Make Your Own Music
by Jasmine Stine
Design for a human powered, large scale adaptation of a music box constructed from salvaged materials and mounted on a bicycle cart.
Category: Art Contest
Art of Sustainability Judges – for Summer Art Contest 2008
Art of Sustainability Judges
Josh Simpson
Josh Simpson first experimented with glass when he was a student at Hamilton College in 1970. Over the last 35 years, his art has evolved as he experimented and learned from making countless mistakes. He has found inspiration in NASA images of Earth and other celestial phenomenon.
While he has been successful creating unique goblets, vases and bowls, perhaps his greatest satisfaction is derived from his planets: luminous glass spheres encasing kaleidoscopic landscapes, underwater scenes and vistas of outer space that reflect the Earth’s vastness and complexity. One of the Apollo astronauts glanced out of his spacecraft window on the way back from the moon and said “I can cover the Earth with my thumb.” Josh captures that concept by creating planets that can be held in one’s hand.
His latest project, creating the world’s largest glass paperweight, was a commission from the Corning Museum of Glass. The making of this Simpson planet was the subject of the high definition PBS documentary Defying Gravity. Weighing 107 pounds, the planet became part of Corning’s permanent collection in November 2006.
A 35 year retrospective, A Visionary Journey in Glass (1972-2007), opened at the Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL in April 2007 to great acclaim. The exhibit is traveling the country until 2010.
Josh has devoted himself to mastering all aspects of glassmaking by designing and building his own furnaces and tools, learning glass chemistry to create a spectrum of colors, and mastering ancient techniques of blowing and forming.
His work is in the permanent collections of many museums including the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the White House Collection of American Crafts, and the Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague. Most recently the Huntsville Museum of Art has honored him with a 35 year retrospective exhibit. Josh has had one-man shows all over the world, has taught at schools, museums, and workshops, and has had a lot of fun along the way.
Hillary Price
Rhymes With Orange has been syndicated since 1995 and the strip appears in newspapers internationally. In 2006, the strip was awarded “Best Newspaper Panel” by the National Cartoonists Society. Her latest collection of cartoons, titled “Pithy Seedy Pulpy Juicy” is now available in stores. Hilary moved to the Pioneer Valley in 1998. She lives with her partner Kerry LaBounty and several drooly animals.
Gina Beavers
African-American artist Gina Beavers grew up in Northern Ohio and now lives in Springfield, Massachusetts. She received her Bachelors degree in American History from the University of Pittsburgh and her Masters in the same subject from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Always an artist at heart, Beavers’ artwork is influenced by a myriad of artists–Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, however, is her favorite. Her paintings are a celebration of women posed in storybook settings, surrounded by peace and contentment.
Daniel Ross, Executive Director
Nuestras Raíces, Inc.
329 Main Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 535-1789
dross@nuestras-raices.org
www.nuestras-raices.org
Recognized as a world-leading social entrepreneur with a lifetime fellowship from Ashoka – Innovators for the Public Good. 11 years as Director of Nuestras Raíces, a grass-roots organization to promote economic, human and community development in Holyoke, Massachusetts through projects relating to food, agriculture and the environment. During this time the organization has developed an extensive network of community gardens, a youth farming and leadership program, an environmental justice program, an organic artisan bakery, beginning farmer training and incubator program with 30 acres of fertile farm land, and constructed the Centro Agrícola for community education and business development. He has helped community members start over 20 sustainable small food and agriculture businesses. Founding leader of the Holyoke Food & Fitness Policy Council (awarded a $4.5 million WK Kellogg Foundation grant in 2007), the Holyoke Youth Task Force and the Pioneer Valley Environmental Coalition (funded by the US EPA). He has previous experience working with community health clinics in New Jersey, Florida and Massachusetts to develop migrant farm worker outreach programs with the East Coast Migrant Health Project. Winner of the Do Something Brick Award for Community Leadership in 1999, Environmental Recognition from the City of Holyoke Conservation Commission in 2001, recognized for Leadership by the WK Kellogg Foundation. Husband and father of 3 children, marathon runner and youth soccer coach.
David Starr, Community Organizer
CO-FOUNDER 2008
GREEN Northampton
Green Action in Northampton
Northampton Schools Cooperative
Local Organizer
Earth Hour ‘08
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
CURIOUS PICTURES
Co-founded, marketed, managed $35 MM entertainment company in NYC & SF TV production, animation production, advertising agency, toy company Over 200 employees
www.curiouspictures.com
largest animation production company in US outside of California film directors in California, Oregon, Toronto, NYC & UK supervised offshore production in Korea, Taiwan, China, India, Italy, Canada
Executive Producer for Television Series
The Offbeats
Nickelodeon
Sheep in the Big City
Cartoon Network
A Little Curious
HBO
CODENAME: Kids Next Door
Cartoon Network
Lavazza: Caballero & Carmencita
Channel Sei in Italy
Six Movies for Mattel
DTV
Executive Producer of Four commercial films in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (current)
Chris Delmonte “Monte”
Monte is the voice of the WRSI radio “Green Team”—
“Our goal is to use our airwaves and our website to foster a conversation on how to make our environment cleaner, safer, and more sustainable. By learning from one another, putting these ideas into practice, and by taking part in community cleanup actions, our hope is to make out Valley and our World greener.”
John Majercak—Director Center for Ecological Technology (CET) Re-store in Springfield
John Majercak is the founder and Director of the ReStore Home Improvement Center.. The ReStore is an enterprise of the Center for Ecological Technology (CET), where John is Associate Director. He has been employed there since 1991 and oversees project development and management, communications, development and strategic planning for CET. John has developed a variety of award-winning reuse, composting and recycling projects. He has contributed articles to nationally distributed trade journals including Resource Recycling and BioCycle magazines. John currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Building Materials Reuse Association and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Organic Waste Advisory Committee. Past experience includes research and development in the bio-technology industry and work as a National Park Ranger in Wyoming and Hawaii. John received a B.A. in Biology from Cornell University.
Kristen Beam
Kristen is a ten-year resident of the Pioneer Valley. She came here as an AmeriCorps volunteer in 1998 – organizing clean-ups near local rivers and educating kids about watersheds, vernal pools and wetlands. Today, she makes her living as a Senior Producer at MassLive.com, where she has worked since 2003. She carpools to work with her fiance, in their fuel-efficient Honda Fit.
Rus Peotter, Vice President and General Manager, WGBY
Rus Peotter is responsible for the management of WGBY Springfield, the WGBH-affiliated public television station serving western Massachusetts, northern Connecticut and southern Vermont. He oversees all station functions including programming, production, development, engineering, and administration.
Peotter came to WGBY in 2001 from Maine Public Broadcasting, where he was in charge of the station’s fundraising, promotion, outreach, and audience service efforts since 1992. He has served on numerous PBS national committees, helping senior PBS management develop policies and services in support of stations across the country.
Art Contest Submission by Leslie Cerier
Streams of Light
by Leslie Cerier
lesliecerier.com
Brief Description of Submission:
I propose to create a new series of impressionistic nature photographs and a new 3-minute digital story including these new images expressing the theme of sustainability.
