Masterworks of Ming

Kay Ryan

Ming, Ming

such a lovely

thing blue

and white

bowls and

basins glow

in museum

light

they would

be lovely

filled with

rice or

water

so nice

adjunt

to dinner

or washing

a daughter

a small

daugher

of course

since it’s

a small basin

first you

would put

one then

the other

end in. 

Poetry is Not a Luxury

The title of an essay by Audre Lourde published in Sister Outsider I read twenty years ago in college. I still remember the astonishment I felt at reading just the title. The idea that something as refined as poetry was essential struck a chord in me that reverberates still. The essential experience of beauty or joy in the expressive power of words.

Today I went in search of poems to post on the wall of the Laundromat. Thinking of all the children I watch walk home from school through the neighborhood, I wonder what awaits them from tender love to rough and tumble. This poem by Gwendolyn Brooks I thought should be among them.

 After School

Not all of the children
come home to cookies and cocoa.
Some come to crack cocaine.
Some come to be used in various manners.
One will be shot on his way home to warmth, wit and
                   wisdom.

One teacher mutter "My God, they are gone."
One is ripe to report Ten People to the Principal.
One muses "How have I served or disturbed today?"
One whispers "The little Black Bastards."
One sees all children as clothing: the blue blouse --
the green dress -- the tight-fitting T-shirt.

One will take home for homework each of the
twenty, the thirty, the forty one.


from In Montgomery and Other Poems 2003. 

Iowa, the Interrupters, a short visit to Syracuse.

I'm in Iowa now and missing Syracuse.

I went to Chicago and saw the film the Interrupters, a documentary about the efforts of community residents and former gang members working towards reducing the violence in some of Chicago's neighborhoods.  Ceasefire is one of the organizations represented.  After watching the film and meeting Dr. Gary Slutkin, I was inspired to think again about what I want to do with the precious time I have here on the planet. I wish so that I had more clarity. Questions are my constant companion these days. My friends say I have too much time on my hands. How that can be in the throes of residency, I don't know.

Hula in Madison

I'm away from Syracuse and missing home, but finding music and making new friends in the midwest.  Went up to see Greg Brown at Sugar Maple Music fest and made it just in time for the two encore songs. I figured it was better than nothing. Took this picture of a girl with her hula hoop and met Lewis Koch.  His Garageography show provides me with an interesting model for future shows.

Old Pictures, New Cuts

I've only two weeks in Syracuse full time before I head out to Iowa. I've been procrastinating on cleaning up my work space. Denial takes many forms. In the process of packing what I have so far, I've enjoyed sorting back through hard copies of photos as well as reorganizing a handful of digital files in a effort not to loose too much in the move. I came across these images from Gifford St a few years back. These kids went to Ed Smith with my kids, but lived across town. 

Art Rage June 8th, 2011 @ 7 Pm

I'll be talking about the Lodi Laundromat Project tomorrow at 7:00 pm at Art Rage.  View from the street:

Who Came and What's Next?

I'm a happy, exhausted and still delivering pictures and  from the show to various families that didn't make it and to some who asked for extra copies. The neighborhood residents loved the event. I confess that I was worried that the people from the neighborhood would feel like outsiders  in their own place if too many people came from were not residents of the  neighborhood.

In the planning stages of the event we had talked about whether we should invite people from the larger Syracuse community or just make it by invitation only for people who lived around the laundry and on the north side. Ultimately, I decided that the show was in part about creating a space where people from outside of the neighborhood could experience the place in part as I had.

Dave from the auto store.
Yvonne from 690/Beech St. underpass.
Michael Ratner, Sue Stearns, Becky King, and Cindy Carter and her son, and Maggie Hargrave from CYO.
Phil and Mike from contra dance.
Christine from across the street and her daughter, and their neighbors and their kids.
Sadhia who cooked the Somali food and her daughter. 
The neighbors all around from Burma, Sudan, Vietnam, and the U.S. 
The owners and family came down from upstairs.
My family, Rebecca Garden, Matt Pottigher.
Folks from Art Rage and Lightwork.
Nana came with his drums and Aduke and her daughter Viv.

Doug D from SU came too,  and so did Senator DeFranciso, who apparently grew up in this neighborhood and John F. Sgromo, who recognized him. John's son Nicki came and brought Douglass too.  John Maggiore,  Marnie Hall and Kathy Goodman, and Domnic, and Stasya and Sara from Northside Up,  and Rachel and Sophie, Brendan, and Mark, and Joe McCarthy from M&Q.  Bre and Jason from Craft Chemistry and more.

Someone called the police, and they came, and then moved along disinterestedly.
And, there were people doing laundry too; the place remained open for business.

Xai and Mike said they want to do it next year too. I'm trying to figure out how to make that possible. I've talked to Horace and Christine about getting them involved and also to John Sgromo and Maggie and to Stasya to see if they can help with some of the on the ground work.

In the meantime, Art Rage has put the pictures in their window for the month of June so you can see a selection of the work there.

Wednesday, June 8th at 7pm, I'll be talking about the project and my hopes for the next iteration, which John Sgromo, Guru of N. Salina St,  says he will gladly help with.