Sandbox Studios: 52@40: Week17: Shoot and Tell

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Week 17: Shoot and Tell

Name: Kathleen Greenwald, Minneapolis, MN
Date: 2.04.01 9:05pm
Place: Her home. Minneapolis

Comments:
Kathleen is one of our next door neighbors. I stopped over on Sunday night to thank her for taking care of our cat and asked her if she would like to hear about the project. She invited me in and I described the design of the project to her. She was intrigued by the idea and asked how I could find the time. I explained that at times it wasn't easy, but I was committed. She asked me about my favorite project thus far and I told her about project #1. Kathleen then asked me what I thought I would get out of the project in the end. I told her that because of the projects incremental nature, its influences on my life would be gradual. She hoped that the project would leave me something of lasting value, a new hobby, a new impression of life or if nothing else, a greater appreciation of the extra hour I would gain at the end of the project. She took my picture in the front of her living room and I took hers. I gave her the projects web address and thanked her for her time.

Name: Mary Lou Eagan, St. Paul, MN
Date: 2.05.01 8:20pm
Place: Woodlock Stables

Comments:
Mary Lou just bought a new horse named Holly and is boarding it at Woodlock, the same stable where we board Scout. I caught up with Mary Lou right after she had completed her English riding lesson. Her horse was tired and hot and she needed to walk it around the indoor arena a couple of times to cool her down. I asked Mary Lou if I could join her and tell her about a personal project I was working on. She welcomed me and we began our stroll.

Upon describing the scope of the project she said "ÉookayÉ" and asked me who had come up with the idea. I explained that I had and that the project ideas were all small, ongoing 40th birthday gifts. She dismissed herself to get Holly a blanket and I continued to walk the ring, holding her horses lead rope. When she returned, she said that she thought the project was really a neat idea and wondered if she should consider doing something similar for her 50th birthday. She was particularly intrigued by week 16's Wear it or Share project, saying how much she needed to clean out her wardrobe. I asked her to take my picture and she had me pose with her horse since someone needed to hold it. I then took her picture with Holly. She was quite excited about this since it was the first picture she had taken of herself with her new horse.

Name: Bruce Morrow A.K.A "Vancouver Red", Minneapolis, MN
Date: 2.06.01 5:45pm
Place: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Comments:
Bruce is a guard at the Institute. Although I have had many short conversations with Bruce over the last 9 years, we have never really stopped and gotten to know anything about each other. This evening, while Bruce was making his rounds I asked him if he would be willing to give me a few minutes of his time to participate in my project. He was glad to oblige. Bruce was very interested in project, particularly from the standpoint that I was setting aside some time for myself. He felt that most people find it harder and harder to "find the time" as they get older. He believes that this is purely perceptual. As he put it, "Éwhen you are young, you can be in the middle of final exams and still find a huge chunk of time to do or make something special for the cute girl you are interested in."

Bruce believes strongly that success is a balance between achieving socially and personal growth and enjoyment. In his forties, he still makes time to play in bands and repair antique bicycles that he then gives away as ways to achieve self-fulfillment. He hoped that this project would help me strengthen my current past-times, like photography, and potentially lead me to find a new hobby. He's obviously not aware that I already have too many. I took Bruce's photo in my office, we switched seats and he took mine. We now know a bit more about what makes each other tick.

Name: Ted Hartwell, St. Croix, WI
Date: 2.07.01 5:05pm
Place: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Comments:
Ted is the Senior Curator of Photography at the Institute. We know each other casually, but I thought he would make an interesting addition to this project since part of it is about photography.

Ted was very interested in the photographic essay aspect of the project and asked me a number of questions regarding the type documentation I was producing. I told him about the web site and we talked briefly about print possibilities. Ted showed my a recent copy of the New Yorker which contained a photo essay by one of his favorite photographers, Gilles Perez.

