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Creative Life
00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9ab20000Our series Creative Life discontinued on October 30th, 2017. It has been replaced by Ways of Life. The Creative Life archive lives on this page. Creative Life offered an audio tour of arts, culture, and inspiration on the Cape and Islands. Our region is rich with creative diversity, and so are the stories we tell.Creative Life is edited by Jay Allison.Creative Life is made possible by The Circle of Ten, ten local businesses and organizations committed to local programming on WCAI.

Stories Linger in the Detritus of Abandoned Psychiatric Asylums

May 22nd 2006. Danvers, MA. Photo by Brooks Angelini.

Brooks Angelini is a Fall River based photographer and artist. The asylums he photographs were shuttered in the 1970s after public outcry regarding practices like lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and forced confinement. Many of the buildings were left completely intact, like time capsules showcasing a mental health ideology gone by. Through his pictures, Angelini bears witness to the lives and struggles of the patients who were confined to these institutions.

Credit April 19th 2008. Poughkeepsie, NY. Photo by Brooks Angelini
One room of two that was left filled with books and patient records. Hudson River State Hospital.

You can find more photos of Angelini's work on Instagram.  This piece came to us through our production partners at Atlantic Public Media through their media training program, The Transom Story Workshop in Woods Hole. Judah is a recent graduate from the workshop - you can find out more about the program at Transom.org.

Credit April 7th 2017. Fall River, MA. Photo by Judah Kauffman
Brooks Angelini stands next to one of his photos in his exhibit at the Greater Fall River Arts Association.

Creative Life is edited by Jay Allison and made possible by the Circle of Ten - ten local businesses and organizations committed to local programming on WCAI.