the ARt project- what is it?

For the past 18 months I have been given the great, great opportunity to work on a student project of my own vision, while pursuing my post-Bacc degree at the local university! The project is a result of recognizing that mobile app technology contains so much possibility to make the beauty and wonder in this world so much more accessible for so many more people. With this basic recognition and a lifetime of experiences in the arts, I hit on a combination of thoughts and discoveries that combined to light up my mind and inner vision to see the holistic possibilites of a new tool. Without going into too many other details, at this stage the project has enjoyed a proof-of-concept public launch at a local science and arts festival_ as of last year. As student-project director, I have also presented the prototype project to academic peer review at a regional digital technology in education conference, also last year. Now, as initial and generous university support funding to realize this stage of the project, and much more- winds down, I am building my first public funding campaign in support of the project. the ARt project has currently entered second-stage refinements in the university Engineering capstone group for the next 12 months. This means it is very important to fund what comes next! To do this, I will be learning by doing, how to apply for grants, search for private funders and play with crowd funding! To mark the launch of this brand new funding campaign project- I share the essential portion of an email that arrived in my inbox just yesterday, with this message:

Who Are you? Who? Who? Who? Who? I REALLY want to know?

In my newest incarnation at a local museum, I am absolutely struggling to learn the art of telling people, primarily children, what looking at art is!

That the value of a person's own eyes (consciously) looking at what is called art, is a valuable act. Actively building on looking together, through facilitating each person speaking about what and how each one sees, in an organized, non-judgmental and encouraging manner, so as to empower the act of looking differently through shared conversation, what and how each person sees. Thereby, taking ownership of the art and the experience of looking_ together.

For example the current feature exhibit, outside of the many permanent, residency and visiting exhibits available to see at the museum_ is work of contemporary photographer, Chris Jordan. The exhibit of his work is titled: Running the Numbers.

*Watch the TED video of Chris' talk about why he does his photography, and notice non-judgmentally how you respond. Then, share it with friends and see how you all do!



I thought titling this post after the Who was appropriate. After all in light of this exhibit's message and mirror, who are we_ each one?!!



Then, some partial answers provoked by this particular exhibit's invitation to see deeply into one's own self, and one's own subsequent (lifelong) choices (in some cases), as documented and mirrored back to us by Chris Jordan's photography_ may for some, be found in these quotes that have recently crossed my own radar:

“I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.”

_ Don Delillo

“Love does truly come to those who still hope although they've been disappointed_ to those who still believe although they’ve been betrayed, to those who still choose to love

although they’ve been hurt before, and to those who have the courage to build trust again.” _ Paraphrased from Anonymous, posted to the Internet