We discussed what his colleagues at Magnum must have thought of this unusual venue. Ted then attempted to show me a web-based essay on Bosnia by Perez, but it appeared to be offline. He later emailed me the correct URLs which is http://www.nytimes.com/specials/bosnia/ and Ritchin's site http://www.pixelpress.org/Witnessing/index.html. During the conversation, I took a photograph of Ted in his office. As usual, we spent some time talking about the pros and cons of our digital cameras. Ted has a Nikon 950. Ted then had me pose for my photo in front of the collection of antiquated computers that he maintains in his office. He felt that they were appropriate to me and my long time work with technology.

Name: Jodi (sp?), Minneapolis, MN
Date: 2.08.01 7:20pm
Place: Taco Morelos

Comments:
I really seemed to take Jodi by surprise when I asked her if I could sit down and talk to her about my project. I was waiting to pickup a take out order at one of Minneapolis's best Mexican hole in the wall restaurants, Taco Morelos on 26th street and Nicollet. Jodi had just come in, sat and was waiting for a friend to meet up with her.

I introduced myself and gave Jodi a summary of the project's scope and some of my assignments so far. She said that she thought she "kind of" understood. She asked me if I was a photographer. I explained that I worked a the museum and that although I loved photography, that wasn't the primary focus of the overall project. Right then her friend showed up and was a bit confused by my presence. I introduced myself and explained that we were almost done. Jodi quickly took my picture, looked at it, said it was good and then let me take hers. She then began to converse with her friend. I thanked her for being open to talking with a stranger. She replied that it was fine, just not typical for Minnesota. I agreed and thanked her again.

Name: Donna Carlson, Evansville, Minnesota
Date: 2.09.01 8:10pm
Place: Buca Di Beppo

Comments:
Donna is a teacher who was selected to be an out-state ArtsConnectEd teacher trainer. She was in the "Cities" for a two-day train the trainer program at the Institute. I joined Donna and eight other trainers for diner at Minneapolis's loud and lively Buca restaurant. During dessert, I asked Donna if she would be willing to participate in my personal project and she said that she would be glad to.

Upon hearing about the project, Donna was very excited. She loved the idea and said she wanted to try something similar for her 50th birthday. She asked me which assignment I had liked the least so far. I told her about memorizing the Song of the Chattahoochee for week 15 and how difficult it was. She said that she couldn't remember memorizing anything since high school. She asked me about the effect the overall process was having on my life. I explained that I felt that it was gradually changing my perspective in subtle ways, each project having its own additive effect. We also discussed the potential value of the "free" hour I would be granted each day once the project was complete. I told her that I might choose to use the time to further summarize the overall project experience or might choose to use it for something completely different. From this, free time became another point of our discussion. Donna explained that she was a single mother and only recently regained some of the free time she had enjoyed before she had children. She now finds time to do ceramics, working mostly on a wheel.

As we paid the check, I took Donna's picture and she took mine. We then headed off to the Walker for the opening of the Painting at the Edge of the Earth exhibition.

Name: Ernest Bryant, Northeast Minneapolis
Date: 2.10.01 5:20pm
Place: Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Comments:
I worked at the Institute almost all day Saturday, assisting Kris with the ArtsConnectEd Teacher Training and finishing the departments annual budget. Upon leaving the museum I headed over to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to see if I could find a student to tell about my project. Way up on the forth floor I ran into Ernest who was sitting at a small table in the paper cutting area working on a large painted banner. He was listening to music through headphones so I had to interupt him to get his attention. I told him that I was working on a personal performance piece and wondered if he would be willing to participate. He gladly took off his headphones and gave me his full attention. He explained that he was a freshman student at MCAD and was just loving it there.

I explained the entire project to him and gave him some examples of the projects I had completed so far. He laughed and laughed, indicating he understood the challenges this might pose. He asked me what the hardest project was so far and I described the difficulty I had in memorizing the 50 line poem for week 15's Keep Your Mind Sharp. He said that he also had great difficulty memorizing poetry, partially due to the time it takes to practice and partially due to lack of interest. He explained that he found memorizing lyrics much easier since you could listen to them over and over again and there was a music bed to serve as a structural reminder. I asked Ernest to take my picture and then took his picture holding the banner he had been working on. I thanked him, gave him my card and told him to call me at the museum if he ever needed anything and wished him luck with his studies.

