More stuff

Howdy. Now that we are all home, I thought we should fill in some holes in the blog for those of you who have been following the trip. Our exhibition at Little Wound School was an incredible display of all the work students did in the prior two weeks. While the turnout from the community wasn't what we had hoped it would be, those who attended had a good time and were complementary about the work and happy for the meal. Check out the sheet sized cyanotypes that each regional group produced. In case you can't figure out which is which, in order they are NY, AZ, SD and VT.


Also wanted to share images of a few quilts. The first is one that Sarah Swift created prior to the trip using imagery from last year's trip and the second was created during the trip by Sarah with help from two local Lakota woman. The cyanotypes incorporated into this quilt were made using student images and photograms.


A few more images from the exhibit including Raf's portraits which were a big hit.



A few more random images from the trip including Gaylen by the fire, Sarah reminiscing about the Reagen years and Raf always looking out for the program, trying to raise some additional funds in the airport by playing his jaw harp and dancing.

On the way home

This is Joe from Vermont again. The time has come whether people are ready to come home or not. The show was a success Friday especially considering we had one less week to work on it this year.The community seemed to appreciate the exhibit and the dinner we put on, we also offered free portraits with the 4x5.
We are waiting for the plane right now and we have already saw off the Arizona crew.
People have really developed friendships throughout the two weeks and
its hard to say goodbye to new friends. To keep in touch we have
created a contact list for everyone so we can all share our photos and
hopefully get together again someday. After today I have really
realized how far we have come since the first day here and its
something I will always cherish and remember.
For me the journey isn't over yet. I plan to learn much more about the Lakota tribe and all other native American tribes in my coming years. I will keep in touch with the group and all the people that made it happen. I know I will return one day whether it be with Exposures or not. The Lakota people are great people and I am honored to meet each and everyone of them.
There is more writing to come and Eric is going to upload more pictures soon.

Show Prep

Tomorrow evening (Friday) is the culmination of all the creative work that we've been doing here. There will be an exhibition of the work at Little Wound school in Kyle and we will also feed all those who attend. We are hoping that as many as 200 community members will come out. Many of the images in the show feature community members and were captured by students with a 4X5 view camera. To the right is one example. The Polaroid film we are using produces a positive and negative image with each photograph. Generally we give the subject the print and keep the negative. Many of the negatives were used to create cyanotype prints on cloth. Essentially, you take a blue piece of cloth that is treated with chemicals that make it light sensitive. You take a negative and put a piece of glass over it and lay it out in the sun. Then you rinse the material in water and you have a contact print of the negative. These pieces are being sewn into two quilts which will also be on display duirng the show. The cyanotype process was also used on a larger scale today as each group created a sheet sized unique piece of art that represents their respective region. Addtionally, we've printed several dozen student digital images that will exhibited as well. Here's one by Liliana, one of the New York participants. Lastly, after class today a handful of participants went to KILI radio station here on the rez to talk about their experiences here and to promote Friday night's exhibition and dinner. Melanie at KILI was very accommodating and basically handed us the airwaves for as long as we needed.

This past weekend ...

Lizzy here from NY. South Dakota has been very amazing for me in many different ways. So far I've made a lot of new friends and have experienced and witnessed so many new things. I want to write them all down but i cant! The first week I was iffy about the whole trip even though their were some good times but I think with every trip your not going to have fun 100%, I think that's impossible. Anyway, I'm here and I'm happy about. I wouldn't of been able to experience a lot of the things that have changed my life and made me look at life in new ways. This past weekend we all headed out to the Badlands which was the most beautiful thing I've witnessed in a very long time, the sunsets there are just magnificent and so colorful! We all, and saying that I mean the group that has come from Vermont New York, Arizona and from here right in Aouth Dakota have gotten very close and that has made the trip much better. When we finished with the Badlands we went to the Black Hills where we camped and saw Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument, both were really exciting, especially Mount Rushmore because I've wanted to see that ever since I was a little kid, but never knew where it was and if I ever would get to actually go. The superintendent of the park, a Native American named Gerard Baker took some time to speak to our group as well. I also have never been camping, it was such a great time with everyone fixing everyone's tents and spending time in the clean rain and jumping around in those suburbans which are very nice cars to be driving around in. It's been great, really truly amazing. Oh yeah and the Sundance was exceptional. This is an important ritual that involves 4 days of dancing with no food or water for 4 days. This time of year, temperatures are commonly over 100 degrees here. Some participants get pierced and attached to the tree at the center of the dancing area. I didn't get to see them get pierced which i would of liked but I did meet a sister who was watching her brother dance and she told me stories about how her and her brothers and sisters use to be very hot and needed water and then their grandmother would tell them to put a small rock on the tip of their tongues which would make them less thirsty and they could keep on working and it worked. I thought that was pretty awesome. It takes a lot of determination, belief and courage to do the Sundance.