A physics professor from Mount Holyoke College once told me upon viewing my work that I am photographing the natural refractory patterns of sunlight reflected over moving streams. These I call *jewels in the water and streams of light.
*I would carry on from *”Photographing the Jewels in the Water”,* the impressionistic nature photography series and the digital story that I created last year. Please view it on my website: lesliecerier.com
The grant/funds will give me the money needed for materials to print 8 new images on large cotton canvases about 20 inches by 28 inches, printed with natural pigment inks, pay the person with the equipment to make the digital story, who happens to live in my neighborhood. (I will support the local economy, walk to her house with my script and digital files.) No need for driving and burning gas. I would also like to use the funds to buy a new point and shoot digital camera with more meta-pixels to enable me to print even larger, and I will continue the search to find the right person/place to print my work on fabric. (I have a lead of someone in Ashfield, MA.)
The funds will also be used to post this new series of photographs along with the digital story on sustainability on my website. Pay for bringing the work to be shown in galleries in locations throughout the Pioneer Valley. I have shown my work at the Forbes Library, Northampton, MA (2006) the Jones Library’s Burnett Gallery in Amherst (2007), and the Amherst Chamber of Commerce (2008). All venues would be happy for me to exhibit there again.
Using a point and shoot digital camera, printing the images on cotton canvases with pigment inks, I honor the earth and engage in sustainability by clicking my shutter when peak sunlight lights up the woods and shallow streams, sometimes using wind to move the water: natural energy.
No toxic chemicals are used to bring these images to life.
Most of these photographs are taken within walking distance of my Western Massachusetts home (another facet of the sustainability of this project). They are a celebration of the pioneer valley seen through the eye of my heart.
The sun calls me to a particular spot and I click the shutter when I see that rich, dancing light.
My photographs are about being so present in the moment that everything vibrates and shines. I see perfection in nature – patterns – artistic jewels that reveal themselves.
My photography is a reflection of the peaceful energy I find in the woods. Living in the moment, I capture beauty as I click the shutter.
These images can be looked at from different angles. There is no one right way to explore them. Please relax, take your time, have fun. I invite you to look for faces and figures; there are jewels in the water, and streams of light.
Art Contest Submission by Jane Beatrice Wegscheider
“A Table Set For Forever”
by Jane Beatrice Wegscheider
Brief description: “A Table Set for Forever” is a portable, multi-media, installation piece that honors existing individual and collective efforts at sustainability while engaging the viewer/participant with questions, ideas, images and visual metaphors related to sustainability in our region.
“A Table Set For Forever” is a portable, multi-media, installation piece: a kind of permeable “room” that can be set up anywhere. The central visual motif is a table and six chairs. The table top is a garden-theme mosaic made of colored glass tiles and bits of broken plates (pique assiette technique). The mismatched (‘recycled”) wooden chairs are colorfully painted with questions related to sustainability in our region. Six free-standing curtain-like panels in portable frames will be set up around the table. Each of the two-sided panels will be made of a collage of seed-packets sewn together with images (both photographic and drawn/painted) and text derived from relevant literature and local community sources. The panels will be set up around the table and chairs so that people can walk between and around them easily, in and out of the “room”.
An essential part of the piece is that it involves the participation of many other people in its process. I will send out and distribute (in local businesses, libraries, etc.) written requests for participation in the sustainability dialogue, beginning with the question: “What does sustainability mean to you?” I will ask for examples of sustainable activities people are involved in in our region, and ideas for more. This request will also be sent out digitally.
I will also organize and facilitate ten conversations around the table (and a local foods meal). For each conversation, I will bring together groups of six people from varying segments of our communities to share their ideas and brainstorm further sustainability activism. These conversations will be recorded and excerpts from them will become the audio component of the installation, as well as source material for the seed-packet collage panels.
My basic premise is that dialogue/conversation/the sharing of ideas (especially person to person) is essential to sustainable activism. Sharing thoughts and ideas around a shared meal is a way to combine activism with community-building. In the conversation about sustainability, we are also talking about basic needs and resources, of which, food is one primary need.
I’m also convinced that small actions need to be honored along with bigger systemic efforts. People change and accept change in different ways. My aesthetic is generally an “accessible” one. The seed-packet “curtain”/panels will show the significance of ALL actions, ideas, questions, etc. that collectively add up. Even on their own these panels will be a stimulating and informative visual discussion.
the table as metaphor
the table as place
the table as community, family, the future
the table shared
the table abundant
the table as an edible landscape
I will use the pique assiette technique (broken plate mosaic), along with the garden theme, to refer to the past that is a part of us.
The chairs have questions painted on them to represent the challenges of joining the sustainability discussion/dialogue/effort.
The “walls”/ “curtains”/ panels are permeable to suggest visually that this is not a behind-closed-doors conversation. The seed packets are a literal metaphor: seeds produce multiples of themselves. They symbolize growth and potential.
The installation is purposely portable, each element breaking down into carry-able pieces so that it can more easily become part of various local environments/public spaces: farmer’s markets, schools, outdoor cultural events, etc.
I hope that the September 30th installation of the piece will be the first phase of this project. The second phase will involve developing the audio component further for web and radio and developing ways to use the installation to disseminate physical cards (for people to take with them) with ideas and information on them. (I can imagine letter-pressed “information” on vegetable-shaped cards in bowls on the table.) The third phase would be to organize and facilitate having the installation travel to schools, libraries, farmer’s markets and other public venues.
I have experience and skills creating and facilitating “accessible”, community-building, art projects that embrace the social, economic and cultural diversity that is part of every community. I am excited about this project because it brings together these skills with my own passions about local sustainability issues. As an interdisciplinary artist, this project also employs my varied interests and abilities in photography, collage, audio recording, sculpture, painting and installation. I am hopeful that both the process of creating the work and the final product will help further regional efforts at sustainability.
Example of Previous work:
EXPERIENCE
Education
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL 1989-1992
Master of Fine Arts: Painting 1992
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate: Painting 1990
Erlangen University and Berlin University of Technology, Germany 1983-1986
Enrolled in German language courses and Art History program
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL 1980-1982
Bachelor of Arts: Art 1982
Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 1978-1980
Awards and Residencies
The Academy at Charlemont, MA 2006
Artist in Residence. Worked with 9th graders to create site-specific public sculpture that reflected qualities and values of the Academy.
The Philanthropic Initiative, Boston, MA 2001, 2003
Awarded Art Renewal for Teachers summer grants. 2001: travel in Europe to explore personal and artistic heritage (photography, journaling and collage). 2003: interdisciplinary exploration of local citizens’ connections to place. Awarded an in-school grant to develop and facilitate a
K-6 photography program Documenting Our Worlds (2002).
Raymer Society for the Arts, Lindsborg, KS July 1999
Artist in Residence at Lester Raymer’s Red Barn Studio.
Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL July 1998
Awarded residency to explore relationships between landscape, memory and myth.
Salina Arts and Humanities Commission, Salina, KS 1997-1998
Artist in Residence with Arts Infusion program in Salina’s public schools.