Back to Main Sandbox


Name: Kathleen Greenwald, Minneapolis, MN Date: 2.04.01 9:05pm Place: Her home. Minneapolis Comments: Kathleen is one of our next door neighbors. I stopped over on Sunday night to thank her for taking care of our cat and asked her if she would like to hear about the project. She invited me in and I described the design of the project to her. She was intrigued by the idea and asked how I could find the time. I explained that at times it wasn't easy, but I was committed. She asked me about my favorite project thus far and I told her about project #1. Kathleen then asked me what I thought I would get out of the project in the end. I told her that because of the projects incremental nature, its influences on my life would be gradual. She hoped that the project would leave me something of lasting value, a new hobby, a new impression of life or if nothing else, a greater appreciation of the extra hour I would gain at the end of the project. She took my picture in the front of her living room and I took hers. I gave her the projects web address and thanked her for her time.

Name: Mary Lou Eagan, St. Paul, MN Date: 2.05.01 8:20pm Place: Woodlock Stables Comments: Mary Lou just bought a new horse named Holly and is boarding it at Woodlock, the same stable where we board Scout. I caught up with Mary Lou right after she had completed her English riding lesson. Her horse was tired and hot and she needed to walk it around the indoor arena a couple of times to cool her down. I asked Mary Lou if I could join her and tell her about a personal project I was working on. She welcomed me and we began our stroll. Upon describing the scope of the project she said "ÉookayÉ" and asked me who had come up with the idea. I explained that I had and that the project ideas were all small, ongoing 40th birthday gifts. She dismissed herself to get Holly a blanket and I continued to walk the ring, holding her horses lead rope. When she returned, she said that she thought the project was really a neat idea and wondered if she should consider doing something similar for her 50th birthday. She was particularly intrigued by week 16's Wear it or Share project, saying how much she needed to clean out her wardrobe. I asked her to take my picture and she had me pose with her horse since someone needed to hold it. I then took her picture with Holly. She was quite excited about this since it was the first picture she had taken of herself with her new horse.

Name: Bruce Morrow A.K.A "Vancouver Red", Minneapolis, MN Date: 2.06.01 5:45pm Place: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Comments: Bruce is a guard at the Institute. Although I have had many short conversations with Bruce over the last 9 years, we have never really stopped and gotten to know anything about each other. This evening, while Bruce was making his rounds I asked him if he would be willing to give me a few minutes of his time to participate in my project. He was glad to oblige. Bruce was very interested in project, particularly from the standpoint that I was setting aside some time for myself. He felt that most people find it harder and harder to "find the time" as they get older. He believes that this is purely perceptual. As he put it, "Éwhen you are young, you can be in the middle of final exams and still find a huge chunk of time to do or make something special for the cute girl you are interested in." Bruce believes strongly that success is a balance between achieving socially and personal growth and enjoyment. In his forties, he still makes time to play in bands and repair antique bicycles that he then gives away as ways to achieve self-fulfillment. He hoped that this project would help me strengthen my current past-times, like photography, and potentially lead me to find a new hobby. He's obviously not aware that I already have too many. I took Bruce's photo in my office, we switched seats and he took mine. We now know a bit more about what makes each other tick.

Name: Ted Hartwell, St. Croix, WI Date: 2.07.01 5:05pm Place: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Comments: Ted is the Senior Curator of Photography at the Institute. We know each other casually, but I thought he would make an interesting addition to this project since part of it is about photography. Ted was very interested in the photographic essay aspect of the project and asked me a number of questions regarding the type documentation I was producing. I told him about the web site and we talked briefly about print possibilities. Ted showed my a recent copy of the New Yorker which contained a photo essay by one of his favorite photographers, Gilles Perez. We discussed what his colleagues at Magnum must have thought of this unusual venue. Ted then attempted to show me a web-based essay on Bosnia by Perez, but it appeared to be offline. He later emailed me the correct URLs which is http://www.nytimes.com/specials/bosnia/ and Ritchin's site http://www.pixelpress.org/Witnessing/index.html. During the conversation, I took a photograph of Ted in his office. As usual, we spent some time talking about the pros and cons of our digital cameras. Ted has a Nikon 950. Ted then had me pose for my photo in front of the collection of antiquated computers that he maintains in his office. He felt that they were appropriate to me and my long time work with technology.

