Coffee @ The Kennedy Museum with Mark Chester
The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum is thrilled to host renowned photographer Mark Chester at this Coffee @ The Kennedy Museum event, where he discusses his latest book and photography project “The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape”
Set in the Museum’s gallery where Chester’s photographs are currently on exhibit, he will be in conversation with Carmina Mock, one of the featured people in his book, to discuss both sides of Chester’s photographs—his perspective as a photographer documenting the cultural diversity of Massachusetts, and hers as the subject and an immigrant from Spain and naturalized citizen on Cape Cod.
Join them as they discuss, both from a broad and personally specific perspective, the importance of cultural diversity in Massachusetts. They (and you) will be surrounded by 30 of Chester’s photographs drawn from a larger collection of more than 300 images depicting naturalized American citizens living in Massachusetts, depicting them in their communities, at work, at play, and even occasionally in the midst of their naturalization ceremonies.
Meet the author, enjoy fresh coffee and have your book signed!
Event Details
Location: JFK Hyannis Museum: Talk on second floor – Scudder Room and book signing to follow first floor lobby / courtyard and bookshop.
Attendance: In-person and Zoom.
Cost: Free to members and non-members. Registration: RSVP requested. Please register below.
Carmina Mock
About the Exhibit
The exhibition, also titles “The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape” opened at the JFK Hyannis Museum on June 1st and is running through the end of the year. Intended as a celebration of cultural diversity in the Bay State, the collection includes photographs of naturalized citizens from 190 countries around the world. The selection on display at the Museum additionally contain photographs of sixteen Cape Cod residents, further highlighting that these are not only our fellow citizens, but also our friends and neighbors. Together, these images stand as a testament to the rich diversity of cultures and people that shape both our state and our nation.
Mark Chester
About Mark Chester
A skilled photographer and longtime Massachusetts resident, Mark Chester has worked as a freelance photographer since 1972. His career includes collaborations with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and he is a lifetime member of the American Society of Media Photographers.
Mark Chester has published photographs, feature travel and human-interest stories in newspapers nationwide including the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, among others.
About the Book
Originally inspired by a previous photographic essay by Charles Kuralt, Chester developed this project in support of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and to further raise awareness of the Bay State’s cultural diversity. The son of a Russian immigrant and a prolific world traveler, Chester’s work has been inspired both by his journeys through the world, and by his father, from who he claims to have “inherited his rooting for the underdog, for the person who spoke with a foreign accent.” Over the course of nine years, these inspirations encouraged Chester to go “traveling the world without leaving the state”: creating a photography collection spanning over 450 subjects across the entirety of the state of Massachusetts, all dedicated to reminding his audience that “Each one of us is a unique ingredient in the Bay State’s melting pot.”