Tag Archives: Midwest

Some Views of 2026 So Far

Posted on by under Life

In spite of the horrors going on all over the world, and the constant barrage of idiocy from our leaders, 2026 has been incredibly aesthetically nurturing for me. The roads, fields, night skies, rivers, and clouds of Missouri are rich in color and drama. I felt compelled to leave a few of these views here for posterity. I’m thankful to get to document some of these things, and for the potent experiences and joys that I get to share with my friends, students, kids, and fellow humans.

field with sign
No trespassing sign off Rangeline Road north of Columbia, MO.
Field of purple flowers during a rainstorm.
Field of purple flowers during a rainstorm. Near McBaine, south of Columbia.
Driveway with fire
An evening fire in my driveway. One of my favorite ways to spend an hour.
tree with fence post
A tree grew around this fence post, enclosing it and carrying it along.
Off Forum near the Katy Trail CoMo spur.
light shining through a bridge
Sunlight shining between the two sides of the Providence Road bridge over Hinkson Creek south of the Mizzou football stadium.
night sky with red light
night field with red light

Two views from a night drive with my good friend Jesse. These were south of Columbia on dirt roads near Cooper’s Landing.

horizontal view of a river
Hinkson Creek near the Grindstone Natural Area in CoMo.
kid in creek
My son, Atticus, enjoying some river exploration in the Devil’s Icebox area south of CoMo.

Another road trip with Jesse to find some interesting shooting locations for his next film project. Near Wooldridge, MO.

figure on a ladder in blue light
Newly minted MFA Rain Embuscado at his Thesis Exhibition in Nightjar Arts Collective. Columbia, MO.
sunset over road
sunset over houses

Sunset views in Mid Missouri – left is on I70 facing west – right is off Scott Blvd facing southwest.

Atticus in the Devil’s Icebox cave area, looking up through one of the openings.

I’ve taken thousands of images so far this year. These are just a tiny sampling of my way of paying attention to what my eyes want to see. Many of the photos are just for documentation or to embrace the strange and wonderful things I see around me. I do try to refine some of them into artworks. I think we take for granted how ubiquitous and available photography is now, and most of us are very uneducated about how images work and whether what we are told are photographs are even real.

There’s a wonderful piece of writing by artist/writer/director Johannes Grenzfurthner over at Midwest Film Journal that talks about the importance of imagery that is established by the “physical trace” of real places, sights, and experiences. We now live in an era where images are being crafted “without physical reference.” Our job as embodied human beings is to be firmly committed to the fact of our physical existence. Photography – whether just snapshots, memory aides, documentation, or art – should be about OUR eyes, OUR living experiences. We should not give AI or tech bros authority over our vision of life.

2017 Pride

Posted on by under Art, Life, news, Writing

I completed a number of projects in 2017 and started a few more. Setting goals and keeping an eye on the prize during the vicissitudes of daily life can be hard, but I’ve gotten better at it over the years (thanks mostly to my loving partner, Alison). I already mentioned stuff about my exercise routine, and posted about my exhibition of recent work (that opens today!).

Back in May I set some goals for the year while at the Wakonse Conference on College Teaching in Michigan. Here are my written goals:

I’m happy to say that I’ve worked to complete most of these items and even those I’ve not yet finished have been pushed forward. I’m glad, given how agitating 2017 was socially and politically, that at least in terms of family and my work I’ve been stable and focused. The results are things of which I am really proud.

Probably highest on my list is the publication of my essay On Scholarship: Empathic Attention, Holy Resistance. It appeared in SEEN Journal and explores the importance of attention in an environment of political vitriol and “fake news.” I hope you’ll pick up a copy and read it – it’s one of the best things I’ve written in years, and it shares space with artists and writers and thinkers I admire. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to have this piece out there.

A shot of the cover of the SEEN Journal and a copy of the first page of my essay. Above is a copy of The New Territory.

I am also super excited to be working on a piece for The New Territory. If you are a Midwesterner, you need to get this publication. I am working on a piece exploring the work of Joey Borovicka and adjacent ideas about interiority, Midwestern space, and solitude. I can’t wait to get it finalized and ready for the editors to sort through. Getting to write about key ideas and the work of others is very important to my identity as an artist and educator. I also just love being involved with publications like The New Territory and SEEN. They are labors of love and works of passion that really do the hard work of shoring up meaning, intellectual effort, and spiritual yearning.

I hope to continue this trend in 2018, as I’ve got the Promotion to finalize!

 

 

The Places I Keep

Posted on by under Art, Life

For as long as I’ve had an iPhone I’ve kept a number of locations in the Weather app. One might think it strange to find the city of Luoyang in Henan Province, China or Essex Township, NY in my phone when I’ve lived in the American Midwest for many years. For me, however, this little gesture of keeping my eye on these locations is important. I use that Weather app as a way to remember and connect to the spaces and times that have shaped me.

imageLuoyang, China. Where my second daughter was born. Where we witnessed so much. One of the places where we learned to love China.

imageEvanston, IL. Where my wife and I learned how to love kids before we were parents. Where we learned so many great lessons.  Where we worked and played as newly-weds. Where we received counsel. Where we were changed and made ready for a life together.

imageGrove City, PA. Where I – as a little kiddo – got my first taste of academia. Where I watched the Challenger explode. Where I dropped my Skeletor figure in polluted water. Where I learned to love reading. Where I gained many levels of imagination and learned about the evocative power of objects and spaces.

imageEssex Township in the central Adirondacks of New York state. This is the closest Weather app location to Keene, NY, which is the town nearest Mt Marcy. It was on the side of Mt Marcy, the highest peak in NY, where my cousin Chris and I found ourselves almost trapped by flooding one camping trip; it was an epic and transformative series of events.

imageGlen Arbor, MI. In some ways this little town represents much of MI for me (I’ve had so many amazing experiences in that state). Located at the base of Leelanau Peninsula, it sits in the midst of really beautiful country. This is a place where I had a wonderful artist residency and found space for contemplation after struggling to get my mind around full time teaching.

imageBloomington, IN. Where I went to grad school. Where I found my voice as a painter. Where I learned that I would love teaching. Where my wife and I had our first struggles and triumphs in marriage. I love this place, and going back to visit is like going home.

Photo Mar 01, 9 22 43 AM (1)Florence, Italy. Where the lessons of graduate school were catalyzed – in the coolness of cathedrals and musty halls of museums. Where Pontormo presided over a leap in my visual IQ. Where we learned that international travel was doable for us.

imageColumbia, MO. Where two of my children were born. Where I’ve found a place as an educator and mentor. Where we’ve found community.

What ways do you use to celebrate the places that have made you who you are?