Some photos (stories & explanations later)

NY Perspective

My name is Devaughn Barden I’m twenty-three and one of four students chosen from the New York Area. When the opportunity arose to get out of NY and see how life is in another place I jumped on it. Life in the big city is a lot of different things but slow is not one of them. Initially I didn’t know what to expect once I set foot in Pine Ridge. Honestly I still don’t know what to expect and I think that’s a very good thing. I don’t know how to describe it to someone whose reading this but the people here are different and I don’t mean they’re different because of how they live or where they live. The easiest way for me to explain it is to use an example, back home if I were to walk up to a complete stranger and extend my hand they would probably look at me as if I’m crazy. In Pine Ridge it’s the exact opposite if I were to walk up to someone and extend my hand not only would they shake it but would end up having a conversation.

I don’t have too much in common with the younger participants in the program anymore. But I think it’s pretty cool to see how they deal with being in a new environment. I’ve learned a few things from them and have been forced to remember a few things about myself. The experience for me so far has been incredibly hard but not because of what I’ve been asked to do, it’s been a tougher road for me because I don’t have much of a background in photography and coming in and trying to learn how to operate camera’s I’ve never seen before let alone used seems and continues to seem impossible but like that famous commercial says “Impossible is nothing”

I’m not sure how this will all end but I know I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Being in such a new situation and having so many variables is both exciting and scary at the same time. When I wake up in the morning I feel like I’m facing known unknowns. Every night before I go to sleep I like to ask the staff what’s going to happen tomorrow and I’ll go and I’ll sleep on it, I’ll know what to expect but I don’t know the how’s and when’s and to me that’s the scariest part of this whole experience.

Busy, busy

Hiya. It's been a busy few days and there hasn't been time for much blogging. We've been in the class room from 9am-2pm and doing other activities into the evening. This weekend we'll be camping and spending time in the badlands and Mount Rushmore. Some of the group helped construct the site of a Sun Dance this week and the group will have the opportunity to see the dancers dance this afternoon after class. It's a four day ritual and from what little I saw, it's quite beautiful. Need to run to class, more detail and a few photos this afternoon.

In the classroom

Howdy, Eric here again. Today was our first day at Little Wound High School in Kyle about 45 minutes from where we are staying. The rest of this week and next, the whole group will be working on projects there along with other local Lakota youth and Olivia, an instructor there in the art department. Today each student and each adult were given a packet of photos that another participant took before the trip. The packets were unmarked so each of us didn't know who had taken them. The images were supposed to be about family and community. We took the photos and created collages and then explained to the group our impressions of the person whose photos we had assembled. Then the person would identify him or herself and explain the intent behind the images. It was and interesting exercise and reminded me of our many differences but also of our many similarities. The photo above is an image of Devaughn, one of the youth participants from New York as he explains the meaning behind one the photos he took. Also, some of the group spent time today preparing for an upcoming Sun Dance and this evening they went to a sweat lodge. I hope to have them post some first hand accounts of their experiences in the next few days.

When buffalos attack (or just lick)

Hi. Eric here, one of the Vermont adults. I just wanted to post a follow-up image related to a previous post. Lizzy from NY mentioned her encounter with a friendly buffalo and now I have what we photojournalists call a reaction shot. This one is priceless and Lizzy is a good sport for letting us post it, she event provided me with the photo.

Letting Go ...

Hello there, my name is Carol, a participant from Brattleboro, VT with the Exposure program here in South Dakota. The trip here was the longest trip i have ever been on to get someone. As I saw my ride drive away on June 29, it just hit me, "hey, I am really going to South Dakota!" We went to Bradley International Air Port and flew to Ohio by 1:30p.m. We then flew from Ohio to Colorado where we met up with Arizona and New York. Two more groups of people whom are also participating in the Exposure program here in South Dakota. We then all gathered in vans and headed towards our destination. What a trip that was! O.k., so it takes longer then 7 hrs to get there
according to the amount of times our drivers got lost. It was an experience to remember. We gave everyone a chance to get to know each other. We then finally arrived to Pine Ridge at 3 in the morning. Everyone was very tired. So, we all got situated and fell asleep. I am not particularly going to explain what we exactly did so far. Lets just say it was a time to remember. However, the trip so far has given me chance to really explore and meet new people and to see what kind of cultures are out there. There are many different people on this trip and the staffs are really nice. Meeting people on the reservations and around this area is very interesting to me. Not only taking photographs, just meeting them and getting to know what they do and what kind of rituals they take part in. I hope to explore more out here in Pine Ridge, South Dakota and to keep doing new things.

