I was watching a documentary today that I really enjoyed, titled "The Hip Hop Project." It chronicles the work of Art Start's (www.art-start.org) hip hop program, which works to take homeless teens in New York off the street and teach them through art. Minneapolis has a rich history of hip hop and is home to one of the largest independent hip hop labels, Rhymesayers Entertainment. Recently, the non-profit I work for hosted a series of hip hop events, which sought to bring Minneapolis youth into the hip hop scene and teach them how to express themselves through rhythm and poetry, in addition to hosting hip hop events every first Friday of the month. When I was watching the documentary, I could see a lot of parallels between the Art Start program and programs available in Minneapolis offered by Chris Keller (Kristoff Krane, Abzorbr) and Medium Zach (Big Quarters), which I thought was neato and made me a little more proud to represent Minneapolis hip hop.
I've known for a long time that working for a non-profit like Art Start is where I would eventually like to end up on my career path, because I have always believed that art should be accessible to everybody. Art is a nice thing, after all.
So, now that I've been talking about Minneapolis and hip hop and such, I've decided to dedicate today's heavy rotation to my favorite examples of Minneapolis hip hop.
Currently in heavy rotation:
Cecil Otter - Rebel Yellow
P.O.S. - Thatone Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak - Prizefight
And so it begins, another round of New Orleans classes. I think we have a good group this time around and I'm excited to see what stories develop. I'm also interested in seeing who will be loyal to Team Champagne and who will be losers.
You might also notice in the targeted recovery areas that a number of theaters are listed, particularly on Canal St. Perhaps somebody is interested in that topic?
I'm sure I'll generate more ideas for everybody to mull over. For now, I'll be watching When The Levees Broke on OnDemand for the third time this week.
Currently in heavy rotation:
Lazerbeak - Legend Recognize Legend
Tiger Army - Outlaw Heart The Arcade Fire - Rebellion [Lies]
I've been able to write the entirety of this post during the rain delays during tonight's Twins game versus the Orioles. There's been a lot of talk lately about who will be come the new director of FEMA. Louisiana senator, David Vitter, has successfully blocked the nomination of Craig Fugate, the former head of Florida's emergency response agency, until he can guarantee FEMA support in New Orleans, a legitimate request...almost. It seems that it takes a major natural disaster to get the state of Louisiana to accept the help that they are given. I say that because Louisiana, especially New Orleans, is resistant to any support in making emergency preparedness plans on the part of FEMA until after Hurricane Katrina, when Governor Blanco hired former FEMA director James Lee Witt to oversee the reconstruction efforts. James Lee Witt, while the director of FEMA, was the same person to inform the city of New Orleans that they were grossly unprepared for a major natural disaster, such as, say, a hurricane.
So, does it really matter who is appointed as a FEMA director when New Orleans has a long track record of not accepting help from FEMA to create emergency management plans? It's easy to understand why FEMA is hesitant to dole out blank checks. Additionally, why does it suddenly matter who is appointed to the role of FEMA director? Nearly four years after Katrina, is New Orleans having a change of heart? Perhaps you should rally for FEMA to be a legitimate department again instead of a bastardized subdivision of the Department of Homeland Security. That, in my opinion, is much more important than holding a new director hostage in return for a big check. I think it's time for Mr. Vitter to give up the ghost and pick his battles more wisely.
Currently in heavy rotation:
Cat Power - Rockets
The Plastic Constellations - Best Things Defiance, Ohio - Condition 11:11
Q. What professional associations are relevant to your subject matter? A. American Society of Media Photographers National Press Photographers Association Society for Photographic Education (while I'm still in school, at least) Professional Photographers of America Editorial Photographers American Institute of Graphic Arts
Proposed Associations: Square Format Imaging Association Professional Trespassers of America
