#gcac

[matmarrash]

My 2023 in Review: Grants, Public Art, and Teaching

With 2024 right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to reflect on 2023 and share a bit more about what I’ve been up to. In terms of making pictures, 2023 is currently in my Top 3 worst years for creating photographic work. This doesn’t mean that everything else I was working on wasn’t photography related, it just wasn’t work for myself. Looking back, this year was all about strengthening my arts connections locally by sharing photography with the community. In no particular order, here’s what I’ve been up to for the past twelve months.

After-school Arts

Since the Fall Semester of 2022, my good friend Tariq Tarey and I have been working closely with a local charter school to develop an after-school photography program. For our first year, we were able to get interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras into the hands of fourteen eager 7th and 8th graders. Each week, we would take an hour to introduce the kids to a different aspect of photography. Throughout the year we managed to guide them out of Auto Mode on their cameras and start “seeing” their photos instead of simply “point and shoot”. By the end of year one students had: photographed a body of work, critiqued and edited their pictures, printed, framed, and entered their photographs into a local art show.

It’s been a long time since I’d worked with middle school aged kids, and to say I was nervous about working with younger students is an understatement. From years of teaching privately via Midwest Photo and One-on-One workshops, teenagers haven’t been my typical clientele. Many of them had no experience with a camera outside of a smartphone, and the idea of a dedicated device for picture taking was completely foreign. To the surprise of Tariq and myself, they picked up the basics at lightning pace. The mechanics took a bit more practice than anticipated, but their grasp of the language of photography was impressive and helped guide their vision. Overall I’m incredibly proud of what our students were able to accomplish in our short time together, and I’m looking forward to 2024 where we’ll be back for a new class of creatives!

Hilltop Cyanotype Day

Each year, the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) offers financial support to individual artists and arts organizations in the Columbus, OH area in the form of grants. These can range from one-time stipends for artist’s supplies to sustaining grants for arts nonprofits in the area. I’ve been participating in GCAC Individual Artist grants since 2015 and looking through the 2023 opportunities list, there was a new program that piqued my interest. The Neighborhood Arts Connection (NAC) grants are a way for artists residing in a particular Columbus neighborhood to receive funding to elevate and engage the community. And one of the two neighborhoods on the list for early 2023 was the Hilltop, where I’ve been for the last four years. There were two levels of the NAC grant available, $5k and $10k for a neighborhood based art program, so I decided to swing for the fences. I pitched a one-day public workshop where ANYONE would be able to attend free of charge to make a cyanotype print. To my complete surprise, the grant was approved; this was going to be my biggest undertaking of the year by far!

Even as I talk about it in past tense, $10k is a lot of money to spend on any one thing. I’m incredibly grateful that Columbus has an arts organization that’s able to support artists and their communities with grants like this. All of that being said, $10k for a public art event can be tough when accounting for everything that goes into the day. Breaking it down into three core categories, here’s what the budget looked like on my grant application versus what it actually came out to:

Material Resources - $4360 planned, $3878.81 actual

Includes art supplies, consumable goods, first aid supplies, and miscellaneous goods purchased for the event.

Human Resources - $4400 planned, $4682.50 actual

Includes pay for event host (me), eight assistants, and security all at a fair wage.

Event Planning - $1240 planned, $1693.11 actual

Includes space rental, permits, insurance, and event marketing.

So how far did that $10k go? I’m a little biased here, but I think it was enough to make an impact on my neighborhood. On Sunday October 1st, 2023 at Westgate Park, I along with eight other local artists hosted a hands-on workshop where all attendees were able to make their own cyanotype prints, free of charge. No photography experience? No problem! There were 200+ pieces of pre-coated light sensitive materials on-site, with dozens of different stencils and objects to make a unique photogram.

Throughout the course of the day, we had over 130 members of the public join us in making nearly 200 cyanotype prints on: watercolor paper, t-shirts, tote bags, napkins, and a few giant cotton murals! We had folks of all ages in attendance from age 4 - 72, many of which stayed to make extra prints. There were a few photographers that showed up, but a vast majority were Hilltop and Westgate locals that were interested in making something by hand. Any leftover arts and craft supplies that were used from the day made it into the hands of Hilltop art teachers, and two of the giant “snow angel” murals were donated to Hilltop local establishments. Most importantly, no attendees left the event empty handed, and everyone remained safe while having fun experiencing the joy of photography!

