community – Flower City Arts Center

Community and Collaboration Part 2

Since I wrote my last post, and with my lecture series coming up in 2019, I’ve been thinking more and more about Community in the context of a healthy art practice.

For me, it can be really easy to isolate artistically. I struggle with some common self-sabotaging creative blocks like:

“Someone else has already done this, what’s the point of my doing it?”

“Someone will steal my ideas or get credit for my labor/ideas.”

“My ideas aren’t really important, good, relevant, etc…”

These, among a litany of other personal and collective messages about creativity and artists, can really get in the way of a successful creative life. Community, but especially the COLLABORATION that emerges from Creative Community, is a way to break down barriers to art making.

Over the next three posts, I will be sharing encounters I have had over the last couple of weeks that emphasize the importance of community and collaboration as an artist. This week, we’ll start with Louis.

Louis Chavez

I met Louis through a friend of a friend. Louis Chavez is a Southern California transplant like me. They like to say, “We’re both California Girls.”

We both escaped our dessert hometowns to find healing and queer community in the cool moist air of the Northwest Coast. We’re ‘85 babies. We both love film photography. And, for now, we both reside in Rochester NY. Obviously, a collaborative duo destined in the stars.

Louis has encountered a lot of generosity as they have developed their photography practice. Friends, fellow photographers, willing to lend film, cameras and other resources in order that learning and creative development were possible.

Photo of Megan May by Louis Chavez, Film, Kodak Portra

Louis has taken this kindness and paid it forward with me. They’ve been willing to lend me film as well as their time and knowledge so I could understand my love of large format film photography better.

We’ve been meeting weekly for the past couple of months now. I feel very comfortable with Louis and during our last session, I started to get into an element of my performance practice that I usually only express when alone. I love the images he captured of my weird expression experiment.

Photo of Performance by Megan May photograph by Louis Chavez, Film, 120mm

My first two packs of 4” x 5” Kodak Film came in the mail this week (Ektar and Portra if you were wondering).

I’ll be moving much of my photographic practice into large format and I couldn’t be more excited. This wouldn’t be possible were it not for the collaboration and generosity with my friend Louis.

My ideas and my expression are important to Louis. He finds me inspiring and says so. His knowledge, patience, and support helps me feel confident and inspired too. When we work together we talk, laugh and create art. This collaborative relationship provides me with an experience to push back against of my limiting beliefs about my work and its importance. It is a very valuable bond.

I’ll be teaching a Lecture Series in the winter titled, “The Art of Being an Artist.” Lectures will take place on the third Thursday of the month January-March. In January my lecture will focus on the role of community and collaboration in my life as an artist. Look out for a full schedule of my lectures and classes and FCAC in the winter schedule!

follow Louis Chavez @llouischavezz & chavezlouis.com

Community and Collaboration Part 1

Hi Everyone!

Over the next couple of posts, I want to share my experience with community and collaboration as an Artist and why I think they are essential aspects of a healthy art practice.

As you know from recent posts, I moved here from Southern California. It’s a big distance to move and besides from several acquaintances and a couple friends of a friend, I didn’t really know ANYBODY.

Luckily, I moved here to be an Artist in Residence at a Community Art Center. Like it or not, by default I was going to be part of a community!

As a person and as an artist, community and collaboration have given me several very important things over the past couple of months.

First of all, the Community is a resource. It is a place to belong, to learn and to share wisdom, knowledge, and experiences. It is a balance between giving and receiving in a social and relational context.

Here is why this is important for Artists: sometimes we have BIG IDEAS and GRAND VISIONS. These big ideas and grand visions need a lot of support. They usually require us to develop new skills, find venues to share our work in, financial backing, people power, materials, time and space. That’s a lot for one artist to contend with. Or come up with alone.

Flower City Arts Center has connected me with people who have knowledge and skills I don’t have. Connecting with them is helping me grow my skill set and my art practice. It is also helping me refine the concept for my show in April and is helping me build relationships that are beneficial on a personal and professional level.

I have also had the pleasure of teaching while at FCAC. I have interacted now with both adults and youth in a facilitator position and this has been incredibly valuable. As an artist, teaching allows me to gain confidence in my own knowledge and skill set. Teaching helps me to experience first hand what value I bring to an environment. This is truly a remarkable feeling.

My teaching experience helps me refine my problem solving and organizational skills, helps me continue to define my value and purpose within the community and helps clarify where I have room to grow.

How has your community benefitted you as a person and an artist?

Stay tuned in for my upcoming posts on the same theme. I’ll be sharing about specific classes and people who have been integral to my residency so far!

I’ll be teaching a Lecture Series in the winter titled, The Art of Being an Artist. Lectures will take place on the third Thursday of the month January-March. In January my lecture will focus on the role of community and collaboration in my life as an artist. Look out for a full schedule of my lectures and classes and FCAC in the winter schedule!

Community Art Connect: Teen Empowerment

With the help of The Fay Slover Fund at The Boston Foundation 2018 is the second year that Studio 678 has been able to produce a special photography project.

