As part of my Academic Community Engagement (ACE)  project with the Bridge PAI and my internship with the Virginia Film Festival, I helped coordinate the gallery to be a meeting of student and professional film.  Jordan Taylor and Sarah Lawson, who run the Bridge’s Film Series, curated a selection of pieces by professional filmmakers that screened alongside the work of local cinematography students.  The result was an astounding display of diverse themes, subjects, and visual effects.

The gallery was introduced last year when a last minute idea was brought to life.  Because of time constraints, there was little in the way of publicity.  This year, we prepared far enough in advance to promote the gallery as a highlight of the Film Festival. The amazing gallery manager Yasminca Wilson oversaw the installation, marketing, and preparations for the opening receptions.  After initial planning, I was in charge of marketing materials and the creation of a gallery program.  In designing these materials, I had several goals:

1. Maintain brand association with the Virginia Film Festival while still highlighting the unique identity of the event.
2. Attract members of the Charlottesville community that may have already become desensitized to the VFF publicity materials.
3. Portray the off-beat and experimental vibe of the artwork being showcased.  The projection pieces selected for the gallery were in no way mainstream, and the last thing I wanted was a poster that looked corporate or conservative.
4. Create an appealing and eye-catching design that still prominently featured the plethora of required content, including an introduction, gallery hours, location, sponsors, curators, and the Film Festival logo.

I decided to use stills from the projections being featured in the gallery as inspiration.  Eventually I decided to incorporate them into the design.  I retained the official festival font of Gotham for text, but left behind the distinct blue/purple color palette of the majority of publicity materials, pulling teal from one of the stills instead.

I adjusted the poster art for various ads in local weekly The HooK as well as an email invitation that was distributed to Festival supporters and sponsors.

An important addition to the gallery this year was a program.  This allowed patrons have a guide through the space, read the artists’ statements, and learn more about the work.  It provided a platform to recognize the sponsors of the gallery.  For example, we were able to thank local business the AV company for providing the equipment and expertise necessary for the installation.

What was especially important to me was the opportunity to share more information about the Bridge in a half-page spread on the back of the program.   The Digital Media Gallery was the result of two community organizations  coming together to work toward their common mission of uniting people with art.  The Virginia Film Festival saw record attendance of over 23,750 people this year, which provided an amazing opportunity for people to learn about the Bridge PAI and the work they are doing in Charlottesville.

The storefront at 1st and Main is back to its old empty self.  During the 5 days it was open, the Digital Media Gallery had over 1200 patrons.   Maybe that’s enough excitement for the year…

I believe that short information films are becoming increasingly useful for sharing information.  I want to develop my skills to make these short pieces interesting and engaging rather than run-of-the-mill and stinking of stock music.  I am seeking feedback on specific things to work on, and will periodically publish new projects that (hopefully) show some improvement.

What if a professional designer pledged to spend one day working closely with a community not-for-profit to accomplish a specific goal?  The designer would be giving back to the community in an efficient and fulfilling way.  He or she would have the opportunity to network with local organizations and community members.  Of course, there’s that extra perk that it feels great to help others.  It’s a win-win. A phenomenal idea.  But most impressively, it happened.

The Charlottesville Community Design Center pictured it and then brought it to life.  On Oct. 1, I participated in the 3rd annual Charlottesville Design Marathon. 10 community not-for-profits were matched with local design teams. I was paired with seasoned graphic designer Jim Gibson of Gibson Designs and we worked to create a poster and directory for VOCAL Virginia, an organization that advocates for mental health patients and ex-patients.

Several client review meetings meant we got lots of real-time feedback on our design. Photo by Andy Franck

Working alongside a seasoned professional was  an amazing way to learn.  Aside from learning some new InDesign tricks, I was able to see how a professional approaches the design process from start to finish.  Jim didn’t rush right into the design.  Instead, he asked the client questions to flesh out exactly what the organization was trying to accomplish with the materials they had requested.  In doing, VOCAL was pushed to clarify their mission in a way they never had before.  I saw how much influence a designer can have on an entire organization, and how important it is to make sure the client isn’t waiting for a design to provide magical direction for the future.

