Studio 678: The Power of Photography for Middle Schoolers with Markus Essien and Emma Rathe
In this episode, we dive into the impact of Studio 678, an after-school program where middle school students explore analog photography and poetry. Our guests are Markus Essien, Photography Program Coordinator at Flower City Arts Center, and Emma Rathe, Manager of Programs and Exhibition Production at the George Eastman Museum. Together, they reflect on what it means to help young people find their voices through art. We talk about how Studio 678 builds confidence, connection, and creative skills—and how powerful it is for students to see their work displayed in a professional setting. This conversation also highlights the importance of mentorship, intentionality, and creating spaces where young artists feel seen and supported.
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Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:Welcome back to behind the Studio Door.
Speaker B:So excited y'all are here today.
Speaker B:I'm your host, Molly Darling, along with my co host, Christian Rivera.
Speaker A:Well, hello there.
Speaker A:I've got nothing else to say.
Speaker A:I usually start with something funny.
Speaker A:I'm not in.
Speaker A:I'm in a funny mood, but I'm not in like a.
Speaker A:I have a character queued up.
Speaker A:Kind of funny.
Speaker C:Like not funny haha, but funny.
Speaker C:Just funny.
Speaker C:Funny.
Speaker A:Funny when your elbow feels kind of weird, but it's still kind of.
Speaker A:It's not super uncomfortable, but it's a little different.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's understandable.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:That kind of thing.
Speaker C:So you felt the rain coming is what you did.
Speaker A:Yes, exactly.
Speaker A:My elbow has that superpower.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:So you're about to rain.
Speaker C:You're a country grandfather in a rocking chair kind of situation.
Speaker C:That's what we're dealing with.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And I'm sitting on the.
Speaker A:On the chair, and I'm just like my elbow.
Speaker A:Oh, there must be some rain coming.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker D:Yep.
Speaker B:And Chris Lindstrom's over here.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So we complain about the snow.
Speaker C:We complain about the warm, humid out.
Speaker C:I don't like it already.
Speaker B:You don't like it?
Speaker D:No, I don't like it.
Speaker C:I don't like it.
Speaker A:Just started.
Speaker C:I don't like it.
Speaker C:We had humid one day.
Speaker C:I don't like it too much.
Speaker A:Take it back, Take it back.
Speaker B:That's your shi.
Speaker B:Weather report.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Back to cold.
Speaker A:Put it back on the shelf.
Speaker B:And we're really excited to welcome our guests here today.
Speaker B:We've got Marcus Essien and Emma Rathy.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for coming here.
Speaker B:I'm excited to talk to you guys about this show that you've got coming up, and I would love if you would introduce yourselves and talk a little bit about what you do.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker E:You go ahead.
Speaker D:Me, I'm going.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker D:Marcus Essien.
Speaker D:What do I do?
Speaker D:I'm the program coordinator at Flower City Arts Center.
Speaker D:Currently, that's my day job.
Speaker D:My night job is making film and writing poetry and all the things.
Speaker D:And this is our third year at Eastman, and they're hosting our middle school exhibition in their gallery Obscura.
Speaker D:So did I answer the question?
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think it's good.
Speaker D:So humidity made me forget the question.
Speaker A:The humidity can be distracting.
Speaker B:So humid.
Speaker A:I mean, my elbow is tingling and I just can't stop thinking about it.
Speaker B:Emma, is your elbow tingling?
Speaker E:My elbow's tingling a little bit now that the rain is on its way.
Speaker C:It seems that might be that might be a sign of a medical condition.
Speaker E:You might want to call somebody.
Speaker A:Rochester Tonic?
Speaker A:No, this is a previous conversation that the listener is not aware of.
Speaker A:Anyway, go ahead.
Speaker E:I'm Emma Rathi.
Speaker E:I'm the manager of programs, exhibition production at the George Eastman Museum.
Speaker E:I've been at the museum for about three years, and actually, the Flower City Gallery Obscura partnership is something I've worked on since the very beginning of my time at the museum, which has been wonderful to see come together and stay in.
Speaker E:Our Gallery Obscura, now in its third year.
Speaker B:That's amazing.
Speaker B:Would you tell us more about this show since it's in its third year?
Speaker B:I'm so curious about what it is.
Speaker E:So each year we're partnering with Flower City Arts center with their Studio 678 program, which Marcus can perhaps share a little bit more about.
