more photos

Uganda: day three

Today we hear from Ann:

I have spent more than 10 years working with abused and traumatized children. I have heard terrible stories and seen the lasting impressions. I have developed some effective skills to help me handle my own emotions; today the skills were not enough, and I was brought to tears. It started with a picture of a gun, drawn on an inexpensive piece of muslin. This 10 year old girl from Northern Uganda, drew what to some would seem like random pictures; a baby, a house, a mother, a bed, a gun, a tree, a flower. The child had been given the task of drawing a picture of her memories on a cloth. When I asked her to tell me about her pictures she smiled, appeared non-chalant, and labeled the pictures as they appeared. I thought there had to be more… so I said, “tell me about the bed.” Her smiling face clouded, but her words remained strong. “The baby was asleep in the bed, I was asleep in the bed and my mother woke me up yelling, that I had to get up or they were going to kill me. My mother put me outside the house, my mother was killed, I lived because an old man picked me up and started running with me.”

So began my dance with tears. The heat in my eyes was intense as the warm moisture built. Her beautiful dark eyes met mine, and I had to touch her hands. At that moment, I had to reach to her in a way that my words could not. I looked down at her cloth and saw the flower and tree and remarked, “some things keep growing - you are living and growing, your mother would be happy to see you growing. She wanted you to grow.”

This type of story continued over and over today. Day 2 at the orphanage was the day I had the privilege of working with children from Gulu and Northern Uganda. I met 28 children today. Their stories were remarkably the same, over and over. It was unforgettable.

The children ARE growing at St Mary Kevin’s. The children are being nurtured; they are safe. I believe that this young girl’s mother would be happy with the work that Rose Mary is doing.

uganda: day two

Today's entry is written by Melissa:

“Today we all hit the ground running with our various projects. The children greeted our van at the gate with guarded curiosity, but by the end of the day, a mass of children escorted our van to the gates with large smiles and promises of more activities tomorrow.

One of the goals for Ann and me while at St. Mary Kevin’s is to facilitate a training for teachers and administration on the effects of trauma on daily functioning and relationship-building of the children. We walked into the training as visitors and left as friends, as teachers experienced the silliness of games and the pleasure of physical nurturing. They are a truly giving, gifted group of teachers dedicated to developing the future generation of Uganda!

The kids had similar reactions to the activities that Ann and I prepared. Not only were these games creating laughter and silliness amongst even the most serious-looking of children, we were creating connections with the children and engaging them in teamwork and mutual nurturing. Fun introductions to the kids included a High Five, pinky handshake, and the Hokey Pokey.

After group was over, I brought out some playground equipment (donated by Operation Breakthrough). Typically kids here create balls by taking plastic bags squeezed tightly into an outside of layer of banana leaves held together by twine. However, today we socialized around jumping rope, bouncing the basketball, kicking the soccer ball, throwing a Frisbee, playing jacks, and trying to figure out a yo-yo. Even the simplest item or success brought profound joy to these faces.

Lastly, to facilitate more exposure to nurturing touches, scented lotions were introduced. No child had ever experienced the pleasant scent of lotions (today’s choices were Gingerbread and Candy Cane). From the appearances of extremely dry skin, regular lotioning does not fit in the reality of the day. The children’s eyes delighted equally in the sweet smells of the lotion and the warm touch of someone caring for them. After all, don’t we all deserve and/or desire at least that much?


I left St. Mary Kevin’s today with dozens of pinky handshakes from my new friends, promises for more jacks games tomorrow, and the certainty that when I leave Uganda, a piece of my heart will remain at St. Mary Kevin’s with an extraordinary ‘family’.”

photos from day one

uganda: day one

Safe and on time arrival in Entebbe, followed by wonderfully warm greetings from African friends, a clear night sky punctuated by a tapestry of stars, dogs barking late into the night, red earth on pitted roads in the early morning sun, small monkeys scattering about on the grounds of our hotel, broad smiles, joyful children… just your typical day in Uganda!

On our “tour” of the orphanage this morning, I definitely needed a yellow balloon or umbrella and a megaphone. I kept turning around to see if my “team” was following Rose Mary and me, but no… they were always lagging sorely behind and had seemingly sprouted lots of new appendages in the form of small, excited and grateful children.

It was a day full of singing and dancing, hand holding, hugs, speeches, meetings, planning and stuff like, “Oh, Gloria, NOW I get it!!”

I have asked each one of my fellow travelers to write something about their experiences during this trip. I nudged Carol into being first, and she kindly obliged:


“I woke up under my mosquito net this morning having no idea what the day had in store for me. After a bumpy ride up the hill through the local streets, paths really, we arrived at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage. I could not have imagined what greeted us. First the hugs and kisses of Rose Mary, so very happy to see her Change the Truth friends. But so much more startling were the faces of the children – wondering, fearing, smiling, welcoming. Walking through those walls was, for me, walking into a different world. A world of children eating porridge for breakfast, in clothing tattered and worn, no shoes. And their hands, all reaching out, anxious to be close, to be touched. And I surprised myself and reached out to them. Some stood and stared, some boldly came and said hello. There was a little girl who giggled as she pressed on my hand to see the impression change color. Others joined her, and they all giggled. I was as foreign an experience to them as they were to me. And then they danced and sang for us. They put out an energy and strength which left their circumstances behind. I was moved. Everyone of the children reaching out and hopeful. Today changed me.”

and… we’re off!

