‘Photographing Places’ Exhibit Opening at MIT Museum

Brian Rose/Edward Fausty, Delancey Street, 1980. / Photo Provided

Place. The word is simple, yet can be interpreted in so many different ways. That concept is the central focus of Places journal, founded in the ’80s by architecture faculty at MIT and UC Berkeley. The journal aims to “see places in new ways,” examining the relationship between people and their surroundings in the context of architecture, landscape, and urban design.

This week, a exhibition of works by 20 artists that appeared in Places will open at the MIT Museum. “Photographing Places” will show images ranging from the journal’s initial publication more than 20 years ago to 2009, when Places moved exclusively online.

Photography was a always a major part of the journal’s editorial voice. Places asked photographers to compile portfolios of images that could exist independently of other journal content—a picture is worth a thousand words, after all. The photographs weren’t necessarily illustrative of the newest innovations in architecture and planning, but rather, depicted everyday settings that sparked independent conversations, something that the new “Photographing Places” exhibit at MIT Museum will hopefully do as well.

Today, Places journal has ties to more than 24 institutions. The journal still publishes content about all sorts of places—public and private, domestic and abroad—online at placesjournal.org.

“Photographing Places” will be on view at the MIT Museum from January 22 through September 7. Regular admission is $10; learn more at mit.edu.