My experience in this class has been interesting and educational. There are many things I've wanted to write but I couldn't find the right place to put them in, so this is a good opportunity to share some thoughts. I have never blogged before and this is my first experience with it and after attending the JPNA board meeting and hearing the residents thoughts on it, I can see that blogging is a great way to get messages out and sort of promote yourself. Until now I haven't had much trouble with blogger except for uploading pictures and the time it takes to do that.
This is my first time working with a group. When I first attended the meeting over spring break and met with Mr. George Lewis, I didn't know what to expect. After going through Johnsons Park, taking pictures and meeting long time residents with so much history and so many interesting stories, I feel happy that I've gone through this experience. I enjoyed working with other students it took some of the stress off, knowing I wouldn't have to do this by myself and that there would be other students going through the same things I was. We did have a hard time getting together and arranging what we would do on the project and how we would present it but through e-mail and phone calls and meeting on the weekends we worked it all out.
It is because of this class and the service learning component that I feel I was more involved with this class then any of my other classes.
At first I was nervous about going to Johnsons Park because I had grown up in an area where everyone said don't go near there but after actually going to the neighborhood there was nothing to worry about. I was not very excited about service learning because to me that just meant more work but every time I went to an interview it didn't seem like work at all and the time just flew by.
The focus of my project is my experience in the Johnsons Park neighborhood and the its residents. I really wanted to focus on the residents during the interview and so did my group because it is really about them and we felt having out voices in the clips would distract viewers from the residents. In some cases there were complications where we had to put in something that would distract the viewer from the person being interviewed to make the clip work or be of better quality.
Now that it is all over I wish my experience had gone a little differently because I would have liked to explore different aspects of what JPNA has to offer but my schedule wouldn't allow it. When I went to take pictures for my photo essay, me and Joe didn't run into anyone because it was a cold Sunday afternoon and any one who was out just went back inside, however there was one person who flashed us the piece and that was cool. What I didn't get to do with other aspects of JPNA, the interviews made up for.
There was so much that went on during the interviews on and off camera. The residents seemed to enjoy the interviews and didn't mind us. They were really nice and welcoming, full of information and very helpful and I really appreciate that they helped us out. I appreciate the experience and the chance to meet so many good people. From Ms. Otis who doesn't really like Milwaukee but sticks around to keep fighting and the Jacobs and their work with the block watch and Ms. Craft and her family's history of living in Johnsons Park.
Ms. Otis seems really devoted to the neighborhood and she expressed many of her views on what's happened in the neighborhood in the past and what is happening in the neighborhood now. From people moving in and out of the neighborhood and businesses that should be in the neighborhood. She had a lot to say because she's gone through a lot in the neighborhood and its amazing that a person like her is around to fight for the neighborhood whenever it seems that there's sort of injustice in the neighborhood.
The Jacobs have daughters who live in the neighborhood and a son living in Las Vegas who doesn't gamble. They are really nice people and they too have a lot to say about Johnsons Park. They were very knowledgeable on the area and the homes. They have two plots of land and they got them for a great deal. The direction that the neighborhood is going in, makes them happy and they should be happy because its due to their contribution to the neighborhood that Johnsons Park is being revived.
Ms. Craft is a smart lady and very good host. As soon as we walked through the door she asked Jason and me to take off our shoes and have some pound cake and coffee. She shared pictures of her family and their history of living in the neighborhood. She has lived in the neighborhood several different times. She and her siblings went to school in another area and it was because of her brother who went to that school first that life was a little easier there. The house has been in her family a long time and has a lot of history to it. She seemed very happy that an archive was being made for JPNA because she wanted to get her family's story out there because they were a huge part of the neighborhood and they are a part of its history. In the end we all had a little discussion of whether Subways or Cousins had better sandwiches. I was the only one who thought Subways was better then Cousins.
I am really grateful for the experience and the cooperation of the residents with our project. I have benefited from service learning and this class and I am glad to see that a large part of Milwaukee is being revitalized and that these people are getting the home that they deserve.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Last Artist's Statement
Initially, I did not know what to expect when I signed up for this class but now that the class is over and the semester is coming to an end, I’m glad that I went through this class. I was not aware that a service learning component was a part of the class or that it would connect to the class assignments. It wasn’t until halfway through the semester that I decided that my final project would be conducting resident interviews. The reason I picked to do my final project on the residents of JPNA was I had not a picked a group or a project and time was running out. So I sort of stumbled into this project but now I am glad I was apart of it.