The Kansas City contingency of the Change the Truth trip to Uganda gathered today at the airport and boarded the first of their four flights to Entebbe. We should arrive in twenty-four hours! Hopefully all of our bags will, as well. Cheers!

fellow traveler: melissa

I work at Operation Breakthrough, which is a daycare and family service center in the urban core of Kansas City, MO. My job at Operation Breakthrough is to coordinate our School-age Program and Betsy’s Kids Program. Operation Breakthrough has over 674 children (ages 6 weeks-17 years old). Operation Breakthrough offers before/after school care and holiday care for over 300 school-aged kiddos.

Working with the school-aged kids is definitely a high-energy job…there is never a dull moment during the day. I am constantly amazed at the talents and capabilities of our school-aged children, and honestly, sometimes I get very sad at some of their personal circumstances. Several children who attend our program are homeless, in foster care, or from working poor families, who are struggling from paycheck to paycheck. However, most of the times when you walk through our doors, there are more smiles and hugs than any one person can fathom.

One of the primary reasons for my travels to St. Mary Kevin’s in Uganda is to engage with the school-aged children there. I can only imagine, like our very own children here at Operation Breakthrough, there is an abundance of smiles and fun to be had in spite of the extremely tough, painful circumstances that have brought them there. It is my eventual hope that bridges can be built between the children of St. Mary Kevin’s Orphanage and the school-aged children at Operation Breakthrough. Many of the children have similar interests, such as jewelry making, singing, and dancing. Our center’s children appear very curious about life in Africa; and I am hoping that African children feel the same about American children. It would be so wonderful to connect these children and their two worlds.

While I am having the adventure of a life-time in Africa, my son, Antwain, will be staying here. Antwain is 8 years old and the light of my life. Antwain is excited about my journey to Africa (although he is disappointed that I will not be sleeping with the elephants). Antwain and I enjoying playing football together. I also enjoying reading in my free time.

digging a deep well

The Ferguson book arrived on my doorstep the other day. It’s a beautiful tribute to a tremendously talented artist/teacher and colorful, complex human being. It’s called Talking With the Wheel, published by Silver Gate, Inc. If you are relatively new to my blog and would like to read the previous posts about my experience photographing Ken for the book, please go to the archive on the right and click on his name.

This passage, written by Ken, has left a deep impression me:

“My students have often heard me say, ‘You have to dig a deep well.’

The problem people have understanding the phrase ‘digging a deep well’ is that people don’t realize that it doesn’t have to be within the world of ceramics, and it doesn’t have to be about ‘art.’ ‘Digging a deep well is an experience, a challenge, something you’ve done or that you’ve faced which forced you to make a decision. You had to decide where to focus. Are you going to get the best of it, or is it going to get the best of you? These things make you a stronger, more sensitive, more passionate person; a person willing to be tolerant and understanding, able to focus on work and less critical of other’s work.

It has to do with intellectual curiosity. An afternoon spent observing the phenomena of nature and then drawing it, studying it, examining it, trying to figure out how it happens, why it happens and the answers to all of those questions. You go outside of yourself. You have a new experience, and you try to understand it.

Why is it important to dig that well deep? Long term, the reason is that you may run out of ideas. It’s very easy to do. There will be a demand on you for new ideas. It’s one of the most hateful, terrible things about the art world – artists are always asked, ‘Any new things?’

You want new ideas to come out, and you hope they do. I remember talking to Akio Takamori, and he said, ‘I don’t have any ideas. I’m out. I ran out. I just reached a point where I don’t have any new ideas. What do I do?’ I told him to go back and revisit his old ideas. Look at them and think, ‘Did I really take this as far as I could? Is there more to it?’ You want to have these ideas – they keep you going.”

Ferguson’s well was indeed a deep one. As I am in the process of digging my own, I will reflect back on his thoughts, his work, his accomplishments, his humor and his ballsy, blustery way of being often. He was never my teacher, but in the brief period I spent with him working on photos for this book, I think I learned more than I would have cared to admit to him at the time.

beautiful bags from uganda

When Michael came to visit us last May, he brought me many gifts; among them were these beautiful cloth bags made by his mother. I have asked Michael’s mother to make more of these so that I can sell them on the Change the Truth website. According to Michael, she is now busy sewing so that I can bring them back with me in December. Thanks to Ann’s brilliant suggestion, “Mum” is sizing them so that laptops will fit neatly inside. Stay tuned to the website upon our return to find these in the store!

planned trip to northern uganda

"A longstanding civil war in Northern Uganda has shattered livelihoods, destroyed healthcare and schools and left a legacy of fear. Despite a recent truce, over 90% of the rural population remains crowded into 200 squalid and unhealthy refugee camps." 
 International Rescue Committee [IRC]

Last year IRC officials took Senator John Edwards and his fellow delegates to IRC projects in the district of Kitgum, where nearly all the people now live in government camps. He was also taken outside the town of Lira, where some people displaced by the war have begun returning to their homes. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp near the Kitgum district made a huge impression on Senator Edwards, leaving him with memories he says he'll never forget. 