Lawrence Art Guild, Lawrence, KS 1997
Received Advancement Award for Scenes from a Life in the Middle of America, collage paintings.
Salina Art Center, Salina, KS June 1996
Artist in Residence: Art and the Environment collaboration with the Land Institute.
Kansas Arts Commission, Topeka, KS 1996
Awarded Mini Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Art.
Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis, MN 1994
Awarded Diverse Visions Regional Interdisciplinary Grant for series of outdoor performances and garden installations related to seasonal celebrations.
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME 1992
Awarded School of the Art Institute Fellowship to attend.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL 1989-1992
Awarded Partial Merit Scholarship for Post-Baccalaureate program in 1989-1990.
Awarded Teaching Assistantships in 1991 and 1992.
Awarded Full Merit Scholarship for 1991-1992.
Awarded Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship for MFA Thesis Installation.
Artist Collaborations with Communities
Harold Grinspoon Foundation, West Springfield, MA 2006
One of 15 artists/artist groups selected by jury to create a panel for the Jewish Arts and Culture Initiative Sweet Shelter Art Project, a community sukkah exhibited at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. Panel reflected my ongoing collaboration with local CSA farmer, John Hoffman, using photographs from Wilder Brook Farm (Community Supported Agriculture) and text transcribed from video interviews with Hoffman.
Massachusetts Cultural Council, Boston, MA 2003-2004
Creative Schools Grant Artist in Residence at Heath Elementary School. Worked with students staff and local community to create A Book You Walk Through; an interactive, mural-sized, hinged-paneled installation integrating Massachusetts’ Curriculum Frameworks with the local environment, culture and history.
Heath Elementary School, Heath, MA 2000-2001
Received Goals 2000, Schools, Families and Communities Working Together Grant to do Heath Community Heritage Project. Designed and facilitated community and teacher workshops, recorded local oral histories on video, and facilitated the making of a 9’x50’ mural painted by 80 people from the community (ages 4-75).
Heath Elementary School, Heath, MA 2000
Received Goals 2000, Schools, Families and Communities Working Together Grant to develop and facilitate an intensive summer workshop program: Sculptured Stories. Each participant created a wooden cut-out sculpture embellished with images related to their personal identity and family heritage. The 22 sculptures were exhibited at the Heath Fair.
Salina Arts and Humanities Commission, Salina, KS 2000
Commissioned to create Field of Visions, an interactive installation for the Smoky Hill River Festival. Work involved inviting people to document their hopes and dreams for the future on strips of cloth. Installation was also exhibited at the Heath Fair and the Heath School grounds.
Salina Bicentennial Community Center, Salina, KS 1999
Commissioned to design and paint a permanent mural in the entry area of this multi-function arena. Through local media and presentations in public venues and schools, I invited residents to share what they loved about their community and environment. Written and oral responses and historical information are incorporated into the mural with the traced silhouettes and photographed faces of community members. The mural is included in the illustrated, Kansas Murals: A Traveler’s Guide, published by University Press of Kansas (2006).
Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS 1997-1999
Commissioned to create interactive outdoor sculptures using silhouettes and faces of local children. Butterfly Bridge/Angel Archway (1999): 2 silhouette-shaped sculptures with welded electrical conduit wings perched on the railings of a walking bridge, forming an archway that Festival-goers passed under; River Mermaids (1998): 3 silhouette-shaped fountains addressing recycling issues “swam” in the river; Balancing Act (1997): 12 silhouette-shaped sculptures playfully addressing relationships in nature were “planted” in the Festival’s park landscape.
The City Museum, St. Louis, MO 1997
Commissioned to create a permanent installation of interactive sculptures that honored the work and personalities of the directors, staff, artists and laborers who were collectively putting this new museum together.
Teaching Experience
The Academy at Charlemont, MA 2006-2008
Teach 10th-12th grade studio courses in Book Arts, Papermaking, Printmaking, Drawing and Painting, Mural Painting and Independent Studio Projects. Work includes mentoring and advising seniors preparing portfolios for college applications.
Hawlemont, Rowe, and Heath Elementary Schools, Franklin County, MA 2000-2008
Certified K-6th Grade Art Teacher: Hawlemont and Rowe (2000-present), Heath (2000-2003).
Work includes developing K-6 Art curriculum, collaborating on interdisciplinary projects with classroom teachers, assessing student progress, adapting curriculum for students with special needs, ordering supplies, applying for and coordinating available grant-funding, and developing and coordinating a Visiting Artist program (Rowe 2003-2004).
Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence, Lawrence, KS 2000
Worked collaboratively with colleague Lora Jost to develop and facilitate a mural project in the after-school program at the Club. Work included guiding children through brainstorming, design and transfer of large-scale images, and collaborative painting on the walls of the Club’s art room.
Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center, Lawrence, KS 1997-1999
Developed and taught interdisciplinary art curriculum to teenage criminal offenders.
Van Go Mobile Arts, Inc., Lawrence, KS 1998
Worked with colleague Lora Jost to develop and facilitate an after-school art program for at-risk youth to collaboratively paint Van Go’s signature vehicle (an 8-doored Checker Aerobus.) Work included guiding teenagers through the brainstorming and design process, transferring their designs to the vehicle’s irregular surface and painting with permanent acrylics. This 8-week project culminated with participation in the local Art-Car Parade.
Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, KS 1996-1998
Developed and taught Drawing I, Mixed-Media and Interdisciplinary Adult classes. Developed and taught Preschool Ceramics and Preschool Painting classes based on connections to children’s literature.
Manhattan Arts Council, Manhattan, KS 1995-1996
Developed and taught childrens’ classes in Ceramics and Mural Painting.
Sampsel Studio, Council Grove, KS 1995-1996
Developed and facilitated my own after-school arts program. Children worked in a variety of media, including ceramics, collage and large-scale painting.
School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL 1991-1992
A limited number of Teaching Assistantships were awarded to graduate students each year at SAIC, chosen by the faculty of each department. In 1991, I assisted Professor Susanna Coffey with her undergraduate Figure Painting course. In 1992, I developed the curriculum and taught my own undergraduate Figure Drawing course.
Berlin, Germany 1983-1986
Taught English as a Second Language in private and small-school settings.
Lexington Christian Academy, Lexington, MA 1982-1983
Taught 10th grade English and 7th-12th grade Art.
Exhibitions, Performances, and Installations
Women of the Cloth, Group Show, Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA, 3/08-4/08.
Sweet Shelter, Outdoor Installation, Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, MA, 10/06.
A Book You Walk Through, Installation, The Children’s Museum, Holyoke, MA, 10/04-4/05.
Show Us Your Bra, Group Show, Thornes Marketplace Gallery, Northampton, MA, 10/03.
Off the Bed: Quilts Not for Sleeping, Group Show,The Art Bank, Shelburne Falls, MA, 11/01.
Heath Community Heritage Mural, Outdoor Installation, Heath Fair, Heath, MA, 8/01.
Sculptured Stories and Field of Visions, Outdoor Installations, Heath Fair, Heath, MA, 8/00.
