50-100-150 Summer Show

I will be one of 50 local artists participating in the 50-100-150 pop-up show at Riverside Gallery in Cambridge, MA. The show will be up for viewing on Sunday, June 23rd from 4:00-6:30pm. I will have two brand new photographs from A Farm Year up and for sale. Come on out.

Riverside Gallery
5 Callender Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
June 23rd from 4:00-6:30pm

Facebook Event Page

Can You Hear Me Now?

I will have two photographs in the second annual juried exhibition of cell phone photograph at the StoneCrop Gallery in York, Maine.  I've never really done much with any of the photos from my cell phone other than post them online, but I recently printed a few off them to see how they looked off the screen.  They held up better than I thought they would.  

I don't always carry my camera with me but almost always have my phone.  Scrolling through the photos on there is like a little picture diary and it is a pleasure to be asked to share two of my favorites in the gallery.

Young New England Photographers Opening

A shot from the opening of the Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward Festival YNEP show at the Nave Gallery Annex in Somerville.  Photo courtesy of Shane Godfrey and featuring the lovely Matthew Gamber and my leg in a frame.  Thank you to everyone who came out to the opening; it was great to see you and look at some art from photographers around New England.  Also to celebrate what will probably be my last year of being considered "young."

Here is a shot of my photograph from the night of installation, also courtesy of my friend Shane Godfrey via Instagram.

Feast Mass Grant

My grant proposal to Feast Mass for my photography project about Busa Farm was accepted and I will be presenting it to a room of voters! The person/project with the most votes wins a grant to continue the work on their project. Donations are taken at the door, and those donations go towards the winning project. Your donation at the door also gets you a dinner made from local New England ingredients.

I would love it if you came out (and maybe voted for my project), ate some food, and supported local projects. Spread the word! Invite friends. The more the merrier (and the more the winning project receives).

There are 100 spots at the dinner, email feastmass@gmail.com with your name and the number of guests you are bringing if you would like to reserve a seat.

About Feast:

Feast Mass is a recurring micro-grant giving supper in Boston, MA. We feed people and fund creative, community-based projects.

* Eat a hand-made supper made from New England ingredients.

* Hear proposals from your neighbors about community-based creative projects.

* Vote for the project you want to see put into action.

* The winner receives a grant funded by your dinner ticket.

About my project:

A Farm Year (working title) is a photographic documentary project about Busa Farm in Lexington, MA. Busa Farm has been owned and run by the Busa family since 1919. This current generation's farmer, Dennis, is going to be the last Busa to be able to own and work the land. I am working on documenting the family's last year as farmers from January to December.

The photographs themselves are already being shot and will continue for the duration of the farming year. Once that has concluded, I am looking to put together an exhibition as well as a book of photographs and writings. The writings will be my own observations from shooting the land as well as writing from the family members and community about what having the farm has added to the life of Lexington and surrounding towns. The grant will be used to produce the exhibition: framing, space, publicity, and reception, as well as the book: publication, printing, and marketing.

Event Information:

Feast Mass Dinner

Saturday, May 4th from 7:00-10:00pm

Make Shift Boston

549 Columbus Avenue

Boston, MA 02118

In Response

Dusk, 2011 from Rumination

I was recently contacted about an opportunity to collaborate with local musician Mia Friedman to put together some work that is inspired by her music, and for her to create some music that is inspired by some of my photographs.  The project is called In Response and Mia and I will be the first featured artists to kick the series off.

Here's some press information about the project:

In Response pairs local emerging artists and musicians together for a series of events that celebrates the artistic process; to share their work and sources of inspiration and to in turn, to become sources of inspiration for one another. This unique collaboration captures the creative process, and illuminates the path that ideas take as they come into fruition. By sharing existing works, notebook sketches and demo recordings, these artists and musicians will gain insights on another’s method of working, and engage in a new process together. In Response culminates in a series of Sunday afternoon exhibitions and performances at the Lilypad in Cambridge, showcasing new works guided by the lyrics, colors, sounds, textures, and shapes of their partner’s endeavors. 

Each Sunday between April 21 and May 12 features an opening by different artist and musician pair. Doors open 3:00 PM on the day of show, with performances beginning at 3:30 PM. Exhibitions will be on view throughout the week. 

Please come join me if you are in the Cambridge, MA area on Sunday, April 21st!  Snacks and beverages are being provided by 1369 Coffeehouse and Curtis Street Bakers and there is a suggested donation of $5-10.  The series was curated by Leah Hennessy and funded in part by an EM grant from the New England Conservatory.

In Response

Opening: April 21st, 3:00-5:00 pm

Lilypad

1353 Cambridge St

Cambridge, MA 02139

On the Farm

Life in the greenhouse from a few weeks ago; little baby plants.  I think that if I time traveled and told me-from-4-years-ago that I'd be tromping around in the mud, sitting with goats, counting down the days until the farmer's market opens for the season, tending to my own world of plants in my apartment, and spending time being happy on a farm, I would not have believed it.  But all of those things are true.

