ON BEING CAPTURED: A NEW PHOTO SERIES OF ME

RUTH GLORIOUS RUTH. Thank you Trish Weaver for taking and creating this dramatic photo of ME with the warm breeze whipping through my hair and titling it "Ruth Glorious Ruth." It might not be apparent to my dear readers, but I am talking (to my husband) on the I-phone in front of ME  on the table. The Atlanta skyline looms in the background behind ME. I did not pose for this picture and wasn't only vaguely aware that Trish was snapping away.

A STUDY IN RUTH: (Part 1)THE LAUGH

Hallelujah for BEING here now and EMBODIED. Hallelujah for those artistic friends that SEE ME as worthy of their photo studies (Lisa Alexander Streib) and succeed in capturing some aspect of WHO I AM in their creative work. Since I have spent a life time asking the big question--WHO AM I?—I strongly appreciate Trish Weaver’s generous response to that question in the photos she took of ME at the beginning of November when she arrived in Atlanta to hear rock legend, 69-year-old Patti Smith give a reading of her new book, M Train. Her images convey something about ME that I like.

Feeling pudgy and struggling with keeping my weight 25 pounds below 200, I don’t feel like the "Vain" Ruth likes being photographed. Consider also at the grand old age of 57, that I have a considerable number of wrinkles, and my once blond hair is gray and thinned because of my challenge with the auto-immune disease, alopecia. Who would trouble themselves to capture my image? Who is this woman who has gathered so many years? The question, "WHO AM I?" is perpetual for ME because change is constant.

A STUDY IN RUTH: (Part 2) MAKING A POINT

WHO AM I? is obviously a metaphysical question for ME. Therefore, I would accept many answers but will settle for one answer right now. I AM the SUBJECT of these photos in relationship to the photographer, my friend Trish. I EXIST here, captured in these images because of our friendship and her artistry.

A STUDY IN RUTH: (Part 3)THE HOME STRETCH

Upon meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, via my Chiboogamoo at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Trish and I connected quickly as a result of our mutual interest in ALL THINGS CREATIVE even though she is a paleontologist and an ichnologist at that. Yet, she is not defined or limited by her scientific obsession or profession. Instead, she has demonstrated to ME that her curiosity is vast and that she is dedicated to expressing it in wild creative ways in her science and through her painting, photography and story telling, as well as her dedication to pursuing her fascination with Patti Smith.

Which gets us back to why she was visiting Chiboogamoo and ME here in Atlanta in November after seeing Patti Smith perform the 40^th anniversary of her album, Horses,  in New York City. Having already visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden and High Museum of Art on previous visits, Trish chose for us to walk along the Atlanta Beltline and peruse the art there. After two weeks of rain, we had a lucky respite from the gloom and cold and were bathed in the warm golden sun of an Indian summer. You can see the luminosity of the light in these photos, which are all titled by Trish.

A STUDY IN RUTH: (Part 4) ACTIVE LISTENING. When Trish posted this final image in the series of "Study in Ruth" in our Facebook group, The Daily Creative Practice, two of our friends wrote the following laudatory comments about her photography: 

From Andrew Rindsberg: "Thank you, Trish. I've enjoyed your evocation of Ruth Schowalter in Piedmont Park, Atlanta. Although it made me smile to discover that your "Study in Ruth" lasted perhaps twenty seconds, I was also sobered to realize that this is an effective way of capturing the essence of a dynamic personality without resorting to motion pictures. Some of the most interesting people are difficult to portray in still images precisely because they keep moving. I guess some people look good both ways! We all have seen wonderful photos of Ruth in majestic still poses, and in performances. Now we see her in conversation. You've made it look easy, but it is not."

From Ty Butler: "Trish I really like these photos of Ruth. They capture hints of her inner power. For those who don't personally know her, this power of inner contact is immense and when focused turns the heads of those around her. I've been privileged to see it many times."