Speaker E:But they provide us with wonderful photographs that they have taken and developed in the darkroom, and then we exhibit them in our Gallery Obscura, which is our community gallery.
Speaker E:So we've highlighted a couple of different groups in the area in our space, but we've been really happy to work with Flower City for three years now.
Speaker E:So there we have a series of black and white photographs from each artist paired with poetry.
Speaker E:And it is really just a beautiful, beautiful show.
Speaker E:You would have no idea that these are sixth, seventh, and eighth graders taking these photographs.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's amazing.
Speaker B:I love that it's paired with poetry as well.
Speaker B:What's.
Speaker B:What's up with that?
Speaker B:Like, how did that come about?
Speaker D:You know, I think should really be.
Speaker A:Using that as every podcast question, by the way.
Speaker A:What's up with that?
Speaker B:Yeah, what's up with that?
Speaker E:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Anyway.
Speaker D:What's up with that?
Speaker D:You know, I.
Speaker D:So this is my first year at Flower City Art, so I don't know the whole history.
Speaker D:I do.
Speaker D:I can tell you that this is the 27th year of Studio 678, and Emma just cracked the code of what the 678 stands for.
Speaker D:It's sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.
Speaker D:And so poetry.
Speaker D:The whole program has definitely been about student voices.
Speaker D:And so what better way than analog photography, but also to add poetry?
Speaker D:And every year they produce a book.
Speaker D:And actually, poetry kind of fits a little bit better in the book.
Speaker D:So I'm imagining in its sort of early stages, they weren't encouraging kids to write full essays.
Speaker D:It's like, okay, what can fit here?
Speaker D:Let's do a poem.
Speaker D:And the poetry is typically about their photography as well, so it's kind of cool.
Speaker D:To see them wrestle with how to express what they've shot.
Speaker A:So I'm not great at details, so I might end up asking a question you've already answered.
Speaker A:But I'm curious about the process, working with these 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.
Speaker A:Like, are these students or kids that are already interested in these crafts, or is there a little bit of a push to try to get them to try some of this stuff that they haven't done before?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:So we.
Speaker D:We get our students from Rochester School District schools, and we typically try to build relationships with individual schools so that there can be not just us pulling kids to our program, but teachers in the building pushing kids towards it so that we can build over time.
Speaker D:And so.
Speaker D:But I can say that students really enjoy the work.
Speaker D:I mean, they show up.
Speaker D:If they're not there, it's because they're sick, not because they didn't want to come.
Speaker D:And so, as I was saying, you know, this, they come in and we feed them every time we have some nice relationships with local restaurants.
Speaker D:And then they do analog photography, so they go and shoot, and then they have to wait to have the film developed, which we do in house.
Speaker D:Then they have to print.
Speaker D:And any of you that have been in a darkroom knows you're not going to get it right the first time usually.
Speaker D:But I just love it, the fact that they're learning patience in a way that I don't think they're aware of.
Speaker D:And resilience, too, because one of the prints, and I know I was talking to him about it, that's up there now.
Speaker D:This one girl, the first time she printed it, I thought it was a night shot.
Speaker D:Like, it was so dark, I'm like, oh, well, something could pop a little bit more to find out that it was actually the day.
Speaker D:But she had gotten frustrated.
Speaker D:But we came back to it a couple weeks later, and she stuck with it, and she made a beautiful print.
Speaker D:And so it's just really great to see them in this process.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:An open end question.
Speaker A:Like, what skills and experience from your own life are you bringing to both of you to this project?
Speaker A:And start with you, Emma, since Marcus has been just like, jab, like, babbling.
Speaker D:That was more than 13 seconds.
Speaker E:Just kidding.
Speaker E:I'm joking.
Speaker E:I think from my experiences, I really care about art engagement and helping folks really engage with art and have experiences.
Speaker E:One in museums specifically.
Speaker E:That's my background in my education.
Speaker E:But I want people to know that they belong in museums.
Speaker E:They belong in museums to both look at art and be represented in the art and beyond the walls.
Speaker E:It should be an achievable TAS one.
Speaker E:We have 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.
Speaker E:But also to give these students something to have on the wall, I think there's something to be really proud about there.
Speaker E:But then, as our staff, I think also part of my job is showing our visitors what is going on.
Speaker E:What is going on in the world of photography right now.
