Project Updates | A Peace of My Mind

A Leap of Faith

December 20, 2016 by johnnoltner

My wife just quit her job. Last Friday was her final day working with kindergarten students, a job she started once our own kids were both in school. My schedule as a freelance photographer has always been unpredictable and it worked well for us, knowing she was on the same schedule as our kids. Now both our children are grown and off to college. A Peace of My Mind has grown, too, and the exhibit and speaking schedule has me […]

Categories: Blog, Project Updates • Tags: adventure, art, connect, faith, leap of faith, peace, photography, trust

Something new

February 12, 2016 by johnnoltner

I’m excited to announce a new website for A Peace of My Mind. It’s amazing what long days at the kitchen table with a laptop and a pot of coffee can do. Oh…and a crowd of WordPress Happiness Engineers on the other end of a chat line. Most of the bugs seem to be worked out, so it’s ready for viewing. (That being said, I’m sure something has slipped through the cracks…I will gladly crowdsource corrections, so let me know […]

Categories: Blog, Project Updates, Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, APoMM, art, dialog, peace, photography, social justice, stories, website

Gone, but still with us

February 5, 2016 by johnnoltner

Sometimes people touch us for just a brief time, but make a lasting impact on our lives. Some of my best friends live far away. We might not talk often, but I carry them with me through my days, and it does my heart good to simply know they are in the world. I stay in touch with several of the people I have interviewed for A Peace of My Mind, but others come into my life for a few […]

Categories: Blog, Guests, Life, Project Updates • Tags: a peace of my mind, Bergen Belson, concentration camp, dialog, diversity, exhibits, Fred Baron, Holocaust, Jewish, listening, peace, social justice, stories

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Another Point of View

January 26, 2016 by johnnoltner

Last week was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and on Monday I spoke to 250 educators from the Lakeville School District about A Peace of My Mind and using storytelling to build understanding and community. The exhibit was installed at the Lakeville high school media centers and many teachers brought their classes to engage in different ways. An art teacher had her class sketch the portraits that they were drawn to, paying attention to light, composition, and texture. She asked them this parting question…”If […]

Categories: Project Updates • Tags: a peace of my mind, art, dialog, diversity, exhibit, Lakeville, peace, social justice

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2015 recap

December 30, 2015 by johnnoltner

I’m good at looking forward…not always so good at looking back, so I’ll offer up this year-end review for myself as much as others. Exhibits: We installed 20 exhibits in 9 different states this year. The closest was 4 blocks from my home at Normandale Community College. The farthest was at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The exhibits ranged in length from one day to six weeks and most involved some sort of speaking or workshop engagement. Stories: I […]

Categories: Project Updates • Tags: a peace of my mind, Colorado, exhibits, peace, snow, social justice, stories

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40,000 miles for peace

November 18, 2015 by johnnoltner

The last story has been recorded. The final portrait has been made. A Peace of My Mind: American Stories has been heard. Now it must be told. In a perfect world, I would have edited these stories along the way. But this is not a perfect world. There are 90 interviews waiting to be edited (the binder you see in the photo is about 1/3 of the transcripts) and as I sized up the task in front of me, a few […]

Categories: Blog, Project Updates, Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, American Stories, art, dialog, diversity, exhibits, listening, peace, social justice, travel