Field of Visions, Outdoor Installation, Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS, 6/00.
What Do You Love About This Place? Mural, Bicentennial Center, Salina, KS, 10/99.
Butterfly Bridge/Angel Archway, Installation, Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS, 6/99.
River Mermaids, Outdoor Fountain Installation, Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS, 6/98.
Unbridled, Group Show, Michael Cross Gallery, Kansas City, MO, 10/97.
Reaching for the Stars, Permanent Installation, City Museum, St. Louis, MO, 10/97.
Dirty Laundry, Collaborative Group Performance, Morgan Gallery, Kansas City, MO, 7/97.
Balancing Act, Interactive Outdoor Installation, Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS, 6/97.
Red Carpet, Collaborative Group Performance, Kansas University, Lawrence, KS, 5/97.
Through Women’s Eyes, Group Show, Holt/Russell Gallery, Baldwin City, KS, 3/97.
Depicting Women, Group Show, Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art, Hays, KS, 1/97.
Through Women’s Eyes, Group Show, Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, KS, 8/96.
Three Women, Group Show, Butler County Community College, Council Grove, KS, 5/96.
Women’s Works, Group Show, Manhattan Arts Center, Manhattan, KS, 2/96.
Hope Springs Eternal, One Person Show, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 10/95.
Another Man’s Treasure, Group Show, Zografia Gallery, Kansas City, MO, 8/95.
Depicting Women, Group Show, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 7/95.
MayDay, Outdoor Installation and Performance, Alta Vista, KS, 5/95.
Creative Synectics, Juried Group Show, An Art Place, Chicago, IL, 8/94.
One Person Show, Adam’s Hall Gallery, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, 11/92.
Chicago Art Institute MFA Exhibition, Group Show, Juried Award Recipient, Chicago, IL, 5/92.
For Mary, Interactive Outdoor Installation and Performance, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL, 4/92.
Panels and Workshops
The Philanthropic Initiative, Boston, MA 2002-2008
Member of annual Grant Review Panel for Art Renewal for Teachers Grant Program.
Heath Elementary School, Heath, MA 2002-2003
Member of EIC Advisory Panel (EIC: Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning.)
Christians in the Visual Arts Conference, Milwaukee, WI June 1999
Panelist in workshop: The Figure in Context: Spiritual, Social and Ecological Implications.
Parents As Teachers, Lawrence, KS May 1999
Developed and facilitated parent workshop: Creativity, Children and Brain Development.
The Quiet Garden, Keats, KS May 1996
Panelist in conference: Land and Soul.
Salina Art Center, Salina, KS 1995
Developed and taught workshop in conjunction with Betye Saar Exhibit: Personal Images.
Professional Development and Related Extracurricular Activities
Westfield State College, Westfield, MA 2007
Student in graduate level Education course: Students with Special Needs.
Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 2006
Participant in 45-hour graduate level Summer Content Institute New Technologies in the
Visual Arts (Photoshop) sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Mohawk Trail Regional School District, Buckland, MA 2005-2006
Participant in 54-hour Picture Writers professional development program which explored
Visual Literacy and Technology in collaboration with the Eric Carle Museum and Smith
College. I developed curriculum in Digital Collage and Animated Digital Collage.
Bennington College, Bennington, VT 2004
Participant in Art New England Summer Workshop: The Book as Art.
UMass, Dartmouth and The Schooner Ernestina, New Bedford, MA 2002
Participant in 97-hour graduate level Summer Content Institute EIC: Using the Environment
as an Integrating Context for Learning. Course involved field-based study in New Bedford,
curriculum development, student assessment strategies, and implementation of EIC at Heath
Elementary School. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Lesley University, Cambridge, MA 2001-2002
Participant in Leading With The Arts conferences and workshops.
Columbia School of Dance, Chicago, IL 1990-1991
Collaborated with choreographer Ann Boyd. Designed and created sets and costumes.
Druckwerkstatt, Berlin, Germany 1984-1986
Professional development in private Printmaking studio: Intaglio process.
Hochschule der Kunst, Berlin, Germany 1983
Independent student: Figure Drawing.
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA 1982-1983
Professional development in Printmaking: Etching and Monoprint.
The Art Student’s League, New York, NY 1981
Independent student in summer Figure Drawing class.
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 1978-1980
Organized and facilitated student-run Figure Drawing workshops.
Activism and Social Service
International Walk for a Peaceful Future in the Middle East, Israel/Palestine 1992
One of 300 delegates from around the world participating in this 5-day Walk. Created a wearable “coat” out of handkerchiefs signed by sponsors.
Clinic Liaison, Healthcare for the Homeless, Chicago, IL 1987-1988
Provided counseling, referral and advocacy to homeless people in drop-in centers, shelters, and on the street. Helped train new staff.
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL 1981-1982
Helped organize student campaign to revitalize Art Department, leading to increased funding for the department and renovation of its facilities.
Extensive travel in Europe and Mexico. Lived in Berlin 1983-1986. Speak German and Spanish.
Art Contest Submission by Kelly Gallagher
Sustainability Looks Like…You
by Kelly Gallagher
A documentary art film reflecting the thoughts and ideas of people living in the Pioneer Valley interwoven with images of the beautiful life of the Pioneer Valley – from the Hilltowns to the cities, from farm to shops to schools. The wisdom lies within each of us – we know what sustainability looks like.
Sustainability looks like us…it is in our hands – let us engage the population in this discussion. It is my experience as a filmmaker that people possess deep wisdom and insight and, when given the opportunity, will articulate their visions and experience with incredible beauty. This film will incorporate group discussions and individual reflections, tapping into the resources of young and old alike. When discourse and honest reflection are allowed to happen, beautiful thoughts and profound ideas emerge. Keeping in mind the purpose of this contest, “to stimulate thought and action on sustainability in the Pioneer Valley,” this project will consist of a film of people in the Valley reflecting on the idea of sustainability, their part in it and their commitment to attaining it motivated by their love of this place and its beauty. Images of the beauty of this place will be interwoven with music and voices to offer a piece that will engage and empower the people to seek and establish sustainability.
We will look for people and places where sustainability is already happening as well as encouraging it where it is just an idea. From fairs to youth groups to Rotary clubs, the questions will be posed – and inevitably profound thoughts will emerge. Through humor and sincerity the people of the Valley will speak – and together we will learn what sustainability can be.
The final piece will be a film that can be distributed to community access stations as well as a series of Public Service Announcements that can be used by PVSN to fulfill the purpose of the project, “to stimulate thought and action on sustainability in the Pioneer Valley.” Also, a study guide will be created to accompany the film to be distributed to discussion groups, churches, and organizations.
The piece is meant to communicate that sustainability lies in our hands, and that we have the power and the resources to attain it. By allowing people to share ideas, ask questions, make commitments, they are given a stake in the outcome. Wherever the project goes, people will be asked to participate, to learn, engage and become a part of the solution.
To view cut of an 8 minute short filmed in South Sudan go to www.shelteredthefilm.com/ceasweb. Please allow 35 minutes to download.