”There is a current humanitarian crisis and unimaginable suffering in the northern part of the country, of which too few American citizens are aware,” Senator Edwards said. "The living conditions were awful — open sewage, little water, malnourished children." He has said many children are living with high HIV/AIDS rates themselves while having to see their parents die of the same deadly disease, leaving them behind as orphans.



The rebel army known as The Lord's Resistance Army [LRA] have abducted some 30,000 Ugandan boys and girls and forced them to serve as soldiers and/or sex slaves. They have robbed thousands more of their parents. During the protracted and vicious civil war in Uganda, they have forced innocent children to commit unspeakable atrocities — sometimes even forcing them to kill their own siblings.

While in Uganda, three of us will make the trip to Northern Uganda with a driver/guide named Jonathan. These arrangements have been made by Rose Mary and Joseph, directors of the orphanage. Jonathan will take Carol, Lynne and me to some of the displaced persons camps, and we will see for ourselves this dire situation. Terrible, recent flooding in this part of the country has caused many of the displaced to be once again displaced, as their camps have been wiped out. They have nowhere to go. I can only imagine what we will witness once there.

fall in kc

This has been a crazy week of family, friends, food, football and foto shoots. It’s always a little hectic just before I leave town, and this time around has been no different. One week from tomorrow we’ll be heading toward Uganda. Before then, though, there is a lot of portrait work to wrap up. Here’s one of my favorites, shot yesterday at Loose Park.

heavy lifting

Ta da! Here they are: four bags chock full of crayons, markers, sketch pads, canvasses, paintbrushes, acrylic and tempera paints, colored pencils, models, journals, clothes and neatly wrapped gifts for pen pals. Each of these bags weighs exactly fifty pounds, meeting the weight restrictions imposed on us by the airlines.

So, here you have it – 200 pounds of delight heading straight to the kids at St. Mary Kevin’s Orphanage Motherhood. Thanks to each and every one of you have helped make this delivery possible.

Excuse me while I go load up on my Wheaties.

abbie

Our empty nest is not quite so empty this week. Abbie has come to town! She is teaching me how to make sushi tonight. She has also injected some youthful energy into our home, which is nice.

If you’d like to see what Abbie does when she is not singing or gardening or cooking or garage sale shopping or hanging out with her cute hubbie, Sam, check out her website. Abbie is the K-4 art teacher at Sacred Heart Academy in New Orleans. The work she gets out of these children is pretty wonderful.

fellow traveler: lonnie

Lonnie Powell is a native of Kansas City and a graduate of Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri where he studied under the late James Dallas Parks.

A long time activist in the African-American art community, he has been an educator, critic, agent and gallery director. He has held positions in numerous organizations such as Black Archives of Mid-America and Friends of Bruce R. Watkins Culture Heritage Center. He co-founded Euphrates Gallery and founded The Light In The Other Room, a collaboration of nineteen African-American Kansas City based artists.

Powell has exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions; his work is part of several private and corporate collections including Sprint Nextel and H & R Block. His art is also in the permanent collections of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, American Jazz Museum, and
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Lonnie and his wife, Brenda, have been married for forty-one years and have a son, Gregory, a daughter-law, Tava and a granddaughter Jaden.

“I look forward to working with the children in Uganda and motivating them to create beautiful artwork. I am also excited about visiting the continent and taking lots of pictures. Hopefully, the pictures will provide inspirations for my paintings.”

fellow traveler: ann

One of my favorite sayings is, "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."-Plato

Children (and adults) create from what they have experienced. Play is the language that expresses stories and experiences. Toys and games are the tools used to express this language.

For me, taking toys and observing the children of St. Mary Kevin play
will be equivalent to listening to the intimate and detailed stories of
these children's lives. Stories that often can not be told because of
the lack of verbal language, or intense emotion that the events carry.
Often times the hurts and pains that children have suffered can be more
manageably shared through the safety of play rather than by talking.

I am honored, excited and immensely curious to see the play of the
children and discover how others can offer support and education to
mitigate the pains they have endured. I have spent 11 years learning
the language of play through some fabulous children at Operation
Breakthrough (and 9 years learning it from my beautiful girls!). This
trip is an amazing opportunity to take what the children of OB have
taught me and share it with the staff and children in Uganda. To me
this is an amazing exchange.

power shopping/power giving

The fundraising event at 10,000 Villages last night went really well. Many friends of Change the Truth attended; some I got to meet for the first time. Everyone seemed to love the store and left with some nice treasures. Thanks to all who were there! The staff at 10,000 Villages commented on how nice everyone was. They also said we will be happy with the numbers, though they can’t share that information until they total it later today.

fellow traveler: carol

Having spent my career as a lawyer specializing in real estate finance in NYC, I always envied people who devoted their time and energy to helping others in the world. When I would watch the news and see tragic events brought into my living room through the media, I was in awe of people who plucked themselves out of their worlds and fully gave to help others. When I learned about Change the Truth and St. Mary Kevin Orphanage which it supports, I was immediately drawn to its simple goal, to help children in need. And when chatting one August afternoon with Gloria about her anticipated trip, I knew I wanted to go. At that moment, I decided I would pluck myself from my world and for a few short weeks, see another reality, put myself in the place where I could feel and touch the children. I am joining with people so very talented in working with children and creating art and I look forward to learning, expanding my world, exercising my passion for helping children and making them laugh.

fellow travelers: jane and lynne

I am pleased to introduce you to the talented, compassionate and adventuresome souls who will join me on the upcoming trip to Uganda. In this installment, you will hear from Jane Voorhees and Lynne Melcher, respectively.