Speaker E:And including youth in that is really important.
Speaker E:So I really just bring a lot of passion in sharing art and sharing the story and making the exhibitions as engaging and exciting as possible.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:I'm curious what the process has been like, working together.
Speaker B:Like, how much do you two collaborate?
Speaker B:Are we just on the tour together?
Speaker B:What does that look like?
Speaker D:To be honest, I think we just kind of geek out about it.
Speaker D:Like our two sides.
Speaker D:I think when we first met, whenever that was, there was just this instant excitement with her and her team about what we can grow.
Speaker D:And I knew we were walking to our third year, but I think all of us around the table get really excited about how we can support children and how we can celebrate them and how art can become very relevant.
Speaker D:And so, I mean, we talk a lot and we try to make sure that.
Speaker D:Make sure that we're running on time and that everything's delivered.
Speaker D:But there's a lot of collaboration.
Speaker D:And her team.
Speaker D:Was it Mike who hung the show?
Speaker E:Mike installed the show.
Speaker E:He did.
Speaker E:Mike Philippek.
Speaker E:He's an incredible preparator at the museum.
Speaker D:Wow.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Just.
Speaker D:Just.
Speaker D:Just feel honored to be there.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And the work that they put in, you cannot tell that this was not a professional show hung by professional people.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:They didn't just do, like, the, oh, we'll do the middle school version of.
Speaker D:Of a throw exhibition.
Speaker D:They went all out and it was.
Speaker D:Someone said they wish they had a camera when they saw my face for the first time, because I was just blown away.
Speaker D:I couldn't believe it.
Speaker B:That's amazing.
Speaker B:That's really beautiful that you're honoring the artistry.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And not just assuming, you know, like.
Speaker B:Like you said, not making it like a middle school exhibition in a middle school, but.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker B:Taking these kids and teaching them about photography and the entire process.
Speaker B:Like, there's something really special about them developing their film as opposed to just, you know, like snapping a picture and putting on an Instagram.
Speaker B:Like, are there things that you're noticing with that process that the kids are, like, having aha.
Speaker B:Moments?
Speaker D:I'm.
Speaker D:I taught in middle school for about 15 years, and so aha.
Speaker D:Moments usually come a little bit later for middle schoolers, but they get to experience some great things.
Speaker D:And what Emma said actually jumps out to me, which is the photos are printed.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:People walk around with thousands of pictures on their phones and even the people who are out there, you know, street photographers, whatever.
Speaker D:Printing is where the kind of magic is, you get to hold it, you know, whether it's a five by seven that you printed to show your friends or the amazing thing of being up on the wall in an amazing museum, I think that's the piece that they get.
Speaker D:Again, I'm not sure they know they're getting that, but they're getting that experience.
Speaker D:But they're also becoming a part of a community that I don't think they necessarily thought they were a part of.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:They might, oh, I'm the Minecraft community or I'm a skateboarder, I'm.
Speaker D:Or whatever.
Speaker D:But they're now part of, you know, photographers in Rochester and, and maybe beyond.
Speaker D:And so that's, I think it's really exciting.
Speaker D:We had a lot of people come to Dryden Theater for their opening and their poetry reading.
Speaker D:So I think they were well received and welcomed into the photography community.
Speaker C:There's something about intentionality too that you had to make a choice to print something.
Speaker C:It doesn't just, it doesn't just sit there.
Speaker C:It isn't just something you flip past.
Speaker C:You had to make a choice to put it on a wall and then given that respect to that respect and everything was intentional.
Speaker C:Somebody made a choice of how to hang it, how are you going to develop it, how are you going to print it.
Speaker C:You have to think through all the steps and I think it gives a, gives a weight to something that you put out there.
Speaker C:And sometimes things can feel so big when you're in middle school.
Speaker C:But now you had a choice to make this thing feel big for a reason, not just because things are happening to you.
Speaker C:That's a lot of agency to give somebody that Sometimes you feel like you don't have any agency, especially at that age.
Speaker D:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I'm sure they struggle a little bit with the pressure of that like, or self perceived pressure of like, okay, I'm gonna put stuff on a wall like that.
Speaker A:That's a lot to take on especially I guess I'm trying to lead to a question of what kinds of themes do you guys see emerging from these middle schoolers in terms of the types of photos or poetry that's coming forward, like you know, concepts or what's, you know, if if they're talking about that nervousness of the show or their lives or anything like that, I mean, I.