In addition to the recognition Trish deserves for her photographs, I also linger on Andy's descriptive phrases "dynamic personality" and "interesting people" and Ty's "inner power" that when "focused turns the head of those around her." They SEE ME! Is this WHO I AM?

WHO AM I? I feel privileged to have these positive and affirming responses to Trish's photos of ME without my eliciting them from friends who know ME on varying levels. Art is such a rich way to be in the world! What a great fortune I have to be engaged in an artful life on so many different levels--making art, having friends who make art, and BEING the ART!

TRISH THE TRAVELER. I took this image of Trish when she visited Chiboogamoo and ME in Atlanta from her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the beginning of 2015 to take part in an intuitive painting class. I had requested she bring her "top hat" with the octopus arm for the festive occasion of getting together with members of the Daily Creative Practice, my online Facebook Group, where we have shared so much of our creative work. Arriving on the MARTA train from the airport she was equipped with her Coca Cola and cigarette.

Trish's photos surprised me so much that I asked her to write a statement about why she started taking these black-n-white snapshots of me. Here is her response: 

"This series of photos was a combination of me trying to capture a bit of the essence that is Ruth Schowalter and me just playing with a new camera. Prior to taking these images I had been reading Patti Smith’s book, Just Kids, about her life and her relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Smith’s words, her sense of time and place, and images were ringing in my ears as I looked through the lens. The lighting, wind, and Ruth’s expressive nature did the rest. I shot in black and white because of the lingering impression the book left on me (imitation is the highest form of flattery, is it not?) and because devoid of color, all the glitz and colorful facades of life are stripped away and one is left with the feeling of what is real. Ruth in her adopted city on a late fall day overlooking Piedmont Park."

THANK YOU TRISH WEAVER for your ARTISTRY and for ME BEING THE ART!

SELFIE OF THE SUBJECT (ME) WITH HER PHOTOGRAPHER. Trish and I captured the essence of who we are for a moment in time, taken outside of Sevananda in Little Five Points, Atlanta, after a visit to Junkman's Daughter to buy these hats, to have additional ones to offer members of the Daily Creative Practice at our evening gathering. Play is certainly involved in our creative activities together. Besides having great taste in photo subjects and hats, Trish is good fun. Her laughter is the best!

That's Coffee with Hallelujah. SOUL BLOG with me. Share with me your answer to the question, "WHO AM I?" Have you ever BEEN the ART? 

To see blogs written about my BEING THE ART in relationship to Lisa Alexander Streib:

True Collaboration: Show up. Do the Work. Consider it Good Enough.

Defining My Mission
 
Atlanta Along the East West Line MARTA and a Portrait of Two Women
 
Mark Nepo and Lisa Alexander Streib Collide in My Life
 
Infinity and the Selfie

The Reach

ART AND COMMUNITY: AN AFTERNOON WALKING THE ATLANTA BELTLINE

Hallelujah for JOURNEY, for moving throughout one's community on a TRAIL made exuberant with ART! Hallelujah for my city of Atlanta, which has just today officially opened its Eastside Trail of a much larger endeavor called the Atlanta Beltline!

TRAVELING THE EASTSIDE TRAIL WITH FELLOW PILGRIMS! On Saturday, October 13, 2012, I, Hallelujah, had the thrill of sharing the delights of the Atlanta BeltLine with colleagues in creativity, Elise Helfer, Jesse Merle Bathrick, Lesly Fredman, and Cecelia Kane. We entered the trail at Irwin Street in Inman Park. Look at the marvelous gateway made by artist Neil Carver. Called "Resurgens," it is a giant steel Phoenix rising from flames and will eventually be welded to train tracks! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

HALLELUJAH TRUTH AND BELTLINE ART. Next to the steel gateway "Resurgens" is work by Lamar Barber entitled "Sound Poles: Heavier Than Water." On site, there are two other telephone poles like the one I am standing by. The artist statement explains that these poles act as beacons of communication and the found objects surrounding them represent eviction. From this work, a larger theme emerges of "death and delinquency." (photo by Elise Helfer)

The Eastside Trail provides a wonderful 2.25 miles of a smoothe concrete path large enough to dance on, commune with the ART, "strangers," and those who live along this newly emerged artery of Atlanta! All of us still feel slightly surprised that this Eastside Trail connects five Atlanta neighborhoods (Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Midtown, Poncey Highland, and Virginia Highland)! Moreover, this pathway, is offering a new alternative to our workweek morning commutes to downtown! Imagine traversing the city without automotive traffic and stoplights! Hurray!

