Fitchburg Hosts the Longsjo

A Community Arts Project Developed by the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance's Longsjo Subcommittee (Julia Cheng, Gail Bloom and Bill Mixon)

Fitchburg Hosts the Longsjo is creating a visual record of community involvement in staging the annual Fitchburg Longsjo Classic.

Citizens, businesses, and non-profit organizations donate innumerable hours and invaluable resources to producing a world-class event on the professional cycling circuit. The project seeks to capture these stories and document local history through photography.

Fitchburg Hosts the Longsjo has received the endorsement and sponsorship of the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, Fitchburg Cycling Club and Fitchburg State College.

THE TEAM

Many aspects of community participation in the annual Fitchburg Longsjo Classic deserve more attention than previously received in local media. We've assembled a team of local photographers to pursue these stories on a round-the-clock basis.

Currently, project shooters and staff include

Dan Cutrona - FSC '02 and Photography Student of the Year, award-winning former S&E freelancer now freelancing at Cape Cod Times

Chris Harrington - MWCC '03, Lunenburg firefighter and accomplished sports shooter

Patrick Oehler - former S&E freelancer, now freelancing for New York Newsday

Casey O'Toole - Bay Path College '07, St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School '03, photo intern at S&E

Allegra Boverman - Nashua, NH based freelance photographer

Michael Duncan - FSC '06, information sciences major and photo minor

Scott LaPrade - Leominster firefighter, Firehouse Magazine photo contributor

Alan J. Brackett - Sturbridge firefighter, freelance photographer, Firehouse Magazine photo contributor

Robert Burns - S&E staff photographer

Latrice Cooper - Gardner photographer and Fitchburg Cultural Alliance member

Bill Mixon - Sterling photographer and Fitchburg Cultural Alliance member

Marcia Grillo - FSC photo student

Virginia Krul - Westminster, Camera Club of Fitchburg president

Judith Pernice - Holden,Camera Club of Fitchburg member

Joyce Roberts - Holden Landmarkphotographer and Camera Club of Fitchburg member

Susan Sanderson - Lunenburg,Camera Club of Fitchburg member

Joanne Schreiner - Lunenburg,Camera Club of Fitchburg member

Darlene Spencer - Leominster,Camera Club of Fitchburg member

Gail Bloom - assistant project director and Fitchburg's Millenium Artist

Helen Obermeyer-Simmons - assistant project director and Fitchburg State College Communications Media professor

Coelynn McIninch - FSC Photography Lab Manager, and Fitchburg photographer

Mary Chapin Durling - FSC Cultural Affairs Coordinator and president of Fitchburg Cultural Alliance

Julia Cheng - Longsjo project director, Associated Press freelancer and former S&E chief photographer

Julia Cheng is project director and will be assisted by Helen Obermeyer-Simmons (Professor of Communications Media, FSC), Leominster artist Gail Bloom and Coelynn McIninch (Photography Lab Manager, FSC). We'll also schedule some of the shooters, especially the students, to work at project headquarters to schedule assignments, handle workflow and assemble the final exhibit for the Riverfront Park Family Festival.

Project headquarters are at Fitchburg State College's Industrial Arts Building, centered around the college graphics (Room 338) and photography labs. Equipment will be available to download digital images, scan negatives, edit images and output prints.

THE EXHIBIT

Fitchburg Hosts the Longsjo will mount an exhibit of images at Riverfront Park's Family Festival on July 5, 2004. Additional images can be viewed on the our website Gallery .