Speaker D:Think it's a pretty broad representation in terms of their vision.
Speaker D:I mean, we have to be fair.
Speaker D:We go on specific field trips.
Speaker D:We're not just giving students cameras and saying, go show what you want.
Speaker D:We'll see you next week.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:So if they're in the public market or if they're at Lamberton, any of the city parks, but they'll, you know, ranges from architecture to graffiti.
Speaker D:There's some really cool trash shots we have under bridges, overpass.
Speaker D:I mean, they really just kind of take it in, I think.
Speaker D:Yeah, I think that a lot.
Speaker D:In some ways, their individuality comes out in their poetry.
Speaker D:And we've gotten a lot of feedback about the students poetry, and I keep forgetting to carry it with me when we are on our junket here on our tour.
Speaker D:But we had a woman handwrite a letter back to Flower City Arts for one of our students who written a poem about, kind of like, you're not always going to have your best day, but on any given day, try to find the best in it.
Speaker D:And she had just lost her husband four months ago.
Speaker D:She had married.
Speaker D:She was married for 36 years.
Speaker D:And she just wrote a letter saying, you know, thank you for reminding me that there could be a little bit of joy in every day.
Speaker D:And I just thought, you got to be kidding me.
Speaker D:And so of course, we made a copy for that, for that middle schooler and gave it to her.
Speaker D:And it's.
Speaker D:That does feel magical.
Speaker D:I mean, to.
Speaker D:To.
Speaker D:To know that someone came, saw that, and then had the wherewithal to.
Speaker D:To share back.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:They could have just sat with their friends and said, oh, I saw this thing.
Speaker D:And so, I don't know, I think that's pretty cool.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's pretty special that, like that gift of.
Speaker A:Of joy or something that.
Speaker A:I don't know, something that you would think would maybe come through working with a therapist for.
Speaker A:For lack of a better way to put it, like, would.
Speaker A:Would be coming from the art made by a.
Speaker B:Like, that's what art is.
Speaker B:It's such a beautiful connector.
Speaker B:And I love that this is an opportunity for middle schoolers who are at such a juncture in their life, you know, to experience that kind of moment is amazing.
Speaker A:Well, it's easy to dismiss the wisdom of a middle schooler.
Speaker A:It can happen sometimes.
Speaker E:I was just gonna say, I think that's why we take such great care to exhibit it as any other exhibition in the Museum, we mat and frame it in archival materials.
Speaker E:We really.
Speaker E:We design it like any other exhibition.
Speaker E:We go to great lengths to really respect the artwork in that way, which I think is why someone can look at it and feel in touch with it.
Speaker E:I think the way it's exhibited, the spaces that we're able to create at the Eastman, especially with Galleria Obscura, lends itself to having this emotional, empathetic connection with the art.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:What's been some more of the community, like, response to it from your perspective, Emma?
Speaker E:This is one of our favorites, and we are three years in, so people look forward to the Studio678 show, and it is just delight because it kind of takes the east or, like, even for the Eastman's mission, back to the roots of photography.
Speaker E:So we are doing a very tactile experience.
Speaker E:The skill set the students have is really high in the field of photography in such a digital age.
Speaker E:So to see this come back on the walls every year is really special.
Speaker E:And it's framed pretty traditionally, so there's nothing out of left field here.
Speaker E:But the work really speaks for itself, and so does the poetry and the community feedback is just wonderful.
Speaker E:Folks want to know what's going on in Gall Obscura, who's in there, how can we get involved?
Speaker E:And it's just really special to also see our visitors support community groups like.
Speaker E:Like Flower City, right?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:What goes into the development of the.
Speaker A:The poetic side?
Speaker A:Is it working with either of you guys or, like, a coach or anything like that to bring that out?
Speaker A:What happens there?
Speaker D:Rochester's own Taurus.
Speaker B:We love Taurus.
Speaker D:So Taurus is.
Speaker D:Taurus is one of our teachers, and he's got this.
Speaker D:I mean, as anyone who knows Taurus anywhere within five miles can feel that energy and excitement.
Speaker D:And his way of disarming middle schoolers by being a middle schooler in some ways is magic, you know, and she used to always say, when people.
Speaker D:When adults say they want to be younger, they don't mean middle school.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:They might mean five, they might mean 18, but then I can say, oh, 12.