Where the buffalo roam . . .

I'm Lizzy Scholnick, part of the New York group that came on Exposures 2007 this summer. Today we got up at usual time and hung out. Then we got in our vans and started heading out for the day. Me and the new friends I have made while being here, were talking about something called buffalo kissing and that it was something we were going to do today. We finally got there, we got in the back of a Lakota man's pick up truck, which was interesting seeing that we almost fell off, nothing dangerous just having fun, being adventurous but wanting to have seat belts. We finally reached the buffalo, they were huge, bigger then i thought they were. But, then again i don't really spend my time looking at buffalo pictures. I took one of food pieces and i put it in my mouth, i was a little resistant due to the fact that i rather not have buffalo saliva all over my face. I saw Eric do it first a staff member, and he survived so i thought ahhh, why not! It licked my face but then it didn't stop which frightened me a little bit, but then again when do you have the chance for a buffalo to eat out of your mouth? never. after that little escapade we drove were their were even more buffalo awaiting us with their hungry tongues awaiting us. i immediately got on top of the pick up truck and watched everyone go through what happened to me. After that, we were driving back and then my childhood came across me like i was in the Lion King movie, a whole stampede of buffalos and their babies were running towards the pick up truck at full speed. it was actually quite amazing not scary at all. All they wanted was more food, so we kept throwing it at them. It was something i can go back and tell my friends and actually be excited and happy that i did it. Before all this i wasn't feeling so well, i was on my moon. ( you can look that up) but i was in pain and didn't think i could go on with the daily activity that awaited me. but i took some medicine and pushed my self out of bed because i knew i would of regreted it. and everything i have written was a true experience.

More from day 1.

Hi, I'm Liliana Conde, one of the participants from New York.
Today was an interesting Saturday for me being that I'm used to the rush and noises of a city such as "The City". I could point out many differences with every other Saturday I remember, but what sticks out in my mind right now is how amazingly big and beautiful this place is. Speaking with two of the other people from New York we agreed on how things seem so much bigger out here. The grass fields, the sky, the distances, are all just so much larger. I love looking at the sunset, and such open sky gives me the chance to appreciate it so much more, while doing some Hula Hooping.
It's just great.

Made it.

Hey, this is Joe, I'm one of the youth participants from Vermont involved in the Exposures program. After a long a crazy travel day we finally arrived at the Oglala Lakota College where we will be residing in the dorm shown in the photo above. Arriving at around 3am mountain time people sorted themselves into their rooms and got a much needed sleep. Around mid morning today everyone gathered around and shared names and discussed what was ahead for us in the next two weeks. After a few hours people started getting comfortable with each other and got into the groove of things. Today for activities we drove through some great scenery consisting of plains as far as the eye can see and I'm glad everyone brought their cameras. I myself have never seen anything like it so I couldn't turn my head away from the car window. Eventually we arrived at the scene of a Lakota sun dance in the making. Our purpose there was to assist them in the construction and to learn all about it. Unfortunately they never arrived but during the wait John took the time to give a explanation on how everything worked and we discussed our opinions on it. We all were really hot and decided to swing by a swimming hole on the way back, we enjoyed talking with and photographing the people who were also swimming there. It was nearing dinner time and it was a good time to head back to the dorm where we prepared dinner and just relaxed. Well that concludes day one of many to come on our adventure here in South Dakota.

Almost there...

On Friday, June 29th 13 youth and 4 adults from southern Vermont, Arizona and New York City will board planes en route to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. This program, called Exposures, is a branch of the In-Sight Photography Project basd in Brattleboro, VT. In-Sight has been offering photo classes to area youth for more than 15 years. The groups will be flying to Denver where they will connect for a seven hour drive to the rez. Once there they'll meet up with program directors John Willis and Erin Barnard along with Leah Dyjak, In-Sight's assistant director and Exposures will officially begin. The months of planning are near an end, we're almost there.