There were plenty of hurdles and a lot of lessons learned during the planning and execution of this event. Once I have that all of my thoughts and feelings compiled into an explainer video, I’ll be sure to append this blog post accordingly. For now, here are a couple of galleries of photographs taken on Cyanotype Day by photographers Shiann Banks (below) and Gracie Becker (above), thank you both SO MUCH for your help!

Research & Residency

Working as a freelance photographer is still not something I’m 100% used to yet, but in this second year of not having a 9-to-5 job I’ve started to look at opportunities that were previously out of reach. In previous years I’d see a handful of amazing location workshops and artist in residence (AiR) programs that I couldn’t participate in due to lack of paid time off days. One of my big goals for 2023 was to change this by applying to upcoming AiR programs and explore new grants. The Hilltop Cyanotype Day was one such opportunity afforded by a generous GCAC grant, but I’m happy to report there are a couple more.

Starting in January in 2024, I’ll be taking part in the Winter Residency program at the Penland School of Craft. Penland is an amazing craft school nestled into the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Each year they host over a thousand students in residencies and workshops of various lengths and disciplines. During those few Winter weeks I’ll be in charge of the photo studio and darkroom spaces at Penland in exchange for some much needed time and access to work on my alternative process photography.

Alongside the Winter Residency at Penland, I’m equally excited to announce that I’ve received a generous grant award from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) to help fund additional materials and research related to alternative process photography. Combined with my upcoming time at Penland, my aim to is come back to Columbus and spend more time making fine prints throughout 2024. With any luck I’ll be attempting several new-to-me alt processes and be reporting back to you all here on the blog and the YouTube channel.

In retrospect, 2023 was another year defined by photography, just not my own. I wasn’t out making pictures with big sheets of film through an “old timey” as much as usual, but I still had a blast. Thanks to everyone that helped make this past year a meaningful one, and an especially big thanks to the Greater Columbus Arts Council and Ohio Arts Council for helping support my continued photographic projects. Have a safe and Happy New Year, and I hope to share more photography with you all very soon!

[gerdyart]

Mural at Columbus Relief, 2000 South Parsons. Made possible by a Grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

[galaxythedragonshifter]

Resisting the urge to delete my whole manuscript and start from scratch

[galaxythedragonshifter]

Mine for my WIP Glitching Circuits and Celestial Secrets ajshsggsvd

Hes

So traumatized

So is sun

Rotating them forever in my brain because they're story is

So emotionally complex and I'm not sure if I'll be able to get it across in my WIP alsjsdndbd :sob:

SHRIEKS

YOUR MOONS!!! GIVE ME YOUR MOONS!! (And maybe refs too and feel free to add extra explanations to certain things or bonus details /nf)

Big moon and angst fan and also trying to get into other peoples stuff more, curious to see what other people have,, apologies if my digital handwriting is hard to read my handwriting kind of sucks all around

[gotham-city-animal-shelter]

Dear GCAC,

Nightwing has informed me that I should apologise for adopting the animals of your facility without your knowledge or consent.

-Robin

Thanks? I wouldn’t call it adopting though… at least you probably know how to take care of a cat.

- Cece

[cecilistired]

Hi! I'm Cecil...

they/he/any

Gotham U student

Zoology major

I work part-time at Gotham City Animal Control (GCAC)

Vigilante/rouge/villain/hero encounter tally:

II

// hi, im the owner of this blog. you can call me Cat. like cecil I am a massive bird nerd and animal lover. This blog is SFW only.

other info about Cecil:

He's trained in first aid

He has a little sister named Bella

Bella's blog is https://www.tumblr.com/belladear (I prob wont post on it as often as this one)

Cecil is a sophomore in college

Cecil is 19 and his birthday is October 13th (hes a libra)

Cecil lives off campus with two roommates but visits his family often

Cecil has bad knees (like myself)

//

[libraford]

Something that did somewhat strike me as odd the other day is that I told my boss that I was applying for the GCAC arts grant and thought she'd be happy to hear it, but she actually seemed... sad? Upset, I think?

Like babe, I can't be a school photographer forever.

