Life in the West End 1947-1953: the Photography of Jules Aarons

Jules Aarons is an important figure in documenting the West End of Boston before the ravages of Urban Renewal. His photography bears witness to the vibrant, close-knit old neighborhood—the people, their lives and their relationships. Where city planners saw the West End as a candidate for modernization, Jules Aarons saw something else: “I knew that the dynamics of people whose social relationships involved their neighbors and the streets could be a source of creativity,” he wrote. The photographs in this exhibition capture a West End far removed from today’s — streets with remarkably few cars; political posters; adults chatting outside doorways; children showing off for the camera or so deep in conversation they don’t notice it at all.

Biography
A Bronx native, Aarons (b. 1921 – d. 2008) was born and grew up in the same urban neighborhood, which might explain his affinity for Boston communities like the Old West End and the North End. He first came to the city as a Boston University graduate student and later earned his doctorate at the University of Paris. Ultimately, he returned to the Boston area, joined the B.U. faculty and became a world-renowned expert in the study of radio-wave propagation. But from his late adolescence through his academic and scientific rise, photography—especially street photography—remained a constant passion. Aarons’ photographs of the West End and North End were taken on late afternoons and weekends with a double-lens Rolleiflex camera, and he made his own prints.

Opening Reception 6pm-8pm on Friday, May 10
Free to all. No registration necessary.

Exhibition Tours

For the complete story of Aarons and his work, sign up for one of our exhibition tours with Arlette and Gus Kayafas. Arlette is the guest-curator of the exhibition, and the founder and director of Gallery Kayafas in Boston’s South End. Both were personal friends of Jules Aarons and will be happy to discuss him and his techniques in depth.

Please sign up for one of the tours below:

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 at 6:30pm-8pm

Saturday, June 8th, 2013 11am-12:30pm

Monday, July 22nd, 2013 at 6:30pm-8pm

Cost: $15 Non-members/ $7 Members

Pre-registration is required