We are thrilled to present photography by Carol Halebian, in our new Upper Gallery exhibit, “When We Were Young.”  We’re showing select images form the Kodachrome film she shot of Hoboken Street life between the late 70s and early 80s. The exhibit opens Sunday, July 10 with a reception at 2 pm and runs until Sunday, September 4. Before the opening, Carol will be interviewed by Museum Director and photographer Bob Foster in an online Artist Talk Friday, July 8 at 7pm, streamed out live on both YouTube and Facebook

Carol Halebian grew up in Bergen County. She attended Syracuse University and majored in Photojournalism. On a trip to Europe, she found herself marveling at the sights along with her with fellow photography students. A professor remarked, “Don’t overlook your own backyard!” Her initial awareness of Hoboken came from the signs she saw on the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel. She was intrigued, and made her first visit here with a friend on Election Day, 1976. Her first impression? The smell of the Maxwell House coffee in the air. Carol was fascinated at how “the sidewalks became like second living rooms,” hosting card games and all manner of get-togethers. She loved the low buildings and vibrant street culture. She also was seeing the urban landscape “change rapidly.” The words ‘gentrification’ and ‘yuppie’ were commonly used in the conversations naming these changes. Carol realized that the rapidly changing Hoboken was just the place –  her “own backyard” – to focus her photographer’s eye. So she began chronicling the street life in Hoboken regularly and in earnest, with her beloved Kodachrome film. “When We Were Young” shows select images taken between the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Carol’s grandmother emigrated to the US in 1920 when she was 17 as a refugee from the Armenian Genocide. She came in on a ship that docked in Hoboken and was quickly taken home by a member of her extended family that was already here for a bath. Poor immigrants traveling over the Atlantic in ‘steerage’ were vulnerable to lice, among other medical issues, and the fortunate ones had family or friends ready to administer the serious baths needed to minimize and address infestations.

The exhibit is supported by a block grant from the State/County Partnership program for the Arts, administered by the Hudson County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.