Art Contest Submission by Robert Markey
Earth Mandella
Submitted by Robert Markey
The piece I am proposing is a freestanding sculpture consisting of four rings of laminated wood approximately four ft. in diameter on a base of Vermont marble. Inside these rings is a glass sphere, approximately one ft. in diameter in the colors of the planet Earth.
The idea of this piece is to show visually that sustainability is a process that can continue to cycle for the indefinite future. But, there are non-recyclable paths that lead away from the health of the planet and of the community into unknown territory. Each ring represents an aspect of sustainability on the planet: energy/ transportation, food/agriculture, political/economic system and human/social relations. On each ring will be words relating to the evolution of sustainability. There will also be wooden detours away from each ring representing non-sustainable paths. Below these paths on the ground will be images (toys, small sculptures) of the things which have lead away from sustainability.
For example, on the energy/ transportation ring the words walk, bicycle, wind power might appear. On the path out of the ring might also be the word oil written larger. Below this exit might be a small model of a Hummer, and an oil tanker. As the original ring continues there might be the words: bus, train, photo-voltaics. The idea is that the sustainable means of transportation and energy will complete the circle of the ring. Those that are unsustainable will exit out of the ring.
The piece represents the organic process of growth and decay that is present in all systems on our planet, from the cellular to the cultural levels. Elements are added, used, transformed, recycled and discarded. Some materials sustain life and some mutate to elements that are destructive and lead to decay. Those that create and sustain as well as those that destroy are seen on each ring of the sculpture.
It has always been my belief that art has the power to open people’s hearts and minds in a way that nothing else can. It is my hope that the beauty of this piece (the wooden rings, the hand-blown glass), the reference to innocence (the childhood toys), and the science of ecology (the cyclical embodiment of organic processes) will create in the viewer an understanding of the profound importance of sustainability.
The wood for the rings will be ash that was cut off of my property in Ashfield 25 years ago. The glass sphere will be made in collaboration with Ed Branson’s glass studio. Initially the small sculptural images will be gathered from the community (Craigslist, Freecycle, tag sales, E-mail lists, friends). Those that I cannot find from the community I will buy or create. When the piece is exhibited, community members will be invited to add their own pieces to the ‘unsustainables’ underneath the spheres. This is in some manner a way of recycling these unsustainables.
In terms of the Pioneer Valley, energy – heat and transportation – is a critical issue. Agriculture, historically a focus of the Pioneer Valley, is returning with the efforts at sustainability. Human relations – conflict, the end to war – is profoundly important to all of us. And the economy skewed toward overconsumption is what drives much of the unsustainable aspects of these issues.
This is a medium sized sculpture (approximately 8’ x 5’ x 5’) and could be placed outdoors or indoors in locations throughout the Pioneer Valley. Literature and other programs could be associated with it where it is shown.
See Robert Makey’s website with his past works.
Specific pages that show work that might be relevant to this proposal are:
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Veiw Robert’s Experience below
| Selected Exhibitions | |
| 2008 | Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood 2008, group show, Chesterwood – National Trust Site, Stockbridge MA |
| 2007 | Small Works North America, group exhibition, Greenwich CT Deep, collaborative dance performance, Northampton MA, Providednce RI Robert Markey – New Paintings, solo exhibition, NCA, Northampton MA Conceptual Portraiture, group show, Greentrees Gallery, Bernardston MA |
| 2006 | Sculpturefest, group show, Woodstock VT |
| 2005 |
Sculpturefest, group show, Woodstock VT |
| 2004 | The Power of Creation, two person show, Wings of Light, Shelburne Falls MA Evolution of the Sphere, solo exhibition, Thirty 9 Main, Brattleboro, VT |
| 2003 | Personal – Universal, two person exhibition, Soprafina Gallery, Somerville MA New Exhibitions, group exhibition, Battelle-Harding Gallery, Greenfield, MA Robert Markey, Jozan Treston, two person exhibition, Gallery A3, Amherst, MA Robert Markey – Paintings, solo exhibition, Thirty 9 Main, Brattleboro, VT |
| 2002 | God’s Greatest Gifts: Fruit and Sex II, solo show, Intimacies, Northampton MA before/after 911, group exhibition,Gallery A3, Amherst MA |
| 2000 | God’s Greatest Gifts: Fruit and Sex, solo exhibition, Intimacies, Northampton MA |
| 1999 | Robert Markey – Paintings and Sculpture, solo exhibition, The Hart Gallery, Northampton MA |
| 1997 | Witness to Violence and Related Projects, group exhibition, The Artists Foundation @ The Distillery, Boston MA Lines of Descent, group exhibition, Ward-Nasse Gallery, New York NY |
| 1994 | Reality Check, group exhibition, Ashuah-Irving Gallery, Boston MA Behind Closed Doors, group exhibition, Artspace Gallery, Greenfield MA and The Canal Gallery, Holyoke MA |
| 1993 | Berkshire Artists / Contrasts, group exhibition, Clark Whitney Gallery, Lenox MA Time of Opening, performance, Franklin County Artspace, Greenfield MA Children of the Earth, installation, Franklin County Artspace, Greenfield MA |
| 1992 | Views by Artists of the Columbus Quincentenial, group exhibition pARTS: an alternative artspace, Minneapolis MN |
| 1991 | The Gods are Among Us, solo exhibition, Ashuah-Irving Gallery, Boston MA Politics and Social Issues of Developing Countries, installation, Hartwick College, Oneonta NY |
| 1990 | Tears of Love and Rage, solo exhibition, Fauve Gallery, Amherst MA Winter Group Show, group exhibition, Ashuah-Irving Gallery, Boston MA Censorship and Provocation, group exhibition, Fauve Gallery, Amherst MA |
| 1989 | Preta, installation, Markem Corporation Gallery, Keene NH Please Fondle the Idols, solo exhibition, Skera Gallery, Northampton MA |
| 1988 | In the Third World, They’re Still Dying for our Sins, solo exhibition, Amherst Community Gallery, Amherst MA |
|
Videos |
|
| Corporate and NGO Collections AEC-TEA, Capim Grosso, Bahia, Brazil Belding Memorial Library, Ashfield MA Casa do Menor, Capim Grosso, Bahia, Brazil Data-Mail, Inc., Newington CT Double Edge Theater, Ashfield MA Harriet Tubman Center, Minneapolis MN Peace at Home, Jamaica Plain MA Schooner Capital LLC, Boston MA |
|
| Public Art The Art of the Violin, public art exhibition and auction, Pioneer Valley, MA 2003 Cavalcade of Cod, public art exhibition and auction, Boston MA 2000 Cow Parade NYC, public art exhibition and auction, New York NY 2000 Witness to Violence, Collaborative Public Art/Performance presented in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Houston, 1995 Artists Need to be Paid Too, Billboard, Arts Festival of Atlanta, Atlanta GA 1994 Super Bowl Scoreboard, Public Art and Performance, Grand Central Station, New York NY 1993, 1994, 1996 Outdoor Sculpture 1993, Public Art Installation, Ward’s Island NY 1993 |
|