I earned my BFA from the University of Kansas and my MA in printmaking from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I teach printmaking and painting at the Kansas City Art Institute and show work regularly around the country. I am preparing now for my fourth New York solo show.

We all look at things differently. What I see is dictated by where I live and where I travel, dreams I have, who I talk to, music I hear, books I read. My work is shaped by daily life and the love of art that feeds and nourishes the work I produce.

The Uganda trip will certainly give me much to draw on for my art, but much more than that, if I can affect a child in some way through art causing a smile to cross their face, then the entire trip will be worth it. Hopefully, I will see many smiles.



I am an artist- a painter, ceramicist, and textile designer. I have had the privilege of traveling the world working with artisans from the bustling city of New Delhi to the tiniest of villages in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and South Africa. Overwhelmingly, it is the people I have met who have been my greatest inspiration, and my greatest teachers.

As this fascination and curiosity about people has developed - their lives, their cultures, their stories, I have begun to explore the art of documentary filmmaking.

When I first heard about Change the Truth, I was immediately drawn to the stories about the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage. And when Gloria told me of her plans to visit, I felt compelled to participate in some way.

Though I have only been working in this new medium (digital filmmaking) for a few months, I hope to capture the grace and courage, the heartbreak and the happiness, that lives within each child.

Specifically, I plan to document, in video, Lonnie and Jane teaching art, and Ann and Melissa engaging in various therapies with the children. In addition, Gloria, Carol and I plan to head north for a few days. Once there, we will spend some time in a relief camp, where we will hopefully find a child who we can safely bring to the orphanage.

By limiting my focus to a handful of children, I hope to share with you the transformations that surely will take place as we attempt to “Change the Truth” for these beautiful and innocent young people.

round two

Exactly one year ago I returned to Kansas City after my three-week stay in Uganda. Three weeks from now, I leave to go back. A lot has happened during this year. A lot about me has changed.

So now we move on to Chapter 2 of the Uganda blog posts and the Change the Truth blog posts. The beginning of the next chapter of Uganda posts will be similar to those of Chapter 1 – I just starting taking my Typhoid pills, I am loading up on granola bars, hand sanitizer and extra batteries. I have gotten my visa, made my plane reservations, arranged for pickup from the Entebbe airport. I am trying to figure out which comfy shoes to take.

But Chapter 2 will be written by a person with a changed perspective.

Those of you who have stuck with this blog from the very beginning (thank you!!) will recall my enthusiasm, excitement and anxiety from last year as I was getting ready to depart. This time around, I feel like I have a real sense of purpose - a mission, if you will. I feel determined. I feel certain of what I am doing and of what lies ahead. The relationships I established in Uganda last year have been carefully and lovingly nurtured; I feel as if I am on my way to visit old friends. And the new relationships I have been treated to during the past year as I established Change the Truth fuel my desire to do this work for the kids at St. Mary Kevin’s and remind me that I am not alone in the effort.

So many people care and want to help. Once I got the ball rolling, so many have figured out their own ways to help provide assistance to these children. I feel kind of like one of those commercials I see (too often) on TV where the mobile phone server (I can’t even recall which one) follows its client around with a team of hundreds. I feel like the team that is the Friends of Change the Truth will be behind me every step of the way on this trip. With shoulders like that to stand on, I feel very tall. With a foundation that broad, I feel very strong. Thank you for being there for me and for the kids in Kajjansi. I can't help but believe we are all richer for the experience so far.

Not to mention the team I’m actually taking with me! My fellow travelers, Carol, Lynne, Lonnie, Jane, Melissa and Ann are each so excited to plant their feet on the grounds of the orphanage and begin to do their work. Their eagerness to stand with me has been mind-boggling. I feel truly honored that I will get to travel and work in their company.

So, here we go – Chapter Two… Hope you’ll stick around for the read.

express yourself

The therapy area at Operation Breakthrough is now lined with a wall of expressions. I wrote about this brainchild of play therapist Ann Thomas once before on the blog, but now I can show you what the final installation looks like. Ann’s idea (yes, this is the Ann who is going with us to Uganda!) was to provide the young ones with visual cues that would help them articulate and show their feelings. She selected several from the many photographs I have made at Operation Breakthrough over the years that she felt really zeroed in specific emotions. Once they were printed and framed, she found Dave Walker who could (graphically and artistically) spell out those feelings. She added mirrors (all of this is at kid level, of course) so the children can practice expressing an emotion, seeing what it looks like on their own faces and comparing it to that which is conveyed in the photograph. It’s such a great idea, and Ann reports that it has been working extremely well. I couldn’t get a good shot of the entire hallway, but here is a little piece of it.

are you right or left brained?

Check out this really interesting article about photography and the sides of the brain we tend to use when making pictures. Thanks to Dan for sending it my way.

letter from rosemary at the orphanage

Dear friends of Change the Truth,

Thanks very much for everything
And your efforts and love.
We received the one thousand dollars proceeds from balls and jewelry.
This money has been used to buy food for the children
And also to pay staff salaries.
Our brick-making project is progressing smoothly
And we have now upgraded the piggery project to thirty (30) pigs.