Speaker D:That was perfect.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a great time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And everything went perfectly at 12 years old.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:And he and the other teachers really, I think, really have an artful way of.
Speaker D:Of listening to the students and daily finding, you know what we mean?
Speaker D:Weekly, but weekly finding ways to elevate them both sort of as individuals, but then also their artistic vision.
Speaker A:That's amazing.
Speaker C:And as somebody who.
Speaker C:I've seen his work, you know, embrace both photography and other visual arts and poetry.
Speaker C:Like, I can't think of a better person for that because he's one.
Speaker C:He's really good at it.
Speaker C:Yeah, but he's, you know, the way he does things, it is very earnest.
Speaker C:And there's no artifice to what he does.
Speaker C:No, he's not creating for somebody else.
Speaker C:He's creating for him.
Speaker C:And that also does, at the same time, bring that out in others too.
Speaker D:Yeah, he.
Speaker D:He's zero bs filter middle schoolers.
Speaker D:And he's.
Speaker D: .: Speaker D:I mean, again, he's just great.
Speaker D:And he, you know, we had our kids reading in Dryden Theater, which was scaring me quite a bit because I'm like, oh, God, middle schoolers reading, they go so fast.
Speaker D:We did a lot of exercises to slow down, and they.
Speaker D:They did it.
Speaker D:It was amazing just to sit there.
Speaker D:It was definitely a proud moment for all of us.
Speaker A:I think there's just so many skills that come through this.
Speaker A:I mean, it's writing, it's public speaking in some way, it's performing in another way.
Speaker A:It's working with a mentor.
Speaker A:It's working in a official professional capacity and getting tactile and physical with stuff that is like, you know, part of the digital age is this challenge of, like, I'm encouraging my kids to, like, do more digital things, like actually working with like a PC and something that involves a little more steps to it, but something tactile, like, you know, physical film, photography.
Speaker A:That's like.
Speaker A:That's a process that.
Speaker A:Do you find that they're generally excited about doing that or is there resistance to that process?
Speaker D:I think, like, anyone.
Speaker D:It depends on the day.
Speaker D:You know, have some kids who will come in and there's.
Speaker D:Don't want to do that yet, you know, what?
Speaker D:Depending on their day.
Speaker D:But I think they all do have a deep appreciation.
Speaker D:I think one of the things, I like seeing them support each other in the darkroom.
Speaker D:And these are kids that are coming from six different schools.
Speaker D:Some know each other, but I've seen them, like, sort of stand up for each other.
Speaker D:Like, if they thought someone wasn't sharing materials or something, I'm like, that is so cool, Natalia.
Speaker D:You just stood up for so and so.
Speaker D:Because that's not something that is always applauded when you're, you know, sort of in middle school trying to just fend for yourself.
Speaker D:So to see them step out outside of their comfort zone of their own schools and support each other is really, really special.
Speaker A:I Mean, I can think that I would have loved to have something like this when I was in school.
Speaker A:Did either of you have anything that was like, remotely similar to this kind of situation in school growing up?
Speaker E:Absolutely not.
Speaker A:What about you, Molly?
Speaker B:Not in Nebraska.
Speaker E:Not in Nebrask.
Speaker B:I did, but I never.
Speaker B:I never really got to do the darkroom stuff.
Speaker B:Like, we had a dark room at my high school and I had.
Speaker B:My best friend was really.
Speaker B:She did a lot of dark room stuff, but I definitely did a lot of painting.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:But I believe wholeheartedly in that, in art as like a transformative process.
Speaker B:Like taking something, going to a location, like, it sounds like you're taking these middle schoolers to the public market or wherever and letting them kind of use their perspective to document what they're seeing and then to bring that to fruition in a physical process is probably really even more transformative internally than we'll realize until they're older.
Speaker B:You know, like, it must be a really cool process to watch that all.
Speaker A:Yeah, we'll actually track and check with all their therapists and see how they're doing.
Speaker D:I'm not just saying you say that, though.
Speaker D:I mean, I sort of forget because I was in traditional, whatever, K to 12 schools for 20 something years and haven't been there in a couple years.
Speaker D:And realizing that these are kids who are hit pretty hard by Covid.
Speaker D:And so, you know, when most parents want to let their kids solve problems, you know, oh, you know, Emma's gonna be stronger if she solves this on her own.
