violet, a birthday and some art supplies

One of our very young Change the Truth supporters, Violet, came up with a great idea for her most recent birthday. She asked her friends to bring gifts for the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage instead of for her. Violet, you are our hero!!

Here's a picture of the huge pile that was created when I unloaded all the goodies Violet and her friends gave us. They will be loaded into my duffel bag and delivered to the children at SMK this week. I know the kids in Uganda will be so happy to receive them!

I happened to find this note stuck to one of the gifts. I took a picture of it and am posting it here because I am in total agreement with what Violet's friend wrote.

Here is an interview I recently conducted with Violet.

What birthday was this for you? 

The seventh birthday.

How did you get the idea to ask your friends to brings art supplies for the
children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage instead of bringing presents for you? Had
you ever done anything like this?

I remembered that my big sister Fiona decorated a doll for Change the Truth and I wanted to do something for the kids too. No, I’ve never done anything like that before.

How many friends came to your party? Were they surprised at your request for gifts? Have you inspired any of your friends to do the same thing for their birthdays?

There were about eighteen girls. I think they were excited to do it.

How did you feel after your party when you saw all the bags full of gifts for the children at SMK?

I felt really good because I was doing a good thing for other people.

What is your favorite subject at school? What grade are you going into? What do you like to do when you're not at school?

I am going into second grade. My favorite subjects are art and music. Really Iike everything except math.

What do you want to do when you're grown up?

I have no idea.

The children at SMK will be excited and grateful when they receive all the goodies you rounded up. Do you have anything special you'd like to say to them?

I hope you have fun and enjoy these art supplies. I know you will make amazing pictures with them and I would really love to see them.

Any message you'd like to send to other kids your age about kindness and generosity? 

Being kind and generous makes you feel awesome.

three new photographs

"Putting four edges around a collection of information or facts transforms it. A photograph is not what was photographed, it's something else... a new world is created."
- Garry Winogrand

So I was sitting in our 7th floor living room in Portland one day when I heard some tap, tap, tapping at our window. I looked over to see a window washer hanging there, his feet just raking the top of our window as he lowered himself to clean it. I grabbed my camera, waited for him to ease his way onto the balcony and then made this picture. The image became its own new something else.

One day Eddie and I went on a late afternoon walk. Three guys in business suits came up from behind us and passed us with long, steady strides. They moved on in front of us, their shadows lengthening, and I pulled my camera out of my back pocket to make this picture. Another attempt at capturing something as it morphed into something else.

Back in Kansas City, I was at a coffee shop trying to do some work at my computer when I got totally distracted by the slant of sunlight to my left. The guy seated near me was reading the paper, and the large photo above him kind of repeated the patterns of light around him. Again with the camera that was in my back pocket. 

I can't seem to beat this addiction that is called "taking-pictures-pretty-much-all- the-time." And, frankly, it seems to be getting worse better with each passing year.

Oh, and check this out. Here is a photograph made by Andre Ketersz in Martinque in 1973. When I was working on my window washing photo, I thought of it.

strings for uganda: post #3

This wise and insightful post was written by Hannah. I think I'm going to make it required reading for all prospective CTT team members!

"The other day I was asked by another SMK visitor, Monique, what I would take away from being in Uganda.  As this trip has been closer to ending, I have been asking myself the same question.  I came up with four themes that represented my stay at SMK.

Family

When you think of family, those are the people that are closest to you.  They are those people who support you, love you, know things about you that other people would not, know how to cheer you up, and even how to push your buttons.  As I came to Uganda, I knew I would make new friends, but was never in the mindset of leaving with a new family.

On the first day of teaching, SMK had a Parade (school assembly) where our team was introduced to the students.  At the end of our introduction, Moses, the headmaster of the school said something to us that resonated with me.  'You come in as strangers, but leave as family'.  How amazing is that?!  Complete strangers willingly opening their hearts and homes to us, not just as visitors, but accepting us as a part of their family.  However, that’s how it is here at SMK. Every staff member and child has welcomed us with an open heart and mind.  Melissa has been a true blessing to us! She has let the Strings for Uganda team take over her home and has been amazing. I understand why the children here call her Mama Melissa.  The people here have now become my family in Uganda. I know that if I came back 5, 10, even 15 years from now, they would still welcome us just as they have done now.

