Carl Corey ~ Wisconsin Tavern League ~ For Memorial Day Weekend

According to Wikipedia, serendipitous is a propensity for making fortuitous discoveries while looking for something unrelated.
I serendipitously came across the work of Carl Corey, who lives in Wisconsin and has done a masterful job of capturing the tavern culture in Wisconsin. He has totally "nailed" it in my opinion... and I have been to many. It really tickles me to share this work because I will be heading up there this weekend.

Untitled

I have spent the last 35 years traveling up to Northern Wisconsin to get my nature fix, spending many happy hours there contemplating life and photographing with few distractions. Memorial Day weekend is usually my annual foray to the North Woods.

Kathy and Bernie Tworek, Hayward


Marty, Chippewa Club, Durand


Bob, Club 53, Amery

In his words...

"The Wisconsin Tavern League project portrays a unique and important segment of the Wisconsin community. Throughout history the local tavern or pub has served as a communal gathering place, offering conversation and interaction between neighbors and friends. Bars are also unique micro communities offering a sense of belonging to their patrons. Many of these bars are the only public gathering place in the rural communities they serve. These simple taverns offer the individual the valuable opportunity for face to face conversation and camaraderie, particularly as people become more physically isolated through the accelerated use of the internet’s social networking, mobile texting, facebook, linked in, gaming and the rapid fire of email.

It is doubtful that the Wisconsin Tavern can endure this cultural and electronic bombardment without going through transition. Evidence of this is already becoming visible, as there is an increasing amount of small tavern closures and the impersonal mega sports bar becomes more prevalent. This series attempts to document the Wisconsin Tavern as it is today."

Fredricksburg

Northwoods Bar, Tomahawk


More of his work can been seen, in person, at Wall Space Gallery in Seattle from May 27th - June 26th. What fun it will be to dip into the tavern scene this weekend and think of these images. Thank you Carl!

Jennette Williams ~ The Bathers

In thinking about the movie still images in the last post, my mind traveled to the exquisite work of Jennette Williams, The Bathers.

Budapest, 2004

“What makes for beauty in women? How do we as a society perceive women as they age? I began with what were simple intentions. I wanted to photograph without sentiment or objectification women daring enough to stand, without embarrassment or excuse, before my camera and I wanted my photographs to be beautiful. . . . I drew upon classical gestures and poses of Baroque and Neoclassical painters and utilized the platinum printing process to assure a sense of timelessness, as if the older or ‘normal’ woman has always been a subject of the arts.”

—Jennette Williams

Budapest, 2002


Williams's work was selected from three hundred entries in the fourth biennial First Book Prize competition, Center for Documentary Studies / Honickman First Book Prize in Photography

“Jennette Williams’s photographs of women bathing portray the female form, but they transcend simple representation to speak powerfully about women’s own private sense of identity and beauty. It doesn’t matter that these bodies are not conventionally ideal — when these women are in front of Jennette’s camera, they are proud to reveal their full femininity. . . Jennette is both an excellent documentary photographer and a superb portraitist, a rare combination.

As in Ingres’s The Turkish Bath, Jennette’s lounging women not only revel in intimate feminine moments but in the camaraderie of women as well. They relax together, soaking in the steamy atmosphere. These hauntingly beautiful and iconic images of women are captured in extraordinary, magical spaces enhanced by wonderful light.”

—Mary Ellen Mark, from the foreword



Mary Ellen Mark also states:
"I asked Jennette about her process in taking these pictures—how she convinced these women to let her photograph them nude, how they came to trust her. First of all, of course, she was willing to be nude herself (though she often wore a vest or shorts with pockets to hold her film and light meter). Even so, many of the countries where she photographs are quite traditional, and it’s easy to imagine the difficulties she encountered in gaining these women’s confidence so that she could photograph among them freely. Jennette told me that she would shoot in the baths and then go back to her hotel room each night to process the film so that she could read the negatives. She would make prints back home and return to the baths with boxes of photographs to show and give to the women. When the women saw the photographs, they allowed her to continue to photograph them. I’m sure it was the beauty and dignity of her images as well as her approach that put them completely at ease in front of her camera."



Totally inspirational.

Women without Men/Film by Shirin Neshat

My friend, Laura, suggested I see the movie, Women without Men, before it closed in Chicago. I did, and have been haunted ever since. It is Shirn Neshat's first feature film...she is better known in the art world. Every scene in the film is beautifully lit and constructed. It has won many awards and well worth the effort to find out where it is playing in your area.