| Selected Bibliography and Videography Lisa Lynch, “Robert Markey: New Paintings”, Art New England, June/July 2007 Thomas Craughwell, Cow Parade New York, Workman Publishing , Inc., 2000 McBride, James, War, Battering, and other Sports: the Gulf between American Men and Women, Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press International, Inc., 1995 Jack Becker, “And Other Words of Wisdom” Public Art Review Volume 6 Number 2 (Spring/Summer 1995): 19 Lisa Rafter, “Witness to Violence: Giving a Face to Women Who Have Survived Battering.” Labyrinth Volume 13 Number 5 (October 1995): 1,12 George McCollough and Maria Mongelli, “Criminal Justice Today: Witness to Violence” DUTV cable 54, Philadelphia, September 1995 Johnnie Braxton, “Visions”, WPVI TV 6, Philadelphia, November 1995 |
|
| Awards/Grants Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant, 2000, 1998 Massachusetts Committee on Criminal Justice Project Grant, 1994, 1995 Boston Council on the Arts and Humanities Grant, 1994 Massachusetts Cultural Council Project Grant, 1994 Puffin Foundation Grant, 1993 Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant, 1993 Massachusetts Arts Lottery Council Grant, 1990 |
|
| Education M.S., Computer Science, University of Massachusetts, 1982 B.S., Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969 Represented by Elaine Beckwith Gallery, Jamaica VT Tappan Z Gallery, Tarytown NY Hanback Gallery, Lenox MA |
|
Art Contest Submission by Kenneth Leaning
The Cyclopedia of Sustainability
by Kenneth Leaning
My submission idea, The Cyclopedia of Sustainability, is a large book, a book that has the form of and appearance of an alchemist’s log, or a sorcerer’s book of spells. It would be approximately 36” tall by 24” wide with a binding made of recycled cardboard and covered in canvas or hemp fabric and held together with earth-friendly adhesives. The pages would be made from, again, recycled paper, or of handmade papers and would contain, written by hand, in biodegradable, non-toxic inks, a series of stories, designs, theories, and practices which convey and promote sustainability. The pages would be illuminated as were the texts translated and transcribed by medieval monks and educated elders. The mysterious appearance of the text is intended to show the irony of how accessible the ‘secret formulae’ for sustainable living is to all people. It is not some quaint antiquity, or lost art, but instead, a state of mind easily achieved if one breaks free of modernistic, blasé consumerism.
This book might be the centerpiece of a compendium of information on how to spare the planet our overbearing presence. It would have, of course, all of its contents and resources available simultaneously on the internet – that great saver of paper. Its component information will be gathered from many sources, making it a book written, ultimately, by the community, for the community. It might be one original volume, or their might be sequels, as developed out of the Foxfire series of books on Appalachian folklore.
My background is in architecture and, as such, I am accustomed to team building. I imagine this Cyclopedia being created by a collaborative of artists, students, scientists, academicians, et al. whose involvement would be rewarded with publicity and honor. The materials and coordination costs would be easily covered by the $5000 award. My role would be to design, delegate, organize and, generally, produce the finished work.
PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVES
To create spaces, landscapes, artifacts & artworks which function beautifully and invigorate the spirit and the planet.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, APTITUDES AND EXPERIENCE RANGE
Architectural, landscape, furniture, product and tradeshow exhibit design; Existing buildings measuring and drafting; Construction and personnel management; Computer literacy in CADD (AutoCAD 2005 &’07, Cadvance), Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Corel; Carpentry (all phases), interior finish work (tile, painting, lighting design, trim, space planning), architectural modelmaking, cabinetmaking, mechanical repair, plumbing, light electrical; Landscape, hardscape and garden installation and maintenance; Art and real estate/construction photography; Writing, editing and proofing.
WORK HISTORY
Sole proprietor, Elysian Arts 1992- Present Greater New England
Ongoing operation of a small, independent, art, design and fabrication business creating works involving:
- Residential projects, garden development, out-buildings, stone wall and walkway design and construction;
- Furniture (built-in and free-standing) design, construction, installation and finishing;
- Restoration of antique (or collectible) architectural details, furniture and decorative items;
- Photography (with as-needed, computer retouching) for sale at art shows and for professional portfolios;
- Exhibit and display installations designed and executed for corporate administration buildings;
- Co-produced, wrote, directed, edited, narrated a 1997 grant-funded, documentary film. Wrote grant proposal.
- Independent Contractor to Solpoints, Inc. Dec.’06- Sept.‘07 Wilbraham, MA
- Designed tradeshow exhibit booths and component details using 3d modeling and rendering in AutoCAD 05 &07
- Independent Contractor to Regional Builders, Inc. Mar.- Nov. 2006 Monson, MA
- Designed several renovations and worked at all phases of carpentry for residential building company.
- Project Designer/Job Captain, Architectural Insights, Inc. 1998-2005 Palmer, MA
- Ran three multi-million dollar VA Hospital renovation projects. Acted as designer, project manager, detail
- drafter, specifier and estimator. Personally responsible for creating all architectural construction documents
- and coordinating project development with client and all consulting engineering teams;
- Designer and/or cadd drafter on over 90 residential, commercial, municipal, ecclesiastical and hospital/health
- care projects of varying scale, bringing code-compliant, approval-ready construction documents to completion;
- Proofed and edited public media releases and marketing materials; performed most office operational duties;
- Trained all new employees in office procedures and computer software systems. Cabinetmaker/Antiques Restorer, Beckerman Antiques, Inc. 1993-1998 Boston, MA
- Managed daily operation of high quality antiques restoration and sales facility;
- Restored antique furniture, frames, paintings, accessories and artworks using techniques, which included: carving, casting, turning, gilding, welding, distressing, color toning, machining, finish matching and more.
- Modelmaker, Trip Tech Models, Inc. 1990-1991 Waltham, MA
- Constructed highly detailed architectural models for international clients in costs ranging between $20-250K
- Team leader on model for Philadelphia’s 30th Street Railway Station.
- Draftsman/Modelmaker, Archtellic Architects, Inc. 1987-1989 Boston, MA
- Carpenter, Alex Skene, builder 1986-1987 Brookline, MA
- Program Supervisor, Palmer Associates, Inc. 1981-1986 Palmer, MA
- Managed community based residential program, with a staff of ten, for alternatively capable adults.
EDUCATION
Boston Architectural Center (B. Arch program) 1986-1993 Boston, MA
University of Massachusetts (Liberal Arts, Regional Planning) 1977-1981,’98-‘99 Amherst, MA
Institute for American Universities (French) Fall 1980 Aix-en-Provence,
France
Art Contest Submission by Trish Crapo
GOOD NEWS!
Sustainability Thrives in the Pioneer Valley
A Photo-documentary by Trish Crapo
Gas prices break $4.00/gallon, global temperatures hit landmark highs, fuel supplies at near record lows – too often, we hear only bad news. The problems we face seem so large and all encompassing, it’s easy to get disheartened. But in communities nationwide and right here in our own Pioneer Valley, people are taking matters into their own hands – helping each other install solar hot water systems, teaching teens to grow food without chemical pesticides or fertilizers, riding bicycles to work, advocating for solar and electric cars…
I want to broadcast this good news.
