As of the past few months I have spent quite some time on a new project for a Greek-American community located in Chelsea who are celebrating 100 years of presence in the neighborhood in April. To accompany their Gala, the Community of Saint Eleftherios wanted to publish an historical journal that would account for their cultural presence in Chelsea, New York since the 1920s when they were officially founded.
It has been an incredible journey to research, map, and put together a text that can illustrate one community’s cultural presence and efforts in a single, fairly short publication. One of the most exciting parts, aside from going through the church and school archives, was interviewing elderly members about their memories and experiences. The whole process has been similar to the feeling of putting together pieces of a puzzle, while it has opened my eyes to the values hidden behind the drive that has kept this community alive until today.
I will be sharing snippets of the journal after we publish it for the gala on April 29, 2018. In the meantime, please enjoy a few pictures from the archive, and if you would like to learn a little more about the community, events, and gala you can click here.