Name: Jodi (sp?), Minneapolis, MN Date: 2.08.01 7:20pm Place: Taco Morelos Comments: I really seemed to take Jodi by surprise when I asked her if I could sit down and talk to her about my project. I was waiting to pickup a take out order at one of Minneapolis's best Mexican hole in the wall restaurants, Taco Morelos on 26th street and Nicollet. Jodi had just come in, sat and was waiting for a friend to meet up with her. I introduced myself and gave Jodi a summary of the project's scope and some of my assignments so far. She said that she thought she "kind of" understood. She asked me if I was a photographer. I explained that I worked a the museum and that although I loved photography, that wasn't the primary focus of the overall project. Right then her friend showed up and was a bit confused by my presence. I introduced myself and explained that we were almost done. Jodi quickly took my picture, looked at it, said it was good and then let me take hers. She then began to converse with her friend. I thanked her for being open to talking with a stranger. She replied that it was fine, just not typical for Minnesota. I agreed and thanked her again.

Name: Donna Carlson, Evansville, Minnesota Date: 2.09.01 8:10pm Place: Buca Di Beppo Comments: Donna is a teacher who was selected to be an out-state ArtsConnectEd teacher trainer. She was in the "Cities" for a two-day train the trainer program at the Institute. I joined Donna and eight other trainers for diner at Minneapolis's loud and lively Buca restaurant. During dessert, I asked Donna if she would be willing to participate in my personal project and she said that she would be glad to. Upon hearing about the project, Donna was very excited. She loved the idea and said she wanted to try something similar for her 50th birthday. She asked me which assignment I had liked the least so far. I told her about memorizing the Song of the Chattahoochee for week 15 and how difficult it was. She said that she couldn't remember memorizing anything since high school. She asked me about the effect the overall process was having on my life. I explained that I felt that it was gradually changing my perspective in subtle ways, each project having its own additive effect. We also discussed the potential value of the "free" hour I would be granted each day once the project was complete. I told her that I might choose to use the time to further summarize the overall project experience or might choose to use it for something completely different. From this, free time became another point of our discussion. Donna explained that she was a single mother and only recently regained some of the free time she had enjoyed before she had children. She now finds time to do ceramics, working mostly on a wheel. As we paid the check, I took Donna's picture and she took mine. We then headed off to the Walker for the opening of the Painting at the Edge of the Earth exhibition.

Name: Ernest Bryant, Northeast Minneapolis Date: 2.10.01 5:20pm Place: Minneapolis College of Art and Design Comments: I worked at the Institute almost all day Saturday, assisting Kris with the ArtsConnectEd Teacher Training and finishing the departments annual budget. Upon leaving the museum I headed over to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to see if I could find a student to tell about my project. Way up on the forth floor I ran into Ernest who was sitting at a small table in the paper cutting area working on a large painted banner. He was listening to music through headphones so I had to interupt him to get his attention. I told him that I was working on a personal performance piece and wondered if he would be willing to participate. He gladly took off his headphones and gave me his full attention. He explained that he was a freshman student at MCAD and was just loving it there. I explained the entire project to him and gave him some examples of the projects I had completed so far. He laughed and laughed, indicating he understood the challenges this might pose. He asked me what the hardest project was so far and I described the difficulty I had in memorizing the 50 line poem for week 15's Keep Your Mind Sharp. He said that he also had great difficulty memorizing poetry, partially due to the time it takes to practice and partially due to lack of interest. He explained that he found memorizing lyrics much easier since you could listen to them over and over again and there was a music bed to serve as a structural reminder. I asked Ernest to take my picture and then took his picture holding the banner he had been working on. I thanked him, gave him my card and told him to call me at the museum if he ever needed anything and wished him luck with his studies.