“Was the other art teacher killed?”

Meryl Meisler wondered when she began teaching art at I.S. 291 in Bushwick, December 1981. “Bushwick resembled a ghost town war zone. Scorched and seemingly forgotten since the ’77 blackout, Bushwick hit the skids. To me, Bushwick’s natural light was beautiful; kids were kids, vacant buildings whispered: Here I am, take my picture before I collapse. Using a plastic point and shoot and color slide film, I photographed walking from subway to school, through classroom windows and back again.