TEDxDirigo

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Fundraiser #3 - Picture of the week - $25

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Every Monday, I will offer a precious little 3x3” archival inkjet print from one of my adventures. 

Not only do they make great additions to your living room, they also make great gifts. Every purchase will enable the arduous journey ahead - to sort through over 15,000 images, scan film and write about my 4.5 months on the great American road trip. 

The first week they will be $25, after that they will be $50. 

Not interested in the loot, but want to make a tax deductible donation?  Are you really my friend? is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of Are you really my friend? must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.   Click here and donate away!

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Keliy Anderson Staley + Matt Williams, Russellville, Arkansas

title: Keliy Anderson Staley + Matt Williams, Russellville, Arkansas
date: 2013
relationship: friends, art, met via Hampshire College 
years known: 10-15

Shout out from the Portland Press Herald

Originally on the Portland Press Herald Blog in two parts.

Part one. published 5/23/13
Part two. published 6/11/13

For the first time I will be giving you an interview in two parts. Due to her work on "Are you Really My Friend: The Facebook Portrait Project,", Tanja just has too much good stuff to say to squeeze into one post. So, stay tuned for Part Two ...

Road tripping, Facebook naiveté, and a lack of societal badness

As with most of my interviews, what you'll read here is a greatly condensed version of our conversation.

What was your first experience with social media?

"There was probably some AOL Instant Messenger in my former life, or maybe Yahoo! with my friend Sarah Devlin when she moved from Portland to Brooklin, Maine. We were probably the only two people in our peer group who even chatted online. I think I may have had one other friend who I messaged with. This was around 1996-1999. This was just a form of communication for me. There wasn't a social media presence. I remember sending emails at this time and how long it took. I'd go to the bathroom and come back and it would still be sending."

Read and see more

Part TWO

Adventures in Shepherdstown, WV - days 23-25

I left Amherst, VA very early in the morning (to beat the upcoming ice storm!) and headed to my friend Jenny's in Sheperdstown, West Virginia.  Jenny and I met at Hampshire College, but hadn't stayed in touch until we ran into each other at a mutual friends 40th birthday party in Boston right as I started this project.   We became instant re-friends and although I don't think we've ever had a phone conversation, we text and IM on a weekly if not daily basis.  There have been many late night tell alls and words of encouragement over the last couple of  years.  It was my first time visiting her (and my first time in WV!) and meeting her son Grady.  [on a side note, I might of encouraged him to start a mini revolution at school to boycott finger printing the students]

hitting the road

watching the sunrise across Virginia

Jenny had coffee ready + fixed me breakfast! 

backyard

trees

Jenny and Grady show me downtown

Somehow this car managed to land on a front stoop

Stocking up at the adorable wine store

The next day, I woke up to a beautiful sunrise and light streaming through the house.  Jenny and I picked up Grady from school and went to see the progress on her soon to be house.  We decided to shoot the formal portrait at the new house, construction and all.   And as an end to every good day - we hit the local dive bar for pint before dinner.

Waking up to the sunrise

light on the stairs 

looking onto sun porch / bar

light on the porch

kitchen soap dish after my own heart

Grady and Jenny at the new house

Grady learning the Hasselblad

Grady photographs his mom with my point and shoot

Where the contractor takes a break?

Even under construction, the light and space is beautiful

it's a very tidy workspace

the quaint downtown

Dive bars with tin ceilings are my favorite - the Mecklenburg Inn is legendary 

Might as well stop in for a pint

On my last day in Shedperdstown,  Jenny threw a dinner party.   One of my favorite quotes from her is "I think my life mission is to surround myself with awesome people", so needless to say I was excited to meet her friends.  When she told me it was going to be something like 12 adults and 6 kids, I think I might of had a "um 6 kids" look on my face, because she assured me the only way to have all your favorite people show up was to let them bring their kids.   And she was right.   I enjoyed getting to know the crowd of really interesting friends she gathered and hearing about the cool things happening in their sweet town.  Jenny is on the board of the Contemporary American Theater Festival (among many others) so I got a glimpse into the theater world and their incredible programming.  Who knew this little West Virginia town was such a hotbed of cool people? 

I can't get enough of this sun room

back of the house

front of the house

Impromptu photo shoot with Sadie

Sadie is an up and coming ballerina !  

Jenny's key to a successful dinner party "Let your friends bring their kids"

Jenny happily feeds a giant group of us

Every dinner party needs a dance party

Miles 190, Trip total 915.  Dates January 23-25, 2013.

Great American Road Trip Self Portrait feat. Sontiago

VCCA / Virginia - days 13-22

Artist residencies are designed for contemplation and solitude.  I was at VCCA for a month to do a residency in social media, and had planned to plot my travel for the next 3 months, do a bunch of writing for grants and funding, and sort through images and video.   I didn't photograph much while I was there - instead focusing on work that had to be done on the computer. I ended up  having to leave after two weeks because the internet was not reliable and it was difficult to do the work I had set out to do.   I did manage to do a little exploring with my new friends/colleagues and some great thrifting as well.

The horses always greet us on the way to the studio

Garden at Sweet Briar College (across the street)

Garden at Sweet Briar College

Linda and Jessica picking the last of the crop 

Ed, Elisa, Linda watch as Miller feeds the horses at VCCA

horse portrait

sky out my bedroom window

road trip to Charlottesville, VA

The downtown is pedestrian only

I've never had a bolgna burger

Miller loves the mosiac bench

Elisa and Miller play chess

Until he gets bored and hangs out with Linda

And covers us all in lip band aids

On the way home someone feigns sleep

I gave Miller my camera and he had a great time taking these images

General store down the road

Apparently there is a stink bug infestation all over the South

Love this way of hanging pants at the local Goodwill

I almost bought this - if only it would of fit in the car...

Caroline giving a reading

Foggy morning at VCCA

Original dates January 7 - 16, 2013.