Please send our warm regards & greetings to everybody.
Eagerly waiting for your visit on Dec 3.

God bless
Regards and thanks

Rosemary Kavulu

ten thousand villages

Ten Thousand Villages in Overland Park, Kansas will partner with us on the evening of Tuesday, November 13th. They will donate 15% of the proceeds made from sales during these hours. Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit fair trade store, which supports groups from over thirty developing nations, giving their unemployed and underemployed artisans a place to sell their products and tell their stories in North America. PLEASE JOIN US! Select from gifts and collectibles, holiday decorations, home decor and more. Let your gifts give twice this season, and make a difference in the lives of people all over the world. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 5 -8 PM, 7949 SANTE FE DRIVE, OVERLAND PARK. Refreshments will be served!

collage number 3

happy halloween

For many years, I have opened my studio to the kids on our block on Halloween night. I give them a portrait as my treat. I've decided this year to hang up that tradition, but I thought it would be fun to share one of the series of photos. This is Jack - in all his various spooky and not so spooky incarnations - from age one to eight.

robert adams

I have been rereading parts of Robert Adams’ book "Why People Photograph" and was struck by and could relate to these two passages:

“At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect – a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known.”

"Photographers must withstand, with the help of their families and friends, the psychic battering that comes from what they see. In order to make pictures that no one has made before, they have to be attentive and imaginative, qualities partly assigned and partly chosen, but in any case, ones that leave them vulnerable. When Robert Frank put down his camera after photographing 'The Americans' he could not so readily escape the sadness of the world he recorded as we could when we closed the book."

letters and photos from uganda

“Dear Friends of Change the Truth,

My name is Joseph Mukiibi. I am 13 years old. I live at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood. I am an orphan. It is sad, however I am happy that I have Madam Rose Mary who took care of me when I was eight years old. I am very happy to receive the good news about my sponsorship from Change the Truth. Now I can see my future is bright. I promise to be a good boy and to work hard in my secondary school because through your help I will start Senior One. I have sent you my photo.

God bless you,
Yours faithfully,
Joseph”

“Dear Friends of Change the Truth,

My name is Habib Mbowa. I live at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood. I am 14 years old. I have no father or mother to take care of me, but I have a grandmother with four grandchildren. Mary Kevin Orphanage started taking care of me when I was in Primary Four.

I am so excited to receive your sponsorship and I promise to strive for my future. I did my last term’s exams and I was ninth out of fifty three students. You have made my dream very clear.

Yours faithfully,
Habib”

good news all around!

Change the Truth has been recognized by the IRS as an official not-for-profit organization. It is also now registered and trademarked. Eddie has been busy designing and printing letterhead, envelopes and business cards in our kitchen office.

Also, some big contributions have rolled in. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who has taken it upon yourself to be a friend to Change the Truth. My heart just starts racing when I think of all we have accomplished and all there is left to do.

We have decided on a date for our very first friend raiser/fundraiser. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! It is going to be quite an evening June 12th at the Kansas City Public Library from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will be free and open to the public. Planned highlights will be African fare, African music, drumming and dancing, the premiere showing of the documentary film Lynne will make when we go to Uganda in December and a silent auction of the artwork created by the children at St. Mary Kevin’s under the tutelage of Lonnie and Jane.

And last, but not least… and I have no expectations of winning this… but I was blown away when I learned I had been nominated by GEO German Magazine to submit my Ugandan work for the German Committee of UNICEF’s Photo of the Year Award. Somebody better pinch me.


In, the meantime, I am continuing to “make stuff.” Here is my latest collaged piece.

making stuff

I can vividly recall a conversation I had with my friend Keith Davis on September 12, 2001. I was working on my concentration camp series when 9-11 took place. The next day, I felt a strong desire to head back into the darkroom and continue printing. For some reason, I spoke with Keith that morning. I told him it felt silly, small, unimportant and somewhat selfish to work that day – to create things that seemed entirely insignificant and unnecessary in the wake of such excruciating heartache and pain and devastation. I really couldn’t see working at all again, ever.

Keith simply said, “When things around us are DEconstructing, maybe all we CAN do is attempt to CONstruct.”

Last night and today I have been following the reports of the fires in California, struck again with that sinking feeling of loss and pain that makes it hard to even think about creating something new. Keith’s sage observation came back to me, and I spent the day constructing.

A closer look seems fitting.


(This piece is 32" x 32")

nerman museum

Tonight Kansas City hosts the gala opening of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at the Johnson County Community College. This puts Kansas City on the short list of American metropolitan areas of its size with two major contemporary art museums. It also establishes the college as one of the top ten universities for art on campus.

“When the new Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art opens to the public Oct. 27, it may not have the architecture critics turning somersaults.

Artists and art lovers, on the other hand, have something to celebrate in architect Kyu Sung Woo’s quiet minimalist structure of white limestone and glass at Johnson County Community College.

Costing roughly $13 million and measuring 38,000 square feet, it’s the perfect container for art. Curator Bruce Hartman’s plans for 16 special exhibitions a year will mean a roughly 50 percent increase in the number of shows put on by local museums and major nonprofit art spaces. Local artists are a key part of the Nerman picture; so are contemporary American Indian artists.

And when it comes to trends, Hartman has a reputation for leading rather than following.

