Carpe You Some Diem!

The Memory Project is a great program that pairs art students up with children in orphanages (often in war-torn countries) for the students to paint the children’s portraits.  Often, these children do not have many material posessions, including family photographs, so having a nice work of art representing their childhood makes a great keepsake.

This year, my students were paired up with children in Peru.  Here are the children and their portraits.  Photos with portraits but no children mean that these children have moved to other orphanages, and their portraits will be delivered at a later date.

Next year, I am going to do this with a larger group and let the students do the portraits digitally.  There are two digital portraits in this batch that I made, myself.  :)  The kids are so adorable.  I couldn’t resist!

I’ve had the good fortune to get to speak to Ben Schumaker, the founder of the Memory Project, in person.  He is such a cool person, and has worked so hard to get this program started and keep it running smoothly.  I highly recommend this program to other art teachers, and also to anyone who is interested in sponsoring a group of artists in a school.  (I think it’s about $125 per group, to cover the costs of getting the art to the kids and making sure each kid gets his or her portrait.)  This is a great way for students to see how art can bridge cultures and make a difference in others’ lives.

So, a friend told me that I really, really, really, REALLY just HAVE to read Eat, Pray, Love. And then another friend brought it up, saying that I wold really love it. And then yet another friend recommended it to me, saying that I have to drop everything and read it right now. And then another. And then another. So, ALRIGHT, ALREADY, I’M READING THIS BOOK!!! And you’re all right… I love it! I could be this girl, except I took a different path in life, but as I’m reading this book, I’m thinking to myself, “OMG, that could be me!”

One of the things she says in the book is that, to really understand a place, you have to figure out the “word” of that place. What is the one word on everybody’s minds; the one word that summarizes the place? When I read this section, I immediately realized that my problem with where I live is that I do not understand this town. I grew up near Charleston (Belle) and so I get Charleston and the surrounding areas. But Spencer is a whole different ballgame. It’s an hour north, and I always assumed I would fit in, because I’m one of those people who just blend in. But not here. So I spent all night thinking “what is the word for this town?”

When I think of Spencer, I think the word would be WAS. This town has a deep connection to its history — so deep that it doesn’t even acknowledge the passage of time. About 5 minutes into any conversation, they’ll bring up something that used to be — a factory that has long since gone out of business, or a neighborhood that used to be full of kids, or the old State Hospital that has been torn down. And they’ll talk about these things like they vanished only a day or two ago. Buildings haven’t changed, and people still live in the homes they grew up in. They’re not too interested in new things — in fact, they’ve had the same mayor since the 1970s, and many people will vote for him (if there’s actually an opponent) even if they really dislike him, simply because “the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know” (a phrase I’ve heard a lot around here.) New things are met with a certain amount of suspicion, including new people. If you weren’t born here, you’ll never be a “Spencer person.” If you move here from someplace else, be prepared to hear the phrase, “you’re not from here,” for the rest of your life. (I once heard this phrase spoken to someone who had lived here for 37 years.) New hair and clothing styles take a long time to filter in here, too, and you’ll still see an interesting mixture of 1960’s flat-tops, 70’s beehives, ’80s mullets, ’90s mall-hair, and current hairdos in any group of people.

I think that part of the reason that Spencer is this way is because you have to go 30 miles on twisting, sometimes flooded back roads just to get to the interstate, and then you’ve still got to go 30 more miles to get to a lot of things. Many people in Spencer who don’t work out of town don’t leave this place very often. So maybe the word would be ISOLATED. But that has a negative connotation, and in some ways, it’s kind of cool that this town has such ties to its past. It’s just neat to go to the little 1-screen movie house and see that nothing much has changed since it opened in 1901. It’s comforting when you don’t have to present ID someplace because the people behind the counter can vouch for you because they know your family. And I really love that the story of this town is told over and over, preserving history for future generations.

I think that my problem fitting in here has been simply trying to fit in. I never will. Maybe in 40 years, I will. Spencer doesn’t move that fast, so the 10 years I’ve been here have not been long enough for me to move from “you’re new here,” to “you’re one of us.” I have plenty of friends, but I am not a “Spencer person.” And there’s much about Spencer life that I really do not understand. (Do not get me started with the story about someone giving my daughter a turkey tail — with the bloody stump of turkey butt still attached!) Maybe if I can accept that I will always be an outsider, I will feel happier here knowing that that’s not a bad thing. I am still a “newbie” in Spencer Standard Time, and probably will be until I die of old age or run, screaming, back to Kanawha County.