Speaker D:If you're working at home and trying to hold a meeting down, you're gonna make sure it's solved for Emma so that she can go and get out of your hair.
Speaker D:And so we are still seeing students try to wrestle with ideas, you know, wrestle with solving a problem or seeing things differently, and it's innately in them.
Speaker D:But I think we really have to keep paving the Runway, and we're going to need to do that, make a pretty wide Runway for a while as these students get back on their feet and can be connected again in a way that many of us were able to do in our childhoods.
Speaker B:I was just going to say it almost seems like a miniature rite of passage when they go through this program.
Speaker B:It's like you start at the beginning, you start learning about taking these photos, and then over time, you have to learn this entire process.
Speaker B:And yeah, it seems like really transformative.
Speaker A:Well, interesting.
Speaker A:That middle school time period also is like, I see so much media depict, like 10 to 12 years old as like the.
Speaker A:The old school version of sending the kid out into the world to go collect Pokemon or whatever.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker A:It's like.
Speaker A:But we don't have those rites of passages so much culturally today.
Speaker A:So creating these specific programs and entities are really interesting to allow for those mentor mentee relationships to form or like really giving them their first hero's journey experience to go through and learn skills and to experience challenges to find a mentor.
Speaker A:I forget all of the.
Speaker A:I was going to go through it, but I forget the hero's journey, all the specifics.
Speaker A:But like they bring home.
Speaker B:Not usually.
Speaker B:There's usually.
Speaker B:There's usually a parental death, at least one.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:No catching monsters, throwing pokeballs, going through different towns.
Speaker C:It's a whole learning about the elements.
Speaker A:Gym battles.
Speaker A:Yeah, that whole thing, you know, but.
Speaker A:But anyway, we skipped over you, Marcus, when we talked about the.
Speaker A:What your skills and experience were.
Speaker A:I mean, you mentioned middle school and you're a teacher and all of that.
Speaker A:But you also mentioned doing, I believe you do film work and stuff.
Speaker A:How does that come into.
Speaker A:Well, first of all, what that experience is and talk about that a little bit.
Speaker D:Most recently really working as a first assistant director on some feature films.
Speaker D:Both that actually just got distribution coming out soon.
Speaker D:Clutch and some horror, I think it's called Texas Nightmares.
Speaker D:The other one filmed in California, so it doesn't look like Texas, but still got distribution.
Speaker D:And then if you were Hollywood Secrets.
Speaker B:Revealed, that would be a Texas nightmare.
Speaker B:California.
Speaker A:That's true.
Speaker D:Dystopian.
Speaker A:Just being chased by avocados.
Speaker D:And then just.
Speaker D:I produced and directed a short for PBS that was.
Speaker D:They just actually they was at the little, I think earlier this year on their Renegade series, which were people from the United States who were from the disabilities community who've made an impact on culture but subsequently sort of erased.
Speaker B:So that's amazing.
Speaker B:I could.
Speaker B:I'm like, oh, I work for ARC of Monroe, so I would love to talk about that more.
Speaker B:I'm like, we could have a whole other podcast on that for sure.
Speaker D:But that's amazing Storyteller, you know.
Speaker D:So for me, the blending storytelling and art with these kids is a dream.
Speaker D:You know, I've worked in the arts as an artist myself.
Speaker D:I've been an educator, but I've never had this opportunity to full time help kids create art.
Speaker D:It's kind of awesome.
Speaker A:Is there anything that drove you specifically to teach middle schoolers or was it just like I needed a job?
Speaker D:They're kind of my favorite people.
Speaker D:Middle schoolers are the Best.
Speaker D:They're still earnest.
Speaker D:They still kind of want you around, even if they tell you you kind of don't.
Speaker D:And they're goofy.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:Because I'm 12.
Speaker D:But no, I mean, they're goofy, but they're also really sincere.
Speaker D:And one thing that someone said earlier about attention or something, when I watched Emma and the team always, you know, come to Come to Eastman, you know, see.
Speaker D:So one day, of course, we went on a tour and we walked around at some of the new exhibits.
Speaker D:And I just seen recently that at the Louvre, people stand in front of any piece of art for an average of 1.2 seconds.
Speaker D:Like, after flying that far to see the world's quote, unquote greatest art, there's breezing through.
Speaker D:And our kids were lingering.