Our Saturday afternoon ART stroll was made magnificent by the abundance of people all seeming connected magically by the Eastside Trail! People who live in these re-interperted industrial spaces alongside the path are experiencing human traffic outside their front doors which used to be former loading decks for trucks!

RENOVATION, REINTERPRETATION, REVELATION! The past is reconciled with the present. We Atlantans can now walk through Atlanta's rail line past, but almost everything has been repurposed! Wow! This neglected industrial space is being beautified! Look at the arch over the doorway that is emerging! (photos by Hallelujah Truth)

DISCARDED RAILROAD PARTS BECOME SCULPTURES. Jac Coffey's sculpture, "Railroad Workers," echoes railway work from long ago made from actual parts of metal from the Atlanta BeltLine. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

STEEL FLOWERS BY CHRISTOPHER BIVINS. The intention of this work is to conjure up the width of the original railroad tracks and to express colors associated with the railroad industry. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

As our bevy of ARTISTS moseyed along this Eastside Trail, we paused to take in the ART and to resonate with it or at least to understand the artists' intentions. There was so much excitement in the fall afternoon air because of the anticipation of the dedication taking place on the following Monday. As you can see in the photo with the "Steel Flowers," there is yet to be grass along the path. And in the future, there will be a transit system--is that right?

SENSE OF TIME: PAST AND PRESENT. There are a number of these photographs along the Eastside Trail documenting what had become of the Atlanta BeltLine prior to its reclamation. Plant life was moving in and taking over. Hallelujah for positive human change unifying multiple communities! Sorry to the wildlife. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

EASTSIDE TRAIL: A WORK IN PROGRESS.  You can see how dynamic our ART walk was. There was the ART, the ongoing construction, two-way traffic of joggers and cyclists! What fun! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

DIVERSITY, TRAILS, CONSTRUCTION, ART, EXERCISE....Community is always a work in progress. This Saturday afternoon in the middle of October 2012 was resplendent, showing off the best of multiple cultures! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

RIVER BEND by HARRY ZMIJEWSKI. (photo by Hallelujah Truth) 

NORTHERN WHITE by DAVID LANDIS. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CAMARADERIE UNDER THE BRIDGE. Our Bevy of Creative Souls was joined by Lori Feig Sandoval (right of me--I'm center) and her wonderful dog companion. Jesse (holding the walking sticks) had brought chocolate and thought it needed to be consumed before melting on the bright sunny warm Saturday. We enjoyed our graffiti setting! (photo by Lesly Fredman)

IMMOLATION by RYAN MATHERN and CECILIA MARRERO. Jesse Merle Bathrick looks into this very sobering piece of sculpture. It signifies the recent self-immolations of Tibetan Monks, who were protesting the oppression of the Chinese government. On November 4th 2012, there will be a performance in the Old Fourth Ward at 8pm to promote awareness of this situation.(photo by Hallelujah Truth)

JD KOTH's WIGWAM. These organic forms were made from native Georgia saplings along with vines and rope. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

THIS IS MY CITY--ATLANTA! Along the Eastside Trail, we were confronted with terrific views of Atlanta like the one you see here! This is our terrain--both valleys and peaks! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

INTERACTING WITH THE ART. Notice the construction worker riding the metal sculpture of the deer? Public art is for everyone. How splendid to see this moment of frivolity along the Eastside Trail as it was being readied for the dedication ceremony two days later. Our hearts flew up in joy! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CHUGS by TARVER SIEBERT. Finally! After driving under this North Avenue  bridge numerous times and seeing these structures peeking out above the walls, I got to see them up close! I also learned that they are lit at night by solar powered LED's! Do these shapes suggest congregating humans looking out over the city? As well as lanterns, shelters, and wacky boats? That was the artist's intention! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

