Work Up at the Anderson Center

I posted last month about an exhibition I was asked to be a part of in Red Wing at the Anderson Center. My boys and I went down to the event last Saturday. Here are a few photos:

Some legitimate art in their permanent collection.




A Warhol "Mao" in the corner.


Upstairs there was art all throughout the hallways.


"The Barn" is quite the structure, and is beautiful inside.


More art in the cafeteria.


My work in the main gallery.


Click here for a larger version of this photo of the main gallery.


My boys running through the gallery.


My 5-year-old wanted his photo taken by one of my pieces. So I'll end this post with that. :)

Delivering Pieces for a "Summer Celebration" at the Anderson Center

I made a trip down to Red Wing today to drop 5 pieces off at the Anderson Center for an upcoming event.

The tower at the Anderson Center.


The house I stayed in as part of my residency 10 years ago. My bedroom was the upper left window.


I Instagrammed these photos with the caption "Spent the morning in Red Wing with my boys.
We had to deliver some artwork of mine for an upcoming exhibition at the Anderson Center. (I was
an artist-in-residence there 10 years ago.) The Center's director let the boys feed the baby turtle!
We also played at an awesome park, watched big tugboats go up the Mississippi, and ate pizza."

The director Chris contacted me and asked me to show some of my "4 a.m." work at their summer celebration. Here are a few snapshots from their big flyer about the event next month:

My boys and I hope to make the trip back for the event. They loved running around on the expansive grounds at the Anderson Center.

Residency: Last Day and Back Home

I woke up early on the 31st, and went to the Tannery (making leather). I met the president, Buck Foot, and he gave me a personal tour as I made photos. I’m not sure I was able to make anything spectacular.

I packed my car, turned in my keys, and checked out the Anderson Center. As I went up to my room for the last time to check for anything I may have left behind, I walked through the door smiling. I couldn’t really help it. I looked around while smiling. I walked down the steps and out the front door while smiling. I had a great time there, and I had met some great people.

When I left Red Wing for St. Paul, I headed straight for home. I dropped off my expensive camera equipment, took my bike off the car rack, and went into Minneapolis for a meeting with the other Photo Professors at the University of Minnesota. I was right back in the swing of things. It seemed as if I had forgotten about the photos that I had made in Red Wing; I was right back in teacher mode. I couldn’t forget about these photos and their stories, so I knew I needed to start getting them on paper (or in a computer). So I had Sarah drive my car on our way back from her brothers’ football game last night, and I typed for 2 hours. If I met you in Red Wing, and you think I may be writing about our meeting, you can contact me and I’ll send you my version of events.

Residency: Final Thoughts

It’s my last night here at the Anderson Center, and I feel I need to write about it. I’m not compelled to say anything extraordinary, I just feel like I’m supposed to elaborate on my thoughts at this point.

I’m ready to go home, but not ready to leave.

I’m not ready to leave because there is more work to be made; more photos that I need to have. I came here for a project, and I’m not sure that the project is fully realized yet. I’m not sure it exists in the form that I had hoped it would. I’m not ready to leave Debbie’s cooking. Six pm every night, something incredible is sitting on the table. I’m not ready to leave the power of this room. There is a creative energy surging through this building. I can feel this house breathe at night.

I’m not ready to have to go back to “fitting in” time to make photos. Here, I’ve been able to crawl out of bed, grab my gear, and come back when I’m done (or hungry). I’ve been able to talk with the people A LOT more than I usually can. (Side note: I've realized that the stories that are shared with me before, during, and after I make someone’s photo may be important to the work, so I’m trying to remember everyone and what we talked about so I don’t forget. At my presentation last night, a few people commented afterward that they really like the stories I had to tell with each photo, and that they’re not used to photographers giving that much background on each image. They liked it. I’ve been thinking about it for about 4 days now, and I’ve decided I need to get these stories on paper. I tend to forget the details. It’s all just details.)

I’m ready to go home because I’ve worked myself numb. I don’t stop looking for photos or talking with people in town. The other residents comment on how they never see me because I’m always out shooting - never around home resting. I haven’t been sleeping nearly as much as I should be. My calves are burning. My big toe on my right foot is screwed up. My right shoulder is constantly sore to the touch from carrying around that damn camera bag. The skin around my fingernails is raw from going in and out of my pocket for my car keys all the time. I’m ready to feel my bed again; to smell Sarah sleeping next to me.

What’s left to say? It’s been an incredible stay, but my time is up. I have the photos that I have. 1956 to this point. It’ll be well over 2000 after my shoot early tomorrow morning. I’ll spend a few weeks (months) contemplating them, moving them around, adding, subtracting, changing the story around until, hopefully, I can make them communicate something. That “something” is yet to be determined. It will be a thought-filled night tonight, I’m sure. Thanks for being a part of this.

