Blackstone Valley Mill Explorations
On Friday, December 2, I went to an artists’ reception and video screening at Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery and the G.B. & Lexi Sign Performance Center, which are located at the Alternatives’ Whitin Mill in Whitinsville, MA. The renovated structure is owned by Open Sky Community Services, with events planned by its arts and culture arm, ValleyCast. This venue also held “World War II comes to the Valley” back in August. The two featured artists at the event were photographer-documentarists David Lawlor and James Hunt.
The film presented by Lawlor was The second installment of his series, Run of the Mill. Lawlor has a fun, youthful documentary style highlighting “his urban exploration of old mill buildings”, as described in a flyer given out a the event. He explores mills that continue to be manufacturing facilities, abandoned buildings, repurpose structures now serving as housing or with plans to create community-focused spaces. My favorite parts of the film were drone footage of Old Slater Mill (where I volunteered at World Ranger Day in July and attended “Be the Voice of Kittacuck” in October) and an interior shot of local restaurant, The Beef Barn. Since Lawlor was able to attend the event, he was able to answer questions about how he got into these buildings (“There is usually an opening... but as I get older, I call ahead.”) I look forward to future installments to the series on his YouTube channel.
The documentary by Hunt focused on the second half of the 2021 Draper Factory Demolition, which was located in Hopedale, MA. I had previously taught a class through Osher Lifelong Institute at Tufts University that included a session on Hopedale, so I was interested in seeing the footage. The documentary was divided into two parts. The first quarter was black-and-white photography of mills and some narration, while the remainder was raw footage of the demolition. Several people in the audience had witnessed the demolition of the mill and were able to provide additional information on how the bricks and steel were to be reused.
This event brought together local community members interested in the history and architecture of the area. While all audience members were adults, the broad age range from twenties to seventies proved that historical preservation has lasting importance for the Blackstone River Valley. I hope to see similar projects undertaken by other artists and feel inspired to create my own documentary!
