The Art Gallery of the College of Staten Island is proud to present the work of photographer Eric Aerts with Photography Inside the Cages, featuring images from the Willowbrook State School.
The collection of photographs will be on display from September 19 through October 20 in 1P-112, with an opening reception to be held on Thursday, September 22, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The photographs are some of the first images presented to the local Staten Island public of Willowbrook, and appeared in several Staten Island Advance news stories that exposed the conditions at Willowbrook State School that eventually led to its closure. Seen in their entirety for the first time in this exhibition, the Willowbrook images are seen alongside other documentary photographs depicting life and protest in early 1970s New York.
Dr. Hosu Kim (Sociology and Anthropology), along with Dr. Catherine Lavender (History), Chris Verene (PCA), and Dr. Siona Wilson (PCA) will also present an Eventbrite Zoom panel discussion on Thursday, October 13, from 3:00pm to 4:30pm, entitled Photography, Advocacy, and Consent: Revisiting the Willowbrook Exposé. This event will be open to the public and will carry CLUE credit. Registration information is coming soon.
