Union Square at Work
October 4, 2015 – | Curated by Charan Devereaux
Created by Charan Devereaux, “Union Square at Work” is a collection of photographs, stories, and music from the oldest commercial district in Somerville. Massachusetts. Somerville is the most densely populated city in New England and a three-time winner of the National Civic League’s All-America City award. “Union Square at Work” features photographs of over 70 people who work in the Square along with histories of their businesses and historical images of major employers from years past. There are photographs and stories from the tattoo parlor, the clean tech incubator, the puppeteer, the halal butcher, the gas station, the Korean market, and the American Legion Post. There are also images from the days when Somerville was a meat-packing capital and the Miller’s River flowed through Boynton Yards. The project reveals the fabric of a neighborhood and an American story of entrepreneurship, immigration, family-run companies, redevelopment, and the many ways people bring creativity into their work.
Praise for “Union Square at Work”:
“Charan Devereaux’s ‘Union Square at Work’ is a truly remarkable accomplishment. The images and histories of Somerville’s small businesses reveal how the commercial life of a community is intertwined with its identity. Devereaux’s photography is spectacular, and the words and music that she adds clarify her insights.”
— Max Bazerman Professor
Harvard Business School
Co-Director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School
“Charan Devereaux photographed the people who are the heart and soul of Union Square, Somerville and developed a beautiful and moving body of work.”
— Rania Matar Photographer and professor
Massachusetts College of Art
Two-time winner, Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship
“Historians are often hard pressed to find the voices of regular people going about their normal routines. ‘Union Square at Work’ is a great example of documenting the life of a community and making that perspective available. The photographs, quotes and stories give you a glimpse into the life of one area of Somerville, Mass., but they also tell more universal stories about immigration, family businesses, and economic transitions in neighborhoods. The project’s legacy will be both that it captured a moment in time and that it helped people see themselves in the stories of Union Square.”
— Gavin Kleespies
Director of Programs, Massachusetts Historical Society
“An important project and a great body of work.”
— Stephen Tourlentes
Photographer and professor, Massachusetts College of Art
Winner, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship
“Charan Devereaux’s “Union Square at Work” is an amazingly ambitious project that shows the evolution of Union Square, Somerville and the marvelous coexistence of the old and the new. Oral histories and historic photographs of the area are a huge addition to the lively portraits of people at work. In giving us this in-depth view of Union Square’s commercial life, Devereaux shows us something quintessentially American.”
— Sage Sohier
Photographer
Winner, National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
“A beautiful, thoughtful, and powerful project.”
— State Representative Denise Provost
27th Middlesex District. Massachusetts
“As the expansion of the Green Line approaches, ‘Union Square at Work’ tells the story of a neighborhood on the verge of a major transformation through the eyes of its small business owners. Seeing the faces, and reading the stories, of the business community’s diverse members – from recent immigrants to families that have lived in Somerville for generations – puts a personal, compelling spotlight on the economic engine that drives our cities and the many challenges they endure.”
— Katie Johnston
Business Reporter, The Boston Globe
Special thanks to Color Services LLC, Stanhope Framers, Cambridge Reprographics, Above Summit, Cynthia Frawley Graphic Design, Stefan Economou, Matt Smith, Evelyn Battinelli, Mara Brod, Daniele Levine, Johanna Richwagen, and Bluetone Studio.
Related Programming
Opening Reception: Sunday, 10/4/15 | 3–6pm
Union Square at Work Museum Tour: Thursday, 10/22/15 | 6:30–8pm
Somerville Past and Present with Jeff Myers: Sunday, 10/25/15 | 2pm
Inside Market Basket: A Commercial Anchor of Union Square: Thursday, 10/29/15 | 6:30–8pm
Metal, Cars, and Meat: A History of Boynton Yards: Wednesday, 11/4/15 | 8pm
Union Square at Work Concert (featuring singer/songwriter Jennifer Kimball): Sunday, 11/15/15 | 3–5pm
Union Square Playlist
The Union Square Somerville Playlist project explores the music and history of the city of Somerville, Massachusetts. Union Square Somerville Playlist was first created as part of Charan Devereaux’s “Union Square at Work”-- a collection of photographs, stories and music from Somerville’s oldest commercial district. Union Square Playlist is available for purchase online and at the Somerville Museum’s shop. All proceeds benefit local artists and the Somerville Museum.
Learn more here.
About Charan Devereaux
Charan Devereaux is interested in the intersection of community, history and art. Her projects explore communities or bring people together to learn about or support each other. She grew up near Cleveland, Ohio and currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Charan studied photography at the Massachusetts College of Art, the New England School of Photography, the Griffin Museum of Photography, and Harvard University. Her projects have received support from the Boston Foundation, Mass Humanities, the Somerville Arts Council, the Harvard Business School Business Plan Competition (social enterprise track) and the Passim Iguana Fund and have been recognized by the Points of Light Foundation, the Boston Music Awards, and the AASLH Leadership in History Awards.
Charan has also curated the highly acclaimed exhibit Faith in a City at the Somerville Museum in 2019-2020.
This project supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and made possible by the patience and good humor of many Somerville businesses, non-profits, and artists. Special thanks to Color Services, LLC in Needham, MA.
The Somerville Museum is supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and by generous contributions from the memberships of the Somerville Museum.
