Photography Exhibit at Vermont Center for Photography

Irish Travellers, Tinkers No More: Photographs by Alen MacWeeney

An Important Exhibition at Vermont Center for Photography

BRATTLEBORO, VT In 1965, well known Irish documentary photographer Alen MacWeeney came upon an encampment of itinerants in a field by the Cherry Orchard Fever Hospital outside Dublin. Then called tinkers, and later known as Travellers, they were living in hard-used but richly colored caravans, ramshackle sheds, and time-worn tents.


Over five years, he spent countless days and nights in the Travellers’ caravans and by their campfires, drinking tea and listening to their tales, songs, and music, “rarely shared or exposed to camera or tape recorder.” In 2007 he published his fifth book of photographs, entitled “Irish Travellers, Tinkers No More,” which is accompanied by a CD of their music.

MacWeeney’s orignal photographs will be shown at the VCP Gallery during the months of June and July. The opening reception for this exhibit is Friday, June 5 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., in conjunction with the Brattleboro’s gallery Walk. The exhibition runs from June 5 through August 2.

Alen MacWeeney will be present at the opening and a limited number of his books, now out of print, will be available at the Gallery, signed by the photographer.

In addition, Alen will be giving a talk and a showing of his his film, called "Travellers" at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center on Saturday June 6th at 7:30 PM. The film shows Alen returning to Ireland last year to find the people he photographed over 40 years ago. In the film, we meet them and hear how their lives have changed. The running time for the film is about 48 minutes. There will be an opportunity for questions following the film.





MacWeeney has published five books and his photographs are in the permanent collections of MOMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, George Eastman House, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Minneapolis Art Museum and many other collections in the US and Europe. He worked as an assistant to renowned photographer Richard Avedon, and has contributed to the New Yorker, Life, Esquire, and the New York Times Magazine, among many journals.

The Vermont Center for Photography, founded in 1998, is a non-profit gallery featuring fine art photography. The Gallery is located just off of Flat Street next to the parking garage in downtown Brattleboro. Gallery hours are Fridays, 2 to 7 pm; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 pm; or by appointment. For directions or information, please call 802-251-6051 or visit the website at www.vcphoto.org.

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