Slideluck Potshow Comes to Rochester

Last Friday, Jan. 22, Rochester Contemporary hosted a Slideluck Potshow event. The walls of RoCo's gallery were bare, as the Members Exhibition had just come down.

Begun in 2000, when Casey Kelbaugh "invited some friends to his backyard in Seattle for a potluck dinner and art slideshow," Slideluck Potshow has become an international phenomenon, which brings artists and their surrounding communities together for a night of food and art. Sounds like a great idea to me! Images for the slideshow are collected through a call-for-entry and jury selection process and range from emerging to well-established artists. To learn more about the organization, click here.

Attendees watch the show:

Kelly Shimoda's text message project I guess you don't want to talk to me anymore:

Work by Abelardo Morell:

Elinor Carucci's recent work from the series My children:

Complete List of Artists shown:
100 Eyes/Beware the Cost of War
Aaron Huey
Alberado Morell
Alec Soth
Alyssa Monks
Anastasia Taylor
Andrew Moore
Andy Freeberg
Ariel Zambelich
Birthe Piontek
Christoph Morlinghaus
Don Menges
Elinor Carucci
Emily Schiffer
Guntar Kravis
Jonathan Lipkin
Kelly Shimoda
Lindsay Blatt
Lorenzo Triburgo
Lori Nix
Magnus Bjerk
Michael Forester Rothbar
Molly Surno
Olivia Arnone
Olivia Jacquet
Phillip Toledano
Robert Herman
Robin Schwartz
Ryan Sulzc
Scout Tufankjin
Wren Noble

Converge: Upstate Graduate Exhibition

Last night was the opening for Converge: Upstate Graduate Exhibition at Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences (SPAS) Gallery. The show includes work from over 50 MFA students at the following Upstate NY schools: Alfred University, RIT, Syracuse University, University of Buffalo, and Visual Studies Workshop.

I entered Kale, an image from my current project, Slow & Steady. The photograph was taken at Mud Creek Farm, and shows kale growing under a material that protects the plant from frost. (To learn a little more about the farm and my current project, check out a blog post I wrote back in December.) Kale was in the "nature" section of the show, in between work by fellow RIT grads Emma Powell and Emily Zeller.

Visitors take a closer look:

If you're in upstate New York, come by and check out the show:

Location: 70 Lomb Memorial Dr. Rochester, NY
Frank E. Gannett Building (7B), 3rd floor
Dates: Thurs. Jan. 21 - Fri. Jan. 29, 2010

Through Your Lens: School Facilities Across America

At the end of summer '09, I learned about Through Your Lens, "a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers." The contest challenged teachers, students, and other members of public school communities nationwide to photograph their school campus: both the good (subjects which show off school pride) and the bad (deterioration). I responded to the call for photos, by revisiting my alma mater Langley High School.

I submitted the photos in this post, along with the following statement:

U.S. News and World Report listed Langley High School in the top 100 schools in December 2008. As a graduate from the class of 2003, I can vouch for the high-quality education available from a dedicated faculty and staff at the public school in McLean, VA. Though during a recent visit to the campus, I realized that the facility, built in 1965, is a little rough around the edges. Fortunately, a new wing with shiny classrooms was just added to Langley's facade. But the renovations reveal a stark contrast to the rest of the aging building. Many details have been overlooked, including broken and tattered door signs. And the outdoor basketball court has rusty hoops and grass growing through broken asphalt. Despite some necessary maintenance work, there is a lot of charming history literally drawn on the school walls, including a map of Virginia in the science wing and a Saxon Pride mural by the gymnasium. It would be great if finances could allow a better preservation of facilities for the wonderful LHS community.

This afternoon, I learned that the picture below of the basketball court was published in Through the Lens, a book created as a result of the photo contest. The book will be delivered to key leaders in the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the US Department of Education.

Rochester Roots

Rochester Roots is an exciting organization "committed to the creation of urban school and community garden-based educational programs for youth and adults" in the city of Rochester, NY. Director Jan McDonald and volunteers work with the school community to develop a garden which complements lessons children are learning in such subjects as science, history, and math. To teach participants entrepreneurial skills, a portion of the produce is sold at the South Wedge Farmers Market. To learn more about Rochester Roots, check out their video, Let's Dig In.

I spent several chilly autumn mornings photographing at one of the elementary school gardens, watching children enthusiastically pick produce, pull dying plants, and feed the compost pile.

At the end of the season, Rochester Roots hosted a fund raising event that included a delicious harvest dinner, a dessert table filled with homemade pies, a silent auction and a lecture presented by guest speaker Samina Raja, professor at the University of Buffalo.
If you're a Rochester local, consider joining Rochester Roots this Saturday, Jan.16, 2010, for Growing Together: A Community Garden Conference. The day includes a morning bus tour of local community gardens (sold out) and an afternoon of three breakout sessions: 1) Soil Health 2) A-Z Organic Garden Planning and 3) Community Garden and Urban Agriculture Development. Walk-Ins for the conference are allowed, however pre-registration is encouraged. Phone registrations can be made to 585-232-1463.

