We spent a few days with the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center, a resource hub to help connect people with services and resources around housing security. We set up our studio and asked, “What do you want people to know?” The goal is to craft an answer that is 25 words or less, so that the text fits on the person’s portrait. But of course there … Continue reading listen
At Millersville University, we partnered with the Intercultural Center to ask students, “What is the unique opportunity or challenge of talking about race at this moment in history?” With a studio one day, quick overnight production, and a lecture on our second day, we were able to use our model of storytelling and photography to reflect their stories back to them. It’s a process that … Continue reading Millersville University
Ray Padre Johnson served as a medic in the Vietnam War. He worked as a cowboy on ranches in Wyoming’s Wapiti Valley, and discovered his love of painting. He spent a dozen years traveling the world, living in 159 countries, where he ate with people, danced with them, and got to know them. Padre painted the portraits of more than 500 people from that experience … Continue reading Ray Padre Johnson
Claudia Horwitz is founding director of Stone Circles at the Stone House, a 70-acre retreat center outside Mebane, North Carolina, dedicated to the support of people and organizations working toward social change. Claudia’s efforts grew out of an awareness that social justice work could exact a tremendous toll on people, and her desire to make the work of building social movements more sustainable. “There are … Continue reading Claudia Horwitz
More than anything, I find that A Peace of My Mind is a project about listening. It’s a skill that’s in short supply these days. We listen with the goal of responding, correcting, debating, convincing or coercing, but what if we simply listened for the sake of understanding? And another thing… 😉 We are quick to point out things that are wrong…ways we have been … Continue reading Listening
Tuesday night was a great celebration of a long effort to produce our new book, A Peace of My Mind: American Stories. Thanks to everyone who came out to Squirrel Haus Arts for the release party. There were people who’ve been in my books, people who helped support and fund the books, friends, family, and more. If I could judge it right from up front, … Continue reading We did it!
Last year I taught a 2-day retreat at Prairie Oaks Institute with musician Neal Hagberg and facilitator Chris Johnson. It was a pilot of sorts and we weren’t sure what to expect as 15 strangers gathered in the comfortable space together. As we found our rhythm, the result was rich conversation and positive reviews. In fact, the main comment we heard as people headed toward … Continue reading Retreat repeat
