The Bundy Museum in collaboration with The Memory Maker Project and Binghamton University Harpur Fellow, Hadar Arens Presents:
Alone, Together
A Documentary Photography Project
Exhibit Opens March 6, 2021
Exhibition on Display from 3.6.21 – 5.6.21
Located in the Bundy Museum 2nd floor gallery Admission to art gallery is always free
NEW Bundy Museum Winter Hours
Tuesday & Saturday 11am - 5pm
Our galleries are currently open following Covid-19 guidelines.
Please be sure to book your reservation.
Watch a virtual tour of the gallery below, or in the videos section at Facebook.com/bundymuseum and The Bundy Museum YouTube channel.
Listen to WBDY’s The Bundy Radio Hour episode of an interview with Binghamton University Harpur Fellow, Hadar Arens below, or on the WBDY Soundcloud channel.
Alone, Together is a collaboration between the Memory Maker Project and Binghamton University Harpur Fellow, Hadar Arens.
The inspiration for this documentary photography project was born from the isolation that aging adults face due to Covid-19.
Participants from Broome, Otsego, Chenango and Chemung Counties were asked to document a week of their lives during the pandemic using either provided disposable cameras or their personal smartphones. They were given a list of suggested prompts, but ultimately each participant had full creative freedom when choosing what to photograph, and which photos would be displayed throughout the Southern Tier. Through these group exhibits, we hope to celebrate the beautiful Memory Maker community that emerged during a year of virtual programs and give volume to the voices that have been most silenced during this horribly mismanaged pandemic.
The Memory Maker Project is an art, culture and advocacy program for aging adults, people living with memory loss, and their loved ones in the Southern Tier. The pandemic revealed many things to us, including how fragile memory and community truly are. While Memory Maker has served people living with memory loss since 2015, we quickly broadened our mission in March of 2020 to include all aging adults, recognizing the connection between social interaction and brain health.
Over the course of this year, a group of strangers evolved into a tight knit intergenerational community through Memory Maker’s Art Talks on Zoom. The group meets weekly to view and discuss artwork, tell stories, write poems, make art, and share in our personal, national and global successes and sorrows. The Memory Maker Project is eternally grateful for Hadar, Binghamton University and the Harpur Fellows, the Bundy Museum, Lost Dog Cafe, the Rockwell Museum, NBT Bank of Bainbridge, The Greater Oneonta Historical Society, all of our generous donors, and our magnificent participants for breathing life into this project and for reminding us that we truly are alone, together.
To learn more, visit MemoryMakerProject.org or call 607.240.6204.
The Memory Maker Project is a program of the Center for Transformative Action,
a Cornell University affiliate and a 501c3
Artist Statement:
During the COVID-19 pandemic we have all had to adjust to a “new normal.” My photography project is intended to highlight the ways in which Memory Maker members have been impacted by life “on pause.” The participants were empowered to share their firsthand experiences through their eyes and stories. I am interested in how looking at the participants’ own photographs of their daily life during the pandemic will allow others to better understand the lived experiences of aging adults, those with memory loss, and a population that is physically and socially isolated from their loved ones.
Photography allows us to pause, observe, and focus on thoughts and feelings. This art medium is an invaluable creative outlet to help people find meaning in their lives, especially during crises. These photographs authentically capture a wide range of experiences and allow people to reflect on the ups and downs of this complex time.
While we cannot safely be in-person just yet, the photographs displayed together symbolize the courage and resilience of members of our community. These photographs serve to validate the experiences of those negatively impacted by the pandemic and a reminder that we are not alone, but together.
Artist Bio:
Hadar Arens is a senior at Binghamton University majoring in Psychology with minors in Cinema and Applied Behavioral Analysis. Hadar is a recipient of the Binghamton University Harpur Fellowship. Her current project, Alone, Together, is a fully-funded self-designed community service project on the use of therapeutic photography for aging adults and those with memory loss.
As an art student, Hadar explores a range of media, but photography has been a particular area of interest. After graduating in May 2021, she plans to pursue her passions in art and psychology in graduate school for Art Therapy.
Hadar’s project would not have been possible without the support of Binghamton University and Harpur Edge, Memory Maker Project and their inspiring participants, the Bundy Museum and Binghamton Photo Lab, Lost Dog Cafe, The Rockwell Museum, NBT Bank of Bainbridge, and The Greater Oneonta Historical Society.
Art Gallery Virtual Tour:
Alone, Together - A Documentary Photography Project
WBDY-LP 99.5FM Bundy Radio Hour:
Listen to WBDY’s Bundy Radio Hour episode with Christina Muscatello (Memory Maker Project), and Hadar Arens, Binghamton University Harpur Fellow, discuss their collaboration.
Feel free to direct any feedback by contacting us.
The First Friday Art Walk Virtual Gallery Shows at The Bundy Museum are made possible by a grant from The Harriet Ford Dickenson Fund of the Community Foundation for South Central New York.
Support Provided by the General Operations Support Grant from the United Cultural Fund, a program of the Broome County Arts Council.
The Bundy Museum of History & Art
127-129 Main St. Binghamton, NY 13905