[lookatisrael]

Иви - Grand Champion

Вчера и сегодня в Тель-Авиве проходили сразу три выставки собак. Две международных и одна национальная. На обеих международных Eevee и отец ее первых детей Qiwi порвали всех и взяли все возможные звания и титулы. А на национальной коргИви взяла нужный ей третий GCAC и таким образом стала Чемпионом Чемпионов – Grand Champion of IsraelВ продолжении пару фотографий чемпионки и видео с…

[americanahighways]

REVIEW: West Taylor “Available Parts”

REVIEW: West Taylor “Available Parts”@wyld_west @americanahighways #americanahighways #americanamusic #availableparts #countrymusic #country #bluegrass #americana #folk #ohio #columbusohio #indie #record #songwriting #bluecollar #musician #localmusic #cowboyhat #gcac #newmusic2024

West Taylor – Available Parts Columbus Ohioan musician West Taylor released his album Available Parts on May 1. This album was recorded at Earthwork Recording Studio and Capital University; produced by Jesse Henry; engineered by Chad Loughrige and mixed by Alex Estrada.  It was mastered by Jordan Fehr.  This is a panoramic view of folk and older style country music and as you get further into the…

[burt60]

Dr Cliff Burt and Friends Sports Talk Show

[matmarrash]

GCAC Neighborhood Arts Connection 2023 Announcement!

Over the last ten years I’ve been a Columbus, Ohio resident, the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) has played a big role in helping me: develop new skills as a photographer, network with other creatives, and even purchase some of those expensive sheets of film I like to run through my camera! And while Individual Artist Grants are such a valuable thing to any working artist, I was even more excited to learn about a more community-focused opportunity from the GCAC, the Neighborhood Arts Connection (NAC). Every six months, there will be a round of grant funding prioritizing artist-led events that engage the residents of specific Columbus neighborhoods. I was pleasantly surprised to see my neighborhood, the Hilltop, as one of the first selected for 2023’s NAC program. It’s time to give back to the community that I’ve been a part of and share the love of all things photography!

Later this Summer along with half a dozen other Columbus creatives, we will be hosting an interactive Cyanotype Day here in the Hilltop neighborhood. The tentative date is set for Saturday September 30th from 12PM - 5PM EST. Thanks to the NAC Fellowship from GCAC, admission and materials for the Cyanotype Day event will FREE for all Hilltop residents. More information for outside attendance to come.

What is a Cyanotype? The Cyanotype is an Alternative Photographic Process that involves hand-coating a liquid emulsion onto a porous surface like paper or fabric and then exposing that emulsion to UV light. After a good amount of time under the sun, the print is developed with a plain water rinse to reveal a lovely, deep blue image that can last a lifetime! Unlike many of the early photographic processes, it has low toxicity and is safe for creatives ages 5+. For more information, please check out my how-to episode on Cyanotypes below:

The best way to stay updated on Cyanotype Day is to subscribe to this blog, check out the Events page on my website, and subscribe to my YT channel. And if you are a photographer, artist, or vendor interested in being a part of Cyanotype Day, please feel free to reach out via email. Until then, I’d like to thank the Greater Columbus Arts Council and Columbus Makes Art for making this neighborhood-wide event possible. For more information on the GCAC Neighborhood Arts Connection Fellowship and the NAC Jurors, here’s a link to the official press release.

[ricefame]

Our programs help elevate Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their cultures. We aim to help them level up with their peers in providing quality education and enjoyable activities to their stakeholders. We need your help to succeed in this daunting task. Please donate. We are a veteran-owned, minority-owned, tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Your donations are tax-deductible. Please retain your confirmation email for tax purposes. Thank you.

Lacy L Rice Jr, Executive Director

[galaxythedragonshifter]

Finally editing this chapter is a relief. Intro chapters are hell

[cowthropologist]

I don't have a Switch but I do have Dolphin (open source GC/Wii emulator) and Animal Crossing and I keep pondering setting up some elaborate system in like, Dropbox or w/e that would allow me to share virtual memory cards with friends so we could all play in the same town together but a) everybody's playing ACNH now, b) I have a Minecraft server and I should rly just play on that, and c) this whole scheme is excessively complicated and no one should do it with me.

[cecilistired]

GOTHAMITES please do not let your cats outside. The city is full of dangers to your cats such as:

Cars

Gotham water

trains

toddlers

killer croc

fires

coyotes

fear gas/ joker gas/ sleep pollen/ other toxins

large rats

bicycles

other cats

many many more

Not only are your cats in danger, but they are a danger to local wildlife (particularly the birds).

We have gotten many cats into GCAC who most likely have a decent home, but may have slipped their collar and aren't micro chipped (its 2025, please get your pets micro chipped).

We have many kittens in this time of the year, which may seem cute but it overcrowds our shelters and leaves many older cats stuck in the shelter for longer. This is because some people dont get their cats neutered or spayed and then they go make many, many kittens with the strays and outdoor cats. At GCAC we have programs to get peoples' pets fixed for FREE.

PLEASE:

Do not let your cats outside

Get your pets microchipped

Get your pets neutered or spayed if it is a safe option