My final project is about the long term residents of Johnsons Park. Those people make the neighborhood what it is and have contributed to its history through their residency and experiences there. I felt that the people in the neighborhood are the most important aspect of JPNA. There were four interviews conducted by JPNA Group Project and I attended three. The timing was convenient because most of them took place on the weekend. I was not able to get to the interview with Ms. Evans but I did attend the interview with Ms. Otis, the Jacobs and Ms. Craft. Attending those interviews and asking the residents the same questions, I noticed a pattern in their answers. They all seemed to come to the same point and frame of mind concerning the neighborhood. They all said that in the past Johnsons Park wasn’t the greatest place to live and whenever they told people where they lived, people thought they were nuts. All these residents are now happy with the neighborhood and the direction it is headed. It is because of the residents of Johnsons Park is starting to become a better place to live.
In each interview the residents talked about memories they had of living in the neighborhood that just stuck with them. They shared their favorite memories along with positive and negative experiences in the neighborhood. At the first interview with Ms. Otis, I learned of how she fought to keep a jail from being built in the neighborhood and how she was almost tricked into buying her land for more then it was going for. I walked away from that interview seeing Ms. Otis as an advocate for the neighborhood, she seems to always be fighting for it or as she said “Getting out of one fight and getting into another,”. The Jacobs have lived in the neighborhood for over thirty years and have been married just as long. They are apart of the neighborhood block watch and their kids live close by but they don’t see them because that would be a bit too much. Their favorite memory is of the first time they came out to see the digging start for their plot of land. Ms. Craft is a real smart lady as soon as we got there to interview her she asked us to take off our shoes and offered us coffee and pound cake. She then went on to show us pictures of her family and telling us a little about herself before the interview actually started. She wanted her family’s history within the neighborhood to be documented and this was the perfect opportunity to do that and she has a lot of respect for the residents in the neighborhood who are making it a good place to live.
I have run into some complications throughout the semester. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy when I started so I was expecting complications but it’s really hard to work around some problems. One complication was figuring out how to get my hours in because I have a busy schedule like the rest of the class. The interviews turned out to be a great way to get hours done because a lot of them took place on the weekends. On my way to the first interview my dad got a speeding ticket. During the second interview I had to get equipment from the equipment room and it wasn’t until a week later that I learned that the microphone didn’t pick up any sound, which did not help when it came to editing. The third interview I attended went by smoothly without any problems. Since I had to edit the Jacobs Interview which was completely mute I had to borrow footage from another student. Most of my problems came from my ignorance to technology and Macs. I could not find a tape deck in any of the labs on campus except the closed lab. So I had to get a camera from the equipment room and when they gave me a camera that would not connect to the computer they would tell me to use a tape deck in the lab. However, the problem was the lab with the tape deck was closed. So when I finally got a camera that did connect to the computer I learned that it would not connect to my computer at home. This led me to do all my work on the final project on campus with Macs. I got help here and there to familiarize myself with Macs but it still turned out to be a difficult process. I ran into many problems loading the Jacobs interview then creating transitions and photo montages and sending and posting the clips. I spent most of two weeks editing two minutes. Now that it is finished I do feel kind of proud of what I’ve done. I’ve familiarized myself with something I had never approached and learned skills that may be useful in the future.
An important lesson I learned from the experience is that the best way to learn something is to struggle with it and push yourself until the project is finished and you meet your goal. When this semester started all I knew how to do was turn on a computer, write papers, get on the internet and e-mail people. Now I know how to write and post blogs, use a camera and mic, load footage onto a computer, use iMovie and iPhoto. I’ve acquired some useful skills from this class and I’m glad I was a part of it. Another reason I’m glad I was in this class was because I got to go through service learning. Before each interview I was nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never gone up to strangers in a neighborhood I’ve never been to and interview strangers and take pictures of their homes. I was forced to go outside my comfort zone because I’m a shy, quiet guy but I felt perfectly comfortable in the neighborhood and I ignored all the negative stories associated with the area and I felt safe. One thing I will remember from this experience is that how the neighborhood was not the best place to live but thanks to its residents and the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association and the Zilber Initiative, a group of people started to act to change there home, change its image and do something that is only seen in movies or the news in places far from here. The neighborhood changed for better and is being revived and this doesn’t just contribute to the history of the neighborhood but the city too. While there are areas that talk about changing and try to change and fail, JPNA is in the process of making the area an even better place to live then any other area in Milwaukee. I think that because of what they are doing and all their hard work whenever the North Side is talked about there won’t be any negative associations with it, thanks to this organization and the people living in it. If it weren’t for the residents who care about each other and their homes enough to change it, an important part of the city may have just gotten worse but it really is getting better.