SUNSHINE ON YARN WRAPPED AROUND TREES. Artist Gyun Hur created this work entitled, "Spiritus Lenus"  to highlight nature's beauty. The term "spiritus lenus" means "smooth breathing." (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

A SYMPHONY OF LINE AND SHAPES. WHOOPS! I forgot to capture the artist name and statement for this work! I love how the arrangement of the lights in the trees  punctuate the linear movement of the windows in the building behind them. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

THEN THE PATH BECAME SAND! Right now, this Eastside Trail holds such fascination for me. Because it is a work in progress, our bevy of artists got to experience walking in different environments. Here artist Elise Helfer stands with the work of Alex Rodriguez called "Whirling Wheels." His intentions were to celebrate the Eastside Trail's bicycle accessibility by turning bicycle parts into spinning windmills. The lightness of these mechanical parts were to starkly contrast with the BeltLine's heavy industrial railroad past. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

BELTLINE WHISPERS CAPTURED BY ART.  Misao Cates created an interactive work here along the Eastside Trail. She asks travelers to write down their "whispers" on hand-dyed linen and then to tie it along with other "whispers." On this sunny Saturday afternoon, "What Ties Me To You" was glistening in the sunlight. Do you think she was suggesting railroad ties? And look at the shape of the piece which echoes the width of the railroad tracks! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

EASTSIDE TRAIL PERFORMANCES! A big discovery for me was that starting on September 7, 2012, there were seven performances scheduled along the Eastside Trail all the way to November 11th! Check here to see the list of performances. On the Saturday we walked the trail, you can see there was "The Big and Small Insect Show." (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

ART ENGAGING AND INSPIRING ARTISTS.  Public works found along the Eastside Trail invite everyone, not just artists, to be fully engaged in and with them. Think that art outside a museum allows us to be children again, to play, to be, to see, and to frolic with one another! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

SPRIALING CAIRNS by CHRIS HIGGINS. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

PIEDMONT PARK AND  ITS CITY SKYLINE. How fortunate we Atlantans are to have this Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine! Now the view of the city has moved from the skyscrapers of Midtown to those lurking in Buckhead. In the city park below, the Gay Pride Festival is taking place. This is our city! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

RURAL PATH IN THE CITY! Walking behind the main plaza of Piedmont Park, we found ourselves on this unpaved path evoking a feel of more rural times. We urbanites need nature, and this quiet part of the trail provides relief from the more hurried pace of the earlier part of the Eastside Trail. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

ART IS STILL TO BE FOUND ON THE EASTSIDE TRAIL BY PIEDMONT PARK.  Although the Atlanta BeltLine continues for many more miles, we stopped our artwalk here. This piece is  "Easy Pickings" by Virginia Byers and Aria Finkelstein. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CHEERS TO PUBLIC ART!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: A BIG THANKS to Jesse Merle Bathrick, who always has great ideas for gathering her creative bevy of friends! It was her organization that brought us together on this gorgeous Saturday in the middle of October in the year of 2012! She also fed us chocolate and grapes and had taxi money in her pocket in case we were too tired to walk back! Hurray Jesse!

THANKS  ALSO TO OUR ATLANTA MAYOR! I am also thankful for having a mayor who would ride a bicycle to the dedication of the Eastside Trail. But, please Mayor Reed, next time wear the safety helmet! (Photo taken from the official fanpage for the Atlanta BeltLine on Facebook.)

Read about other Atlanta Art Events or Georgia Artists at the links below:

Flux 2012 in the Castleberry Hill District
Hale Woodruff "Rising Up," 2012 High Museum Exhibit
Selections 2011 Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Ty Butler 
Flora Rosefsky
Cecelia Kane 
Karen Phillips
Robey Tapp
Carol Ruckdeschel