53 Degrees at Carlon Falls

Woo whee! Fifty three degrees of chilly bikini.

In the high Sierras two days ago, I cleared my head for tomorrow's road trip. Yes, the moment comes when you find the will to dive in and swim like you mean it. I sucked up icy buckets of courage inside the cave below Carlon Falls, under the curtain of surging, tumbling water force and said, "Fill me up. Let's go. I'm ready." Son Josef, a budding videographer and I will travel across the country documenting sustainable farms for the Agricultlore Book Project. We're diving in... But first, to finish packing.

2009 PathStar Workshop Announcement

"Tony" from by Unnikrishnan Raveendranathan from our "I Felt Like a Thousand Food Stamps" 2008 group show

Through Fotovision, a group dedicated to advancing documentary photography and storytelling, I'll be leading an "Assignment Shooting" workshop this September. We'll be following a group of Lakota Sioux youth as they train for a swim from Alcatraz. Here's an older blog post about last year's workshop. Sign yourself up. As I say in the blurb, it will be challenging, fast-paced and fun. Any questions?

Adm Golub Inspires Me

With inner-arms that say Love + Truth, Adm Golub inspires me. And he knows code.

Press Conference at the Compost Heap

It's happening... Garden on the South Lawn of the White House!

Request for Proposals

First Annual Call for Proposals
SKY IN THE PIE PUBLIC ART OPPORTUNITY

Eligibility: Professional artists residing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Budget: No direct funding provided to artist.

Project size/media: 8’ x 8’ two-dimensional digital print or painted media. Artist is responsible for producing and installing artwork. Painted media must be assembled off site and attached to and removed from existing wooden surface. Digital print may be attached directly over existing media.

Location: Existing outdoor mural space on the 25th Street side of Mission Pie Shop, 2901 Mission Street, San Francisco.

Number of proposals to be selected for 2009: Three.

Duration and timing of project display: Three months each, beginning on September 21, December 21, 2009, and March 21, 2010.

Areas of interest: Community, food systems, urban-rural connections, sustainability, agriculture, urban farming, seasons, nature, place.

Form of proposal: One page project statement describing up to five versions of one idea. Include link to artist’s Website and up to five 8” x 8”, 72 dpi jpegs. Address how you will install and de-install your project.

Application deadline: March 15, 2009, midnight. (At this point, apply for an extension, if needed.)
Email with subject line “Sky in the Pie 2009” to skyinthepieprojects@gmail.com.
Selected artists will be notified on April 1, 2009.

Note: A local, large-scale digital printing resource is Hawkins Communications,
Chris Hawkins, (415) 362-4295, http://www.hawkcom.com.

Victory Gardeners

Photographing urban food growers in their Victory Gardens this week and sampling their raw and spicy mustard greens. Here's number one of fifteen...

Happy New Year

"America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations." -Barak Obama, 1/20/09

English Language Learners

Saints and angels, the teachers of the world.

I Felt Like A Thousand Food Stamps

I swim in Aquatic Park with the Dolphin Club, and through the divine plenty of the women's sauna, I overheard talk about a nonprofit that does amazing work with Native Americans from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and thought, that's my AAU Environmental Portraiture class's next assignment. One google search and one phone call later, we had ourselves some real life to document.

PathStar sponsors Ogalala Sioux youth and adults to come to San Francisco's South End Rowing Club to train for one intense week. And ultimately, to swim from Alcatraz. The island prison, with its historic and frustrated AIM occupation in 1969, is a mile from shore, full of swift-running ocean currents, salty tides and a very deep bottom. But steeped with motivation to lead themselves and their tribe toward health and survival, all of this year's participants bravely made it to shore. When my student, Kevin Hill (light blue shirt, above) asked his subject, Alcapone White Calf, about his successful swim from Alcatraz, Al answered, "I felt like a thousand food stamps." The quote, that speaks so poetically about poverty and joy, became the title of our show, our document of the 2008 PathStar swimmers.

Last night, with the handball court banging through the plate glass window next to the happy hour bar, we drilled nary a hole in the venerable 1870's wood structure, clipped the 13x19" images onto wire wrapped around existing screws, and toasted Dr. Nancy Iverson, PathStar's founder.

This year's SF Chronicle story.
Darcy Padilla's images from Pine Ridge.
Web site of Bill McLeod (peach shirt, above), a great photographer-pal and South End rower.
More student images from this project.