My final project is about the long term residents of Johnsons Park. Those people make the neighborhood what it is and have contributed to its history through their residency and experiences there. I felt that the people in the neighborhood are the most important aspect of JPNA. There were four interviews conducted by JPNA Group Project and I attended three. The timing was convenient because most of them took place on the weekend. I was not able to get to the interview with Ms. Evans but I did attend the interview with Ms. Otis, the Jacobs and Ms. Craft. Attending those interviews and asking the residents the same questions, I noticed a pattern in their answers. They all seemed to come to the same point and frame of mind concerning the neighborhood. They all said that in the past Johnsons Park wasn’t the greatest place to live and whenever they told people where they lived, people thought they were nuts. All these residents are now happy with the neighborhood and the direction it is headed. It is because of the residents of Johnsons Park is starting to become a better place to live.
In each interview the residents talked about memories they had of living in the neighborhood that just stuck with them. They shared their favorite memories along with positive and negative experiences in the neighborhood. At the first interview with Ms. Otis, I learned of how she fought to keep a jail from being built in the neighborhood and how she was almost tricked into buying her land for more then it was going for. I walked away from that interview seeing Ms. Otis as an advocate for the neighborhood, she seems to always be fighting for it or as she said “Getting out of one fight and getting into another,”. The Jacobs have lived in the neighborhood for over thirty years and have been married just as long. They are apart of the neighborhood block watch and their kids live close by but they don’t see them because that would be a bit too much. Their favorite memory is of the first time they came out to see the digging start for their plot of land. Ms. Craft is a real smart lady as soon as we got there to interview her she asked us to take off our shoes and offered us coffee and pound cake. She then went on to show us pictures of her family and telling us a little about herself before the interview actually started. She wanted her family’s history within the neighborhood to be documented and this was the perfect opportunity to do that and she has a lot of respect for the residents in the neighborhood who are making it a good place to live.
I have run into some complications throughout the semester. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy when I started so I was expecting complications but it’s really hard to work around some problems. One complication was figuring out how to get my hours in because I have a busy schedule like the rest of the class. The interviews turned out to be a great way to get hours done because a lot of them took place on the weekends. On my way to the first interview my dad got a speeding ticket. During the second interview I had to get equipment from the equipment room and it wasn’t until a week later that I learned that the microphone didn’t pick up any sound, which did not help when it came to editing. The third interview I attended went by smoothly without any problems. Since I had to edit the Jacobs Interview which was completely mute I had to borrow footage from another student. Most of my problems came from my ignorance to technology and Macs. I could not find a tape deck in any of the labs on campus except the closed lab. So I had to get a camera from the equipment room and when they gave me a camera that would not connect to the computer they would tell me to use a tape deck in the lab. However, the problem was the lab with the tape deck was closed. So when I finally got a camera that did connect to the computer I learned that it would not connect to my computer at home. This led me to do all my work on the final project on campus with Macs. I got help here and there to familiarize myself with Macs but it still turned out to be a difficult process. I ran into many problems loading the Jacobs interview then creating transitions and photo montages and sending and posting the clips. I spent most of two weeks editing two minutes. Now that it is finished I do feel kind of proud of what I’ve done. I’ve familiarized myself with something I had never approached and learned skills that may be useful in the future.
