Richard A. Sullo (“Rick”), a Cambridge resident and noted photographer who chronicled the folk music scene of the 1960s, passed away on April 3, 2024, at his beloved home in Oak Bluffs. He was 81.
Rick loved the beauty of the Island, gardening, birdwatching, collecting, and playing musical instruments, participating in the drumming circle at Abby Bender’s Built on Stilts events at the Union Chapel, and spending time with family and friends. Rick’s garden covered most of an acre, and much of its produce was donated to local nonprofit organizations such as the Councils on Aging. His tomatoes were particularly prized by his Oak Bluffs neighbors.
Rick met his wife, Ali, of Cambridge, on May 1, 1966. They married on May 1, 1971, and in that same year visited Martha’s Vineyard for the first time. Each summer thereafter, they made Oak Bluffs their vacation destination. In 1989, Rick and Ali purchased their summer home and gardens where they had been staying yearly since 1982. They enjoyed lives full of joy and meaning, both on the Vineyard and in Cambridge.
Rick’s love of Cambridge was primarily due to its proximity to his large family and many longtime friends, as well as its important role in American folk music. In the 1960s, Rick served as a staff photographer for Broadside of Boston magazine, a key resource in New England for folk musicians and their fans. He photographed many well-known performers — Bob Dylan, Mississippi John Hurt, Joan Baez — at area coffeehouses, performance spaces, and music festivals (Newport, Philadelphia). Many of Rick’s photos were published in “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years” (Eric Von Schmidt, Jim Rooney). His introduction to performing as a musician and photographing performers is described in “I Believe I’ll Go Back Home: Roots and Revival in New England Folk Music” (Thomas S. Curren).
Rick’s photographic career later transitioned to photography education, first as an instructor and then as chairman of the photography department at the Art Institute of Boston. He led the department in developing a teaching staff representing a wide variety of photographic careers, and enhancing the school’s facilities and equipment.
In the late 1970s, Rick continued to pursue his passion for photography in the printing industry. He joined the sales department of Acme Printing Co. of Wilmington, where he collaborated with publisher Little, Brown to produce books by well-known photographers such as Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter, and with author-illustrator Chris Van Allsburg on Houghton Mifflin’s “The Polar Express,” “Just A Dream,” “Two Bad Ants,” and many other titles. Rick also worked with the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, collaborating in the development of fine-art posters featuring the work of artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Georgia O’Keeffe.
Donations in Rick’s memory can be made to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, online at bit.ly/MassAudubon_Donate, or to one of the many conservation and arts organizations of Martha’s Vineyard. Also, and more importantly, family and friends are encouraged to give a hug to those they love, in Rick’s honor.
A service and celebration of Rick’s life will take place on Saturday, July 27, at 1 pm in Rick’s garden, at 45 Canonicus Ave., Oak Bluffs.
