the smk marching band has come a very long way

"During this holiday break, the sounds of music, singing, and drumming constantly provide background noise. From morning until evening, the performers of SMK are training to prepare for a special public concert event.

Music programming has really blossomed at SMK over the past few years. The school has always had an outstanding vocal choir and traditional dancing/drumming troop. But Mama Rosemary also had visions of a school marching band, which would provide both musical training for the children and a small income for the school. Little did she know that when she whispered her vision to Mama Gloria that CTT supporters would respond by fully funding and purchasing musical band instruments and uniforms.

I distinctly recall the day that the musical instruments were unveiled during CTT’s Team 3 trip. It was highly amusing to watch the children try to figure out how their mouth should form to make the trumpet blow or get the flute to tweet. The children were quick learners, though, and before long musicians were born. They loved learning to play strange new instruments like the trombone, trumpet, flute, and saxophone.

Fast forward a couple of years under the outstanding musical direction of Sir Ivan, who has taught the marching band since its inception. The band of young players had a playlist of several marching songs where the same couple of stanzas could be played repeatedly.

Just last summer through CTT’s website, Monique Udo learned about SMK's marching band. As a music educator (and very talented saxophone player), she displayed great interest in traveling to Uganda from the Netherlands to teach the band members to read sheet music and train the saxophone section of the band. Working alongside Ivan, Monique has been an invaluable resource and friend to the musicians in the marching band. She has offered teaching, encouragement, new instruments and uniforms, as well as fabulous jam sessions! She is currently at the orphanage for her third visit.

And now the excitement is about to culminate with SMK’s special public concert, which will be held at a local secondary school in a large hall that holds over 300 guests. Local community members, family and neighbors have been invited. There will be a little of all things musical that day: the band will showcase its vast repertoire of musical selections; Monique will astonish the crowd with her own solo saxophone performance; the vocal choir will serenade with their songs containing messages that uplift, sadden, and give pause for the plight of the African child; the dancers/drummers will delight with traditional Ugandan dances from every region of the country.

On August 26th Come one, come all… You won’t want to miss a minute, and everyone is most welcome!"

- Melissa Mosher, CTT/SMK Social Worker and Liaison

a new garden will soon grace the orphanage grounds!

Great news! A generous donor/very good friend of Change the Truth has stepped up to fund the development of a brand new 10,000 square foot vegetable garden at SMK. Here is the description of the project as outlined by the SMK administration:

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Objective is to create a Vegetable garden for the Orphans at SMKOM Kajjansi, Uganda,

1.     Clear and protect the grounds for Vegetable gardening at Kajjansi

2.     Plant, nurture, and harvest vegetable food on a regular basis (every 3 months) to supplement and balance the diet for the Orphans

PROPOSAL

1.     Fence off the land to be used for gardening to stop petty theft of growing vegetables

2.     Plant quick growing vegetables (3 months) for regular consumption for example – Cabbages, Mushrooms, Egg plants, Crawling plants, Vegetables, Yams, etc.)

3.     Improve the School environment by planting flowers, hedges, and trees to provide shades

BENEFITS

The children will enjoy a regular injection of vitamins for their protection against disease

SUSTAINABILITY

A children’s committee (Grade 6) headed by a Teacher shall manage the project, with handover every year to a new team. A part-time gardner shall be employed to assist the children in the management of the project

During the upcoming school holiday, the older children will help clear the land. It is possible that construction of the wall could begin soon. This is exciting news for CTT! This is a sustainable project that will benefit the children in many ways on an ongoing basis. That's just what we love to see! Many, many thanks to this thoughtful and committed donor.

Much more to follow...

my recent uganda work is featured

Amber Terranova, who reviewed my portfolio at Review Santa Fe, is featuring my work today on the PDN (Photo District News) Photo of the Day blog. You can check it out here.

Thanks, Amber and RSF!

the tie that binds

Two members of Change the Truth Team 4 returned to St. Mary Kevin Orphanage the beginning of July for two weeks. Jeff and Jennifer graciously decided to spend part of their summer vacation teaching, tutoring and mentoring the children they came to love during their visit in 2010.