An important lesson I learned from the experience is that the best way to learn something is to struggle with it and push yourself until the project is finished and you meet your goal. When this semester started all I knew how to do was turn on a computer, write papers, get on the internet and e-mail people. Now I know how to write and post blogs, use a camera and mic, load footage onto a computer, use iMovie and iPhoto. I’ve acquired some useful skills from this class and I’m glad I was a part of it. Another reason I’m glad I was in this class was because I got to go through service learning. Before each interview I was nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never gone up to strangers in a neighborhood I’ve never been to and interview strangers and take pictures of their homes. I was forced to go outside my comfort zone because I’m a shy, quiet guy but I felt perfectly comfortable in the neighborhood and I ignored all the negative stories associated with the area and I felt safe. One thing I will remember from this experience is that how the neighborhood was not the best place to live but thanks to its residents and the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association and the Zilber Initiative, a group of people started to act to change there home, change its image and do something that is only seen in movies or the news in places far from here. The neighborhood changed for better and is being revived and this doesn’t just contribute to the history of the neighborhood but the city too. While there are areas that talk about changing and try to change and fail, JPNA is in the process of making the area an even better place to live then any other area in Milwaukee. I think that because of what they are doing and all their hard work whenever the North Side is talked about there won’t be any negative associations with it, thanks to this organization and the people living in it. If it weren’t for the residents who care about each other and their homes enough to change it, an important part of the city may have just gotten worse but it really is getting better.
The Importance of Appearance
The definition of appearance is the way someone or something looks. No matter what time in society, appearance is always important, because the way a person looks tells a lot about them. Just because on the outside a person is nice and clean it does not mean that is what is inside. Do not be fooled by appearances, the outer appearance of a person does not guarantee the emotion or character of the person. If a person is wearing clean fancy clothes, shiny shoes, has there hair combed or brushed neatly, it does not mean that, that person is happy because they look the way other people want them to look.
In the photograph, The Westwater Family (Tina Barney, 1999), a modern day of image of a white family, all dressed nicely stand in a room, all preoccupied by something is presented. It is a sharp, clear image that leaves people to wonder what exactly is going on. Even though that every person in the photo is dressed up and looks very nice it is clear through the expressions on their faces that not everyone is happy. They all stand in a bright room, surrounded by nice things but just because the family has reason to be happy, it doesn’t mean that they are happy. Several people look down while others are engaged in conversation. Most of the people in the room are dressed in black. To an outsider watching the family the first impression would be that these are people are not happy even though judging by their appearance and surrounding they do have reasons to be.
In the photograph, As We Found Them (Peregrine F. Cooper, 1864), the image shows a before and after shot of two African American children. The before shot labeled “As We Found Them” shows a boy and a girl dressed in ragged clothing, standing against a banister, relaxed, and staring into the camera. In the after shot labeled “As They Are Now” the boy is dressed in a nice, clean clothes and his sister is in a nice clean dress. They both stand straight and even the image is old the lighting is brighter in the after shot then in the before as if advertising that because people think the children are dressed this way it is better and now everyone is happy except the children. Through the expressions on their face it is clear that the kids are unhappy, even though they didn’t look much happier in the before shot they are more unhappy in the after. The surrounding in the after, looks slightly cleaner then in the before. Just because the children in the picture look a way that society finds acceptable doesn’t mean it is better and it doesn’t represent what is on the inside because clearly the children are unhappy.
The authors of “Practices of Looking” state that “Images are an important means through which ideologies are produced and onto which ideologies are projected,” (23). The quote helps reinforce the idea that the way people look sends a message to others of who that person is in society, what class they are, and what they believe in. In both The Westwater Family and As We Found Them, the photographs show that the way the families are dressed and where they are does not represent who they are what they feel, it just shows what everyone else wants to see: the idea that people are looking a way they feel is acceptable. In America On Film the authors write “Images of people on film actively contribute to the ways in which people are understood and experienced in the “real world,” (1). The quote explains what appearance means in the world and how appearance is used to get to know a person and judge them.
Appearance can suggest things about people that others may not know or may lead them to misjudge them. Photographs can be used to manipulate ideas a person has about people they in the image. Just because a person looks one way does not mean it represents who they are or what they feel. Appearance is important in society and can say a lot about a person that is not true.
Works Cited
Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin, “The Importance of Appearance,” America On Film. ed. (Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2009) 1.
Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright , “The Importance of Appearance,” Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2009) 23.
In the photograph, The Westwater Family (Tina Barney, 1999), a modern day of image of a white family, all dressed nicely stand in a room, all preoccupied by something is presented. It is a sharp, clear image that leaves people to wonder what exactly is going on. Even though that every person in the photo is dressed up and looks very nice it is clear through the expressions on their faces that not everyone is happy. They all stand in a bright room, surrounded by nice things but just because the family has reason to be happy, it doesn’t mean that they are happy. Several people look down while others are engaged in conversation. Most of the people in the room are dressed in black. To an outsider watching the family the first impression would be that these are people are not happy even though judging by their appearance and surrounding they do have reasons to be.