I think the fact that the event was branded as a marathon was one of the main reasons for its success.   The organizers dressed up in running gear, provided sweatbands for the designers to wear, and kept Eye of the Tiger playing on a loop through most of the day.  It was fun.  They also worked hard to make it feel like a big deal, equivalent to the accomplishment of completing an actual marathon.  The event ended with a champagne toast and reception.  Designers presented their work to the crowd, and we had the opportunity to feel recognized and important.  This was especially nice because design work usually takes place behind the scenes.

Business cards! These designers were more prepared than I.

I think this mutually beneficial model would be successful in other communities, and I’m eager to start spreading the word about this great concept for creating sustainable social impact.

Everyone was in agreement that suicide is tragic and preventable, although maybe not with “1.5 million sq metres of nets to stop workers from jumping.”  However, several people said that the news didn’t affect their opinion of Apple, with the reasoning being that many factories have bad working conditions and most of them we don’t even hear about.  Another classmate brought up the point that if we did a little digging, we could find news about PC manufacturers and their labor issues.  Yes, we could.  But what does that have to do with holding Apple responsible for this incident?

All of us have undoubtedly bought something from a company that mistreats its employees.  I agreed 100% with the point that Apple is not the only bad guy.  But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t one of the bad guys.  And it definitely doesn’t mean that consumers shouldn’t hold the company accountable for the things that happen in the factory where its products are manufactured.

It is extremely overwhelming to think about what it would be like to start boycotting everything that is connected to human suffering, because lets face it, that would be a ton of stuff.  The problem with the attitude of “Well, this is a huge problem that goes beyond this one company” is that it leads the conclusion of “I can’t stop them all, so I guess I’ll do nothing.”  (Read about why ‘All or Nothing’ attitudes hurt social action here)

Is there news that could stop us from getting whipped up into an iPad frenzy?

I didn’t have much luck finding a ranked list of multinational corporations with poor working conditions, but I doubt Apple is at the top of the list.  All I’m saying is that consumers have a lot of power, and we should use that power to tell companies what is not okay.  We have the power to find out more and make informed choices.  And we have the power to take small steps towards big social change, even if that small step is just telling everyone we know.  Because the alternative is not moving at all.

‘Framing Theory’ analyzes the way that movements attempt to make a social problem meaningful to different audiences.   The most successful movements have succeeded in framing themselves in a way that resonates with the public, often because they make some kind of emotional impact. I’d argue that an equally important aspect of framing is making clear to the audience what they can actually do once they care.  What can I do to improve working conditions in a factory in Shenzen?  Is deciding never to buy another Apple product going to make any kind of a difference? And if these questions aren’t answered,  people are not going to take action.  That’s the real problem that my classmates and I faced when our professor put that article up on the screen.  We recognized that something bad was happening, but had no idea what to do about it.

Things from that weekend that I’ve kept up:  Buying most of my groceries at the Farmers Market. Never buying bottled water.  Composting. Reusable shopping bags. Way less meat.  I picked a few things that I can stick to and then strive to include other good habits whenever possible.  Am I doing everything I could be doing for the environment? Hell no.  But I’m doing something.

Too far? I forgot my reusable grocery bags so I put everything straight back into the basket. Calm down, I'll return it

My main goal this semester is to gain exposure for the Bridge through mutually beneficial collaboration with other organizations in Charlottesville. In preparation for an outreach meeting with Bridge PAI Executive Director Greg Kelly next week, I have been brainstorming ways that The Bridge could get more involved with the Virginia Film Festival, an annual event that saw a record attendance of over 19,000 last year.  Both organizations strive to make the arts accessible and celebrate the power of art to bring people together.