Fortunate

                  Coming to Africa has been a dream of mine, even before Strings for Uganda was ever an idea.  As a teenager I participated in many missions trips and felt that Africa was a part of my future.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be here 15 years later and on top of that, to teach violin.  But that has become the reality and I am grateful.  Until this past year, Africa was only within hands reach of a computer, rather than something I would actually experience.  Being at SMK has brought upon new perspectives of all areas in my life; the way I live, interact with others, work, feel, etc.  My life at home is so busy and there are many times that I forget to 'stop and smell the roses'.  However, being in Uganda has brought that into perspective.  I forgot how there are so many simple things I should appreciate.  For example, time is so important in my life.  Everything is on a schedule and there is a deadline for everything and most of my time is taken up by work. I have found that in Uganda time is not always a priority.  Things run late, a simple hello turns into an extended conversation, hugging a child becomes a play date that can last a day.  Back home I feel that sometimes we take the quality away and think of quantity.  How much time can I spare? How long will it take? I only have 10 minutes. We tend to forget about what you will take away from that experience with someone or something.

Fulfilling

                  I feel very fortunate to have always had my needs met. I never went without, whether it was food, toys, clothes, being loved, having an education, etc.  However, at SMK I have found myself being fulfilled in a way that is difficult to categorize.  The feelings I have come from the people I have met here.  There is a presence of genuine hopefulness, positivity, and joy.  Through every smile and hello, you can tell that it was meant for you.  It’s not just a general statement or action made out of obligation.  I think of the first time I met Mama Rosemary.  When you see her, you see an older woman in her 60s, but as she begins to talk and move she carries the presence of someone much younger.  She exudes positivity, love, energy, joy, and she seems to glow.  As she approached our team, she did not hesitate and gave each one of us a hug, rather than shake our hand.  She shares how grateful she is to have us at SMK teaching students the violin.  Her voice and demeanor are genuine and you can’t help but smile from within and reciprocate the feeling.  That’s the fulfillment I get from the people around here.  You can’t help but smile and feel a sense of joy.

Forever

                  Uganda and SMK will never be finished in my heart.  I will forever carry them wherever I go.  I can’t imagine leaving here and not coming back.  There will always be another project to work on or begin and kids to see and love.  I plan on taking my own experience and sharing it with my family, friends, and students in Kansas City.  I have already created lessons and fundraising ideas to begin once I get back home. I have family here now, and that family is forever.

I will forever be changed by this experience and so grateful to leave with a new family.

FAMILY.  FORTUNATE.  FULLFILLING. FOREVER."

- Hannah Ho

andrew putter

"Andrew Putter is a South African photographer and art activist with ties heavily connected to his home of Cape Town. His latest series of portraits as featured by the Stevenson group is a modern take on the work of Irish-born African Alfred Martin Duggan-Cronin. Duggan-Cronin was known for his anthropological and photographic expeditions in Africa between 1919 and 1939, and Putter borrows from his style to create a series of portraits of contemporary black Capetonians.

The series consists of a black and white portrait of the subject in traditional tribal wear, immediately juxtaposed with a colour photo of the same subject in modern attire of their choice. The result is a fascinating examination of the colonial mindset and the ‘dangers inherent’ in the ethnographic/anthropological process, as subjects are often seen as a novelty object or something less than human.

In a nation rife with tense racial and colonial history, Native Work serves as an interesting reminder of the dehumanising elements of colonialism but is also a way of highlighting the passage of time healing some scars as Putter’s subjects are presented with a certain dignity and strength. This is further highlighted by the fact that each subject was given an individual choice for their costume, rather than the white photographer giving commands to the model. From the mouth of Putter himself:

'Cognizant of the dangers inherent in Duggan-Cronin’s colonial, ethnographic approach to making images, Native Work nevertheless recognises an impulse of tenderness running through his project…By trusting this impulse in Duggan-Cronin’s photographs, Native Work attempts to provoke another way of reading these images, and to use them in the making of new work motivated by the desire for social solidarity, a desire which emerges as a particular kind of historical possibility in the aftermath of apartheid.'

It’s an interesting contradiction, and serves as a reminder of the perils of a colonial ideology yet also as a humble tribute to the subjects portrayed and the history that rests on their shoulders."