A major show called ‘American Soil’ gets things off to an auspicious start in the first-floor special exhibition galleries. Large paintings and installations by six rising stars of American art take a critical look at American values through the prism of our relationship to the landscape.

Since 1980, when the college art collection began, it expressed confidence in locally produced art as well as cutting-edge national and international talent.

Three shows per year will feature Kansas City area artists in the museum’s dedicated Project gallery. For the opening, Hartman has filled the 1,000-square-foot gallery with a show titled ‘Allusive Abstraction,’ featuring abstract paintings by artists who live or were trained in Kansas City.” The Kansas City Star

I am pleased to say that “Sprinkler,” a photograph from my series entitled “One Square Mile” is included in the collection and will be part of the opening exhibition.

the spirit of troy

“They flaunt their instruments and ancient warrior costumes across the 50-yard line, through the mobs of pep rallies and on the stage at the Grammy Awards. And while they cheer for a top-ranked football team, the Trojan Marching Band cannot help but steal some of the glory on the football field for themselves.” The Daily Trojan

It’s funny. I have found myself on the defensive more than once when talking to people about Max being in the USC marching band. After all, how could my free spirited, independent son, the one who changed his name when he was five, who got his ear pierced when he was in third grade and who was in a punk band in high school end up donning a gold Trojan style helmet with plume, flowing cape and white spats and marching around on a football field? This has given me pause.

When I was in college in Wisconsin, I never once attended a football game, and I was there a total of seven years. I was: a) way too cool b) way too busy entertaining myself in other, arguably more questionable ways, and c) way too hell-bent on rebelling against my parents who were avid football fans.

I never paid any attention to marching bands, either. Did we even have one in Madison?

Later, when Abbie was at Yale, we attended one tail gate party because her a cappella group was performing. It was the Harvard vs Yale game - exciting stuff! But we all packed up and left before the game even started.

Now we are at a wildly different school.

Here’s what I noticed about the marching band at USC: it’s about a love of music, camaraderie, leadership, discipline, good clean fun, school spirit, time management and dedication. And, on a campus that certainly does not rank in the top ten for diversity, the band seems to attract a fairly diverse group of kids.

Admittedly, there are things about the whole collegiate football scene that bother me. Why do all the cheerleaders look like Barbie dolls? Why does the band have, dare I say, a slightly militaristic flavor to it? Why are the star football players treated like gods? Why is the coach of the football team the highest paid member of the faculty? Why do some of the rivalries become so mean-spirited?

Over the years, I have come to grips with the fact that I really do enjoy the sport. I do not miss a Chiefs game, and I often watch Monday night football, as well as games here and there on Saturdays and Sundays.

So, I guess it should come as no big surprise that Max has found himself yelling until he’s hoarse on game days.

The gold Trojan style helmet? Well, the kid loves music, he is very social and he likes having a good time. I must admit I was startled the first time I saw him high-stepping along with 299 others in their plumes and capes, but by the end of the game at Parents’ Weekend, after witnessing their enthusiasm, their talent, their cool formations and their goose-bump inducing music, I was shaking my cardinal and gold pom-pom with the best of them.

And my mom, who absolutely loved a down-beat AND a first down… well, I have a feeling she would have been ecstatic to catch a glimpse of her grandson playing cymbals during the half time show!

Here is a video Eddie and I made from the weekend– our first attempt at iMovie.

colors from carol

Thanks to my friend Carol, who works for Hallmark, we were able to go on a “shopping spree” at the employee discount store this morning. Lonnie, Jane and I loaded up on markers, crayons, pencils and clay to take with us when we go to Uganda in December. Lonnie and Jane have some great ideas for the art classes they will offer at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage. They will make one more shopping stop at the art supply store to get canvas, brushes, paper and paints, and we should be ready to roll. Six weeks to go!!

parents' weekend II

Yes, we have toured Max’s classrooms, dorm room, seen where he eats, the library he uses and the gym where he works out. We have listened to a lecture by the president of the school. We have met other parents and many of Max’s new friends. But let me tell you, yesterday was all about the Trojan marching band.

They performed at several rallies and events during the course of the day. They are 300 kids strong, kids who, much like athletes, have made an impressive and challenging commitment. They practice five days a week for several hours each day. On Saturdays, game days, they are already rehearsing at 6:30 AM. These musicians have so much spirit and talent and dedication; it takes your breath away. I am one who never really paid much attention to marching bands before, so this is an eye opener for me.


Max loves being part of it. Can’t you tell from his beaming face in this picture taken at the end of a very long day of marching and cheering and dancing and cymballing?

parents' weekend

Eddie and I, parents of a USC freshman, now find ourselves in sunny southern California for Parents' Weekend. Standard attire: flip-flops and shorts. Mode of transportation: on foot, bike or skateboard. Weather: sunny, no humidity, 75 degrees. Celebs on campus right now: coach of the football team, football players and director of the marching band…. And maybe even the marching band members themselves.

Max is in the marching band. He told us that the other day when he was heading to the pre-game rehearsal decked out in his band uniform, a woman and her young son asked him to pose for a picture with them!

