Cushing Center
The suitcases project has opened a lot of doors for me. Jessica Helfand teaches a freshman seminar at Yale called “Studies in Visual Biography”. She is interested in (among other things) how ephemeral objects can tell a lot about the individual who owned them. Very early on she noticed my Kickstarter page and invited me to come down to New Haven to talk to the class. I went today and it was a blast. Afterwards Jessica took me to the Cushing Center at the Yale School of Medicine where neurologist Dr Harvey Cushing’s collection of brains resides. There is an amazing story about how the center came about, and the representation of his work and life are housed in a beautifully designed space. It is all very scientific, and not at all macabre. Well worth a visit.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
Looks a lot different from the Lab at Willard that had the collection of brains in jars! The lab was part of the tour for new employees.
Your work at Willard made me think of the photographs I took while working at an archaeological site in east central Arizona. We were excavating a pueblo and part of my job as the photographer was to shoot the skeletal remains with their associated artifacts. Many of the bodies were articulated with bracelets, pots, bowls, sometimes even a macaw–many necessary as well as treasured possessions.
Goods luck with your projects. I follow with interest.
Thanks, Susan
Congratulations Jon, on another interesting opportunity. Thank you for the peak behind the scenes — the best kind! Salute!
How fortunate you are that so many interesting doors have opened for you…and taken you to so many fascinating places!
Hi Jon, I didn’t realize that you had previously photographed Willard in the 1980s. Will you be posting them on your blog because they are wonderful! Feel free to email them to me as I would love to post them on my Photographs page; people love clicking on the old photos. I have a few from Craig but wish I had a few hundred. Thanks so much and so glad to see that you have reached your goal!! Sincerely, Lin
[…] were in a small office in the library and offered to take me to see them. Last year I visited the Cushing Center to see the brain collection and I was excited to learn more about […]
[…] one of the most amazing displays of someone’s life one can ever see. I have posted about it here and here, and if any of you are in New Haven, it is absolutely not to be missed. / Thanks to […]