This photo feels different today. It’s part of a series we did in Minneapolis in 2020 after George Floyd was killed by police. We asked the community, “What do you want to say?” This woman simply replied, “Am I next?” So here we are. Two years after #GeorgeFloyd. One week after #Buffalo. The morning after #Texas. I read a statistic the other day that 75% … Continue reading Am I next?
Nathan Sheppard is a Lieutenant in the Portland police bureau. He is a father. Both he and his wife of 21 years are Army veterans who were psychological operation specialists. Nathan was happy to share his story, but he made a clear distinction that although he worked as a police officer in Portland, he was not talking to me as a representative of the police … Continue reading Nathan Sheppard
It stopped me in my tracks. On Sunday, we visited the Peace and Justice Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. It pays tribute to the 4,000 plus Black people who were lynched in America during a campaign of racial violence that has changed over time, but never really ended. Above your head as you walk through the memorial, large steel beams are suspended, engraved with the names … Continue reading Justice
I suppose there is a line to be drawn from the Easter story to Dr King’s assassination in Memphis in 1968 to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis a year ago. Perhaps a learned theologian could articulate conclusions more clearly than me. Maybe a great philosopher could connect the dots in a way that would help everyone see the light. I’m still working on … Continue reading Truth
Peyton Scott Russell is a Minneapolis graffiti artist and street artist who painted a 12′ x 12′ black and white spray paint portrait of George Floyd during the curfew and installed it at the bus stop at the intersection of 38th and Chicago, where Floyd was killed by police on May 25, 2020. “It’s your choice, but we talk about risk. We talk about choice … Continue reading Peyton Scott Russell
I don’t often talk about gear and technique as I tend to be more interested in soul and story. But I’ve had several people ask about the logistics of our George Floyd portrait series from 38th and Chicago, so I thought I’d make a behind the scenes post to share a little bit about my process. These images have high production value, like a studio … Continue reading Tech Talk
Public projection from John Noltner Photography on Vimeo. For 10 nights, we projected the stories we gathered from the George Floyd memorial. We amplified the voices of the people we encountered. We projected their portraits 20’ x 30’ on the side of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. And we climbed down off the rooftop to have conversations with the people who stopped to look. … Continue reading I can hear the streets talking
It’s hard to wait for the sun to go down when you are setting up your first public art projection. In Minneapolis on June 19, the sun sets at 9:03pm. But at 9:03 there was still so much ambient light in the sky that I could barely make out an image on the wall. At 9:10, Lance from Channel 5 news showed up with a … Continue reading This is my why
George Floyd from John Noltner Photography on Vimeo. A Peace of My Mind visited 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis after the police killing of George Floyd and asked, “What do you want to say?” Music by JoeDavisPoetry.com Continue reading George Floyd
On Monday May 25, George Floyd was killed by police at the intersection of 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis. Because the COVID-9 pandemic had caused all my programming to be cancelled, I happened to be at home, 11.6 miles to the south. On Wednesday I went to see the site where a small memorial was taking shape and on Thursday returned with an improvised portable … Continue reading Maybe this time