We’re putting on our sunglasses and applying our sunscreen - heading out for a fun-filled day on campus. It’s great to see our sonny boy.

lecture

If anyone in the Kansas City area who missed my talk at the Kemper Museum is interested in hearing it now, this is for you. I’ll be giving essentially the same talk/slide presentation about my experiences as a photographer at Temple B’nai Jehudah (12320 Nall) on Sunday, October 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. at an event they call “Mix and Mingle.” The cost is 12 bucks per person, but you do get a dinner from Jack Stack Barbecue (probably the best part of the evening). It is supposed to be for folks 55 and over, but since I haven’t yet reached that point (yes, I know, it is in clear sight) I figure they won’t care if you’re a few years younger. I doubt anyone will card you. Anyhow, if you’d like to attend, contact Rochelle Barash at 913- 663-4050, extension 132, or at program@bnaijehudah.org by Wednesday, October 17. It would be fun to see you there!

the pitch

I was very, very flattered to find this in the recently published "Best of 2007" issue of the Kansas City weekly, the Pitch.

"Best Photography Show (2007)
Gloria Baker Feinstein
Leopold Gallery

Gloria Baker Feinstein's photographic disquisition of the orphans of Uganda toed a taut and righteous line between journalism and art. With a master's degree in photography and graphic design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this Kansas City-based artist has been in dozens of exhibitions. Her work's vivid nostalgia is never cloying or inappropriate, no matter her subject. At the Leopold Gallery last spring, her velvety photographs of orphaned children in Uganda revealed their dire circumstances and reminded us that everything is political — and that art and politics can collide in beautiful as well as polemic ways."

party pooper

On our way back from Big Cedar Lodge, we stopped in Ozark, Missouri for a look at a place called Lamberts. I had heard about it from some well-known foodies, who had talked it up on NPR a couple of weeks ago.

Lamberts is a restaurant. It is famous for its “throwed rolls. "There was a line of people waiting to get in, and it was only 10:30 a.m. Once inside, we were eagerly and enthusiastically greeted by the staff, seated and then promptly offered some fried okra. Within a few minutes a guy came barreling past each row of booths with a cart full of fresh baked rolls. It quickly became apparent that all we needed to do was raise our hands in the air, and rolls would be thrown in our direction. It was fun to try and catch them and watch others do the same. It was fun to see who was going to appear at our table next with what delicious offering (after the okra came fried potatoes and onions, macaroni and tomatoes, black eyed peas, etc.) It was fun to witness the insanely huge orders of fried chicken, candied yams, meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy being delivered to the hundreds of diners around us.

It was fun. But it became more and more disturbing to me as I watched the scene unfold – endless refills on ridiculously large platters and skillets, predominantly overweight customers mindlessly stuffing themselves with outrageously unhealthy fare and those rolls being thrown (if you didn’t catch it, no worries… let it fall on the floor, another one is on its way.)

There was a real emptiness in it all for me, which is ironic considering the fact that at Lamberts the goal is surely to get filled up.

I won’t go on about our supersized nation, waste and the fact that one of these entrees could have easily fed ten children at St. Mary Kevin’s. I think you already get the picture.

And speaking of pictures, I took a lot of them. I tried to get the perfect shot of the guy throwing rolls, you know, roll in midair kind of thing, and I couldn’t resist photographing the mounds of food and the kitschy décor.


But this is the picture that finally got to the heart of the sadness I eventually felt at Lamberts.

What are we thinking?

vacation

Big Cedar Lodge sits on 800 acres overlooking Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri near the Arkansas border. Eddie and I have spent the past few days here sleeping in, reading, hiking, boating, swimming, napping and well, sleeping. We have been staying in Hemingway’s Cabin and calling each other Ernest and Pauline (turns out Ernest had four wives; I settled on his second.) It’s been a slice of heaven.

“the experience of cancer” at the leopold

Paul Dorrell, owner of the Leopold Gallery in Kansas City, has been a steadfast supporter of Change the Truth since the day he first heard about it. He donated a portion of the sales made from my Uganda exhibit last spring so five kids could go to secondary school and has helped raise money to fund our upcoming trip back to the orphanage. Now, he has mounted an exhibition to benefit the Cancer Center at the University of Kansas Hospital. If you want to know the definition of the Yiddush word mensch, you could just think of Paul. His most recent effort received nice coverage in today's Kansas City Star.

“’The Experience of Cancer’ Shows the Art of Healing
Tim Engle, The Kansas City Star, October 4, 2007

This art show could be a real downer.

But in addition to themes of suffering, death and grief, ‘The Experience of Cancer’ explores faith, courage, love — and recovery. The show opens with a reception from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at Leopold Gallery, 324 W. 63rd St. in Brookside, and will stay on display through October.

Leopold owner Paul Dorrell is encouraging people with cancer, and cancer survivors, to attend: ‘I want them to be emboldened and reassured.’ The 30 pieces — not all are about cancer — will be for sale. The gallery’s cut, 50 percent, will be donated to the Cancer Center at University of Kansas Hospital.

The show’s 13 artists were inspired by family members or friends with cancer. [Three are mentioned below.]

Eric Dinyer:
‘Last summer my mother was diagnosed with rare and aggressive lymphoma. They gave her two or three months or four at the most. She was treated with two regimens of chemotherapy. The chemo treatments took place every three weeks, but by the end of four months she was so worn down that she refused her last treatment. This was against what her doctors wanted, but having witnessed her overall weakness of both body and spirit, I agreed with her. We didn’t think she’d be strong enough to survive the final treatment.