During the 2009 Festival, the Bridge displayed special projects alongside the work of UVa film students in a temporary ‘Digital Media Lounge’ on the Downtown Mall.  I thought it was an amazing idea; the juxtaposition of student projections alongside the work of local artists made the exhibit seem truly representative of Charlottesville as a community.

The Bridge's special project WE PEOPLE in the Digital Media Lounge.

The exhibit was very well-received and there is a great deal of interest in bringing the Digital Media Lounge back this year, potentially with even more installations.  I want to make sure that there is someone to serve as an intermediary between the organizations.  Because it was a new inclusion last year, everything came together at the last minute.  My goal is that this year things can be planned in time to be publicized.

In addition to exhibitions, I am interested in pursuing other opportunities for collaboration.  For example, Saturday during the Film Festival is ‘Family Day’ — an entire day dedicated to programming for younger audiences.  The event takes place on the Downtown Mall and many organizations in Charlottesville get involved to provide activities for families and children.  I think we can come up with an interactive activity that the Bridge could sponsor in order to reach out to youth and spread awareness.  The Bridge has conducted programming for youth in the past, and Family Day seems like a great venue to continue this practice.

The Bridge also presents a number of film events during the year.  It seems like there is the potential for a screening that weekend to be sponsored by the festival and added to the program of events.  The Festival makes a point of celebrating Virginia filmmakers, and the Bridge could help contribute to the showcasing of local artists.  I look forward to discussing all of these possibilities and coming up with realistic (and measurable?) goals for this outreach endeavor.

In terms of personal goals, I am going to make a point of putting just as much energy into follow-through as I do to brainstorming and planning.  A good idea might be the key to success, but it has absolutely no value unless someone picks it up and runs with, overcoming obstacles to make it happen.  I sometimes have a tendency to get very excited about the prospects of an idea in the early stages without realizing the full extent of what it will take to accomplish.  I anticipate a struggle finding a way to balance my commitment to both organizations and manage communication between all the different outlets that need to be consulted before a plan gets the green light. I know it will be difficult to find a solution that truly benefits everyone involved.  But I also think it will be an amazing opportunity to learn.

Although he doesn’t exactly offer an answer to my question, Ernest Boyer addressed this issue in the 1995 Stated Meeting of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.    He proclaimed the importance of  what he called the scholarship of engagement: “[C]onnecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems, to our children, to our schools, to our teachers, and to our cities…”  Proposing fundamental reforms that need to be made in higher education, the speech is eloquently written with some very sharp wit.  I loved his reference to the complexity of taking his grandchildren on an outing — used as justification for why elementary class sizes should be smaller.  However, he made sweeping observations about the decline of the historic commitment to the scholarship of engagement that I wish had been illustrated with data or at least a specific example.

Ira Harkavy of the University of Pennsylvania warns that “our great universities simply cannot afford to remain islands of affluence, self-importance, and horticultural beauty in seas of squalor, violence, and despair.”  While I wouldn’t describe Charlottesville with any of those words, her point hits home, and I can’t wait to get involved with one of the local organizations that each student in the class will be working with this semester.  We have heard presentations from all three of the prospective groups:

1. Virginia Organizing – I would conduct individual outreach with the aim of increasing voter turnout, especially among lower income citizens with higher barriers to participation.
2. The Bridge Progressive Arts Institute – I would carry out administrative tasks and contribute ideas for furthering the organizations mission of building community through collaborative practices and programming in the arts.
3. Not for Sale – I would help conduct research about human trafficking in Virginia.

Not only was it great to learn more about different organizations in Virginia doing important work, it was inspiring to hear how the individuals had  become involved in the first place.  Virginia Organizing was represented by two candid young guys who I could tell were actually interested in our help and our opinions.  It was also great to meet the co-founder and executive director of The Bridge PAI, the organization I would like to work with. Because of my involvement with the arts in Charlottesville, it was already on my radar and I really want to get more involved in what I think is a very unique organization.  Specifically, I’d like to help The Bridge get more exposure during the Virginia Film Festival held in Charlottesville in November.  I will be interning at the Festival this fall, so I feel like I would be in a good position to help ensure these two organizations are making the most of their common interests and goals.

