New York, New York (PRWEB) December 31, 2012
Architectural/ art Photographer Ellen Fisch was recently voted to serve as a Governor of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of NYC. The highly esteemed and respected organization is governed by men and women who share a deep commitment to and passion for the New York Citys building industry, its history, preservation, and education of men and women who are employed in the trades that support it. Fisch has been a member of both the School Committee, for the Mechanics Institute, a significant part of the General Society, and the Library committee, the second oldest Library in New York City, located in a midtown 1890 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She is dedicated to serving the General Society in her new position as Governor.
The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen was founded in 1785 in New York City as an organization that would help tradesmen at a time when unemployment was high and the economy in a downward spiral. The feeling of the day was one of a willingness to work at a trade of which one would be proud and skilled. But jobs were hard to come by. On a November night, 22 tradesmen met in Walter Heyers Tavern on Pine Street in the Wall Street area of lower Manhattan to form a Society that would provide mutual cooperation and assistance for tradespeople. Thus the General Society was born.
Over the years and with the help and funding of such notables as Andrew Carnegie, the General Society grew to embody its reputation as a sustainer of education by supporting the Mechanics Institute, a tuition free education that promotes advancement in such areas of the trades as HVAC; Historic Preservation; Electrical Technology; Construction Documents Design; Facilities Management and Project Management. Furthermore, the Library is one of the finest in the world. In fact, there globally exist several General Societies, two of which Fish not long ago visited in Australia and New Zealand. The General Society in Sydney, Fisch found out, is an educational institution that encourages tradespeople in the building industry to improve their skills. The Aukland, NZ General Society is, today, a magnificent library. Both of these Societies are dedicated to the same commitment to education and sustenance of the trades.
In addition to other aspects of the General Societys admirable mission, President Victoria Dengel, who follows in her father 1982 Past President Gerard Dengels footsteps as a deeply valued leader, innovator and dedicatedly tireless worker for the General Society, infused the Artisan Lecture Series with master craftsmen who bring their special skills to the membership and public. The tradition of General Society Lectures was an important part of the Society in the 1800s when the Speakers included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Ward Beecher, Horace Greeley, Wendell Phillips, and Rear – Admiral Robert E. Peary. President Dengel saw the advantage to reviving the Lectures to present, through the Society, extraordinary Artisans who are leaders in their fields of such arts as glass painting; weaving and mosaic tile and plaster work.
I am proud to be a member of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of NYC, says Ellen Fisch. My work as an Architectural Photographer relies on so many of the trades and artisans that are encouraged and sustained by the General Society. The lectures, Mechanics Institute where Fisch has occasionally guest lectured about her photography, the library are part of Fischs deep devotion to the General Society. My new position as a Governor of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen gives me the opportunity to serve an organization of which I hold the utmost regard and esteem, says Ellen Fisch.
To view Ellen Fischs photographs of the General Societys landmark building visit http://www.ellenfisch.com/mechanicstradesmen.html
For information about the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen visit http://www.generalsociety.org
About the Photographer:
Ellen Fisch is a New York based architectural/ art photographer specializing in black and white and sepia photography that is artistically expressive, historically relevant and timeless.
To view Ellen Fischs black and white and sepia architectural/ art photographs visit http://www.ellenfisch.com