Coffee Dispatch Vol. 3
Feeling a little hard to write today & I’m sure I’m not the only person feeling this. I’m at Buzz as I type this, my usual haunt and am just thankful I can to do this. It’s silly really, me sitting here prattling on about this and that. But it’s also important. As more and more arts institutions have their funding pulled from under them it’s more and more important for anyone, ANYONE who works in the Arts (and culture as a whole!) to keep going. We are at a crossroads with so much and the one thing that has always carried people thru is Art. Can you imagine getting thru the pandemic without music or movies? I’d have shriveled up without my daily photo walks and sketchbook. In the immortal words of Ethan Hawke, “…art’s not a luxury-it’s actually sustenance. We need it.” So I’m going too keep typing this and remember that this has value that can’t be measured. Thanks for being here.
Art In The Attic went well! I met some very cool people and am so glad I did it. I’m not sure my schedule will allow for me to participate again until the Fall but will share if I make that move. For now, I’ll be focusing on Art On The Avenue that’s in October as well as some photo-based projects.
I’m so happy that both my Alternative Bookmaking & Mixed Media Collage Workshops were just wonderful!!! I am so happy to be able to create classes that people are not only interested in taking, but excited about! While I’m taking the summer off from these workshops I am planning on some offerings in the Fall which I will share here. Some more Mixed Media workshops and possibly some Photography too! Thanks to my wonderful people who joined these past two months, you helped make it so fun!
I’m a presenter at Polacon!!!
Speaking of Photography, I took a HUGE leap of faith recently and not only am I attending PolaCon in NYC this month, I’m presenting! Eeek!!! What is PolaCon you ask? Well, it’s an event dedicated to instant photography celebrating Polaroid and the like. It’s an event created by Brooklyn Film Camera and when I saw the ticket announcement on their feed I felt like it was a sign that I HAD to try to go. The presentation however was a hilarious chance I took and it’s happening! Suffice it to say, while I have a healthy collection of Polaroid cameras and piles of photo’s, my workflow was based on an Alternative Photography Class I taught using older film that is super pricey now. Fuji FP100C is like, if all instant film were cars, this would be 1970’s Volvo…classic look but expensive. Overt car analogy aside, my proposal wouldn’t have been cost-effective. But thru a funny turn of events, (read:I forgot my 3rd proposal and that’s what they were interested in anyway!) I’m now presenting “PHOTO ZINE MAKING” and I couldn’t be more excited! It’s going to be awesome, and I’m going to find my way to the venue fine after I find my way from the train station to my hotel. It’s gonna be fine. Yah, this is big. Don’t let anyone who’s making big moves isn’t jarring as HELL! But we’re doing it. I’ll be posting about it for sure as it’s happening so if you’re not following me on Instagram, take a look.
With the approaching summer I’ve got a few road trips planned and some ideas about how to document them. I’ve been really enjoying my 100 Day Project this year focusing on black and white photography posted daily on both Instagram & Flashes and want to continue to play with different forms. Stay tuned for images from that series once I get my shit together, actually download them and post them! As always, thanks for being here.