- Kevin Loo, Literati, July, 2013

change the truth team 7

It looks like we have two spots available on Team 7.

December 21 - December 31.

Kajjansi, Uganda.

Interested?

Contact: gbfeinstein [at] aol [dot] com

louis draper

Work I'd never seen - by a photographer I did not know - was featured yesterday on the NYT Lens blog. Turns out Gordon Stettinius is the head honcho of the project (and has been working for a year now) to preserve and promote the archives of photographer Louis Draper. Photography lovers have been treated to some brilliant work by previously "undiscovered" image makers these past few years. I'm so happy to learn about yet another wonderful surprise.

Check out the Lens blog post here. 

The following few paragraphs, written by Gordon, give a brief introduction to the project:

I want to write a few words about how excited I am to be working for the preservation trust of photographer Louis Draper. Last week, I and two of my interns went to Charlottesville to remove all of Draper’s work from the special collections at University of Virginia’s Alderman Library. I had to borrow a Chevrolet Battleship (a.k.a. a Suburban) for the task as this is a fairly large archive including papers, manuscripts, lessons, photo equipment alongside of the many boxes of prints and collected works and binders full of negatives and slides. But we now have moved the work safely to Candela’s offices and are beginning this week to create an accurate inventory and to work on preliminary edits of the work.

This is a story that is going to take a long slow while to tell but over the coming months we are going to try to share our experience of discovering and preserving Mr. Draper’s photography and we are going to do what we can to get the word out about this incredible individual. A native Richmonder, Draper moved to New York City in 1957 and, as a young photographer, was a peer to many important figures from New York’s cultural and artistic scenes and eventually became an innovator, educator, as well as a Civil Rights activist. In short, we hope to bring some long overdue recognition to a man who spent his life refining and sharing his knowledge of photography. And it should prove to be exciting for anyone with an interest in 20th c. photography or the Civil Rights movement or photography or New York City photographers or Harlem in particular, or any of a dozen other visual and aesthetic threads that can be found in such an expansive life’s work.

Earlier this year, I met Mrs. Nell Draper-Winston, and her associate, Cheryl Pelt, as they had hoped that I might have interest in looking at the work of Mrs. Winston’s brother Louis, who had passed away in 2002. Since I had published Gita Lenz in 2010, I understood a little about what it meant to work with an extensive photography archive. And to be honest, that project of publishing Gita’s work was a both a personal journey and a major learning experience for me. So I entered the initial conversations with Mrs. Winston with the idea that I might help out if I was able but I wasn’t sure I would be able to take on any kind of active role as a direct representative. I have been offered the opportunity to review a few other photographer’s estates since publishing Gita Lenz but had not, until now, really been excited to the point where I was called to get involved myself.

Upon viewing a selection of prints that Mrs. Winston had in her personal collection and beginning to research the span of Draper’s career, from his being a founding member of Kamoinge – a forum dedicated to African-American photographers – to having been a friend and neighbor of Langston Hughes while living in Harlem, to his work documenting Civil Rights issues from the 1960s forward, to his travels abroad to Russia and Senegal and elsewhere.  Basically, that first meeting to discuss Draper’s career extended to several longer conversations until I had to admit that I was really enthusiastic about the possibilities found within this work. This is really an exciting research project and for that I want to simply say thanks to Mrs. Winston and Mrs. Pelt for the opportunity to work with them on the Louis Draper preservation trust.

- Gordon Stettinius, November, 2012

These images are some of my favorites (for now, that is). They are amazing and wonderful and are inspiring the heck out of me. Keep your eyes peeled for more and more of Louis Draper's work. You can follow the progress made by Gordon and his team here.

strings for uganda: post #2

This post is from Nick, the only male member of Strings for Uganda. The kids at SMK have decided he looks like Jesus.

"We have made so many wonderful friends in the short time we have been here.  Each day has been filled with laughter, learning, and music.  Our P3 and P4 violin students are catching on quickly and are always eager to learn.  In fact, some of them show up after classes for extra violin lessons. 

We have spent most of this week working on technique, but next week we will be starting to learn some songs to perform next weekend.  I am very excited to see what is in store for us next week.

I have been learning some music myself.  Douglas has taught me some music on a traditional African harp and Nicky has been teaching me Bruno Mars songs at our nightly jam sessions."

