post-austin

The NAMAC conference was an experience. It was great to reconnect with CTC VISTA Project peeps, learn about new media arts happenings and experience a great new city. It is hard to say how the conference was overall. Each panel was completely different from the next, and hardly seemed related to the previous one. Some I attended hardly seemed related to anything I am working on at my organization, but still interesting to learn about. Being in a temporary volunteer position at a media arts organization, I attended this conference as an observer, quietly deciding if this is really what I am interested in and thinking about where the media arts could fall in my life path. This description of the conference applies to the back of my mind. The front of my mind got inspired to create Spanish camera classes to add to our curriculum, after attending a Latino media art panel. At this panel we (my supervisor and I) networked with an independent Latina filmmaker and discussed screening her film at our theater. She is interested in making an appearance, which would really turn the film showing into an event. Exciting and in the works. Texas is cool.

I am currently working on a gig at another middle school with the MOLLIE project. It has honestly felt like I am on a game show. We pile into a van loaded with video equipment and road trip it out to a school. We show up, the kids get pumped and greet us with helping hands. The topic of the video is unknown right up until the clock starts running. I meet these young people, and have 1.5 hours to interpret their storyboards, create a set with any resource I can find in the classroom, create a short storyline and remember to include newly learned facts about things such as volcanoes, earthquakes, surface water, anything that falls under the broad topic of earth science. While trying to envision the end product I am in charge of overseeing that every kid gets their hands on the cameras and mics, and that they learned a bit about production. At the end of the 1.5, a new group comes in and we do it all over again. It is a quick three hours.

I split my time between the education department and the Wealthy Theater. Duties at the Wealthy Theater are increasing. I have become the go-to girl for lighting info. I am currently working on a database for all of our lighting equipment that has been sitting and not accounted for for the past however many years. I am researching new equipment, and creating new light scenes for any event we may have in the future. I run the light board for every event we put on. There is no manual for our board, and I spend a lot of my time researching and testing to get things right. It is slow and grueling at times, but it feels great to go to work and be in self-learning mode. My goal is to have a manual ready for any new member or staff person to come in and look at to learn the lighting skills and help out with community events. Curriculum for a lighting class is in the future, too. I was also recently brought on board to the administrative team of the theater. I help with securing future events, which is necessary to sustain the life of the theater. We are currently battling with the GR police department to obtain a club license. If we win, this will ensure a longer lifespan for us.

Things are busy, and good. Happy Monday!

Comment from Kevin Palmer on November 27, 2007 - 12:48pm

Hey Sarah,

Too bad they're not keeping you bust at GRCMC! That entire van production process was exhausting just to read but sounds awesome. Any chance you've taped the whole process?

In terms of real world skills, knowing how to get a club license may be the coolest skill learned by a VISTA so far this year.

NAMAC was great...started missing Austin the second I hopped on the plane back.