The Leather District and Fort Point Channel Photographic Survey

Unknown artist

The survey project began in 1980 when the Artists Foundation, Inc. applied to the National Endowment of the Arts for a grant to commission six Boston area photographers to document two former manufacturing and warehousing districts: the Leather District and Fort Point Channel area in South Boston. When the project started both neighborhoods hosted a mix of commercial and residential use, with many of the old manufacturing buildings occupied by artists and being used as living and studio space.<br><br>During the period of the survey (1980-1981) the area was undergoing a typical 20th century urban cycle: manufacturers and businesses move out, and artists move in, attracted by large, light filled spaces with affordable rents. The artists create a vibrant neighbourhood which attracts wealthier residents who jumpstart the gentrification of the neighborhood, pricing the artists out resulting in the diminishing of the artist community in the area.<br><br>The six photographers awarded the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship were Chris Enos, Kipton Kumler, Eugene Richards, John Rizzo, Sage Sohier, and Jim Stone. The artists were chosen specifically because they had different aesthetic approaches, interests, and compositional styles. The result was a set of intensely personal visual explorations of an area in transition, one that would change dramatically over the next four decades, and will continue to be impacted by economic imperatives, climate change, and other challenges and opportunities.<br><br>Critical funding to support long-term preservation of and enhanced public access to Boston Public Library collections, including this one, was provided by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.associatesbpl.org/">Associates of the Boston Public Library</a>.