- Nick

about face

This exhibition opens today; I feel so lucky to be included. Two friends from the KC area also have work in the show: Deanna Dikeman and Phillip Heying.

There are some fun festivities celebrating this exhibition, and there is a Flak Photo (Andy Adams) slide show of portrait work by many other photographers running alongside the exhibition. It's all pretty wonderful!

Hopefully, those of you who live in KC will have a chance to check out "About Face." It was curated by Jane Aspinwall and April Watson and will be at the museum until January.

strings for uganda: post #1

Nick, Hannah, Amaya and Lindsey (Strings for Uganda) are at St. Mary Kevin. Lynne, Natalie and I will be on our way there in shortly. It time to begin a new chapter in the life and times of Change the Truth. This post, then, will be the first installment of CTT Chapter 8. 

The following was submitted by Lindsey. It's a great account of their past two days at SMK.

Oliva

August 6

Everyone is so kind and joyful here. It seems to me that the people, at least who I have met in Kajjansi live not by their circumstances, but by their hearts. In each simple hello, they seem to give their heart to you in their smile and their handshake. We met “Mama Rosemary” and her daughter Joan Faith and they were so happy to have us here. The opportunity of violin has been something they have looked forward to for many months, according to them both. Every person we have met makes a point to say, “You are welcome in Uganda” after they say, “It is nice to meet you” and repeat our names back to us. Even the children have such high regard for the adults in their lives, especially those that they view as teachers. The children don’t ever just “barge” in someone’s home, they always ask to come in or wait to be invited in. Any time they see another person, they greet them, instead of just walk by. At school when they all meet together, the older kids help out the younger kids in a natural way, not forced by teachers. The culture seems to encourage each person to be helpful to their community and to those who visit them. Even after a couple of days, it has become easy for us to walk up the road and buy eggs, Chabat and vegetables for breakfast. The people in this village welcome others with an open heart and a smile, even if we are “Muzungus” (Lugandan for white person).

Melissa has been so gracious with her hospitality. I have been able to have so many conversations with her while she prepares lunch, and while the group is teaching. I always missed having conversations with her when we worked together, always struggling to find time to really get to know each other. I am so grateful I get to spend time with her now, during a time where she is in such a state of joy while living here in Uganda. She is truly invested in her work here at St Mary Kevin and her love spills into each child’s heart when they see her. I feel very lucky to know Melissa.

Today I did laundry. I used some Tide packets that I brought along on the trip to wash our towels and after washing just 5 towels kneeling down in the basins of water my back filled with pain. The women I saw on Sunday doing laundry at the water banks made it look easy, as they washed several pieces of clothing and I couldn’t wait to get those 5 towels on the line so I could sit down again. It was in that moment I was thankful for my washer at home, but also truly amazed at the strength of the women at the water banks who devote their time every Saturday and Sunday to washing clothes for their families.

Nick, Amaya and Hannah are on their 2^nd day of teaching. The first day was hard on Amaya because she walked each group (a total of 10-approximately 70 kids total) back and forth from the orphanage to the room where we are teaching (right off of Melissa’s house). She was very tired and hungry by the end of the day. Also, since there were only P3 and P4 grades taking lessons formally in the school day, other kids expressed interest in taking lessons after the school day. One kid came and asked Nick if they could come and receive a lesson, but as Nick walked out of St. Mary Kevin’s 7 more kids followed him back to the room. It was a bit overwhelming, especially for Amaya who was ready for the day to be over, and dinner to begin. Today is a new day for her, she had a full night’s sleep and a big breakfast this morning, followed by a large lunch of pasta and seems much happier than she did yesterday.

August 7

I did my next round of laundry today. I planned to do more than towels yesterday, after resting my back…but I luckily was saved by a downpour of rain. So this morning after breakfast I went back at it. I washed about 12 things and hung them on the line. Luckily, it’s very sunny and warm today so they all dried by lunch time. The boys that live next door were waiting so they could do more of their laundry, but of course never were pushy about it. Everyone is so patient here. No one wear’s a watch here and there are no clocks posted in the school rooms. The kids operate from breaks to school work by a bell, often rang by an older child during the day. The first day of Nick, Hannah and Amaya teaching started an hour late because it had been raining all morning, which delayed them making breakfast. By lunch time they were all caught up. The children learn 10 subjects in primary school at St. Mary Kevin and all the teachers have are textbooks (often times not enough for each child to have) and a chalkboard for each lesson. The teachers fill up each inch of the board. Amaya still is wondering how this is possible, without resources to maps, globes, pictures and other visual aids. Melissa was telling me that the kids learn about only a few states in the US, but they don’t have any idea what the states really look like, where they are located within the United States, only given a little direction through hand drawn maps and the small amount of information in their textbooks.