Speaker D:Our kids would look at something and go, what's this?
Speaker D:And they get fascinated and then ask questions.
Speaker D:And I think this is good stuff.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:So I think, you know, I'd like to think, anyway, that some of that is in the process that they do to create film itself.
Speaker D:Like, they have an appreciation.
Speaker D:They have questions.
Speaker D:Eastman has cameras on display, so they.
Speaker D:Yes, they have fairly newish DSL cameras, but they have the first digital camera in there.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:There's all this stuff you're like, that's huge, or whatever.
Speaker D:So it does create a bit of wonder.
Speaker D:And I mean, and if you haven't been to the George Eastman Museum, you should go, because it's kind of a house of wonder.
Speaker D:It has all the things.
Speaker D:And the garden should be open soon, I hope.
Speaker E:May 1st.
Speaker D:May 1st.
Speaker A:Exciting.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:We're going to take a short break, and then I would love to dive into that, talking more about what George Eastman House has to offer.
Speaker E:Sure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:And coming back from break, just wanted to make sure we get our plugs into, talk about the event.
Speaker C:When is it open and when does it close?
Speaker E:Studio 678 is already open at the George Eastman Museum, but you can come and see the exhibition anytime until Sunday, May 10th.
Speaker E:So there's a little bit of urgency there.
Speaker E:But we encourage you all to come see us in the next couple of weeks to see this beautiful, beautiful show.
Speaker A:It's typically around the same time every year.
Speaker E:Yeah, it's usually right away in the spring.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker A:Just for people who are listening after.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And it's also such a great place to visit because it's a whole experience.
Speaker C:I interviewed Jared, the owner of Open Face on Food About Town, a couple months ago, and it was so great to talk about the fact that you can just go in for a lunch and enjoy the space.
Speaker C:But when you go, it feels like everything matters.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:Everything's on purpose.
Speaker E:Yes.
Speaker C:Like, you get that beautiful look outside, but you can just go in the winter and sit and look at outside and have a great sandwich or you can make a day of it and you don't have to worry that you're not going to be taken care of with, you know, generic cafeteria food.
Speaker C:And you get something that's like, oh, I feel like this is on purpose, that I belong here and I should take the time to be here for a while.
Speaker A:You're saying George.
Speaker A:George Eastman doesn't serve hospital Mac and cheese?
Speaker A:Because that's what I want right out of a box.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker E:I agree.
Speaker E:The cafe menu or the.
Speaker E:The museum Cafe menu is so good.
Speaker E:Jared is so intentional with his ingredients.
Speaker E:A staff.
Speaker E:We eat there quite frequently.
Speaker E:It is such a luxury to have in the building.
Speaker E:But yeah, there's enough to see there that you can spend the entire day at the George Eastman Museum.
Speaker A:Fantastic.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Tell us more about what's going on at the museum lately.
Speaker E:Oh, gosh, we have so much going on all the time.
Speaker E:For those that don't know, we have screenings in the Dryden Theater every evening.
Speaker E:Well, not every evening, but Tuesdays through Saturday at 7:30pm we have our exhibitions right now.
Speaker E:Everything's up for the moment.
Speaker E:We have, of course, Studio 678, Nara Gallery Obscura.
Speaker E:We have an Inuit filmmaker with stop.
Speaker E:She does stop motion documentary.
Speaker E:Her name's Lindsay McIntyre.
Speaker E:She's in our multipurpose hall.
Speaker B:That's cool.
Speaker E:Which is.
Speaker E:I really highly recommend that she'll be at the museum.
Speaker E:Cross your fingers on May 7.
Speaker E:She's Canadian, so we're.
Speaker E:We're hoping for the border.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker E:We have our.
Speaker E:It's our 75th anniversary this year at the museum.
Speaker E:So we have our Life with Photographs exhibition in our main galleries.
Speaker E:This celebrates the whole history of photography from pre photography to what is photography even now.
Speaker E:Highly recommend that show.
Speaker E:Our selections from the collections is always open.
Speaker E:That's what Marcus was talking about.
Speaker E:With our camera selection up.
Speaker E:And we will slowly be shifting, starting now into a new exhibition in our project gallery with Zig Jackson.
Speaker E:He's also an indigenous artist.
Speaker E:So we have a lot going on on our contemporary gallery side.
Speaker E:But also the historic mansion is always open.