In the photograph, As We Found Them (Peregrine F. Cooper, 1864), the image shows a before and after shot of two African American children. The before shot labeled “As We Found Them” shows a boy and a girl dressed in ragged clothing, standing against a banister, relaxed, and staring into the camera. In the after shot labeled “As They Are Now” the boy is dressed in a nice, clean clothes and his sister is in a nice clean dress. They both stand straight and even the image is old the lighting is brighter in the after shot then in the before as if advertising that because people think the children are dressed this way it is better and now everyone is happy except the children. Through the expressions on their face it is clear that the kids are unhappy, even though they didn’t look much happier in the before shot they are more unhappy in the after. The surrounding in the after, looks slightly cleaner then in the before. Just because the children in the picture look a way that society finds acceptable doesn’t mean it is better and it doesn’t represent what is on the inside because clearly the children are unhappy.
The authors of “Practices of Looking” state that “Images are an important means through which ideologies are produced and onto which ideologies are projected,” (23). The quote helps reinforce the idea that the way people look sends a message to others of who that person is in society, what class they are, and what they believe in. In both The Westwater Family and As We Found Them, the photographs show that the way the families are dressed and where they are does not represent who they are what they feel, it just shows what everyone else wants to see: the idea that people are looking a way they feel is acceptable. In America On Film the authors write “Images of people on film actively contribute to the ways in which people are understood and experienced in the “real world,” (1). The quote explains what appearance means in the world and how appearance is used to get to know a person and judge them.
Appearance can suggest things about people that others may not know or may lead them to misjudge them. Photographs can be used to manipulate ideas a person has about people they in the image. Just because a person looks one way does not mean it represents who they are or what they feel. Appearance is important in society and can say a lot about a person that is not true.
Works Cited
Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin, “The Importance of Appearance,” America On Film. ed. (Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2009) 1.
Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright , “The Importance of Appearance,” Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2009) 23.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
JPNA Board Meeting
Early today on May 9, 2009 I went to my first JPNA meeting of any sort and finished my fifteen service learning hours. I didn't know what to expect from the meeting because I had been meaning and wanting to go to a meeting for a while just to fill hours and learn more about JPNA. I felt that going to interviews and meeting long time residents is just one aspect of this experience. I arrived at the Joy Center at 8:50 and Tony was the only one there. He asked me about the class and if I any more students were coming and if everyone had finished their service learning hours. As other members came the meeting started, I saw that the idea I had in my head for the meeting and the actual meeting were completely different. The meeting seemed very casual, like a bunch of friends getting together. Before the meeting began Tony asked me how many hours I had left and I told him two and he started laughing but I didn't know why. Basically he wanted the meeting to go by fast because it's an early meeting on a Saturday and the weather was not that great. As the meeting started, agendas were passed out and the names of everyone at the meeting were recorded including mine. There were four topics to get through: Update on Zilber Initiative, Block Cleanup, Pre-Summer Concerns, and Johnsons Park Health Alliance. Within a few minutes there was a spider sited hanging from the table and it took about two minutes to deal with even though it was already dead. This incident actually started a little debate on whether having centipedes or millipedes and caterpillars around a house were good because they get rid of spiders. Eventually the meeting resumed and things became serious.
Some of the things they discussed went over my head because they are incharge of taking care of these events and I'm not really apart of this, I just helped with the interviews. From what I could understand they needed someone to go represent Johnsons Park in another meeting because if there was no one there representing them and their needs they would be forgotten. After the first issue was settled they moved onto the Block Cleanup which is scheduled for May 16th. First thing they talked about was the weather to make sure it was nice so that they could actually go outside to cleanup. Next they talked about the dumpsters, because this year they had two dumpsters available to for this event but in recent years they have had four and they originally started out with eight but it all seemed to work out because they have people from the city coming over to throw away the trash. After that they talked about what time the cleanup would start. Some said 11am others said 9am and they talked about when they started the event in the past. Eventually they all agreed the cleanup would start at nine so there would be enough time for people to come over and the food would come at eleven.