The children are also disciplined through caning here, all the way through secondary school. Not following a simple direction or not having your textbook can get you several thumps with the cane. One girl, who has become a friend of Amaya’s, Queen was hit today and the teacher missed her back and hit her arm. She came to the clinic and got a pain reliever pill and then laid down for a minute in Melissa’s house. Amaya asked why she was laying in there really upset and so I told her what had happened. Amaya said, “What? Why can’t they just give her more homework? More homework sucks, you can’t do fun stuff after school because you have all this extra homework.” I laughed and said, “Well maybe you are right…you should get into educational reform for Africa when you are older.” She responded, “Maybe I will, maybe I will.” Grass is always greener on the other side right? As long as you have an idea what that other side looks like….

Today was the third day of teaching for Nick, Amaya and Hannah. They have 4 groups come from 11-1 and then 6 groups come between 2 and 5. Often though, the students don’t start until 15 minutes after the start time because they forget or the bell is a little late each day. We are learning that things do not start on time. Today they are putting the bow to the strings and trying out the strings. There are several children who seem to really enjoy taking lessons, and then others who may just be doing it because they get to get out of class and their other classmates are doing it. There are over 70 students, which by Friday will most likely dwindle down to 15-20 or at least a more manageable number.

- Lindsey

manzanita again

I breath deeper when looking out into the sea or fog. I feel more centered, too.

I feel smaller. Feeling smaller can be a good thing. Like, I'm not such a big deal after all. None of us are, really.

the oregon coast

I find myself in gorgeous Manzanita, feeling very much alive and oh so happy to recognize the power and expanse of both sea and sky.

first thursdays

The first Thursday of each month in Portland is a festive occasion. That's when galleries have their opening receptions for new exhibits.

Here are a few pictures I took last night.

a very young, determined, talented and prolific artist

Blaise's decorated banana fiber doll made for the CTT 2011 fundraiser 

One of our Change the Truth doll artists is the incredibly talented ceramic artist, Amy Meya. She has two cool sons. One is Blaise, who did a doll for CTT (one of my favorites ever). Blaise has an older brother named Gaston. I just saw the following on Amy's facebook page and am thrilled to pass this story along. What a cool kid Gaston is. Travail bien fait!!

"Gaston Meya is a sixth grade student at Academie Lafayette, a French language charter school in Kansas City, Mo.; all courses are taught in French allowing the students to become truly fluent in the language. To complete this learning experience all sixth grade students are invited to visit their sister school in Bayonne, France for two weeks in the spring.

The trip to France includes staying with a host family and attending the local school, they get to go on several field trips in the region (South-Western France) and then at the end of the trip they get to spend two days in Paris. The trip is not an obligation, but it is an incredible opportunity for the children to learn from their peers abroad. It is an opportunity to take the lessons of global learning to the next level. It is truly an opportunity of a lifetime for a sixth grader from Kansas City.

There are a few scholarships for the trip, but they do not cover the total cost which is around $3,700. When we began discussing the trip with Gaston, while he was in fifth grade, we were honest about the cost of the trip, and we weren't sure if we could pull it off. He decided he wanted to help contribute. He came to the conclusion that if he created a series of 500 drawings, he could make a major contribution to the 'French trip fund.' Eight months later he completed all 500, he truly created 500 drawings with 500 original titles. I have to reiterate this because it blows my mind that he accomplished his goal, although it shouldn't, when Gaston sets his mind to something, he does it. 

His love of dinosaurs and video games comes through as an obvious influence in some of his drawings, another influence is his love of the Pokemon characters."

- Amy

Gaston's drawings will be on display at the Locust Factory in Kansas City this weekend and again at the Westport Art Fair in September. He told his mom that each drawing is like sharing a fragment of his imagination. I get that!