thanks everyone for a great defense!

© 2001 MGM Home Entertainment
you all are my heros. really, i mean it. it might be a long time before you fully realize the scope of your accomplishments, but you [guys] are monster, terminators- your poise before an audience is formidible, your insight into your projects is redoubtable, and your charm commendable. you make me proud to be your teacher. you make me think i'm lucky to be a part of your studies. you also make me think that i need to get a camera into my hands pretty soon and start practicing. hard.

fyi- cathy will be in again tomorrow, and we'll begin concentrating on book design and cd-rom format.

hasta la vista, baby!

defending your [project]

"paula @ johnny rockets" ©2006[bmk]

as we discussed in class on wednesday, candidates for masters and phd degrees must defend their thesis' before a group of learned scholors. in this vein we will prepare to defend our projects to the general art public. there are certain facts about the project that you must be able to explain clearly to the general public. the list of leading questions and explanations below should be considered only a start- not a complete and inclusive list. modify it as needed for your project.

on friday we will rehearse our presentations, and on wednesday next we will sing our songs of joy to the reporter from the post-journal. tuesday the 15th of may @ 5pm sharp we will begin the public defense. dress appropriately. and smile like you mean it...

[q/a]

1] what is the nature of your photographic study?
2] what was your initial source of interest in this line of inquiry?
3] what is the point/purpose?
4] were there any specific people or circumstances from which you found inspiration or guidance?
5] how did the visiting artist guide your project? how did it change or evolve from beginning to end?
6] what have you learned? how has your opinion/belief/outlook changed?
7] what happens next?

"ooohhhh... it's scary kids..."

but its getting down to crunch time and we have much to do. here are the pertinent dates that you need to know. don't let count floyd down- be sure to have tuesday may 15th off from work. we need you at school to defend your projects in front of a public audience. like i said- "ooohhh...."

[b]mk
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dates:

1] May 9: Alex Gerould from the Post Journal will be visiting us during Cathy's visit
2] May 15: [5 PM] Students will give AV presentation of their projects in the high school auditorium- open to the public
3] May 18: Books go to press [i'll need info from you as to what grant information needs to be included]
4] May 25: All prints finished, begin matting and framing
5] June 5: [6:30 PM] official dedication of gallery and project show opening

new gallery taking shape...

this is an artists rendering of the wrazen gallery, the centerpiece of the vanguard installation. the gallery is being installed in the "e" wing of the high school, bridging the high school and middle school. the gallery will house a permanent teaching collection as well as rotating exhibits.

on wednesday april 4th we began the conversion process. many thanks to everyone who helped out. it was a bigger job than anyone could have anticipated. its 85% finished, with just a few ceiling tiles to paint and some touch up work before we hang the first pieces.

if strawberries were made of iron- er, if- um, if we...

"if irony was made out of strawberries..." ©2007 megan arnone

thanks for a great, and by that i mean GREAT couple o' days. despite my [meltdown], which i blame entirely on decaf coffee, we did an outstanding job defensing our projects. if i haven't yet, let me say now how proud i am of everyone. you have put so much genuine thought and emotion into this project- and taken this already so far beyond anyones expectations- it makes me [smile] imagine how this is going to look as a book - [monster]

i owe you all pizza...

[b]mk

so what is vanguard?

i realized last night that some of the viewers of this blog really don't have any background information about vanguard. the project, which is in its fourth year, is about empowering young adults to communicate their world views by using photographs as the vehicle for communication. anyway, the project abstract goes like'a this...
--- --- ---
the goal of the vanguard photography project is relatively simple. by creating a series of photographic works and writing about the images, the students are introduced to the peculiar power of photography to illuminate the subtleties of culture and personal interaction. in collaboration with a visiting artist, the participants propose an avenue of pursuit and create a series of photographs to that end. a participants are free to decide their project directions. past endeavors have shown that some students will choose a traditional documentary approach to their photography, while others investigate a more abstract route. the role of the visiting artist is to direct and advise; to act as facilitator and mentor.
the cross-curricular facets of the project, which include writing and historical investigation, will act to foster a deeper understanding of the history of the region, an appreciation for their particular generational contributions, and through presentations to community groups, an appreciation of certain universal realities connected with growing to adulthood.
the project, which lasts one academic semester, culminates with a an exhibit of student work in a gallery space built for this exhibit at southwestern high school, and the publication of a book and cd of the images.

i can smell the meat and 'taters...

we are fully into the production stage of the project now. as we progress, its imperative that we keep in mind our original goal. that goal is to comment on your life through your photos. we have all chose different directions and aproaches. that's what will make this a great project. we have realized early on that you do not have to create a document in a literal sense- this need not be journalism. simply by pointing out the things you find interesting you tell who you are. a great example is megan arnone's "giant frosted mini wheat". it expresses a simple joyfulness that makes me laugh. kelsey gambrel's winter/spring studies are as tender as they are intriguing.

others have already spent a considerable time developing a theme who's idea came quickly and had an immediate impact. mary ecklund and rachel walbesser both have great images up for view. their themes address respectively, the pressures of society; and the relevance of photography as record of family and friends.

there are others yes, equally good, equally insightful. that is why we need to take some time to investigate each other's blogs. this project is dependent on feedback to help guide us through the sticky bits and to further prove the project's relevancy. so please do each other a big favor and take a moment to leave a message as you browse through each other's images.