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(Falmouth, Massachusetts): Highfield Hall & Gardens is pleased to announce “Togetherness: The Front Steps Project” a photographic essay featuring families, individuals, and businesses during the early weeks of the COVID-19 quarantine. The seemingly simple formula of photographing individuals and sharing on social media became much larger and more powerful as it brought friends and strangers together. Falmouth-based photographer Lee Geishecker and local realtor Annie Hart Cool were motivated to connect people during the lockdown. Lee and Annie reached out virtually to people from the Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee communities to ask if they would participate in an outdoor photography session. During the session, subjects were asked to describe in one word what they were experiencing at that moment. Words such as “fun, scary, surreal, fed-up, loss, inconceivable” and many more were expressed. Each word or descriptor would eventually become a barometer of the emotional and psychological mood of the subjects as they were photographed over 25 days in April and May of this past year. “Front Steps” documents people as young as 4 weeks and as old as 92, and represents the diverse socioeconomic groups of the Upper Cape. Approximately 1000 faces and 100 pets were captured from 245 households. The popular and accessible Facebook platform where people often see their friends and familiar faces was used to post the daily photographs. In organizing the exhibition in what is essentially Falmouth’s living room, Highfield Hall will offer the community a different way to see its neighbors and to witness the inventive ways people maintained their health and humor. Many months have passed since the inception of the quarantine; it goes on still. And because people are growing weary of COVID’s persistence and tenacity, taking a fresh look at the spirited faces on view is a great reminder of how one community stayed “together” when society at large seemed to be losing its rudder. For a complete list of happenings visit www.highfieldhallandgardens.org Gallery Hours: Highfield Hall will follow health safety protocols by restricting the number of people in the gallery at one time. Wednesday– Friday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm About Highfield Hall & Gardens The house is a rare surviving example of transitional Stick Style architecture, containing beautiful gardens located in the heart of Falmouth, Massachusetts. It is a unique combination of a historic house, expansive gardens and trails, and a vibrant cultural center. Built in 1878 as the summer home for Boston's Beebe family, the house sits on 5.5 pristine acres surrounded by nearly 400 acres of conservation land and public walking trails. Highfield Hall & Gardens is not your typical historic estate. It is an example of a historic building saved by grassroots community organizing. An effort of tenacity and vision that continues as new research on the structure and its story of the people who lived here add to the building's significance. It offers world-class music, international art exhibitions, culinary classes, family programs, and year-round special events. For more information, visit highfieldhallandgardens.org.