Of the Community, By the Community, For the Community increases access to art in Rochester’s neighborhoods by placing student photographs for permanent exhibition in various community locations. One such location Teen Empowerment!

Here’s a behind the scenes look at the artwork going up.

Special thanks to the following students’ who worked hard to create the beautiful photographs now on display at Teen Empowerment.

Michael Failing

Miguel Sanchez

Michael Peterkin Jr.

Mohamed Hussein

Zoria Hughes

Plastic Waste

Through my documentary photography I explore the human condition and the individual paths people take on their journey. Photography for me, has been an exploration of self-discovery as I tend towards issues that have affected me personally. My hope is always to raise an awareness and open the door for conversation.

Plastics: Our Human Waste has been an education unlike no other. The evolution of this project came about due to my anxiety over litter. It seemed to me that many of the issues I document have

no concrete solutions. Litter on the other hand seems an easy fix. Don’t litter. Recycle. Pick it up. I am now aware that it is not that easy. My approach to Plastics came about after spending a day at Hamlin Beach along the shore of Lake Ontario. Looking around I was blown away at the amount of litter washed up. This wasn’t just any old litter, it was all plastic.

Bottle caps in all colors and sizes are strewn across our parks and beaches. To be recycled, a plastic cap must be kept on the bottle otherwise it is considered a contaminant. Caps get into our waterways most often by way of littering. Littered bottle caps are washed into storm drains, making their way into bodies of water. Eventually breaking down, the plastic become false food for marine life. Photo by Daryl Thaler. #KeepTheCapAttached

Picking up this plastic as though it were sea glass, I started sorting by color, shapes, and size. Working my way through Braddock, Durand and Webster beaches picking up plastic became a daily routine. The enormous amount of multi-colored plastic waste became overwhelming.

Plastic tampon applicators are abundant along Lake Ontario beaches. Photo by Daryl Thaler. #Refuse

Researching plastic in Lake Ontario was scary:

In 2012 and 2013 NGO 5 Gyres sampled areas of Lake Ontario, they recorded levels of plastic as high as 1.1 million particles per square km. – NOW Toronto News

Alex Mifflin of NOW Toronto states, “Just like the infamous garbage patches of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, our own backyard has been turned into a plastic soup – only our lakes have even higher concentrations of plastics than the biggest ocean garbage patches.”

Plastic debris recovered by Juan Pablo Munoz’s marine biology lab at the GAIAS Institute in the Galápagos Islands. Photo by Ben McLauchlin

I raised an awareness within my own family. Thinking we have a relatively small footprint, I was so wrong, plastic is used in every facet of our lives. It is my hope that these images alongside the actual plastic collected from the shores of Lake Ontario will raise an awareness in you.

Sea life sculptures made from discarded plastic found in Binghamton, NY by Ben McLauchlin

Saturday, August 19th, I will be hosting an Artist Talk on Plastics: Our Human Waste at the Flower City Arts Center. I have several guests joining me to include photographers who participated in documenting plastic and litter Jacalyn Meyvis and Erica Jae, my husband, Daryl Thaler who ventured out with me weekly collecting plastic waste along beaches and Ben McLauchlin, a Rochester native and Binghamton University student focusing on environmental studies and graphic design. Ben has participated in research in the Galapagos Islands studying plastic and will be talking about his experiences as well as sharing his images.

While at the talk you can check out images of plastic collected along Lake Ontario beaches and litter from Rochester area parks, the actual plastic that was swimming in the lake, and some cool artwork created by local artisans from the plastic.

Mermaid created out of plastic waste found along Lake Ontario beaches, by Kelly Cheatle of Airigami Balloon Creations

Remember: Reduce. Recycle. Reuse. Refuse.

Opening Doors for Community Conversation

Several weeks ago I was called out about the photo walks I give in the city of Rochester, NY. They were likened to a tour in a zoo due to the marginalized neighborhoods we went in, neighborhoods I’ve lived in. Most recently a Rochester based journalist contacted me to let me know she wanted to talk with me. She was transparent. The reason, she wants to critique my walks because there is a charge for them and the neighborhoods are primarily African American and poverty stricken.

I mentioned that I do not get paid, the money taken in for these walks directly supports youth programming and scholarships. After reading an article on these sorts of walks, the issue goes much deeper.

Over the past several years, almost weekly someone asks to walk with me to see how I photograph through immersion (even the fellow who likened it to a zoo trip and now sells images of strangers in Rochester for profit –go figure) Not thinking anything of it, I most always said yes. These photo walks offer me the opportunity to teach and share how I make meaningful connections in the community.

Another part of the inspiration for these walks was my recent completion of 18 months as the Northwest team leader for Flower City AmeriCorp walking specifically in poverty stricken neighborhoods doing surveys, outreach, etc. for the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative. I am proud of the projects myself and my team members created to help those in need. During this time I documented the City of Rochester’s amazing programs for the youth residing within these neighborhoods. I am honored to have my images used in the 2017 Summer Recreation Program guide.
City of Rochester 2017 Summber Recreation Program Guide
My curiosity over the comment and interest led me to google photo walks, street photography workshops, etc. I am not naive to the issues today regarding race and come from a racially diverse family. I am educated on ethical issues regarding photojournalism. In my search a recent article popped up about walks/tours in Bushwick, I was shocked but I wasn’t shocked. White led groups of white tourists in marginalized areas…reading that sounds strange and awful. Cringeworthy.