Today her cancer is in remission. At a checkup just last week, her health looked great. Remarkable, if you had witnessed what she had gone through.

Which brings me to [my] image. I chose the metaphor of water, which can be associated with soothing sounds, birth, baptism, swimming, drinking water, cleansing, healing properties, etc. But water also can be associated with drowning and tidal waves. The ocean can be unknowable, powerful, seemingly endless and unfathomable.

Which, as a witness to both my parents’ trajectories with cancer, is how I felt and how I viewed them. A cancer diagnosis feels like you are standing in the ocean and waiting for the water to either support, nourish and heal you or to wash you away.’

Margie Kuhn:
‘My cousin Bret Williams died recently. He had mesothelioma, which is a lung cancer caused by asbestos. We are still unsure how he came in contact with asbestos. He grew up in an older home in Lawrence that probably had asbestos somewhere, but neither his mom nor his three brothers show any signs of asbestos poisoning.

Mesothelioma is fatal. The projected life expectancy after diagnosis is less than 10 years. Yet Bret seemed positive and was a joy to be around. He maintained his sense of humor and the hope he would survive at least a little longer.

I worked on several pieces for the show, and I ultimately decided what was most inspiring about Bret was his hope. I work with a lot of plants and weeds in my paintings, so I looked for a plant that would suggest optimism. The sunflower seemed perfect — it always turns to follow the sun before it reaches full bloom. The Band-Aids have several connotations, relating to the treatment or cure, or maybe even false hope.’

Gloria Baker Feinstein:
‘My mom was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia when she was 81 and given a few months to live. She hung on for close to a year. During that time my siblings and I made frequent trips home to Kentucky to help care for her and to provide moral support for our father.

Caring for her meant taking her to the doctor for blood work and exams, loading up the freezer with home-cooked meals, helping her put her bequests in order and, later, painting her fingernails, pruning her rosebushes, helping her to the bathroom, brushing her hair. Even later, we were trying to keep her pain at a manageable level, assuring her that we were there with her, calling hospice, sitting by her side.

The night my mom died I was alone with her. My father and brother had gone to get some dinner. She chose that tiny window of time to let go. I don’t think she wanted my dad to see her die. Once I realized what was happening, I just held her.

I got up once, about 15 minutes before she drew her last breath, and got my camera. I made this photograph of our hands. I didn’t really know why I did it at the time. I guess I didn’t want to let her go and figured with just one last photo, I could keep her with me for a long time.’”

lonnie powell

This stunning painting greets you as you walk into the lobby of the brand new H&R Block World headquarters in downtown Kansas City. It’s larger than life and pretty much commands the attention of the entire lobby. It was done by Lonnie Powell, who is going to Uganda with us to teach art classes to the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood.

Lonnie is a graduate of Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri where he studied under the late James Dallas Parks. He spent the majority of his career as an art teacher in the Kansas City, Missouri school district.

I am so honored that he will joining us!

survivors, finale

In 1939, three-quarters of the residents of Miedzyrzec, Poland – about 18,000 people – were Jewish. Not more than 300 survived the Holocaust. When Sonia was a child there, the Jews in Miedzyrzec had an orphanage, a home for the elderly, youth organizations, Hebrew schools and a private secondary school. A few Jews were allowed to attend university, but they were required to stand for lectures. After Sonia was taken to the concentration camps, she dreamed, “God, why don’t you turn me into a little bird and let me be free?” In the chaos preceding her liberation at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Sonia was shot in the chest. Not quite 18, she recovered and met John Warshawski. They married in 1946 and came to Kansas City a year later. John operated a tailor shop; Sonia worked as a salesperson. John died in 1989, but Sonia still works there. She has three children. “I always felt a special strength for my children,” she says. “And that kept me going.”


One of five Jewish families in Zabno, Croatia, the Bergls owned 300 acres planted in wheat and an orchard of 4,000 trees. Zdenko’s father managed the family’s grocery store, brick factory and lumber mill. By 1936, Zdenko’s parents were boycotting German products. He was disappointed on his 10th birthday when he got a Kodak Brownie camera instead of a Leica. Shortly after the German occupation of Croatia, the Bergls fled to Italy where, with the help of a priest, they obtained forged papers. Zdenko has visited Croatia several times since the war. The best visit was in 1972, when he shipped his Cadillac overseas and drove it into Zabno. “People came from all over and said: ‘we cleaned you Jews out. How do you do it?’” Zdenko told them: “When you come to America and tell them you’re Jewish, your fellow Jews give you a key for a new house and a key for a new car. And they believed it!”


Ida was raised in Krakow, Poland with four sisters and a brother. Her family lived in a large apartment with electricity and running water. It was filled with nice furniture and crystals Ida’s father brought back from his travels. A maid helped with the laundry and cleaning three times a week. With six children, her mother cooked most of the day. “Everything fresh – fresh bread form the bakery every day,” Ida recalls. “When I was young, I was very spoiled and my mother had to buy little breakfast cakes for me.” Ida’s parents valued education. But it was a struggle. In public school, Ida could not get an “A” in Polish because she was Jewish. Gentile children threw stones. In high school, she worked particularly hard. “They would kick Jews out for no reason,” she remembers. Ida was liberated from concentration camps and met her husband in Germany. They immigrated to Kansas City in 1957. “Survivors, we keep very close,” she says. “We are different. We are not happy people.”