Charleston is a whole different ballgame. I have Charleston figured out. I think my word for Charleston would be CONTRAST. Like Spencer, Charleston has an undeniable current of the past flowing right through its present. But it also has this sort of recent (like 10 years and running) reawakening, in which neighborhoods started waking up, new businesses started opening up, and entire new industries started growing in this city. There is this contrast between old, powerful groups that have always had all the say in the way things are done, and new groups that are making things happen. There is an interesting contrast between conservative (in a broad sense, not necessarily political) thinking and innovation. And even as you drive through Charleston, you’ll notice stark contrasts in its neighborhoods. No two neighborhoods look or feel the same. And the thing that I love the most about Charleston is that all these contrasts just sort of work together — not always peacefully, but at worst, there is begrudging acceptance between opposing groups — sort of like you begrudgingly accept and even sort of love your weird cousin with the crazy hair and weird girlfriend, even if you won’t admit it. You’re all part of the same family, living in the same place, so you might as well get along.

Figuring out the word for a place (or person, or situation, or… anything) is a good way to really start to understand it. I think I’m going to use this a lot in life (and in my classroom!)

Leave a comment and tell me, what is the word for where you live?

Part of my India Climate Acclimation Plan has been to lug around my camera on walks in the 90*+ heat.  :)  It’s really humid here, whereas it’s very dry there, although it will be about 20* hotter over there.  Yikes!

Here’s what I caught on my walk yesterday.  Check out the annoyed bluebird!

I am so happy to have the chance to participate in the Streetworks project again this year. Last year, we did the banners along Washington Street on the East End, and this year, we are creating bricks with art on them to go on the sidewalk. It sounds a little weird, but the bricks really look fantastic. They’ll be worked into the sidewalks, so there will be art all around! This is my brick design:

The original pen and ink drawing has been matted and framed and will be auctioned off at Frutcake this Saturday, 6/19, at 5:30 PM.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it, (I’ll be at Davis & Elkins for the India Institute) but I really wish I could be there.  I hope all the art sells.  I think the art is fantastic this year!

All morning, I’ve been watching a familiar drama unfold in my back yard.  A baby bird is out of his nest and is learning to fly.  He hops around on the ground, as his Mama watches from a distance.  She squawks encouragement to him, and he hops and flaps, to no avail.  He squawks back to her, frustrated, and hunkers down in the wet grass.  She squawks again, and flies to his side with food, then takes a short flight to the top of the split-rail fence, in hopes that he will follow along.  He flaps and flaps, but can only get as far as the base of the fence, making frustrated chirps.  I swear, I think the baby bird actually sighed.  As Mama chirps back at the baby bird, Papa bird flies around, screeching and dive-bombing the dog as she tries to enter the yard.

As my own “baby bird” reaches adolescence, I find myself in the same bittersweet role as this Mama bird — trying to teach my kid to make good decisions and fly on his own, but at the same time, wanting to keep him safe in the nest and away from the dangers of the world.  It’s a tough gig, this motherhood thing.  I am lucky to have great kids and awesome grandparents, uncles and aunts for these kids.  I have cellphones and Facebook to use to see what they’re up to.  I have coworkers and friends who are always there with good advice.  But most of all, I have trust, faith, and a whole lot of love.  I think we’re all going to fly just fine.

Isaac, at Pho Vinh Long — our favorite place to chillax and enjoy some noodles.

Student critiques of “Halelujah!” by Albert Paley (the new sculpture at the Clay Center) from my Art I class:

“Hallelujah is an interesting piece because most people either love it or hate it. I mainly hear negative reviews of it because of its form and use of the patina (rust.) However, I also hear praise because of its balance and contrasting textures and lines. Me? I love it because of all these things.”

“The new sculpture in front of the Clay Center is definitely not something I would have chosen to put there. To me, it just seems pointless and does nto really have any meaning to it. The balance of the sculpture is all off in my eyes, and the color of it is rust, which is not a pretty color. After it rusts it will not leave a smooth texture, either.”

“The sculpture “Hallelujah” by Albert Paley uses Form, Texture, Color, Space, Contrast, and Proportion in interesting ways. The form of the sculpture comes into play when you look at the big chunks of metal put together. Each chunk of metal feels different than the others, due to contrasting color and textures. The rusted metal contrasts with the silver and bronze metals. The statue itself is huge in scale, taking up a lot of space. You can even walk through the sculpture, which is really cool when you are looking upward.”

“Hallelujah” is a unique piece, definitely abstract. The lines to this piece are well-defined and stick out. The sculpture is not balanced. The combination of shapes and lines seems to be random. I personally think that the sculpture looks like a plane crash.”

“Hallelujah is a sculpture at the Clay Center which has recently been set up. There are a mixture of elements and principles within this piece of art, which makes it very unique. The lines and shapes vary from straight lines and geometric shapes to curvy, organic shapes and lines. The texture also varies from rusty to rigid to smooth surfaces. The colors go from a reddish-rust color to shiny silver to green in the glass-like panels. The space also varies from pieces that are closely connected to points that are spread out and open. The contrast between the elements creates visual interest, and although my first thought was that the piece does not appear to be balanced, it actually is, through the rhythm of points and curves and textures. No element appears to dominate this sculpture in my mind. It is amazing to me, and after analyzing this sculpture in a critical way, I have more respect for this sculpture than I did when I first saw it.”

