Research

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of photographs that New York State Museum curator Mark Schaming took during visits to the Fresh Kills facility in late 2001 and the first half of 2002. They consist of negatives of nineteen rolls of color 35 mm film and corresponding 4"x6" color prints of approximately 250 images. They document the equipment and temporary structures that constituted the facility, the multi-stage debris sorting process, and airplane parts, structural elements, vehicles, personal effects, and other artifacts considered as possible additions to the State Museum's collections. Some of the photographs depict local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel, New York City Department of Sanitation employees, and other people who worked at the Fresh Kills site.