I've done a lot of work in the past 7 years that has been so tied up in my own head and in my own life that it's so freeing feeling to be able to just go outside and look at things growing and make work that is less entangled in my personal life.

The life outside the greenhouse has been slow.  We've had unexpected bursts of snowstorms this past month and the ground is just beginning its thaw.  I would imagine that Dennis is planning to start moving some of the seedlings out into the ground by the end of the month once the threat of frost has passed.  One of the goats is scheduled to give birth at the beginning of May and I would love to be there for that.  The hanging geraniums have bloomed and its almost farm stand time.

Busa Farm project

Images courtesy of Busa Farm

As I am laid up at home on my couch today with some unrelenting cold, I thought I would share some very exciting news that has been in the works these past few weeks.

Busa Farm is a family-run farm located in Lexington, MA (and a short 5 minute drive from my apartment).  It has been an active farm since its purchase in 1919.  This year is its last year as a privately run farm before being handed off to LexFarm where it will be turned into a community farm.

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of taking a tour of the grounds and greenhouse, meeting the dwarf goats, and getting to know Dennis, the farmer.  Even trudging through the snow and the mud, I was immediately at ease and felt good just being on the land and away from traffic.  While I by no means live in a bustling city, it's still a somewhat urban area where I live in an apartment with no yard right on a busy main street that runs from Lexington to Boston.  The farm abuts the Arlington Reservoir which is currently quiet and iced over.  It was nice.

The part that I play in all of this, is that I will be documenting Dennis' last year on the farm.  Starting now, I will be following the changes in the land, the crops, and the seasons through the end of the year.  I'm so thrilled to be working with Dennis and LexFarm and getting back to photographing something outside of myself - and something that involves myself in an active community.  I'm looking forward to learning about farming and eating more locally (and fresher) in the coming seasons.

Jon Creamer

In addition to crafting, baking, and Etsy-ing, I've also been working on a website for Providence-based photographer Jon Creamer.  Jon and I worked together to create a very simple website that focused on his images.  I put the finishing touches up on Monday and it's now ready for the world.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a happy holiday season.  These photos are from Christmas Eve, where I spent the evening with my family at my aunt and uncle's house in Connecticut.  The moon was bright and my uncle started a bonfire in the backyard.  The family gathered around in the cold and then went in for desserts.  It snowed on Christmas morning while we opened presents in the living room.

There are new things underfoot for me in 2013.  I decided to revamp the blog, and I have some projects that will be coming down the pipeline fairly soon.  Until then, (unhappily) back to work tomorrow.

New Apartment

On November 1st I moved into a new apartment.  I'm on the fourth floor; I have a view of the Boston skyline, and architectural details from the 20's.  I'm happy there.  Here's a little vignette from the new place.

Lemons, November 2012

Lost River Cave

Kentucky, August 2012

Art on the Roof

On September 27th was the event Art on the Roof held at MassChallenge in Boston.  I had work on display alongside 7 other artists.  The event was fun: food, drinks, mingling, and art.  I met the fellows artists, indulged in two glasses of Coke and admired the view.

View from the 14th floor.

I'm generally out of my element when it comes to the actual event part of being an artist.  I'm not terribly good at small talk (or looking inviting), being interviewed, talking in front of large groups of people, or being in front of the camera.  All of those things happened, but I think I held my own.  I spent a lot of time talking to Catharyn Tivy and Clare Asch, both of them artists participating in the event as well.  They are both very talented, and I recommend checking out their work.

Panorama of the event (click to enlarge).

At around 8:30 we were all exhausted and packed up our work.  I went home and treated myself to some late night oatmeal. Overall, a success.

Today!

I am having an opening reception today at the VCAC Gallery for my project, War of the Worlds.  If you are in the Connecticut area, I would love to see you!

Here is the Facebook event page: War of the Worlds [solo exhibition]

Address:

Vernon Community Arts Center

709 Hartford Turnpike

Vernon, Connecticut 06066

From 1 to 4pm

Day 1 - Atlantic City

Maggie and I hatted and ready to hit the road - photo courtesy of my mother.

On my way to pick up Maggie, my travel companion, a bird flew into the windshield of my car and presumably died in the street.  I fretted about bad omens and rallied for emotional support via Facebook.  7am is too early to think about dead animals.

Boston to Atlantic City is about a six hour drive.  The car was packed and we were on the road by 8:30am.  We stopped in Connecticut to pick up the rental car, some last minute provisions, eat biscuit breakfast sandwiches, and say goodbye to my mom.  Some tears may have been held back at the rental car headquarters, but we got our car and tried to shake it off.

Atlantic City was hot.  I found out that my lens had broken once I stepped out of the car, and I may have silently cried a little.  This was the only day that tears were shed (unless they happened in private).

Maggie and I on the beach.  I had high hopes for summer life in a floppy hat,
but the wind made it impossible.  I tried.