I received this lovely blog post from Jeff today. It's a must read!

"I don’t remember learning to tie a tie. I’m sure it was a special time when either my father or one of my three brothers taught me, but it does not stand out in my mind. Over the years, as both teacher and coach, I’ve taught some of my students and athletes how to look smart with an appropriate windsor or half-windsor knot. For some, it is a right of passage for young men to learn how to dress in shirt and tie and for a father to teach their son the intricacies of various knots.

Until visiting St. Charles Secondary School, while here in Uganda, due to failure of my own memory and for not being a father I did not know this feeling. It was while visiting CTT sponsored students Scovia, Evalyn and Claire Faith at St. Charles I became not father of a proud son but of a proud daughter. One of the uniforms requires a tie to be worn - it does not matter whether girl or boy. As it turns out, knowing how to tie a tie presented itself as a challenge to Evalyn. It was with distinct honor and privilege I taught Evalyn to tie her tie. Once crafting a careful knot herself she proudly wore her uniform the remainder of the day. She seemed to hold her head just a little bit higher and with an even brighter smile than she had before. Evalyn’s tie has forged a bond between us I will never forget."

isabella

It was in 2006 when I first meet Issy. My friend Nicholas wanted to make sure I met  his little sister.

At that time, the full orphans lived in a separate part of the orphanage. They were pretty much a rag-tag band of kids. They were definitely kept on the "poor side" of the compound. They looked skinnier and less healthy than the other children, their clothes were more tattered, and they ate their porridge and posho sitting on the ground rather than at tables. (Two years later, the director integrated the full orphans with the half orphans and boarding students. The area where Nicholas, Issy and the others had lived became - and still is - the "big boys" dorm.)

Issy was petite and shy. She didn't speak much English in 2006. I knew she was a little artist, though, because on that first day we met she showed me a small sculpture she had recently shaped out of some mud she'd scooped up from the ground. This was, essentially, how she introduced herself to me.

I have had the good fortune to see Issy every year since then. Each December I am fortunate to get to know her better; she has amazed me with her resilience, her quiet inner strength, her smarts, her artistic abilities, her leadership qualities, her humor, her dancing and singing and most especially - with her kindness and grace. (She is one of our sponsored students, and she is at the top of her class!)

Issy is a lovely and special young woman. I am proud to call her my friend.

Over the years Issy's artwork has matured just as she has. She has always been interested in portraying people, especially family and village scenes. She works from her imagination, not pictures. She's got incredible talent and a style that is her own. It's easy to pick out Issy's work from all the others.

Today is her 14th birthday.

On behalf of your many devoted friends and fans (some you have met, and some you have not) I'd like to wish you a very, very happy birthday, Issy!

Things came full circle this week when Melissa sent me this photo of a recent sculpture Issy made. AND this recent picture of the birthday girl herself.

Both are quite beautiful, don't you agree?

a garden in uganda

One day when Team 5 was at the orphanage last year, the headmaster of the school mentioned something about a garden that was going to be planted. I had noticed that preparations were under way for some major planting in an area that used to be dirt and rocks (mud after a good rainfall).

The children began to work very hard shoveling, planting and watering.

Soon I learned it was going to be called "Gloria's Garden."

On the day we handed out the Christmas gifts to the children, the garden was dedicated. In one corner was a small space that had been cleared away for a little avocado tree. The young plant was handed to me for a ceremonial digging and planting.

Anyone who knows me knows I love avocados. Especially the ones that grow in Uganda.

So now there is a garden named for me, and it appears to be thriving. Melissa recently sent these pictures. They make me smile.

digging deep with dogged determination

and finding just a few more images from the December trip to Uganda that I may have been quick to overlook.

When one is shining a portfolio for review, one decides to take a few chances during the process.

At any rate, I kind of like the way these feel.

Now, back into the trenches...

Have a happy Memorial Day weekend, all!

tossin' and turnin'

You know those nights when you just can't sleep?