“The sculpture “Hallelujah” is a very interesting piece. I have not gotten a chance to really study it in person, but I do pass by it every day on my way to school. The sculpture has a lot of movement and my eyes look toward the 3 points that stick out in 3 different directions. The places they stick out balance the sculpture. The lines are prominent and pull the sculpture all together. Overall, I like this sculpture because it is interesting to look at, but I do not believe it fits in with the rest of Charleston. Maybe this is why people don’t like it. Maybe they feel like this sculpture does not represent the vibe of this city.”

“Hallelujah’ is at best an odd sculpture. I do not like the patina that it has; it seems with the first rain, the metal started to rust and change colors. The overall work seems to protrude from the ground like some sort of scrap heap with no set definition or purpose. The rust contrasts with the shiny metal and glass. If I had to describe this work with one word, it would be ‘earthquake.’ It looks like there was a disaster on Leon Sullivan way and the scraps were piled up to be shipped off to a dump, and just left on the front lawn of the Clay Center until they could get picked up. Oddly enough, though, the sculpture does seem to have some sort of unity going on. I just can’t explain how, but it does.”

“’Hallelujah’ is a very unique sculpture. It uses the same colors throughout the entire sculpture – rust, silver, and green. However, the shapes make it unbalanced and disproportional. I do not like the sculpture because it is too hectic, however the form creates an extreme uniqueness. The space it takes up creates a feeling of greatness.”

“This sculpture is pretty sweet because it is not like anything that exists in Charleston already. We do have some modern sculptures around, like at the Post Office and the Civic Center, but they are really not as exciting. This sculpture is awesome because it is HUGE and because it looks like all the pieces that make it up are floating in space. You’ve got pointy things, you’ve got twisty things, you’ve got glassy and shiny things, and you’ve got rusty things. There’s just so much going on here that contrasts with everything else that at first it looks like chaos, but then you start to notice things balance out. The curvy, ribbon-like pieces that weave in and out of the spikes look like they almost hold the sculpture together and create a sense of unity. I really like this sculpture A LOT and if I was the person who donated it to the Clay Center, I would just tell all the haters to shut up and learn to appreciate modern art, even if it is out of their comfort zone. There is always something to be appreciated and you don’t have to love it to appreciate it. You just have to look at the art and then see what it has to say to you.”

I love experimenting with faux lomo effects.  I got this one through the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone, and it reminds me so much of funky rock photos from the 1980s.  Other effects remind me of my childhood photos, stashed away in albums and boxes at my parents’ house.

These Hipstamatic photos are pretty believable.  I’m having a blast with this app! Another faux-analog app I really love is MoreLomo.

Framed Prints for sale in shop — see link —>

My daughter and middle son have decided not to return to football and cheerleading this year.  Am I a bad Mom if I am delighted at this?  Olivia has decided she wants to join the Girl Scouts, and when I explained to her that the daily cheerleading practice and weekend game and competition schedule left zero time for anything else, she immediately said, “I’m cool with quitting cheerleading.  It makes my throat hurt to yell.”

At that point, I did a back-handspring, jump, tuck, plant, cheer-fingers and said, “SCORE!!!!!!”

Joseph has said that he wants to quit football to make more time for music lessons and practice.

I AM SO HAPPY!  This means that we will actually have time to go on vacation and I won’t be living out of my car from the end of July until almost Thanksgiving!  I won’t wince when the communal mascara wand comes out at cheer competitions and they glop the stuff on my daughter’s baby lashes.  This means I won’t have to figure out the logistics of football season around things like employment, laundry, meals, and doctor appointments.  This means I won’t have to sit on my hands and bite my tongue when other parents in the stands start screaming obscenities at little kids on the field for not properly guarding the ball.  This means no more tears at cheer competitions because only one team goes home with trophies (usually the team from the bigger town where parents spend big for personal cheer coaches, gymnastics and dance lessons, fake eyelashes, and costumes.)  This means no more junk food for dinner because there’s just not enough time to fix a meal and no place close by to pick up something healthier.   This means no more lost football pads to find and stinky, dirt-caked uniforms to wash daily.

THIS MEANS NO MORE CHEER HAIR!!!!

I am so stoked.  SO.  STOKED!  Girl Scouts and music lessons are definitely more my thing.  I would totally support my kids no matter what they wanted to do, and have been for the past six years… but the whole football/cheerleading lifestyle was exhausting and miserable.  Pass the Thin Mints, I am DONE!!!!