Residency Day 13, 14, and 15

Some portraits from day 13:

Grandma and the girls
headed down to Lake Pepin


Dredging the main channel


Runner

On Tuesday, day 14, I had to zip back to the Cities to teach Media I at MCAD. And then I zipped back to Red Wing for a artists lecture at ArtReach. Thanks for the photo Sanjna:

I tried to make some photos before the class at MCAD and after the presentation at ArtReach, but it just wasn’t working. Therefore, no photos were made on day 14. Ouch.

Day 15:

Gumballs at the barber shop


M. D. at Bev’s Cafe


M. D. headed home


Brothers/co-owners in a new bar
that opens tomorrow


Restacking sweet corn

Tomorrow, I have one big shoot lined up, and then I need to pack up and get to a meeting at the U of M. My time here has nearly come to a close.

Residency Day 12

Back at the Blue Moon Café. It’s a bit drizzly outside, but I’m about ready to head out. I had to stop here for the wireless so I could send my syllabus to Katherine and Lynda at MCAD and CVA, respectively.

I didn’t shoot much at all yesterday - I sequestered myself in my room at the Anderson Center for the majority of the day to work on preparing for class starting this week and next week. But I thought I’d take a moment and show you some work from Sunday:

Face-painting clown


Face-painting clown


Dunk tank


Priest with Bingo cards


Sunday evening at the River

I’m still really excited about the Miss Red Wing and Red Wing Princess photoshoot from this past weekend! I think I have something there (check the post before this one).

Tomorrow, I start teaching FND Media 1 at MCAD. I’ll take off for the Cities in the late morning, teach the first class, book it back to Red Wing, and give a presentation of my work at ArtReach. It’s the start of fall - back in the saddle again...

Residency Day 9, 10, and 11

I’m sitting at the Blue Moon Café in Red Wing on a cool, breezy Saturday night. It’s warm in here. I’m sitting with Sanjna, a resident filmmaker/writer from New York staying with me at the Anderson Center. We have our 2 Macs taking up all the space on this little table. There are 3 sixty year old men standing in the corner performing yet another cover of “Folsom Prison Blues.” The café is filled with trinkets and knick-knacks of all sorts: wooden chickens, antique pottery, men with white beards, and stained glass windows. It couldn’t be more perfect. I actually have goose bumps right now due to my current state of bliss. Life is good.

I feel like I’ve had a little photographic success lately. I’ve been more prolific. More is better, right? Although Thursday I was rained out. It poured and stormed starting in the afternoon. My room started leaking at 2 am. I went to the kitchen to get a pan to catch the water and slept the rest of the night with a pillow over my head to kill the sounds of the dripping. Still, I can’t complain. The Anderson Center is a place of magic.

Last night, Sarah came up to spend the night. She went on a 61 mile bike ride today as I was making photos, and then we went on a 5 mile run once she was back. It was nice to see her, even just for a few hours.

Well, enough small talk, I’ll give you what you came here for. Here’s some new work:

Mulching the new grass seed


Waiting to board the Amtrak for Chicago
to visit the American Girl doll factory


Marina girl


Red Wing Stoneware closing time


Purple wall and speaker


Red Wing Princess on the patio


Miss Red Wing


Miss Red Wing getting ready to
start college in 4 days

p.s. The local old men playing honky-tonk just started a song with “I’m an old cowpoke. I don’t use no soap.”

PERFECTION.

Residency Day 6, 7, and 8

It’s been a few days. I’ve had a few highs and lows. Where to begin...

Monday, day 6, I started really having trouble with the work I’d been creating (actually, I've been having issues with it for quite a bit now, but it's been in the forefront of my thoughts lately). It’s the same work from grad school. Nothing’s changed. I’m not taking any more risks. I’m getting to a comfortable location (physically and mentally [and maybe spiritually]) and I make my photos there. In that safe place. Nothing new. Everything old and boring. I’m trying to open myself up while I’m here, but this is not an undertaking for this residency. I need to make risky, inventive photos while I’m here, and once I leave I need to start dealing with my working process. It’s not in a respectable place for my work to be. It’s stale.

That being said, here are a few photos from the last few days. This is risky for me to be doing during this residency, because I always need time to fully process these images and decide what is working and what is just dribble. Putting these up days, sometimes hours, after shooting them is tough for me. It’s bearing my soul to all of you.

Waiting for the fish to bite


Smoking at the produce stand


Whacking weeds on a hill


Lifeguard on break


Lifeguard on break


Waterpark by the Mississippi (in the background)


Penny-farthing enthusiast


Clydesdales at Wal-Mart
(it sounds strange because it IS strange)








Red Wing potter

That’s been the last few days for me. I’ve been well. How are you? How are the kids?

p.s. I think the “Quakers” from the Day 5 post were actually Mennonites. I want to write them to ask.