I've recently been working on a large scale community project. This idea bloomed in March when I attended the National Art Education Association conference in Boston, MA. Teachers from Chelsea HS shared the project. As is often the case, these teachers were willing to share how they did it to help fellow teachers launch the project. (Please visit www.whyyoumatter.org to learn about their project). 

I was inspired and wanted to bring this back to Fallon. Fallon is a great community, but we lack the resources that large cities have when it comes to mental health services. Additionally, Nevada has one of the highest rates of suicide in the country. With this in mind, I wanted to expand the project to include our community in addition to the school. 

#WhyYouMatter is a campaign to promote positive self-image. My goal is to remind our students and community that we are all important. We each bring a unique gift that enhances our community. The project invites each member of the community to be photographed with an "I matter because" statement. Photos will be printed in black and white with a red banner. We will display the images in the community exhibitions that will be hung in January and again in April and invite the community to come out for a #WhyYouMatter night. 

I first approached our school superintendent to gauge how receptive she would be to the idea. Of course, she was on board. So I set out to engage our community. I contacted anyone who I thought might be willing to support the project and the idea. I went to various meetings in the community and shared the project and my goals. I approached anyone who would listen. 

Fortunately for me, our local library was the first group who jumped on board and offered support. Once the Churchill Library was on board, others in the community followed. Within two months, I had raised enough money to support the project both within the school and the community. I have to say, that I've lived in a number of places through out the country and this is the first time that I have been able to launch something this large. The community support here is something I have not experienced in other places. Not to say it isn't there, but I am impressed with the willingness and motivation of this town in particular. 

I will launch the project this coming Saturday at the Fallon Community Days event. You can read more about the project on our website: www.whyyoumatterfallonnv.com.

If you are a local, please come participate. Make your voice heard and remember—you have an important role to play.

I've recently jumped back into book making after a short break. I returned to full time teaching after a 4 year absence and was reminded of how challenging it can be to create your own work. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching. Mostly, I love interacting with my students, building relationships with them and seeing them create, but all of this is exhausting! I find I come home with little energy and feel utterly drained. 

A few weeks ago, I taught a class at the University of Utah for educators. It was a book arts class designed to assist teachers of any content and grade level to integrate book arts into the classroom. It was just the motivation and inspiration I needed to jump back into my work. 

As I created the samples that I would take to the class, I realized that I often put way too much pressure on myself. I worry so much about the end result and having a serious message that I forgot how much fun it can be to just create. One of the samples I made for the class was an accordion fold book about the moon. It is rather simple in content, but reminded me of what joy being creative without pressure can be. I let go and just made something. Afterward, I decided to create a small edition. Hand painting reminded me of one of the first books I ever made and it felt good to return to those roots. 

When I first started making books, I only used what I had on hand. I often collaged, painted or used recycled materials. When I attended graduate school, I often felt that those materials were looked down on. That if I didn't use letterpress or printmaking techniques, that my work wasn't worthy. Now, no one ever flat out said this, but it seemed to be an unwritten rule. So I left those things behind. Now, I find myself drawn back to them and finding the creative bliss that comes with it. 

These little books measure 5 x 5 inches and are hand painted with gouache. I outlined the images with Sharpie and will transfer the text with a blender pen. Low tech, but I am rather happy with the end result. Edition of 3 with one mock up (as pictured in the first two images). These are all in progress. 

As a part of my fellowship, I have been asked to create a piece inspired by a location on campus. The University of Nevada, Reno has a number of working museums on campus, and I was particularly drawn to the Keck Museum. The Keck Museum is the second oldest museum in Nevada. It is a beautiful space that melds the past with the future. The original structure remains intact and the displays are also presented as a mix of old and new.  It features a spectacular mineral and gem collection, the Mackay family silver collection, fossils, and many mining artifacts and historical information. There is even some Frank Lloyd Wright furniture tucked away in one of the study rooms.

I was drawn to the mining history for many reasons. The first being that since I am so new to the area, I was anxious to learn a bit more about the history of Nevada. And of course, mining is a huge part of that history. I had also just completed a project based on one of Pennsylvania's coal mining towns, Centralia. And finally, one of the first places I fell in love with here in Nevada was in fact Geiger Grade. 

Geiger Grade offers breathtaking views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the city of Reno. It is one of the first places we visited. We immediately said some day we would love to live on this road. It is rooted in Comstock history. The original road was established in 1862 and was used to transport goods and materials in and out of Virginia City. Because it was the only road connecting what is now Reno, it was also used to transport passengers. 

The terrain is steep and from what I am told, many of the Reno folks and out of town visitors avoid this road because of the grade. The original road was rutted, mountainous, rocky dirt. And to traverse it in a stagecoach must have been terrifying! Of course now it is a paved road, but I think that perhaps some folks are still frightened by it. 

I was interested in the history of this road and how it really was the main artery into Virginia City.  Sadly, I couldn't locate much information beyond the basics (when it was constructed and who was responsible) and I spent a considerable amount of time talking with research librarians, examining what was available in Special Collections, and at the historical society. So in creating the piece for the Black Rock Press, I had to re-imagine how I was going to approach the piece and Geiger Grade. I have a tendency to focus on the untold stories and try to utilize the historical information in my piece, but with this one there wasn't much to draw from. 

The finished piece will include text that details what I imagine it would have been like to travel in a stagecoach on Geiger Grade. The piece will feature raised surfaces, cut away portions, and printed topographic lines with the curvy road. 

Here are a few images of the first mock up. ​

Of course after creating this mock up I made a great deal of changes. Here is the mock up utilizing the actual paper I will work with, Rives BFK, and with the adjustments in the cut outs, road and topographic lines. 

This week, I have begun printing. The printing will take a minimum of 32 press runs. First, the topographic lines will be printed, followed by the road and finally the text. I hope to set the type using what we have in the studio, but this is dependent on if what we have will actually fit as I have designed it. 

Here are a few images from the printing.

The following images represent the work that I have done in September and October. It has been a busy, busy two months filled with printing, collaboration, exhibits, independent work, helping students, working with some classes, and doing research. I still feel like I can't get ahead, but at least I'm keeping up! I am fortunate to have the time and opportunity to do what I love with the support of my beautiful wife. More to come as the month of October comes to an end!