Beading Progress

Over the past few weeks we have been working on our own beading, but now we are ready to get everyone else involved! Keep an eye out for workshop days coming soon!
Here is some of our work:
Pictures by our very own Luke Gnadinger!

"New Moon" Artists

The artists of the "New Moon" sculpture in Lexington will be joining the class for our potluck Wednesday night. They will also be the visiting speakers on February 19th. For more information you can check out their project at:
http://incandescentcloud.com/2014/01/28/new-city-new-moon/

The potluck will be Wednesday January 29th at 6:30 at The Gathering Place.

Class Notes 1/22

Dean Bell

Oral History- takes as its core idea the ordinary, an individual's concept of life and story. An everyday personal remembrance, crafting it to be retold. It is deeply personal and carries with it great meaning. These remembrances can hold the key to understanding how a person organizes their own life. These stories often only provide one side of the factual story.

When preparing to take an Oral History you must go in with an objective, the process is smoother when interviewer is articulated about their purpose.
- need to know what questions we will ask
- need to develop the questioning relationship - develop report, be open and honest about your own experiences. Find a common ground.
-Participant Observation, think ahead of the game.

How do we make our lives meaningful over time? - cultural artifacts in which meaning was placed such as recipes, songs, games, shared historical and sociological experiences, economic and practical boundaries. Sensory information helps make the connection to future audiences.

We discover this meaning through the words of the people, who can tell us what these things mean. Their description doesn't have to be scientific or political to be powerful.  You, as an oral historian, have to convince them that their words and advice can shape the lives of others. That different people will find different things to attach onto.

Every 10 minutes of tape leads to 30-45 minutes of transcribing- it is key to capture the cultural ambiance of it, capture nuances such as language
- Make a moral commitment to accuracy
- Consistent characterization throughout
- After send to an archive, the collections at the archive can show us the changes and similarities across generations.

This I Believe #3

Post 'em!

Questions for Wednesday 1/21/14

Post your questions here by noon on Wednesday!

Class Notes 1/15

Rich Schein 

Different ways of viewing the cultural landscape:

Art History View: as showing property/wealth

Architecture: buildings/ urban dwellings etc. 

Landscaping: cutting trees, altering the environment 

• you can look at the design of the landscape, but it is also very important to look at who is behind the landscape. Look at people as writing on the earth. 
• We all write the landscape, we all alter it in some way. 

• if we open up the landscape to all people then there are as many meanings to it as there are people. 
• Landscape can also serve as a place of hanging up our disagreements. 

Landscape as a thing and it’s meaning 

• Central Park- designed by Olmsted and Vox, man made in NYC. Little bit of nature in a large city, public space. All parks are based off this model. 

• American Suburbs symbolically represents the American way of life. Leisure and affluence, nuclear family centered, safe and attractive. Mass transit, family values and shopping malls. 

• effects equity in the work place
• carbon foot print increased. 
• people in a suburb may feel apart of a community, but it is often exclusionary. 

• Gender dimension to the suburbs- mom and kids are at home, dad works.

Fire insurance Map - Rich found his house on an old fire insurance map. The houses next to it were indicated not by a drawing, but simply referenced as “negro dwellings 75ft away”.  These houses weren’t on the map because African Americans couldn’t afford the fire insurance. 

• While they aren’t their physically on the maps, their presence can be compared to that of a ghost. Their work and labor are evident. 

Frederick Turner- progressive agrarian views - Lexington was a city before the  “pioneer frontier”. 

1860’s in Lexington- African Americans begin to move north or participate in share cropping. 

• 1940’s/1950’s- Lexington sprawled outward, causing many African Americans to be kicked out of their homes. ex: Cadentown- only preserved because people tapped into the preservation movement. 

Isaac Murphy- won 4 Kentucky derbies, yet is not represented at thoroughbred park. Thomas Tolliver is trying to get this amazing african american jockey recognized with a plaque installation. 

Lyric Theater- a place where jazz music was played in the east end in the 20’s/30’s/40’s. People enjoyed the entertainment regardless of race. 

- restoration was a battle, couldn’t decide what we wanted the space to be. The location itself was caught in the middle of the two side argument. Now is a community theater and events space. 

This I Believe #2

Post them here by 3 on Tuesday!