Hello. As of October 1, 2011, one month ago today, I have been working out of a studio in Allston. This week's photo is my ode to the days of in-house assistance from the lovely Kitty Jane. While I'm glad to have a studio (where I am now able to leave my supplies out) I do sometimes miss my fuzzy visitor. Please stay tuned for some "after" shots, though they may not be labeled as such.... I am excited to continue sharing what I can create now that I've got the space to do it.
All at once in Boston, it was summer- sweet and humid, and so much on the calender that I find it impossible to do everything the city has to offer. This week marked the beginning of my weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) pick up at a bakery in Brookline. Lucious local organic produce, and not a moment too soon.
Starting in February in the midst of a winter I thought may never end, I began my search for a CSA and an internship, intentionally putting a light at the end of a bleak winter, summer in sight. (I should clarify that bleak was the weather, hardly my experience. My life this winter was a colorful palette, as I worked three jobs and took a consulting class, the capstone course for my masters program....)
I was working as the interim program manager at The Art Connection, traveling to social service agencies in the Greater Boston Area, and facilitating their selection of original artwork, which our organization gives away. Free. We donated so much original art during 16 years, that during my five-month stint as program manager, I placed the 5,000th piece. The work was given to a low income housing development looking to liven up their community center for their residents. I also placed work at a community college, a residential treatment program for "delinquent male youth", an elder service community, and several others. Each place I got to meet staff and clients and watch their understanding of and personal connection to art blossom.
I was also working as a graduate assistant for the Arts Administration Department at Boston University where I researched education standards and rankings for international programs in arts administration and cultural policy. I also served as chief conference site coordinator for the Association of Arts Administration Educators annual conference, hosted by BU this year.
And once a week, I found myself trying to get tuckered out, texting teens interested in photography. I was received with both eye rolls and genuine enthusiasm (sometimes by the same person in the same three-minute span)... a great experience where I learned once again how to make something with nothing. With the exception of one girl, the students never brought their cameras to class. So I learned to bring mine, and shoot we did. We were at Temple Israel or TI, which for our group meant "trapped inside". I was impressed with their thoughtfulness and the outcome of their images, some of which completely transported us "outside".
Now all three jobs are behind me (though I still sit on two committees at The Art Connection), and I am eating local blueberries with my windows flung open. I am also preparing to begin my internship for the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's ParkARTS program! In a search to get experience working for a local government agency, I found a way to do that while work outside teaching art... amazing. I will be leading photography workshops in a different Boston park every Tuesday evening in the months of July and August (details in my next post). I am also doing marketing for the ParkARTS program, and assisting the watercolor teacher in landscape painting workshops in the parks.
Looking forward to an incredible summer, as full as winter, but with more leisurely activities... and only one job. And more time to BLOG. Keep reading :)
Greetings readers :) Yesterday I had the unique privilege to both participate in and photograph The Interfaith Arts Connection's (IFAConnection) first event, Faith in Art. After meeting people briefly in some icebreakers, we all sat down to create visual stories about our faith backgrounds. During the creation of this art, there was some minor chatting at the beginning, but soon people were totally immersed in their own thoughts, quietly drawing, cutting and gluing, and painting their paths on paper. The results were incredible. Just as differently as 20 people would describe their connections to their own journeys through religion, spirituality, or faith, the art they made was at once unifying and distinctive. We all shared our story- some described what religion was like in our childhood with imagery from "a fertile soil" to "full of judgment".
We all shared where our spiritual paths or faith had led us, and where we hoped to see it go in the future. There was certainly a common thread. Almost everyone spoke of using what they had learned to open up, to branch out, to share, to keep growing, and to nurture themselves and others. Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and Christians (of varying denominations and levels of observance) all colorfully imagined themselves as whole, searching, and open people. Some people had a clear idea, or so I thought, from the sharing we did before we created art, and some people seem to have had insight through the process of creating and sharing their art with others.
By having to make my story come alive I learned about what is important to me, and by sharing it with others, my values became quite real. I am so glad I was there. Being able to see an event like this as a photographer gave me a bird's eye view. I have included a handful of images I think capture the event and our collective process of artful interfaith dialogue.
Here are two recent articles that taught me a lot about U.S. Military involvement in the arts. And neither is about the Marine Corps Band. Apparently military-backed visual arts are more than stern Uncle Sam’s star-spangled top hat and centuries worth of propaganda posters.
Enjoy the art from the Marine Corps and Army artists by clicking the next 2 links. Read the NYT and Reuters articles below (both from July 2010) to see what they're up to.
After reading this article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/08/AR2010070801760.html?wpisrc=nl_cuzhead) I was reminded about how important subtle cues and non-verbal communication can be. Albright chose to send messages with enamel, stone, or metal pinned to her power suits. She has used craft in her diplomacy, and given thought to how to better make a first impression. I think I'll wear a pin today.
Images from the Washington Post review:'Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection' at Smithsonian are below.
Madeleine Albright's collection of brooches, on display at the Smithsonian Castle, include this angel, commemorating the victims of the 1998 bombings at two U.S. embassies in Africa. (Photos By John Bigelow Taylor)
Glass shards, signifying the glass ceiling she broke through to become the first female secretary of state. (Photo By John Bigelow Taylor - Photo By John Bigelow Taylor)
A bee Albright wore to Middle East peace negotiations. (Photo By John Bigelow Taylor - Photo By John Bigelow Taylor)
Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection Through Oct. 11 at the Smithsonian Castle, 1000 Jefferson Dr. SW (Metro: Smithsonian). 202-633-1000 (TDD: 202-633-5285). http://www.si.edu/exhibitions/read-my-pinsHours: Open daily 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission Free.
I decided to start posting articles, sites, videos, and blogs I'd like to share on my blog. Most of them will probably be arts/ news/ environmental. Here's the first.
