begin to paint a picture of the fabric of a community. The beauty of New Americans lies in its simplicity, in portraying people as people.