Hi all…here are a few things I have been playing with, trying to feel more comfortable with experimenting with the kids’ words and some images along with my own ideas and layers…

 

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Playing with words and images

My photos are being naughty and not uploading properly so here they are in a google slide show…more boring, I know! I will put the pictures directly in this message once they upload properly!

For these two, I wanted to take the images the kids had either taken or chosen and place them with their words.  But as I studied them I realized that both the images and words lay atop historical contexts within and outside the community.

These images are historical and rooted in a specific place.

In the first one, the background is of a historical marker of Freedman’s Village where the Green Valley Pharmacy still lives.  

In the next slide, the image is not actually in Arlington but Joanie’s presence in the picture is carried with her across time and place to live in Arlington as F sees it.

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Found Poem

While this is not visual…yet, I wanted to share where I am with this.  The jumps of time from her being in the present, thinking about the future based on her past…makes me really want to explore this visually.

 

T was in my first class at Patrick Henry Elementary School (PHES) in 2011-2012.  We have continued to chat and email over the years as she visited the school after she left and kept in contact once I moved to New York.  I conducted an interview with her about PHES and we discussed the possible transition of the school to a new location.  After transcribing the interview, I played the audio while reading the text and highlighted words and phrases that “stuck out” to me and seemed to resonate either on the page or because of the intonation of T’s voice.  I then lifted the highlighted parts and placed them on a new page…below is the new “cooked” poem.

 

My entire life from whatever I can remember…

I remember being there.

     one of my first memories

     was Patrick Henry…

     really good memories…

     being really comfortable

because I know every nook and cranny

     of Patrick Henry

          not just because of the building

               …because of the people there

But, still, I have a connection towards the actual building.

     there’s Patrick Henry that I can hold on to

     and then I will always remember how good Patrick Henry was.

How much I grew up there.

I can thank Patrick Henry for so many things that make me who I am.

     I thought that when I’m older and eventually if I end up having kids, then my kids are gonna go          here.

      They’re gonna to a place just like Patrick Henry.

      But…people aren’t going to be going to Patrick Henry anymore.

There isn’t going to be a Patrick Henry anymore.

      Like, I have to be okay.

I just didn’t realize it was gonna be a problem for me right now.

     There’s things like that I remember.

      But I think I have more connection towards like…

              just like everyday after school.

Things like that.

     I know everybody has those memories

           with their elementary school,

                     with their middle school

             or whatever.

It just feels like a lot right now.