Untitled (group of people standing in corner of room behind ribbon) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have an intriguing photograph, an untitled piece by Lucian and Mary Brown, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. I’m immediately struck by its ghostly, almost dreamlike quality. What do you make of this gathering, seemingly frozen in time? Curator: It whispers of a bygone era, doesn't it? The ribbon, the formal attire… it’s a ceremony of sorts, perhaps a grand opening or celebration. I wonder, though, about the reversed tones; it almost feels like looking at a memory fading. Editor: A fading memory – I like that interpretation. Curator: Don't we all feel like fading memories, sometimes? I think that's what art is for...to keep us alive.