A Peace of My Mind

Joseph McGill

December 12, 2020 by johnnoltner

Joseph McGill is the founder of The Slave Dwelling Project. I interviewed him at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina. Ten years ago, Joe started spending the night in historic slave quarters and has slept overnight at more than 150 such sites across the country. He uses the experience to talk about the importance of preserving these historic structures so that we may have full and honest conversations about our country’s history. When you’re uncomfortable, that’s when the learning starts.” – […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: Black History, History, Joseph McGill, Magnolia Plantation, oral histpry, photography, plantations, slave dwellings, Slavery, social issues, society, South Carolina, storytelling, the south, travel

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

Taking our time

November 22, 2020 by johnnoltner

We are easing into this new lifestyle of being mobile and gathering new stories. Our month-long residency in Parkersburg, West Virginia was a model for what I hope we can do more of going forward. Of course, COVID is going to have to play out and it will impact the way we are able to engage with programming, but in this case, we were able to operate safely and remain distanced as we did our work. We spent four weeks […]

Categories: Uncategorized

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 […]

Categories: Blog

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

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

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

Leaving Little Road

October 4, 2020 by johnnoltner

Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane? That’s the question people ask you when you announce that you are going skydiving. And in a sense, it’s what we are doing now. Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. We love our community. I can walk across the street and help myself to a beer out of Dan’s fridge whether he’s home or not. Ashley would watch our dog any time we needed it. I can ask for […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: change, moving on, new chapter, saying goodbye

A hitch but no trailer

September 29, 2020 by johnnoltner

We found out last week that our travel trailer will not be delivered from the factory in time for our October 3 departure. We thought this might happen. COVID-related supply chain disruption, they said. When we signed the papers, the sales person was confident the timing would work. In a follow up phone call, the business manager sounded cautiously optimistic. But starting a couple weeks ago, that optimism started fading daily for all of us. Now we are certain it’s […]

Categories: Uncategorized

Pay Attention

September 23, 2020 by johnnoltner

When I was shooting a lot of travel assignments, I noticed a predictable—if mildly uncomfortable—process unfold. As I drove to the location, whether it was an autumn fly-fishing stream in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota, or a grain truck sunset tour of the Kansas wheat fields, I worried. It was hard to see the potential in the shoot. I could feel the anxiety well up. The light was no good. Power lines traced the length of the trout stream. Billboards marred […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, creativity, cry out, listen, patience, pay attention, prayer, storytelling, travel

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	Heidi on Hard times
	Ted Hall on Hard times
	It’s been a ye… on Alphonso Brown
	Helen Hartman on New Voices
	johnnoltner on I remember