These grassroots efforts aim to create sustainability in our food, heating and fuel systems. At the same time, they forge connections between individuals that build vibrant, sustainable communities. It’s win-win — and I’d like people to know about it.
Through photos and interviews, I will bring the good work of people in our region to light. Some organizations I’ll approach include:
- Seeds of Solidarity, Orange, MA, a sustainable farm and educational center that “provides people of all ages with the inspiration and practical tools to use renewable energy and grow food in their communities.”
- Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Greenfield, MA, promoting energy conservation and non-polluting, renewable energy technologies.
- Gardening the Community Youth Agriculture Project, growing organic food and promoting bicycling as sustainable transportation in Springfield, MA.
- Co-op Power’s Member to Member Program, helping people to install solar hot water systems at their homes.
Good News! will take two forms.
One, an exhibition of 30 large (16×20) photographs printed with environmentally friendly black and white inks on salvaged or recycled paper. The show will include printed excerpts from interviews with people involved in the sustainability projects and music (on DVD) by local musicians. Potential exhibition spaces include A.P.E. in Northampton and The Pushkin in Greenfield. I will seek a Springfield exhibition as well.
Two, a digital multimedia show made available to local access cable television stations or linked to the website of one or more of the organizations featured in the show. The multimedia show will include more images and interviews than the print exhibition, plus incorporate music by local musicians. DVDs of the project could also be made available to schools and libraries.
Good News! is a portrait, in words and images, of sustainability in the Pioneer Valley. The project is documentary at its heart – it strives to accurately describe the state of sustainability at this specific time. But because I believe in the power of seeing, in the tendency of good ideas to generate more good ideas, Good News! has the potential to be a motivational force toward the creation of future projects.
I hope people will look at my images and say, “Hey, look at what those folks are doing. We could do something like that too.”
The enclosed photos from Franklin County’s Relay for Life event provide a sampling of my work.
See Below for Experience
TRISH CRAPO
Writer, photographer
Telling Stories with Light
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
I am a writer and photographer living in Leyden, Massachusetts. I’ve recently completed the intensive 10-month program at Hallmark Institute of Photography in Turners Falls, MA. Hallmark gave me the professional photographic skills I was seeking in order to put imagery and text together to create compelling photo-documentary stories. I’m most interested in spreading the word about grassroots efforts to affect positive change. As a published poet, I bring my respect for the power of the image to photography.
PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE
| Summer 2008 | Part-time staff photographer, The Recorder, Greenfield, MA |
| Spring 2008 | Event photographer, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Student Open House, Turners Falls, MA |
| June 2008 | Event photographer, Hallmark Institute of Photography, covering Relay for Life, Greenfield, MA |
| May 2008 | Event photographer, WGBY, Paradise City Arts Festival, Northampton, MA |
| March 2008 | Event photographer, WGBY, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Holyoke, MA |
PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS
Proficiency on the Mamiya 645D medium-format camera, both film and digital capture
Proficiency on 4×5 large-format cameras, both film and digital capture
Portrait studio, including lighting and posing
Commercial studio, including product and still life photography
Photojournalism projects, including environmental portraits and event coverage
EXHIBITIONS
| Summer 2008 | Doctors Without Borders Benefit Exhibition, Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography, Turners Falls, MA |
| Spring 2008 | Open House, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Turners Falls, MA |
| Fall 2007 | Altered Realities, Cooler Gallery, White River Junction, VT |
WRITING & EDITING
| January 2004 | Founding member of Slate Roof, A Publishing Collective, Northfield MA. Publishing Franklin County poets in limited edition chapbooks with letterpress covers that feature the work of local artists. Received Massachusetts Local Cultural Council awards from nine out of ten Franklin County towns applied to in the 2005 and 2006 funding cycles. |
| 2005–present | Fiction columnist for The Women’s Review of Books, Wellesley, MA. |
| 1999–2007 | Editing and manuscript consultation. Tutoring in writing. Clients include: The Center for Research on Women and The Women’s Review of Books, Wellesley, MA as well as local poets and writers. |
| 1989–1999 | Co-owner of Word of Mouth, a desktop publishing company offering research, writing, editing and proofreading, as well as design and layout of newsletters and brochures. Clients included: Organic Trade Association; Northeast Sustainable Energy Association; Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund; Pioneer Valley Folklore Society (all in Greenfield, MA); The New England Small Farm Institute, Belchertown, MA; Ozark Small Farm Viability Project, Bass, AR |
| Researched and wrote a guide for journalists to understand the Organic Foods Production Act, brochure copy on organic products and articles for the Organic Trade Association’s monthly trade magazine, as well as articles for Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s The Northeast Sun. |
PUBLICATIONS
| 2004–present | Fiction review column, The Women’s Review of Books, Wellesley, MA. |
| Winter 2006-07 | Learning by Heart, essay with photos, New England Watershed Magazine, Hatfield, MA. |
| July/August 2006 | You Don’t Have to Take a Dog, poem, Bark, Berkeley, CA. |
| November 2004 | Walk Through Paradise Backwards, poetry chapbook, Slate Roof: A Publishing Collective, Northfield, MA. |
| Winter 2003-04 | Salt, poem, Southern Poetry Review, Savannah, GA. |
| Winter 2002-03 | Surfacing and Gong, poems, Southern Poetry Review, Savannah, GA. |
| Fall 2002 | The Conquerable World, poem, Crossing Paths: An Anthology of Women Poets, Mad River Press, Richmond, MA. |
| Fall 2001 | These Are The Words, and Ordinary Epiphany, commentaries aired on WAMC, Albany Public Radio. |
| Fall 2001 | Homing, poem, Sanctuary: The Magazine of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, MA. |
| June 2001 | First Love: Nine Reasons Her Heart Was So Agitated, poem, A Kiss Is Still A Kiss, Outrider Press, Crete, IL. |
| Fall 2000 | A Couple of Things You Might Like to Know About Me, poem, The Anthology of New England Writers, 2000, Windsor, VT. |
| November 1999 | Ceremonial Breakage, poem, Sanctuary: The Magazine of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, MA. |
| August 1998 | Burning Home, novel, accepted by Richard Parks Agency, New York, NY. |
| July 1998 | My Husband’s Clover Plants: Or Why We Farm Organically, essay, in Taste Life! The Organic Choice, Vital Health Publishing, Bloomingdale, IL. |
| June 1998 | Moon Poem and Desire, poems, Five Minute Pieces, Arms Library, Shelburne Falls, MA. |
AWARDS
| February, 2008 | Finalist, Photographer’s Forum magazine’s 28th Best of College contest |
| September, 2007 | Creative Concept Contest, Hallmark Institute of Photography |
EDUCATION
Hallmark Institute of Photography, June 2008, Turners Falls MA
MFA in Writing, May 1989, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
BA, January 1980, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
Art Contest Submission by Erica Wheeler
Sustainability in Place
by Erice Wheelerwww.ericawheeler.com
Singer/songwriter, workshop facilitator, speaker
Goal: To foster engagement in sustainability by engaging peoples hearts. This project generate stories of place through a series of “free” writing workshops, to be followed with a public presentation of the works created. “Free” writing workshops will be geared towards all residents from all walks of life, all ages, incomes and levels of experience.
