Blog
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Our Workplace Methodology: Creative Chaos, in a Single Shot Friday, October 30, 2009
Last night, we had the great pleasure to debut a short single-shot video on our workplace methodology at Memphis’s “Creative Conversations,” an event hosted by the Memphis College of Art and MPACT Memphis. A team of fellows, along with Creative Strategist Helen Johnson, discussed how we work, some of our core values, and why projects like this video are important to our day-to-day operations.
“Creative Conversations” are part of the National Arts and Humanities Month programs coordinated by Americans for the Arts. These events are local gatherings of emerging leaders in communities across the country and are part of a grass roots movement to elevate the profile of the arts in America during National Arts and Humanities Month.
Many thanks to Grant Withington and Ben Johnson, the brains behind the shoot; and Ramble Horse, who provided the soundtrack.
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The GOOD 100: CreateHere
Read more about CreateHere in GOOD.
See all 100 that made the GOOD list.Posted by
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Summer Dregs CD Release: November 7 Thursday, October 29, 2009
Summer Dregs is the collaborative brainchild of MakeWork grant recipient Carl Cadwell. CreateHere will host a live performance by Summer Dregs in our gallery space on November 7 from 8 PM to 10PM. Grant Withington, CreateHere fellow, captured a bit of footage at a recent band rehearsal. Check it out, and stay tuned for more details on the Summer Dregs CD release party. More information HERE!
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Establishing Shot Video Series, Episode 3: Jim Pfitzer Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Michael Kendall is an Editorial Fellow. He recently sat down with Jim Pfitzer, ArtsMove artist and professional storyteller. The video below was produced by Megan Hollenbeck, a local videographer.
“I lived here twenty years ago, and it was not a place I wanted to be. I couldn’t imagine ever coming back…we were a dirty city.” These words are from Jim Pfitzer, ArtsMove artist and local storyteller.
In 1987 Jim left Chattanooga in a Volkswagen Bus (ironically), and headed for sunny California. He spent roughly twenty years living out of this bus, working as a rafting guide in Yellowstone, at a hostel in the Redwood Forest in CA, and at a nature center in Chicago, Illinois.
Twenty years after he left, he decided to come back. Chattanooga had become, in his absence, a budding community of growth and development, and it was this and his desire for a slower-paced lifestyle that brought him back to his roots.
Jim wasn’t raised on storytelling. The only time he remembers being told a story was at a church summer camp, and it was then that his interest was piqued, and the rest of his life has been spent uncovering and developing this ability.
The inspiration behind Jim’s stories derives from his passion for the outdoors. Birds of prey, black bear encounters, and memories of giant magnolia trees all are topics of stories Jim tells, and he has found that these interests coupled with the passion that has interwoven itself into his existence have all been integral to his ability to create a story that captures the interest of his listeners.
Original stories are not the only type that Jim purveys, however. Here is an example of Jim’s personal variation on a couple of ancient Zen Koans that he has mashed together (via his blog). Nothing captures the essence of this Tennessean treasure like his own words:
There was once a young monk who ran across his master on a meditative walk. As he approached trying to be respectful and quiet, he saw the master spit on a statue of the Buddha. Seeing the student’s alarm, the master turned to him and said, “It is only a statue,” and walked on.A week later, they met again on the same trail. This time, the master was bowing down in front of the same statue. Upon standing, he saw the monk’s confused look, and said, “Some see a statue, others see the Buddha.” The monk walked on.
A week later, the monk discovered his master early in the morning along the trail huddled by a fire like a traveler. As he approached, the master reached behind him, picked up a small wooden statue of the Buddha in one hand, took a hatchet in the other hand, split the statue in two and placed the pieces on the fire. Once again, seeing the monk’s distress, the master spoke. “Look at the ground and tell me what you see.” When the monk responded that he saw pebbles and dirt, the master directed him to look closer. The monk bent over to get a better look. Each time the monk described what he saw, he was instructed to “looker closer still” until finally he was on his knees with his nose in the dirt. “From here, I can see nothing,” he said.
The master walked behind the monk, laughed, kicked him in the ass, and walked on.
The young monk got up, brushed off the dirt and sat down by the fire. Eventually, he too found himself laughing.
You can listen to Jim’s stories live! He has appeared at a myriad of locations in Chattanooga including the Children’s Discovery Museum, Rock City, and private events all over the city. You can follow Jim on twitter: @jimpfitzer, and to find out more about Jim’s activities visit his website, http://www.jimpfitzer.com.
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Persona | Anima Event Series: Make a Mask on Friday Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Katie Waddell is an Arts Fellow who helped curate our current exhibition, “persona | anima.” Here, she thanks any and everyone who participated, and gives us some details on one last event, just in time for Halloween.
As persona | anima nears its conclusion, I’m reminded of, and must thereby enthusiastically relate, the manifold talent exhibited by the Chattanoogans passing through the gallery doors.
When persona |anima was in its planning stages, we deliberately decided to put together a show and corresponding events that engaged people’s imaginations and encouraged them to put their creative faculties to work. People delivered. Over the course of the show, the fellows here have seen excellent figurative artwork from local and regional artists, astounding Play-Doh mini-sculptures, collaborative drawing, ridiculously amazing fashion design, and, most recently, impressive acting and dramatic collaboration. On behalf of the CreateHere fellows, I want to thank everyone who participated, collaborated, created, and showcased. You were and are wonderful; you are what makes Chattanooga a vibrant and exciting city.
And, to digress somewhat, we have one more persona | anima event—an informal costume party complete with mask-making—occurring continuously during office hours on October 30th. If you need to make a mask to compliment your Halloween costume, or you feel your costume needs a trial run, feel free to stop by, show off your new witch hat or modified bed sheet, and take advantage of our craft supplies.
For our next exhibit, we plan to take a much different approach, albeit an exciting one. Again, we’ll be calling on Chattanoogans to participate, collaborate, create, and play. Based on what I’ve seen from you all so far, I know you’ll be up for the challenge.Posted by
