by johnnoltner
The first day I went to Chicago and 38th—the site where George Floyd was killed—I didn’t bring my cameras. I went to see it, to be in the space, to bear witness and to learn. As I walked toward the site, I passed a lilac bush toward the end of its bloom. Light purple blossoms covered the ground and I bent down to gather a few handfuls and filled my pockets. At the very spot where George Floyd’s life had […]
by johnnoltner
You’ve seen the lists all over social media, but have you started working your way through them? I’m currently reading Layla F. Saad’s Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor. Last night, I watched I Am Not Your Negro. I’d been familiar with James Baldwin’s work for years, but those 90 minutes put it all in a context that helped me see it in new ways. Sometimes I’m looking for straight up documentary and […]
Categories: Blog
by johnnoltner
This year we have no plans for picnics. No fireworks. No parades or crowds or trips to the beach. It’s a different kind of year. We’ll stay home. Do some reading. Get a few projects done. Mow 20 acres of Christmas tree fields at our farm. When you mow 20 acres, you have plenty of time to think. This weekend I expect I will continue to think about what Independence Day means in 2020. What is independence? Freedom? How do […]
Categories: Blog • Tags: 4th of july, a peace of my mind, frederick douglass, independence day, npr, race, storytelling
by johnnoltner
Public projection from John Noltner Photography on Vimeo. For 10 nights, we projected the stories we gathered from the George Floyd memorial. We amplified the voices of the people we encountered. We projected their portraits 20’ x 30’ on the side of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. And we climbed down off the rooftop to have conversations with the people who stopped to look. For me, it was a way to share the stories publicly in an immediate and […]
Categories: Blog, Uncategorized • Tags: George Floyd, Minneapolis, photography, portrait photography, projection, public art, stories
by johnnoltner
It’s hard to wait for the sun to go down when you are setting up your first public art projection. In Minneapolis on June 19, the sun sets at 9:03pm. But at 9:03 there was still so much ambient light in the sky that I could barely make out an image on the wall. At 9:10, Lance from Channel 5 news showed up with a camera and I wished I could will the earth to spin just a little bit […]
Categories: Blog • Tags: George Floyd, John Noltner, justice, Minneapolis, peace, photographer, projection, public art, storytelling
by johnnoltner
George Floyd from John Noltner Photography on Vimeo. A Peace of My Mind visited 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis after the police killing of George Floyd and asked, “What do you want to say?” Music by JoeDavisPoetry.com
Categories: Blog • Tags: Black Lives Matter, blm, documentary photography, George Floyd, Minneapolis, Police reform, storytelling
by johnnoltner
At ECU, we asked, “What do you want your campus to know about sexual assault prevention and education?”
Categories: Blog • Tags: black and white, education, photography, pledge purple, portraits, prevention, sexual assault, sexual assault prevention, stories
by johnnoltner
We visited Rutgers University for their Leadership Week and asked, “What do you want to be remembered for?”
Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, black and white, leadership, leadership development, peace, photography, portrait photography, stories
by johnnoltner
Life has seasons, and so does this work. Fall was a busy season on the road, hauling the exhibits and leading programming at colleges and conferences across the country. It was an exciting and robust schedule, but the last run was 30 days and 5,000 miles long. By the time it was over, I was ready for a break. I returned home November 16 and went straight into harvest mode. For those of you who don’t know, Karen and I […]
Categories: Blog • Tags: home, plan, reflect, seasons, travel, vision, writing
by johnnoltner
It continues to amaze me how a small gesture can change someone’s day, or their life. We’ve all had it happen to us. We all have the power to offer it to others. A Peace of My Mind visited Tennessee Tech and asked, “When has someone reached out to lift you up?”
Categories: Blog • Tags: care, caring, encouragement, friendship, kindness, love, service, support