Buying local

The weekly farmers market in Charlottesville runs from 7am to noon on Saturday – clearly, it doesn’t target college kids. I dragged my roommates out of bed at 7:30 and we walked the 2 miles to historic downtown Charlottesville, where the market takes over an entire parking lot.  We splurged on fresh cut flowers, homemade pasta, and all kinds of good veggies for dinner that night. It was 9am, and I have to admit that I was feeling pretty great about myself.  We had even remembered to bring cloth bags to carry all the purchases. I was invincible. Who needs oil???

My first infraction was pretty innocent. As we were leaving, we stopped by a booth occupied by the jolly “Lemonade Lady.” Apparently the bright color of the disposable plastic cups was enough disguise to make it past my oil radar. I told myself maybe they were that kind made with corn, but I could already see just how difficult the weekend was going to be. A key part of sustainable living seems to be staying on your toes!

Thrift Stores and Carpooling

The Weekend Without Oil also happened to be move-in weekend at the University of Virginia.  My roommates and I decided to save money (and oil!) by getting used furniture for our new apartment. To avoid crowds and traffic we escaped to nearby Staunton with its plethora of kitschy second-hand stores. I justified using a car with the fact that we carpooled and were using it for sustainable purchases. We found an end table for $10 at the ReStore by Habitat for Humanity, but my favorite place was Worthington Hardware Co, an adorable store full to the brim with everything from old jukeboxes, traffic lights, and gumball machines to typewriters, bins of horseshoes, and old storefront signs. In the basement we made a surprising find for our living room, which needed more seating: A porch swing bench!

This was just the basement...

Thus began the next oil-reducing adventure: the bench was large, and the car we brought was… not. I couldn’t accept the idea of calling someone with a larger vehicle to come help, because I already felt bad about using a car at all. Miraculously, we got everything in, after about 45 minutes of trying different angles and several pedestrians stopping to offer us advice or tell us it was never going to fit. Their pessimism only made us more determined.

Tap Water and Willpower

I carried a metal water bottle all weekend. The idea of buying a bottle of water now seems crazy to me – and I definitely think that will stick. One of the goofiest things I did was bring a reusable cup to the Saturday night welcome block party so I could avoid the cliché red Solo cup. (It was a good icebreaker.)  One of the toughest moments for my willpower was on scorching-hot Sunday afternoon: I walked by a Starbucks without buying a caramel Frappachino. Some people will understand how truly difficult this is.
It was really frustrating when I found myself thinking “I’ll have to wait until Monday” to buy this or that and drive here or there. Oil really did start to feel inescapable, and I felt cheap claiming to be going “without oil” when I was just putting off the consumption to a later date.

I think the best thing about my Weekend Without Oil was that it was a test drive for increased sustainability in my lifestyle moving forward.  I know of many ways to reduce my consumption of oil and other resources, but this weekend gave me a good reason to take the first (and most difficult) step to start actually doing a lot of these things.  Being conscious of everything I did made me realize not only how dependent we are on oil, but also the lifestyle changes I want to make now that the weekend is over.  Never again using a plastic bag or water bottle and working harder to buy locally are just a few of my goals.  I didn’t realize just how effective it would be to have a reason to start.

I thought move-in weekend was going to make this challenge even more difficult, but it actually had the unexpected result of allowing me to start good habits for me and my roommates.  When buying kitchen items, I purposefully chose a recycled plastic cutting board and made sure we got a Brita filter so that we’d never need to buy plastic water bottles for drinking.  All of our “new” furniture is somebody’s old furniture.  And I like to think we’ve begun a tradition of attending the weekly farmers market – but I can’t make any promises – after all, it’s held on Saturday morning.