Successful Exhibit of Loomis Village Resident Portraits Moves to Mount Holyoke College

SOUTH HADLEY — After a successful run at Loomis Village, the Reunion Project exhibit featuring portrait photographs of Loomis Village female residents will now be on display in the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, 50 College St., South Hadley. The exhibit will open with a reception on Monday, Nov. 4, featuring reflection and remarks at 2 p.m. followed by a viewing and reception from 3 to 4 p.m.

Loomis Village was the first organization in the Pioneer Valley to participate in the Reunion Project, and its residents were the driving force behind the public exhibition, with approximately 35 women participating. The project’s goal is to provide the opportunity for residents to look back on their lives and “have a reunion with their teenage selves,” while also giving them a voice to share decades of acquired wisdom with younger generations. To learn more about the project, visit www.thereunionproject.org.

Award-winning photographer Lora Brody took portrait photos of each participating resident, and also provided the residents with a series of written prompts that they responded to anonymously, allowing them to reflect on their past experiences and how they’ve evolved through the years. The women’s written responses to Brody’s prompts are assembled into one collective voice of the group and is featured as part of the exhibit with the residents’ portraits alongside their teenage portraits. 

Two Mount Holyoke College students participated in the Reunion Project by assisting with resident portraits and were also helpful in reading the reflective prompts to residents with visual or other impairments. Thus, the Reunion Project provides a unique opportunity for younger women to learn from older women.