I reflected on my walks. As a part of my artist residency at Flower City Arts Center, I decided to offer photo field trips. The premise of these walks –to build bridges, make connections, explore, meet new photographers and enjoy the city I have lived in and documented for some time. They were also a way to answer the question put forth by African American artist, Sharita Towne, How do you take pictures of somebody in a way that brings them to the table instead of putting them on the menu?”

What I didn’t realize is how these walks could be perceived by some. The walks themselves never gave indication of being gratuitous or exploitative. Strangers became friends. Participants made connections with people we met along the way, had meaningful dialogue on issues the city faces while exchanging phone numbers and linking on social media to share the images created.

All that aside, I’m pretty certain that my integrity, my heart, and my love of the Roc that make up the foundation of these walks will not be received that way by some. And that is okay.

I see every side, I’d like to think that is one of my strengths as a photojournalist, being mindful of those who are or could be potentially hurt. On that note, the photo field trips are no longer available. I don’t want to be THAT photographer. Sometimes we do things that are pure of heart not realizing that pure of heart may have a negative effect on other’s hearts.

It is time we all truly need to listen, step outside and check ourselves. Forget field trips into the city, listening is truly bridge-building and heart work.

The eye-opening article:
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/36160/1/ghetto-tourism-new-yorks-disturbing-new-trend

Arleen Thaler
Photojournalist
Rochester, NY

So Long 2016

As most of us can attest 2016 was filled with many highs and big year-end lows with election results dividing us in many ways. As a Photo Artist-in-Residence at Flower City Arts Center, I am using photography as a tool to help bridge that divide and to unite us. In the Autumn of 2016 I began photo walks with students and members. These walks brought us into neighborhoods in Rochester, NY, and gave us the opportunity to connect with real people instead of a sea of avatars.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPBk6BjF8z2/?taken-by=megancharland

Over the next couple weeks, Megan Charland and myself will be building a wall map of the #ROC where participants will be hanging their photos. This exhibit will not only allow our community to view the images, but to use the photographs to create conversation. We are currently planning a reception for the project where participants will share their experience immersing themselves within communities different than their own.

Part of the inspiration behind this project comes from my own experience immersing myself with the different communities in Rochester and my want to find a way to use social media in a positive way. It is easy to get caught up in division social media can create. Taking a break from the screen, hitting the streets to meet and greet people in person is vital to realizing we really are a lot more alike than the differences portrayed on the interweb.

Happy New Year!

Listening while Capturing

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” ~Stephen R. Covey

Sometimes in the excitement of capturing an image, we lose sight of the story that makes up the person by not being present.

One of the most important lessons I hope for participants of my photo field trips and social reportage classes to learn is one of being able to truly listen to their subject. Listening is a highly effective habit of the socially engaged photographer. Taking the time to not only listen but to understand the message helps to capture an image that is filled with emotion. This past Saturday, the Photo Field Trip Session II, put their listening skills into practice as we explored the southwest quadrant of Rochester, NY. Strolling along West Main Street, the group met several people who shared their stories with us as we enjoyed colorful conversations about, race, the community and politics. By listening to the members that make up a community, especially a community in distress, we can then create those conversations for change. Imagery combined with life stories can become the foundation for solutions.

When you listen, you not only hear the emotion in your subject, you see it in their expressions. The longer you spend time getting to know them, you become aware of those nuances that make a memorable photo.

Giving Back Through Photography

There are so many ways to give back to your community; either through time or talent, it doesn’t cost a thing, and the return is pretty awesome. Some of the ways I have been able to give back using my photographic skills is by delivering images of people I have captured on the streets via a text or a Facebook message, volunteering photographing holiday portraits for local supper programs and most recently my husband and I are providing family portraits for the Heart Gallery. The Heart Gallery is a traveling photographic and audio exhibit created to find forever families for children in foster care. Through Children Awaiting Parents, volunteer photographers capture images of children and their newly adopted families, helping to raise an awareness of children needing homes….And my very favorite thing to do is to help raise awareness!

For photographers starting out or looking to hone their skills, volunteering is the perfect way to do just that. There can be a lot of stress photographing that paid gig, where perfection matters, volunteering offers you the flexibility to get creative while developing your talent. There are many opportunities such as, city schools, homeless shelters, not-for-profits and more, the benefits are mutually rewarding.

The Power of a Photograph

While on assignment this week for POST Rochester magazine, I captured an iPhone image of a little girl whose family is living in poverty. After posting the photo to Instagram, the response was overwhelming, within several hours donations were being offered to the family… a pack and play, diapers, winter clothing, food and furniture.

One photo.

Childhood Poverty

Today the power of photography combined with social media platforms allow a reach unfathomable less than a decade ago. The socially engaged artist has many tools at their disposal. What is the change you would like to be in your community? Capture that image, create that piece of art and be the change, the possibilities are endless, art has the power to change the world.