Oui, on peut

Dirk Powell (above and in post below), his lovely wife Christine Balfa, and other Cajun musicians campaign for BHO at the Whirlybird in Opelousas, Louisiana. I still feel tingly about our "Oui, on peut" history. Could not resist embedding this upswell of blue support from a most Southernly red state.

The video recalls a November back aways, shelling pecans with the Balfa cousins, on Dirk and Christine's wide porch, looking out at the bayou a hundred feet down the front yard. We made pecan pralines for dessert to eat after our pot o'gumbo Thanksgiving dinner. And the next night, Dirk and Christine's band, Balfa Toujours played a bar gig in Bazile, Louisiana, exactly like the vibe above. The Cajun Hall of Fame honored Christine's daddy, Dewey Balfa, that night, and I got spun around the dance floor by a handsome, slicked back man with a sparkly string tie on, while my Scott sat in with the band.

Musicians, a noble breed of Community Organizers.

The Joan Baez Band

Here's a shot I did of Joan in her front yard for the Boston Globe Magazine.
(The goddess, diva, leftie sleeps in a tree loft on dry nights.)

Scott's friends Todd Phillips, Dirk Powell and John Doyle
backed up Joan Baez last night.
John's persuasive melodic percussive guitar,
Dirk's downbeatin' creamy bayou fiddle,
Todd's oxblox acoustic electric bass,
like smooth caramel pouring out-the-kettle.

While-they-tune patter from Joanie about
our recent election night, when
she and this band were outside D.C.,
in Alexandria, Virginia,
in their hotel rooms,
in their safari bathrobes,
when they saw the
yes-we-did news
on the hotel telly.
"Let's get a cab and drive to the White House!" cried Joan.
Off they went, telling the taxi driver to,
please by all means, lay on your horn.

Dirk, after show packing up, being his own crew,
says to us, "It's like seeing everything she marched for come true."

Joan Baez, salty singer said to the ovation,
"I was never in it for the money, but I love the adulation."
The musicians glowed in the lights of the stage.

Callie Shell

Check out these shots of BHO by photojournalist Callie Shell. Brava!

I'm Not Blind, I Just Can't See

Celebrated the disability civil rights movement last weekend by documenting the World Institute on Disability's 25th birthday party. The Blind Boys of Alabama were the star attraction and they worked everyone into a sweat with their gospel funk. We ALL needed a cool drink of water after the show, especially the men in red.

Hello Bianca Sparta: Ars Laboris

My year long Cantilever Project
is going up at the Walter and Elise Haas Fund

and Bianca Sparta has a thing or two to teach me
about installing a wall of photos.
Thanks for keeping it real and making it level
drummer, rocker, exhibition technician, all-around positive gurl.
Hello Bianca Sparta. This Bianca Sparta.

Hunters Point Gets Out the Vote

Email from Time Magazine, election day:

Can you go out and shoot some enterprise photos?
Yes I can.

Call to James Bryant of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute:
Can I come along on your Get Out the Vote in Hunters Point Bayview?
Yes you can.

Mothers, daughters, sons and neighbors.
First time voters, long time poll workers.
Golden day at Double Rock, Civic Center, Bret Harte School,
Market Street, Third and Palou, Oakdale Avenue.
Yes we can.

The Content of their Character

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character; I have a dream...." Amen.

Election Day: Get Your Vote Out

Had the chance to photograph Barak Obama for SEIU way back when he was one of many Democratic primary candidates. Even though I was leaning toward Bill Richardson at that point, I was impressed by his genuine concern for Miss Pauline, Mr. John and their families. Get Your Vote Out Today.

I Like Pie, I Like Obama

Thank-a-Farmer Day

Thank-a-Farmer Day at Mission Pie details.
Murale Numero Cuadro will be unveiled at 1:30pm, November 1st.
Come for the pie, stay for the sky.


Turn the car around.
Low sun behind coastal fog.
Equinox darkening the sky already.
Brussel sprout stalks, two dollar honor system.
Biggest pumpkin I can lift, hobbling toward Victoria's trunk.
I thank the farmer, I praise the harvester.
I praise the hands, I praise the gloves.
What Mayan blood moved this pyramid of imagination?
I can barely carry this load.
Victoria laughs and lifts.
I praise. I praise.

Cantilever Project Goes Live Today