Photography Atelier

Betty Stone

Back of House

A faded two-inch scar on my right forearm is a palpable reminder of my own dishwashing, table-waiting, pizza-baking initiation in a congested pub kitchen 50 years ago. The hustle, the laughter, the exhaustion, and the stress, ultimately culminated each night somewhere between the ecstatic pride of a frenetic night of service well executed and a meltdown. I experienced it all. Decades later an eagerness to delve more deeply into the people and work behind the scenes emerged.

Back of House is an exploration of the command center, the “heart” of an eatery. I sandwiched myself between chefs and line cooks, dishwashers and servers, always underfoot yet trying to stay clear of hot dishes and hectic work lanes. I observed the unrelenting pace, the often-constrained space, the occasionally cranky customers, the relationships among staff. Working back of house is a high stakes dance with multiple partners on a petite dance floor. Yet this is where the magic happens. My images invite you to experience an imaginary sensory encounter with your meal and the individuals who work tirelessly to create it before your server presents it to you so pleasingly plated. Will you accept the invitation?

I am immensely grateful to four diverse Boston kitchens that welcomed me to make photographs for this project: Comfort Kitchen in Dorchester, Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, Hungry Nomads, a Boston-based food truck, and Mei Mei Dumplings in Boston. Their openness and enthusiasm made Back of House a reality.

Artist Bio

Betty Stone is a Boston area photographer who is captivated by what is embedded within the obvious yet not unambiguously discernable. She delights in using color, light, and movement to weave stories, disclose processes, and reveal relationships. Her most recent work, Back of House, explores the behind-the-scenes central command center in restaurants.

Stone has taken critique courses with Emily Belz (2015-2016, 2018-2023), studied with Sue Anne Hodges, and was a member of the Photography Atelier 16 taught by Karen Davis and Meg Birnbaum, and the Atelier 38 taught by Emily Belz, both at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester.

She has exhibited her photographs in small group exhibitions and juried group shows at Cambridge Art Association and CAA@Canal Gallery (Cambridge, MA), Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA), PhotoPlace Gallery Online (Burlington, VT), Arlington Center for the Arts (Arlington, MA), Lexington Arts & Crafts Society (Lexington, MA), Plymouth Center for the Arts (Plymouth, MA), and Arlington Robbins Town Hall (Arlington, MA). The Town of Arlington acquired ten of the sixteen images from Stone’s Iconic 1913 Arlington Town Hall series. They are on permanent display in the Office of the Arlington Town Manager. Following 2017 and 2018 service trips to Lusaka, Zambia, Stone exhibited and sold photographs to support the work of Communities Without Borders which assists AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children in Zambia.

Experiences living and working outside the United States, including co-owning a pub near Lisbon, Portugal, and a 32-year career in Boston as an educator of adult immigrants from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds have nourished her fascination with other languages and cultural perspectives. Stone’s photographs honor her subjects and the places they call home.

Stone lives and works in Arlington, MA.