My work is dedicated to connecting and re-connecting people with their sense of place. Songs I have written help to evoke a sense of place in the listener, while my hands-on writing workshops provide the opportunity for participants to uncover their own stories of place and belonging. I have significant experience in organizing, offering and promoting public events, having been a full time touring singer-songwriter for over 15 years and, for the past 8 years having presented my workshop “The Soulful Landscape” at conferences, events and learning centers across the country. In addition, I have a career as a keynote speaker, offering presentations focused on the importance of emotionally connecting people and place. I combine my background in the performing arts and my life-long interest in the environment and cultural history to offer relevant and inspiring presentations.
This current work has brought me full circle to when I was new to the valley, as a student at Hampshire College. The bulk of my work there was a project entitled “ A Sense of Self, A Sense of Place,” which focused on how we effect our environment and how our environment effects us. Living in the valley now for almost 25 years, I have lived here long enough to witness changes, both positive and negative. My most recent CD has songs about people and their relationship to place from different perspectives, and several are about the valley itself. “Good Summer Rain,” is a song, which tells the story of a valley farm sold and developed. “To Deep Water,” is a song I wrote about a lake near my home in Colrain, reflecting the beauty of this area and what it means to me.
I believe our current state of environmental degradation comes the disconnection we have between our surroundings and ourselves. When we get caught up in our individual needs and busy modern-day lives, we make choices that have immediate rewards with dire consequences for the future. Wendell Berry has written: “ You don’t know who you are if you don’t know where you are.” I believe we can reverse our course of disconnection in several ways. You can give people the information, skills and tools they need to make new choices, but we cannot create lasting change without first creating a change of heart. Our stories of connection from the heart are a crucial spoke in the wheel sustainability. As author Terry Tempest Willams wrote “Story bypasses rethoritc and pierces the heart.”
I teach “The Soulful Landscape” so people at any age, with any level of experience, can gain the skills needed to communicate effectively what it is they love most about their “place,” and what it means to them. These workshops help to generate memories, imagery, and metaphors, which can be crafted in, to song, stories, essays or poems. I would like to help others find and express their voice, so that everyone can be part of the sustainable conversation. Often the word “sustainability” conjures up ideas of elitism: being something only for those with the income, education or liberal leanings to create and enjoy. Our future demands our “whole community” participate. For those already engaged in sustainability, our stories will help keep us inspired and focused on the deeper meaning of the work we do. For those unfamiliar with sustainability we can give them the “how’ and “why”, but only they themselves can find the reason in their own hearts to change. The opportunity to find and give voice to our stories of place and belonging may be just the incentive some people need. Remembering what we love about the valley, we can make sustainable choices for its future.
Our imagination is the key to a sustainable future. To be able to know and communicate the relationship we have with our surroundings is foundational in our ability to re-imagine our future. We them can begin to embrace the notion in Aldo Leopold’ wrote about in “A Sand County Almanac” that “when we see the land as a community to which we belong, we can begin to use it with love and respect,”
My proposal is to offer “free” writing workshops for towns in the valley. This will attract people from all age groups, all levels of experience and all walks of life. This will generate songs, stories, essays and pomes, which will help us, understand the diversity of what we love about “our place.” An outcome of Sustainability in Place (proposed title) could also be open mics and potlucks at town meeting halls to create community and share our works.
An additional outcome or direction for my involvement in this project could be to produce a video/audio component, in collaboration with a videographer and/or photographer. This would highlight some different aspects of the valley and include a soundtrack of original songs. An outcome could be a video for PBS or a CD to benefit a local organization.
Ultimately, my project could go three directions or have three components:
1. A series of free writing workshops in valley towns to generate stories of how people lived in a sustainable way here before, and still do.
2. A video honoring of the ways people have lived sustainably off this land and still do.
3. A CD cycle of songs about the valley.
A public presentation of works generated from this project. The public will benefit from this project by a public showing of the work, be that a video on PBS, a CD, chapbook, concert or a reading.
This project will also involve partnership with another organization. Perhaps with The Trust for Public Land, who co-sponsored my current CD, or other organizations like CISA, HCI (Highlands Community Initiative) or the American Farmlands Trust.
Funding will be used for expenses such as: room rentals, publicity, production of concert, video or CD, and for personal income while creating the project and offering it to the public.
Click here to see video of Erica singing “Good Summer Rain”
Art Contest Submission by Joe Edelman
*Groundcrew* – Sustainable Community and Sharing Resources in the Pioneer Valley
Joe Edelman
www.nxhx.org
*Groundcrew* is an internet project at www.groundcrew.us based on a collaboration economy — sharing our belongings, time, and skills — using cell phones, the internet, and an alternate currency.
*Groundcrew*: Sustainable Community and Sharing Resources in the Pioneer Valley
Achieving sustainability will mean reducing consumption, sharing resources, reducing isolation, increasing community, and creating networks of mutual trust. Groundcrew is an internet project, aimed at making the transition to a sustainable society adventurous, easy, and fun. *Groundcrew* creates a “collaboration economy” — sharing our belongings, time, and skills — by using cell phones, the internet, and an alternate currency. Text-messaging and live maps can make community into a game. Participants are encouraged to create positive experiences, help each other achieve goals, share resources, and have fun!
How does it work?
- Individuals join *Groundcrew*, and configure their cell phones to become mobile Agents.
- Agents organize themselves into Squads, specifying preferred activities or interests.
- Community Organizers use a web-based map interface, coordinating Agents on the ground in real time.
- Any *Groundcrew* member can post Wishes, Challenges, or Physical Resources to share.
- Organizers connect Agents and Squads with postings, giving them Assignments.
- All *Groundcrew* members use an alternate, local currency, called “POSX” (positive experience), to reward community goals. Members gain points when someone reports having a positive experience with them. POSX points are a reputation currency, similar to eBay’s seller point system. This economy gives Groundcrew members an incentive to honestly help each other, since high-POSX members gain advantages.
*Groundcrew* will improve the world by:
- Increasing availability and accessibility, to more easily address issues like transportation, resource-sharing, and adventurous fun.
- Supporting a Wish-realization co-op, granting Wishes, solving community problems, reducing loneliness, isolation, and anxiety.
- Restructuring economic incentives. Working to create positive experiences leads to higher quality, sustainable lives for all. Businesses will Eventually join the POSX economy.
- Relying on the pre-existing information infrastructure: cellular phones, the internet, and electricity. *Groundcrew* has zero extra environmental Impact from material-use or waste.
Global goals:
Achieving a sustainable world involves provisioning six billion people with basic needs and respecting the global ecosystem. With *Groundcrew*, communities can organize public action, share physical resources, and care for the commons. City life will change radically, as people engage productively without money. Actively participating in community life can be designed as an adventure, rather than a chore.