Post by blackcrowheart on Dec 6, 2005 8:32:47 GMT -5
Shaw uncovers roots in Maine
By Melody Hanatani
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Belmont resident Lauren Shaw grew up in Georgia feeling she did not belong in her community and yearning for a sense of place. Her current work, which focuses on 10 Maine women and their connections to their homeland, has helped Shaw answer her own questions about life.
Shaw came up with the concept of her photo installation, titled "Maine Women: Living on the Land," in 1996 when she became interested in what creates a sense of place.
The film version of her installation will be shown at the Belmont Public Library next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., and she will also sign copies of her book based on the exhibit.
"I felt like a carpetbagger growing up in Georgia , as my roots were not there, and did not belong to the community in which I spent my childhood," she said in a personal statement in the book.
Shaw, whose parents are native New Englanders, moved to Belmont in 1978 and has lived part-time in Maine for 26 years.
"I chose Maine because it was my community and I wanted to understand it more," she said in an interview last week. "I never felt like I belonged in Massachusetts. Maine has always felt like a place of home for me."
She interviewed 30 women over a period of seven years, meeting many of them by networking with friends. She spent hours talking to these women about their experiences, and about their connection to their land. In most cases, she visited the women at least three or four times.
Shaw narrowed down the list to 10 women based on their diversity in age, location, landscape and lifestyle.
"It was transformative. It was humbling. It was inspirational," Shaw said about the interviews. "These women have really become mentors for me."
The women come from agricultural communities in Maine. Carol Varin is a blueberry farmer from Beddington, Mary Philbrook was the first female chief of the Micmac tribe, and Leitha Kelly's family has been harvesting timber for six generations.
Philbrook explained in the book, "This is home. This is where I was born and raised. This is where I had my children. This is where my grandchildren live. This is part of me. This is who I am."
One woman who stands out in Shaw's mind is Sylvia Holbrook, who has produced 8,000 pounds of butter annually for more than 60 years.
"Sitting with her was so wonderful," Shaw said. "She was so gentle and so loving and spoke with a smile on her face about her life."
Shaw said she began her project without knowing what her final product would look like. She only knew she wanted to photograph, engage with people, and reach out to a large audience.
As time and interviews went on, she knew that she wanted a film to accompany her installation.
"I knew I was going to use the audio of these women and then it was clear I wanted to do moving images, and then it all started coming together," said Shaw, who has been the head of the photography program at Emerson College for 33 years, and helped found a group called New England Women in Photography.
This is Shaw's first film. It premiered at the Maine International Film Festival this summer and was shown again at the Camden International Film Festival in October.
The installation opened at the Farnsworth Museum in Maine in November and closed last Sunday. The exhibit will be featured at the University of New England in Portland starting Dec. 5.
Shaw said the interviews have inspired her to look into her own sense of place and to return to Georgia to examine how her childhood home shaped her life.
She plans to travel to Georgia next summer to begin the second chapter of her project about community.
"I have learned how solidifying it is to be part of a community and how satisfying it is to have such a strong sense of identity and place," she said. "Ultimately, I come away thinking it's a large luxury. It's a luxury and a commitment."
By Melody Hanatani
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Belmont resident Lauren Shaw grew up in Georgia feeling she did not belong in her community and yearning for a sense of place. Her current work, which focuses on 10 Maine women and their connections to their homeland, has helped Shaw answer her own questions about life.
Shaw came up with the concept of her photo installation, titled "Maine Women: Living on the Land," in 1996 when she became interested in what creates a sense of place.
The film version of her installation will be shown at the Belmont Public Library next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., and she will also sign copies of her book based on the exhibit.
"I felt like a carpetbagger growing up in Georgia , as my roots were not there, and did not belong to the community in which I spent my childhood," she said in a personal statement in the book.
Shaw, whose parents are native New Englanders, moved to Belmont in 1978 and has lived part-time in Maine for 26 years.
"I chose Maine because it was my community and I wanted to understand it more," she said in an interview last week. "I never felt like I belonged in Massachusetts. Maine has always felt like a place of home for me."
She interviewed 30 women over a period of seven years, meeting many of them by networking with friends. She spent hours talking to these women about their experiences, and about their connection to their land. In most cases, she visited the women at least three or four times.
Shaw narrowed down the list to 10 women based on their diversity in age, location, landscape and lifestyle.
"It was transformative. It was humbling. It was inspirational," Shaw said about the interviews. "These women have really become mentors for me."
The women come from agricultural communities in Maine. Carol Varin is a blueberry farmer from Beddington, Mary Philbrook was the first female chief of the Micmac tribe, and Leitha Kelly's family has been harvesting timber for six generations.
Philbrook explained in the book, "This is home. This is where I was born and raised. This is where I had my children. This is where my grandchildren live. This is part of me. This is who I am."
One woman who stands out in Shaw's mind is Sylvia Holbrook, who has produced 8,000 pounds of butter annually for more than 60 years.
"Sitting with her was so wonderful," Shaw said. "She was so gentle and so loving and spoke with a smile on her face about her life."
Shaw said she began her project without knowing what her final product would look like. She only knew she wanted to photograph, engage with people, and reach out to a large audience.
As time and interviews went on, she knew that she wanted a film to accompany her installation.
"I knew I was going to use the audio of these women and then it was clear I wanted to do moving images, and then it all started coming together," said Shaw, who has been the head of the photography program at Emerson College for 33 years, and helped found a group called New England Women in Photography.
This is Shaw's first film. It premiered at the Maine International Film Festival this summer and was shown again at the Camden International Film Festival in October.
The installation opened at the Farnsworth Museum in Maine in November and closed last Sunday. The exhibit will be featured at the University of New England in Portland starting Dec. 5.
Shaw said the interviews have inspired her to look into her own sense of place and to return to Georgia to examine how her childhood home shaped her life.
She plans to travel to Georgia next summer to begin the second chapter of her project about community.
"I have learned how solidifying it is to be part of a community and how satisfying it is to have such a strong sense of identity and place," she said. "Ultimately, I come away thinking it's a large luxury. It's a luxury and a commitment."