Fran Beatty, a local landscape historian, explores photographs as a primary record and point of departure in understanding the history of our built environment. Her talk "A Photographic History of the Creamery District" illustrates the transformation of this Arcata neighborhood from colonial times to the present. She will accompany her talk with a PowerPoint show of photographs by notable photographers A.W. Ericson, Merle Shuster, and Peter Palmquist.

Today the Creamery District is a vibrant arts and commerce neighborhood, which is centered on the 1918 Creamery Building between Eighth and Ninth Streets in Arcata. The district's transitions from a busy industrial area to thriving art and business enclave have been at once dramatic and gradual. The Creamery District is an example of how the arts can transform a neighborhood and renew economic and community health.