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A Peace of My Mind

A Peace of My Mind

Building community and bridging divides through portraits and personal stories.

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Hard times

January 13, 2021 by johnnoltner

So here we sit, wedged in between two historic Wednesdays. A week ago, an angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol while congress was in session to certify the results of our presidential election. And a week from now, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. A few miles south of us crews are working overtime to build as many miles of border wall as possible before the end of this administration. 2,300 miles to […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: community, compassion, current events, History, truth, values, weaving community

2

Mother Emanuel

January 6, 2021 by johnnoltner

We stood in front of Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, one of the oldest Black churches in America. On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof walked into a Wednesday evening Bible study. He sat with the clergy and congregants as they talked about their faith and when they closed their eyes to pray, he pulled out a handgun and killed nine people. He was welcomed into the community of faith and he violated that trust in the most horrific way. […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: american history, American Stories, Charleston, History, Mother Emanuel

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It’s been a year…

December 31, 2020 by johnnoltner

There was a part of me that wanted to forgo the typical end of year review. 2020 has been hard. Our programming was cancelled. Our income went away. We worried about the health of our loved ones. We missed our friends. We lost our beloved pup, Bailey. As challenging as it’s been for us, we recognize it has been downright devastating for others. A part of me wanted to just push it all aside, put my head down and forge […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, commitments, loss, pandemic, peace, resolutions, unity, year in review

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Birmingham

December 22, 2020 by johnnoltner

We passed through Birmingham, Alabama on our drive toward home. It was just a quick overnight while traveling, but we’ll return later in the spring for a longer stay and to explore more of the history of the town. It was a cool evening in the trailer, and we were confident our battery wouldn’t last through the night, but before retiring under a stack of blankets and beneath the light of a single bulb, I thought it would be a […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, Birmingham, Birningham jail, Black History, civil rights, cr king, diret action, History, jail, MLK, nonviolent

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I remember

December 17, 2020 by johnnoltner

Some memories grow into myths. The one that visited me today feels like a dream, with hazy images drifting in and out of focus…but I know it is true. More than ten years ago, I met an older woman by chance and only briefly. Within moments she had led me into a deep and intimate conversation, revealing closely held truths in a way that is only possible with someone you know you will never see again. She was in her […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: lessons, listening, stories, storytelling, wisdom

5

New Voices

December 4, 2020 by johnnoltner

It’s 1,300 miles from Minnesota to South Carolina. With our trailer in tow, we are learning that transit days are slower than we expected. You can’t drive as fast. If you stop, it takes longer to park. It gets dark early this time of year, and as we get used to setting up camp, I’d prefer to do it in the daylight. There are other lessons, too. In our first week, we’ve learned how long our battery will last on […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: Black History, Charleston, History, Magnolia Plantation, photography, plantation, rv, Slavery, south, South Carolina, storytelling

7

It takes a village

November 16, 2020 by johnnoltner

Our village showed up this week, and it was amazing. To say that our 2020 Christmas tree harvest was a shit show (pardon the language) would be an understatement. Everything that could break…broke. Everything that could quit…quit. There are a few choke points in a tree harvest that if they go down, the whole operation falls apart. I say this like I know what I am talking about, but every year I learn a little more about how much I […]

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6

Waiting…

October 31, 2020 by johnnoltner

Many of you know that a few years back I had a small cancer scare. As if there is such a thing. I got off easy. We caught the bladder cancer small and early. It was removed  with a brief outpatient procedure—like a polyp in a colonoscopy—and I didn’t even need chemo or radiation. We remain vigilant, with screenings every six months at first and now once a year. Truth be told, I hate those screenings, but it is a […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: community art, connection, election, patience, waiting

4

Unplugging…plugging in

October 18, 2020 by johnnoltner

It’s been two weeks since we left our home in Bloomington. We had a few days of planned down time with family in Wisconsin and then a few more days of unplanned down time when a small college engagement in Pennsylvania cancelled due to last-minute COVID restrictions on campus. During the last two weeks, we’ve learned to slow down a little. We no longer have any rooms to paint. No punch lists of repairs to do before selling the house. […]

Categories: Blog, Project Updates • Tags: a peace of my mind, community, community art, parkersburg, storytelling, weaving community, west virginia

3

Ithaca Remote

October 7, 2020 by johnnoltner

Over the past few weeks, I’ve produced a series of remote portraits with Ithaca College and gathered stories around the question, “What does community and belonging look like for you in this time of pandemic and protests?” It’s something I’ve thought of a lot lately, as we all learn new ways of navigating the world. As Karen and I leave our home of 20 years. As we put physical distance between us and the relationships we cherish. What does it […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: belonging, black and white, community, connection, Ithaca College, photography, portrait photography, storytelling

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