I'm one who usually tries to stay under the covers and will myself toward dream land, but last night I decided to creep quietly over to my shiny new iMac. This baby makes all of my pictures look so sparkly and sharp and saturated, and I am definitely in love with it.

So, by 4 AM I had revisited every digital capture I made in Uganda this past December. In my sleep deprived state, I rescued eight new pictures - ones that had hit the editing room floor only a few short months ago. The combination of the sexy new iMac and the fact that I was very sleepy led me to: "What was I thinking!!? These are brilliant!"

By 6 AM I had processed these eight newly knighted gems, and then I gave myself permission to collapse into bed. I felt so happy.

In the light of day, though, there was really only one picture that held up.

I had made another version of it before, but this one, for whatever reason, speaks to me now more than the first pick. I'm glad to save it from the dismal darkness of my external hard drive.

Back in the day when I shot film, I would look through my old negatives every now and then just to make sure there was nothing I'd missed. Time and time again, I discovered an image - just before or after the one I had originally chosen to print - that finally just made more sense to me. It goes to show that the results of one's editing process can and will change depending on state of mind, perspective and recent experience. And that it's worth taking a second, third or fourth look.

mayson gallery: may 8th 2012

My good friend and fellow CTT board member Carol, who has traveled to Uganda several times now, was the person responsible for getting me the exhibition/fundraiser in New York. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude. It was an amazing opportunity for this Kentucky/Kansas City girl.

The Mayson Gallery is on the lower east side in an area where galleries are starting to pop up all over the place. The space is small, but they managed to install over thirty-four photographs on the top floor. 

On the basement level, there were several paintings by the kids from the orphanage, as well as two large prints of mine. The kids’ pieces were sold in a small, but fiercely competitive silent auction. There was also a small version of the Kajjansi Marketplace, where Ugandan crafts and my books were sold.

The opening was from 6 – 8 PM. Over the course of the evening, there was a steady stream of people coming to see the show. Most of these folks I did not know, but a highlight of my evening was seeing some of my photo pals (some of whom I had not seen in years) and meeting someone with whom I’ve corresponded but never laid eyes on before!

Monika Merva (who I first met at an Andrea Modica workshop in Santa Fe) was there. So was Brian Riesinger (we met at Thatcher Cook’s workshop in Uganda) and Susan Tannenbaum (Mary Ellen Mark’s workshop in Oaxaca was where we first met). Fellow University of Wisconsin photo student Cynthia Bittenfield came by, as well. Then there was Kate Fridkis, the wonderful young blogger for whom I did the “women eating cake” photos. (She writes two blogs, one of which explores womens’ body image issues and is called “Eat the Damn Cake.” She and I are now plotting another collaboration!)

Some awesome cousins, some non-photo (but very dear) pals, some friends of friends, a couple of past CTT team members and lots of new acquaintances helped round out what was a spectacular night for me in my journey as a photographer/non-profit director.

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to see the exhibit. Your friendship and support of my work mean the world to me. Thanks to gallery owner and director Susan and Ronni. And most especially, thank you to Carol Joseph, someone who has believed in me as a photographer and humanitarian from the very beginning.

The exhibit will remain at the Mayson Gallery, 254 Broome Street, for approximately two more weeks. Hopefully there will be lots of sales, because this is a fundraiser for Change the Truth.

I took the installation shots. The photos from the opening were taken by Susan Rae Tannenbaum. Enjoy!

mayson gallery/change the truth fundraiser

The installation of my show at the Mayson Gallery took place today! I was there for a couple hours and took these photos of gallery manager Ronni laying out and hanging the photographs.

The gallery is on two levels. My new color work from Uganda (36 pieces) will be in the top floor; the downstairs gallery will feature paintings by several of the children from the orphanage, including Okecha brothers Oscar and Willy. 

Money raised from all sales will go to Change the Truth.

The opening reception is Tuesday night from 6 - 8 p.m. If you're in New York, please stop by and say hello! The gallery is located on the lower east side at 254 Broome St.