We walked the boardwalk and stopped into some schmaltzy stores to buy postcards.  I found myself inside a candy store where I found saltwater taffy for everyone I knew.  I left it all behind because I knew it would melt from spending two weeks in a hot car.  Egg nog taffy, cotton candy taffy, licorice taffy, lime taffy.

Did you know that cats live underneath the boardwalk?  I saw two of them during my stroll.  You aren't supposed to feed them, and they are taken care of by some sort of boardwalk association.  I can't imagine being a cat on the beach in the summer time. 

Soon, storm clouds started to roll in and it was time to drive a few more hours until we reached our hotel in Delaware.  We made pretty good progress for our first day on the road.

bits & bobs

Bits and pieces of my apartment.  I don't think I will ever stop adding things.  On my nightstand, I have a bunch of fake peonies.  The real things bloom for such a short amount of time; what would the winter be without soft pink peonies to look at from bed?  The sun-catcher with my name on it, a gift from another Kelly that I lost to the west coast.  A palm-sized kitten medallion that was a birthday present from another friend several years ago.  Driftwood from Mexico and a few stones that have caught my eye that  I have collected over the years.

I went outside this afternoon and collected a handful of what I can only assume are weeds.  My desk needed a bit more wildlife to it.  My front yard is overgrown with bittersweet vines and the peonies are long gone.  I trimmed a bit of overgrowth that was expanding over the stone walkway to my front door.

This is my little work nook in my bedroom.  For the past year or so, I've done all my work from the couch.  I recently rearranged my furniture and moved my desk out from its dusty corner.  Hopefully I will one day replace the desk with a good solid wooden table.  I'm thinking good thoughts and hoping the hot weather goes away so the fan isn't needed.  It's been a warm summer up here so far.

Old

At least once a year all I want to sit down (or go out) and do is make photographs.  I look at old pictures, hoping that there will be some unexplored scrap that I could launch off of.  I feel out of scraps, you know?  A girl without scraps.

I took this picture in 2003.  An old boyfriend and I used to ride around in his car, hoping to end up someplace that we had never been.  We always ended up in the same spot, no matter what roads we took.  I came to realize that you can't get lost in the suburban streets that you grew up in.  But the picture reflects a different side of me that I think I repressed while I was in college.  

I very much became someone who likes to have a specific project they are shooting for; a goal, a theme.  And I've been doing that the past two years now.  But I've also been someone who very much gets caught up in their own head.  My most recent "work" has been literally all about the inside my head: breaking down, building up, being poked, prodded, diagnosed, medicated, followed-up on.  Waiting rooms.  Side effects.  Easy listening.  I'm feeling better and I'm tired of myself.  I'd like to take a drive and just shoot on instinct.

In 2003: it was almost summer, May.  School wasn't yet out for the year.  I was 17.  It seemed like I lived for those drives where I could be the passenger and look at things.  I'm going on a road trip this summer and I can't wait to loosen up.  Sorry for all of the stuffy posts abut exhibitions and whatnot.  I think somewhere along the line I also misplaced my ability to say anything interesting.

Fourth of July

I headed down to Connecticut to visit with Kelly, a good friend that I've known since we were teenagers. We caught up and ate a lot of barbecue foods on her back deck.  It was good to get away from Massachusetts for a while, even if I didn't go very far.  I'm so happy that she was able to fly from Washington state and I got a chance to see her before she went back.  Every time I see her, we just fall into each other's lives like we see each other ever day.  There are some things that I miss about being young and relatively free from any pressing responsibilities.  Hopefully I can work up the gumption to take a long flight out to visit.

Since I had her at my disposal, I figured I would take advantage of that and photograph her.  Kelly was always a subject for me in my first few years of college, so it was fun to get her in front of the camera again.  A lot has changed in eight (!) years.

Kate, Russell House Tavern

Had a busyish weekend.  Went out for pizza and shopping at Target on Friday night, went to a Fiona Apple concert for free on Saturday night thanks to a friend, and then went out for a delicious brunch at Russell House Tavern in Harvard Square.  I got a wonderful bacon, egg, and cheese on a (soft and perfectly buttery) croissant.  Kate got Nutella-stuffed french toast.  Also delicious.  Brunch is my favorite meal but I hardly ever partake.  It was a nice treat.

After we finished, I took out my camera and decided to photograph Kate.  I really do have such beautiful friends and I never take advantage of it.  It has been a really long time since I've gone out and photographed people.  I'm a little rusty.  Ever since junior year in college, I've shied away from portraits.  That year and my seminar project took a lot out of me.  So, here's Kate.

I have also set up a Facebook page for my photography on a whim.  Check it out and "like" my page.  I'd be much obliged!

inspiration

I was asked by Glovebox to write about what inspires me.  I don't think a lo about this, so it was interesting for me to sit down and put into words.  When I shoot, I'm mostly just walking around and looking at things.  I will know immediately when I see something that I want to make a photograph of it.  Summer is the season of walking around.

Inspiration Post at Glovebox