Maurice meeting photo on display in the Boston Fine Arts Museum

 Have you ever considered how many people can stroll into the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and spot a picture of themselves hanging on display? That’s what happened to Maurice resident Lee “Woody” Wood.
Last week, Wood traveled to Boston to see a photograph taken by national photographer Paul Shambroom. The color photo was captured at the Village of Maurice City Hall during a city council meeting on May 15, 2002.
From 1999 to 2003, Shambroom visited 150 government meetings in towns with populations of fewer than 2,000 in the United States in the hope of documenting what he described as “the body that represented the smallest increment of local government.”
He took hundreds of photos at small-town council meetings throughout the country and had a book printed showcasing these images.
Of all the images Shambroom took of council meetings— dof Bernice and governments in other only the Maurice picture made it to the Boston museum as part of its current exhibit “Power of the People: Art & Democracy.”
The photo is almost five feet wide and looks like a painting.
The framed photo is one of over 100 items on display at the exhibit, which shows how art has expressed ideas about democracy through history and how artists asked citizens about the promise of democracy, the museum’s site indicates. The museum purchased Shambroom’s photo in 2005.
The framed photo is just one of more than 100 pieces showcased in the exhibit, highlighting how art has conveyed thoughts on democracy throughout history. It also features how artists have engaged with citizens regarding the ideals of democracy, according to the museum’s website. The museum acquired Shambroom’s photo back in 2005.
The late Paul Catalon, Lee “Woody” Wood, Marlene Theriot, Maurice’s secretary Mary Hebert, and the late mayor, Barbara Picard, were on the Maurice council at the time.
Recently, Wood received a Facebook message from a tour guide at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts asking if he was the same “Lee Wood” featured in a photo being displayed in the museum.
Wood knew the photo was out there because he saw it promoting Shambroom’s book on the Internet years ago.
“I remember him taking the photo,” said Wood from Boston. “He walked in before the meeting and asked if he could take a photo. I remember him having a wooden box camera.”
He got excited when he learned where the photo was and decided he wanted to see it on display. He called his sister, who lives in Boston, and asked if he could stay with her for a few days.
Wood mentioned that it’s pretty cool for the town of Maurice to be featured in such a well-known museum.
“I just think it’s really neat for the town of Maurice to have something like this, to be represented in such a prestigious museum,” Wood said. “It’s an opportunity to tell our story. There are all sorts of other things for the exhibit — protests and other small town things — but this is the only picture of a council in the exhibit.”
Former Maurice council lady Marlane Theriot does not remember the photographer taking the photo. She first saw it on Wood’s Facebook page.
“The photo is a good thing for Maurice,” said Theriot. “The town the size of Maurice is being represented. That is a good thing. 
“Barbara would be excited and proud at the same time.”
Caroline Picard, the daughter of Barbara, said, “Mom would be proud. She loved Maurice.”
Picard was the mayor of Maurice for 24 years and died five years ago.
Wood spent a couple days in the museum. He sat and watched as people viewed the city council photo. He even educated a school group that walked by and looked at the photo.
“How many times in my life am I going to get to sit there and watch people stare at my picture on the wall?” Wood said. “It’s just kind of funny to me. A bunch of the staff wants to ask me questions. They’re actually getting a bigger kick out of this than I am. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”