Your stories....about here, and here and there!

The stories are starting to come in...don't you want to add your voice?  You still can!

Next public recording day: 

Chatham Public Library 6:30-7:45 Monday September 15th, in the teen room.

Can't make this date?  Contact me at: melissasarris2@gmail.com to set up an alternate time to record your story.

What do you have to do? Just show up with a story to tell.  Got lots of stories?  Select one that occurs at a particular place in the Village of Chatham, though the story need NOT have anything to do with the location.

Add in as much detail as you can about time of day, the weather, what you were wearing, who you were with, etc to help create the mood.

If this old building could talk...it's Audio Walking Tour of Chatham time!

Ever think about the old adage “if this old building could talk?  Well, with your help that is just want it will do!  How you might ask?  

Tell your personal, funny, outrageous, sad, or ? stories,  that’s how!  The Audio Walking Tour of Chatham invites you to offer your story that took place at a particular location in the village, though the story need not have anything to do with the location.  The stories will be recorded, edited, and ordered to create a self-guide walking tour of our Village.  This tour will lead the listener from place to place listening to your stories!  

Got a story about how one time when you were standing in front of the clock tower and you got a really important phone call about... Or the time you were thrown out of Ralph's when... Or maybe someone once told you about the time they were coming out of the pub and...All stories are welcome. 

Are you shy or simply want some anonymity?  Submit your story as text and we will record it for you.  Simply email to: melissasarris2@gmail.com (or email your pre-recorded mp3 file!)

Participate in telling, recording or editing (no experience necessary!) Come to the Chatham Public Library on Monday, August 18th 6:30-7:45 to share your story or Wednesday, August 20th 6:30-7:45 to learn basic audio editing using garage band and audacity.

Yes, Re-thinking the Facade is over and Berkshire bank looks ordinary again but below are a couple of images from the closing event.  Those two lucky folks got to take home a genuine artifact from the facade!

Find out how the story behind this "brick" from
Re-thinking the Facade will figure into
the Audio Walking Tour!

Marie Claude taking home
"Absence."

Greit taking home "Buddha Man."

All good closing ceremonies deserve cake!

It's Up...and now for the closing party!

Re-thinking the Facade in place, temporarily 

detail with "blocks"
made by Cathi, Leni, and Beth, Thanks

 Take a look at Berkshire Bank at 52 Main Street in Chatham and what will you see?  A kooky, crazy temporary installation:  inspired and sometimes made by you!  THANK YOU ONE MILLION to everyone who participated and helped out!  You put the "engage" in engagement.  Lots of fun was had and I also learned a lot.  Enjoy the beautiful plantings, even after the installation comes down. Special thanks to Joanne for all of her garden maven help!  Speaking of the installation coming down, on Thursday, July 31 from 4-6 pm there will be a closing party right in front of the bank.  The installation will come down (with the very kind assistance of James, Randy, and their tall ladders,) and there will be cake!  Plus take home a piece of the installation as a souvenir!  Spread the word. Hope to see you there!

Parade from SummerFest poses in front of the facade!

What's next?  The Audio Walking Tour of Chatham! An audio tour of the Village of Chatham that surveys history, culture, and contemporary living through local stories. Tell your personal, funny, sad, irreverent, etc., stories that connect to particular locations in the village. Be the voice of someone else’s story.  Stories will be recorded, edited, and ordered into a self guided tour of the village of Chatham. Participate in telling, recording or editing (no experience necessary!) Check back here for more details.

Temporary Installation opening July 12th...with a closing on July 31!

Facades at the Grainery

On Saturday July 12th Re-thinking the Facade will be on view at Berkshire Bank at 52 Main street, Chatham, NY.  This temporary installation was inspired by the architecture of the Village of Chatham in all it’s varieties as a metaphor for the diversity of our community. Participants were asked to re-imagine the brick facade of the bank building.  Their ideas ranged from bringing the personal into the public, conceptual notions of community and more.  (These model facades are in the windows on Main Street.)  I have sampled and synthesized many of these ideas and included them in the

Facades at Banner's

installation.  

Why a closing event?  Why not?! On Thursday, July 31st, from 4-6 pm I will be taking the installation down.  Since it is modular, all of the individual “bricks” will be on offer to the community to take home as a kind of souvenir and a thank you for their support during the project.  Or stop by to learn more about what’s next for Chatham Art Agency.... The Audio Walking Tour of Chatham!  Light refreshments will be served. 

Facades at Brown's Shoe Store

Check the right hand side of the blog for some interesting book titles for summer reading!

Facades at the Chatham Bookstore

Facade Time...Contemporary Art reading group goes on summer vacation!

So...guess what is in the window at 9 Main street?  YOUR facade models!  Many folks from the community have begun to participate in the "Re-thinking the Facade" project, creating what they might like to see on the Berkshire Bank facade. 

If you haven't made your facade model yet there is still time!  Come to the Chatham Public Library on Monday, June 23, at 6pm (in the teen room) and make yours.  All ages welcome and all materials provided.  Facade models are also available at:  The Chatham Public Library, Chatham Printing (9 Park Row,) and Village office in the Tracy Memorial.

Your models will be place in Main street shop windows for the community to enjoy.  Then on Saturday July 12th (during Summer Fest,) an actual temporary installation will be added to the Berkshire Bank facade and remain up until July 31st. All of your great ideas will be sampled and synthesized.  So join in the conversation.  more info: melissasarris2@gmail.com

Banned/Censored Art and Facades continued... with a bike accident on the side!

Most of you have probably heard now that I had a little mishap on my bike on Mother's day.  Nothing broken, just moving slow.  For this reason I have decided to move the banned and censored art theme to our next meeting on Monday June 9th, 6:30 pm.  All the links are on the right.

In the meantime - don't forget about your facades!  I have included some images here to get the juices flowing.                                                                                                  

Banned/Censored art: Sexuality, Religion, and Politics......and facades!

At the end of our last meeting the topic of banned art was suggested for May 12th (thanks Joanne).  The above short list basically hits the key reasons why art works are removed from view.  Often, it is the work that is censored or banned that leads to new ideas, new understanding, and new acceptance - eventually.  Hindsight, as the saying goes is always 20/20 and can be great at providing insight. This is a very large and complicated subject that I will just scratch the surface on with the links included. Many of the links have their own links that I highly recommend you follow to see images of the art works in question.  Below is the final paragraph from the Art Asia Pacific Magazine link:

"And as for art? Art is what makes us human—or at least allows us to ask and understand what it means to be human. Art, as well as its sanctuaries, need to be recognized and safeguarded as that necessary space of exception: the safety valve of expression in any society. No stranger to the state as stern and unavoidable bedfellow, art is necessarily an ingenious, inconvenient paradox."