Date: Saturday, Jan.16, 2010
Times: 9:00-12:00 Bus tour (sold out)
12:30-5:30 breakout sessions
Location: Rochester City Hall
Address: 30 Church St. Rochester, NY 14614
Free parking available at City Hall

Rochester Contemporary 19th Annual Members Exhibition

If you happen to be in the Rochester area, check out RoCo's 19th Annual Members Exhibition, on display now through Jan. 17. A photograph from my Abandoned Houses series is included in the show.

Location:
137 East Avenue (between Scio & Gibbs Sts)
Rochester, NY 14604

Hours:
Wed-Sun 1-5 PM
Closed Dec. 21-Jan. 5

General Admission: $1

Peacework Farm

This fall, I spent a few Sundays at the Genessee Valley Organic Community Supported Agriculture's Peacework Farm in Newark, NY. The GVOCSA was initially begun in 1989 by Elizabeth Henderson, author of Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture. Greg Palmer and his wife Ammie Chickering partnered with Henderson in 1998. Each year the farm also recruit apprentices to work during the growing season. This summer, the farm had three full-time apprentices, all graduates from Green Mountain College and one part-time apprentice who also works at Small World Bakery (more about the bakery soon).

The organization of a CSA varies from farm to farm. Membership with Peacwork Farm involves a fee in the spring (ranging from $300-680 depending on an individual's desired food quantities) and 2-3 4-hour shifts of work on the farm, along with 1-2 2.5-hour shifts at the distribution site at Abundance Co-op in downtown Rochester.

Farm shifts are on Sundays and Thursdays. I went to the farm on three chilly Sundays to photograph the farmers and members working together on harvesting vegetables to prepare for distribution.

Toby, a friend of the apprentices, collects a bundle of pea shoots. (Pea shoots are delicious in a salad!)
Apprentice Allie pauses from digging potatoes to embrace a member's dog.
Farmer Greg sorts squash in different bins for distribution.
After the work is complete, the farmers and members gather for a wonderful potluck meal inside the barn. The food varies each week, but generally includes a salad of leaves and vegetables gathered fresh from the farm, cheese from a Mennonite store down the road, homemade bread, soup, and desserts (which I provided when I attended! I baked chocolate oatmeal cookies the first week, chocolate zucchini brownies the next, and chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing. The farmers greatly appreciated my chocolate contributions!)The apprentices were kind enough to let me come to their home and photograph some of their surroundings. I love to find these instances when modern technology (stereo) and age-old traditions (garlic braid) converge.
At the end of the season, the farm held a potluck dinner at St. Mary's Church in downtown Rochester. Attendees were asked to bring a dish with 8-10 servings, a note card listing ingredients, and their own place settings. The desserts went fast!To learn more about GVOCSA, visit their website or attend a sign up meeting, held on Wednesday, February 10, from 7-9 PM and Saturday, March 6, from 2-4 PM at the James P. B. Duffy School 12, 999 South Avenue, in Rochester.

Thesis Beginnings

Please forgive my long absence from the blogosphere! I've spent the last three months delving into my thesis project, in which I am photographing small communities and families practicing sustainable food production in Western NY.

In earlier projects, such as 100 Soup Cans, after Warhol, I worked to create photographs that critique the mainstream American food industry. Rather than continue with this critique, I am turning to focus on the positive actions being made by individuals and communities to carry on such traditions as gardening, baking, and cheese making. Interested in the Slow Food and Locavore movements, my research has revealed that the greater Rochester region contains a powerful community of groups and individuals practicing local food production. With my thesis, I am entering this community to meet people with similar food interests, to document their actions and to create images that reveal methods of eating that are alternative to convenience foods. The project will culminate in an art show, planned for fall 2010.

Throughout the next several days, I will post images from the project, highlighting the communities and individuals that I have had the great pleasure to meet and photograph thus far.

And without further ado, meet Farmer Erin, founder of Mud Creek Farm, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) located in Victor, NY. The farm just finished its first year and plans have begun for the 2010 season. To hear more about the farm and its beginnings, listen to an archived interview from Michael Warren Thomas' local radio show Naturally Green.

Because I began the project in September, I have been catching the tail end of harvest season, which means cold weather crops, like kale (seen below, protected from frost), and wilting warm weather crops. I have visited the farm twice so far. During my first visit, I wandered the rows of crops and watched as Erin harvested cabbage. I also met Farmer Andy, of Andy's Specialty Garlic & Produce, another brand new CSA, located in Newark, NY. (More about him later). During my second visit to Mud Creek, family and friends came out on a Saturday to help Erin wrap up the season and harvest some of the last crops for a Thanksgiving share (a special bonus to members that signed up early for the 2010 season). Among other tasks, the greenhouse was cleaned, spinach was picked, and vegetables were washed.
If you happen to live in the Rochester area and are interested in joining the CSA in 2010, there is an information session tomorrow 12/06 at the Artisan Church (1235 S. Clinton Ave.) from 12:00 - 1:30PM. The event begins with a potluck lunch, so bring a dish!