The next item they talked about was Pre-Summer Concerns. One thing they talked about was a barbecue and what would be served and who would be bringing the food along with what they've done in the past. The board members also talked about some positive feedback they are getting for what is happening in the neighborhood because of what they are doing and the radio and the class blogsite being so positive. The final topic covered was Johnsons Park Health Alliance and who was taking care of that and a recent name change and why that took place which again was kind of over my head since I'm not involved in that part of the project. In the end I found the whole experience to be educational and interesting. The most important thing that I think I took away from the meeting is that people can sit around talking and planning on how to bring their neighborhood up but all that means nothing unless action is taken and everyone apart of the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association is taking action.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Use of Technology
Being involved with Film 150 and service learning, I've done things for this class that I never thought I'd have to do or expected to do like go to the North Side.
I have never used a Mac before and have tried to avoid using technology as much as I can in my life but being in this class, there was no way for me to get through it without using technology. I've rented filming equipment like cameras, lights, microphones,and tripods from the equipment room. I've been to three resident interviews one for which I held up the light, another where I set up the camera and filmed the interview unfortunately the sound didn't come through and I helped film another interview where everything seemed to have gone alright. The footage for the Jacobs Interview is a bit shaky so I had to put in a photo montage where several pictures are shown as voices are heard in the background and the interview progresses. Being technology illiterate as well as Mac illiterate it took me two days to get Jacobs Interview 1 the way it is. In the clip the Jacobs talk about a memory they have of when someone broke into their home long ago. This memory helps people form an idea of what Johnsons Park use to be but no longer is.
I tried to start the photo montage more in the middle of the clip so viewers had a few seconds to familiarize themselves with the Jacobs before they got to see Johnsons Park. I lingered on photos with a lot of detail and that I thought looked good then I did with the more simple pictures. In the middle there is a break from the photo montage where we see the original footage of the Jacobs and then there is another photo montage. The clip ends with the Jacobs talking because that way it seems more organized and the video is about them and their experiences not the photos.
I have never used a Mac before and have tried to avoid using technology as much as I can in my life but being in this class, there was no way for me to get through it without using technology. I've rented filming equipment like cameras, lights, microphones,and tripods from the equipment room. I've been to three resident interviews one for which I held up the light, another where I set up the camera and filmed the interview unfortunately the sound didn't come through and I helped film another interview where everything seemed to have gone alright. The footage for the Jacobs Interview is a bit shaky so I had to put in a photo montage where several pictures are shown as voices are heard in the background and the interview progresses. Being technology illiterate as well as Mac illiterate it took me two days to get Jacobs Interview 1 the way it is. In the clip the Jacobs talk about a memory they have of when someone broke into their home long ago. This memory helps people form an idea of what Johnsons Park use to be but no longer is.
I tried to start the photo montage more in the middle of the clip so viewers had a few seconds to familiarize themselves with the Jacobs before they got to see Johnsons Park. I lingered on photos with a lot of detail and that I thought looked good then I did with the more simple pictures. In the middle there is a break from the photo montage where we see the original footage of the Jacobs and then there is another photo montage. The clip ends with the Jacobs talking because that way it seems more organized and the video is about them and their experiences not the photos.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Jacobs Interview- 3
The Jacobs are apart of the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association and have lived in the neighborhood for over thirty years. They agreed to be interviewed for an archive of the neighborhood. They were the second residents to be interviewed. The interview took place on a Saturday early in April. This was the second interview I had attended so at this point I was two for two when it came to interviews. My dad had dropped me off and we had no trouble finding the house. I was carrying a lot of film equipment and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Jacobs came out of the side of the house and greeted me in and she asked whether my dad would like to come as he waited in the car. My dad did not come in and as I walked in Mr. Jacobs shook my hand and greeted me nicely. He soon learned that I was a quiet guy and said "Well, we'll get that fur coat off your tongue." I had never heard that saying before and its been something I immediately remember when thinking of that interview. As the interview went on we went down the list of questions to ask the Jacobs and they answered the questions. We learned that they were apart of the block watch and how long they had lived in the neighborhood. The Jacobs talked about the concerns they had when they were thinkng about moving into the neighborhood because it was not the best or safest neighborhood at the time. They shared their experiences within the neighborhood and how they have two daughters that live by and a son who lives in Las Vegas. The Jacobs shared positive and negative memories and what they thought about how the neighborhood had been in the past. They shared how happy they are of the new direction the neighborhood is headed. Another memory of the interview that just sticks out to me is when Mrs. Jacobs said that her favorite moment of living in the neighborhood was when they first came down to start digging into their land for their home. While the camera was on, everyone tried to get the interview done and and keep it professional but when the camera was off the Jacobs talked about how much they liked their energy saving bulbs even though they had a flat screen t.v. in the hanging off the wall. I learned that me and Mr. Jacobs had something in common, that we are both welders. The type of welding he talked about was far more advance then what I do but I was able to understand what he was talking about. We spent two hours there it and everyone had a good time. In the clip the Jacobs talk about buildings that use to be around the neighborhood.