Untitled (Zarin Series), 2005 C-print; 59 x 74" from Gladstone Gallery

Women Without Men (Untitled #1), 2004 C-print; 40 1/2 x 65"/102.9 x 165.1 cm from Gladstone Gallery



"WOMEN WITHOUT MEN, an adaptation of Shahrnush Parsipur’s magic realist novel of the same name, is Iranian artist Shirin Neshat’s first feature length film. The story chronicles the intertwining lives of four Iranian women during the summer of 1953; a cataclysmic moment in Iranian history when an American led, British backed coup d’état brought down the democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, and reinstalled the Shah to power. Over the course of several days four disparate women from Iranian society are brought together against the backdrop of political and social turmoil. Fakhri, a middle aged woman trapped in a loveless marriage must contend with her feelings for an old flame who has just returned from America and walked back into her life. Zarin, a young prostitute, tries to escape the devastating realization that she can no longer see the faces of men. Munis, a politically awakened young woman, must resist the seclusion imposed on her by her religiously traditional brother, while her friend Faezeh remains oblivious to the turmoil in the streets and longs only to marry Munis’ domineering brother. As the political turmoil swells in the streets of Tehran, each woman seeks to be liberated from her predicament. Munis becomes an active part of the political struggle by following a young communist who she believes can restore her faith in the world. Fakhri frees herself from the chains of her stagnant marriage by leaving her husband and purchasing a mystical orchard in the outskirts of the city. Faezeh is taken to the orchard by Munis to face her own awakened self after her innocence is stolen, while Zarin attempts to find solace in her newfound communion with the land. But it is only a matter of time before the world outside the walls of the orchard seep into the lives of these four women as their country’s
history takes a tragic turn."



For screenings in your area click HERE and a wonderful interview at the Walker Art Center on You Tube is HERE.

Parting Shots of the Ragdale House

In all of her imperfections, the Ragdale House never looked more beautiful than it did last night in the closing party, prior to the much needed renovation. There was music wafting thru out the house as guests sipped their wine, conversing about the importance of supporting Ragdale, an incredible artist retreat that nourishes our collective heart and soul.




Susan Tillett , Executive Director and Jack Danch, Director of Property




I had been asked to show my Burn portfolio in Alice's suite and talk to the guests about Ragdale, an easy assignment as I am passionate about the place. It was particurlarly poignant for me as the Burn series began at Ragdale and many of the photographs had been taken in the prairie that was visible from Alice's bedroom window.



It was wonderful to get feedback on the work. I had just had Burn No. 49 printed 30" x 30" for an upcoming show at the Cordon Potts Gallery. I was especially pleased when one viewer said, "I can smell it and hear it."



Ragdale is an extraordianry place that supports the creation of our collective culture. It is the 4th largest residency in the US and draws writers, musicans, playwriters and visual artists from all over. I met a few residents who had just arrived for their 2-4 week stint last night. I was so excited for them and can only imagine the transformations that will take place with their work there.

Ragmuffins from my first residency


It is a magical place where anything can and does happen.

The Transformative Power of Art ~ Rick Bayless at the White House

Just in case you didn't know, Rick Bayless is cooking for a state dinner tonight at the White House. What does this have to do with me? Well, he has been an important person in my life in the last 14 years. I have had the privilege of traveling to different regions in Mexico each summer as he infuses his staff with his enthuasium and knowledge. (earlier blog)

© Jane Fulton Alt, The Pour

Rick is incredibly intelligent, charismatic, creative, kind hearted and hard working. I have learned much from him and am in awe of the impact he has had on my life and the lives of so many others. The country is peppered with chefs who have worked under him, as he mentors many.

Which brings me to the transformative power of art. There is nothing more wonderful that being deeply moved by a work of art, literature, music or a gourmet meal. Having been the happy recipient of many wonderful dinners prepared by Rick, I wish I could be a fly on the wall tonight, and watch as the White House guests are transformed into a state of bliss. What I imagine is a scene out of Babette's Feast or Like Water for Chocolate. If you haven't seen those movies, please do. They are memorable.

© Jane Fulton Alt, Mexico City Crosses

Better yet, just go have dinner at one of his restaurants here, in Chicago!

Spirit Outlet

One of the many lovely things that happened to me when I was in Santa Fe last weekend was receiving a book titled, Blood and Thunder, The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides. I started reading it on the plane on the way home and came across a passage that I would like to share…

In describing the Navajo Indians, Sides writes

“…And they were never finished. Navajos hated to complete anything - whether it was a basket, a blanket, a song, or a story. They never wanted their artifacts to be too perfect, or too closed-ended, for a definitive ending cramped the spirit of the creator and sapped the life from the art. So they left little gaps and imperfections, deliberate lacunae that kept things alive for another day. To them, comprehensiveness was tantamount to suffocation. Aesthetically and literally, Navajos always left themselves an out.
Even today, Navajo blankets often have a faint imperfection designed to let the creation breathe - a thin line that originates from the center and extends all the way to the edge, sometimes with a single thread dangling from its border; tellingly, the Navajos call this intentional flaw the “spirit outlet.”

© 2004 Jane Fulton Alt; Winged

Photography Hijacked

This film screens on ABC TV @ 10:00pm Tuesday night May 18th. Looks like it could be very interesting!

Photography Hijacked from jack pam on Vimeo.