Q. What connects us to our subject matter?
A. I connect with subject matter that I perceive as beautiful. It all begins with that subject that, when I gaze upon it, I think it's something very special, something that is exceptional in some way. Going back to my previous post about the woman at Perkins, it's safe to assume that there is an element of humanity in what I find beautiful. I find myself empathizing with my subject matter more often than photographing it. Sometimes, that means empathizing with a man and his three-legged dog and sometimes that means empathizing with a a pueblo-style building in the middle of a commercial district. I don't find it absurd at all trying to understand the feelings of inanimate objects. We, as humans, build things with certain intentions, whether it be a building, a door knob, a trailer, etc. Perhaps, we intend them to be beautiful, or functional, or a combination of both. I believe that in trying to understand why things are the way they are, I can better understand my subject matter and why I connect with it.
Number of FEMA Trailers by Parish (As of March 29th, 2009) Jefferson Parish: 73 Orleans Parish: 0 Plaquemines Parish: 424 St. Bernard Parish: 392 St. Charles Parish: 29 St. John the Babtist Parish: 16 St. Tammany Parish: 285 Tangipahoa Parish: 0 Total: 1,042
The trailer population has declined fairly significantly since visiting New Orleans in September and October of 2008. The official count from September 20th, 2008 was 2,650 and since then, that amount has been cut down by more than half. Soe of this has to do with FEMA deadlines and their desire for families that live in trailers to seek "permanent housing" and part of it has to do with new city ordinances that outlaw living in a trailer that is on the same property as a homestead. This accounts for the sharpest decrease in the number of FEMA trailers in Jefferson Parish, where, in September, there was something like 770 trailers.
As Thursday draws near, I'm more and more excited. I've been talking to others in the class, easing their concerns, and helping to mature their ideas. I really can't wait to be down there again. I can already feel Arby's calling my name, though it won't be the same without Keith. I've also been recruiting new members for Team Champagne, being that some of our members will not be joining us this time around. I'll be representing Team Champagne in full force before, during, and after the trip, because Team Champagne is far superior to the likes of Team Coal. So watch out Team Coal, Team Champagne is going to school you guys on what real photographers look like.
Team Champagne for Life.
Currently in heavy rotation:
Modest Mouse - Perfect Disguise [BBC Radio Session]
Kill The Vultures - The Wine Theif Mel Gibson and the Pants - Stress Fracture
My website is well on its way to being built, but the only thing that's truly throwing me for a loop is the SimpleViewer gallery. It's supposed to be sandwiched between the navigation at the top and the contact information, etc. at the bottom. As yet, my desires for there to be a gallery on my website are dashed. I'll inevitably fiddle with the code until magically it works or I decide to use something different. I would really rather use the SimpleViewer for now as it's very easy to build and update. It's also very lightweight, which is also in line with the way that the website is built. I want to make sure that no matter the connection, the page will load very quickly. Soon enough, the gallery will be working and the website will be live. Or I'll give up and code it all in HTML, which I really don't like the idea of. I can do it, but it will take me much longer. I've also been adding my name to all of the alternate text in the HTML code, so as to make my ranking higher when "Ryan McGoff Photography" is searched for on Google when the site goes live.
Currently in heavy rotation:
The Blend - Slo Burn (Acoustic)
Johnny Cash - (Ghost Riders) In The Sky Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation
It was an especially long night at work. On my way home, I decided to stop to get some food. I was seated diagonally from an older couple. The woman looked like an old farm wife and she was one of the most beautiful women I had seen in a long time. Not the kind of beauty you get from good genes or whatever you want to attribute it to, but the kind of beauty you get from living life. The way the light hit her, I thought, was especially wonderful. It was almost cinematic, like it was right out of a 1940's film. I wanted nothing more than to have a camera by my side, so I could invade their lives in order to make a picture. I even considered driving home, grabbing my camera, and driving back, just so I could try and encapsulate all the beauty that existed in that booth. I knew, however, by the time I got back, they would be gone, and with it, the opportunity to make the picture. I reconciled my inability to make the picture by thinking about how happy the whole situation made me. It was truly beautiful and I won't soon forget it.
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