The Jacobs are apart of the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association and have lived in the neighborhood for over thirty years. They agreed to be interviewed for an archive of the neighborhood. They were the second residents to be interviewed. The interview took place on a Saturday early in April. This was the second interview I had attended so at this point I was two for two when it came to interviews. My dad had dropped me off and we had no trouble finding the house. I was carrying a lot of film equipment and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Jacobs came out of the side of the house and greeted me in and she asked whether my dad would like to come as he waited in the car. My dad did not come in and as I walked in Mr. Jacobs shook my hand and greeted me nicely. He soon learned that I was a quiet guy and said "Well, we'll get that fur coat off your tongue." I had never heard that saying before and its been something I immediately remember when thinking of that interview. As the interview went on we went down the list of questions to ask the Jacobs and they answered the questions. We learned that they were apart of the block watch and how long they had lived in the neighborhood. The Jacobs talked about the concerns they had when they were thinkng about moving into the neighborhood because it was not the best or safest neighborhood at the time. They shared their experiences within the neighborhood and how they have two daughters that live by and a son who lives in Las Vegas. The Jacobs shared positive and negative memories and what they thought about how the neighborhood had been in the past. They shared how happy they are of the new direction the neighborhood is headed. Another memory of the interview that just sticks out to me is when Mrs. Jacobs said that her favorite moment of living in the neighborhood was when they first came down to start digging into their land for their home. While the camera was on, everyone tried to get the interview done and and keep it professional but when the camera was off the Jacobs talked about how much they liked their energy saving bulbs even though they had a flat screen t.v. in the hanging off the wall. I learned that me and Mr. Jacobs had something in common, that we are both welders. The type of welding he talked about was far more advance then what I do but I was able to understand what he was talking about. We spent two hours there it and everyone had a good time. In the clip the Jacobs talk about buildings that use to be around the neighborhood.
Monday, May 4, 2009
First Visit to Johnsons Park
The first time I went down to Johnsons Park was to take pictures for the photo essay. My plan had been to take a few pictures in about an half an hour or an hour and pick the best eight and write an essay about what I saw and what I thought of the neighborhood. I ended up spending two hours in the neighborhood and I took over two hundred pictures. Going on a cold Sunday afternoon in March was not the best idea because there was no one out. One of the first pictures I took were from on top of the hill on the park. As I walked through the neighborhood I couldn't help but think about how different the neighborhood was from what I thought it would be. I had grown up in Greenfield, with many nice neighborhoods and all sorts of whispers and rumors about how bad the northside was and how dangerous and violent it could be. Even watching the news I saw stories of violence taking place within this very neighb
orhood. When I first heard that service learning would take place in this neighborhood I was not very excited or eager to go. Johnsons park seemed quiet and peaceful and if people had been out I'm sure they would have been friendly. From my first visit to the neighborhood I learned not to buy into rumors and come up with ideas that aren't true without experiencing something first hand. After spending two hours in the neighborhood and nothing going wrong, I felt safe and perfectly fine with conducting interviews and finishing up the rest of my hours in the neighborhood.
orhood. When I first heard that service learning would take place in this neighborhood I was not very excited or eager to go. Johnsons park seemed quiet and peaceful and if people had been out I'm sure they would have been friendly. From my first visit to the neighborhood I learned not to buy into rumors and come up with ideas that aren't true without experiencing something first hand. After spending two hours in the neighborhood and nothing going wrong, I felt safe and perfectly fine with conducting interviews and finishing up the rest of my hours in the neighborhood.
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