Speaker E:The gardens will open May 1, so you can explore those and continue to come back throughout the summer because the blooms will change and shift all spring and summer long.
Speaker E:Which then leads us to our summer concert.
Speaker E:Series.
Speaker E:So there will be three summer garden concerts where you can bring a picnic in the family and hang out on the lawn and listen to some really good music.
Speaker C:Also, just wanted to shout out a second Jared, the archivist.
Speaker C:And is he also the projectionist?
Speaker C:But he's the archivist.
Speaker E:He's the curator.
Speaker C:The curator.
Speaker C:The level of detail that is taken to keep film as amazing as it is.
Speaker C:There is such a.
Speaker C:Such a practice.
Speaker C:And for one of our sister shows, Anomaly Presents and the Anomaly Film Festival, he also pulls stuff out of the archive every year because these things, one, some of them are singular, they don't exist otherwise.
Speaker C:And we get the delight of him pulling out films that he would never be able to show otherwise at, you know, film theater.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:It's a, you know, it's a serious theater in many ways and many of the events are serious film events, like Nitrate Film Festival.
Speaker C:But the last one he pulled out was this like, martial arts movie from the early 80s or late 70s.
Speaker B:Incredible.
Speaker A:That's the sweet spot.
Speaker C:I think we saw in entirety.
Speaker C:We looked online.
Speaker C:I think there was in like two total reviews of this movie online.
Speaker C:Like, we legit couldn't find a modern review of it because it doesn't exist.
Speaker C:Exist digitally.
Speaker C:It doesn't exist on any reels that are just bouncing around.
Speaker C:And we got to see that because of, you know, the support of the museum to archive these kind of things that wouldn't otherwise exist.
Speaker C:And what an amazing thing to have.
Speaker E:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker E:If you haven't been to the Dryden, you're really seeing film as it should be seen.
Speaker E:If you've never seen 35, 60, 75 millimeter projected, it is.
Speaker E:Is not what you think it is.
Speaker E:It is not like going to see a digital screening.
Speaker E:So I really encourage it.
Speaker E:Look on the calendar, there's great films being shown.
Speaker E:We show everything from the span of cinema history as well.
Speaker E:So, like you mentioned, Jared Case does a great job.
Speaker A:It's amazing.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:I'm curious if you left a review for that movie.
Speaker C:You know, I don't remember if I did.
Speaker C:I don't.
Speaker C:I'm not as active on the letterbox as I should be because I do like some obscure things and it would be nice to give those a little bit of shot shine too.
Speaker A:For sure.
Speaker C:That was, that was a fun movie.
Speaker C:But shout out to our buddies at Anomaly for making sure we get to see some of these movies that.
Speaker C:Yeah, otherwise I would never think about seeing.
Speaker A:Well, it's interesting.
Speaker A:There's so many unique, you know, just all the stuff you.
Speaker A:You rattle off.
Speaker A:I don't mean rattle off dismissively, but.
Speaker D:You know what I mean.
Speaker C:That's what I do.
Speaker A:I know, but all the things that you named Emma that were coming to that are a part of and happening at.
Speaker A:At.
Speaker A:At Eastman is like.
Speaker A:It's just diverse.
Speaker A:It's incredible.
Speaker A:There's a lot of things happening.
Speaker A:I'm trying to find a question, but I think the question that I have coming forward as I'm talking is your personal relationship to the work that you're doing.
Speaker A:Like what?
Speaker A:You kind of mentioned some of your skills and stuff, but, like, your relationship to photography.
Speaker A:Do you.
Speaker A:Do you have a personal relationship to it?
Speaker A:Did you play with it when you were younger?
Speaker A:Anything you're doing now, or is it just more of part of this program?
Speaker E:I actually have more of a film background, so I studied cinema and screen studies and art history at SUNY Oswego and then worked in LA for a little bit, but really found my solace in museums.
Speaker E:And so in undergrad, we actually came to the Eastman and saw a 35 millimeter screening of Frankenstein, and I was like, what is this?
Speaker E:Whoa, where am I?
Speaker E:And so at that point, when I was an undergrad, I was like, wait, I think I want to work there.
Speaker E:But many, many years later, I ended up doing grad school at Syracuse and actually got a job here after many, many applications to jobs I probably shouldn't have applied to.
Speaker B:But that's how it goes.
Speaker E:It's how it goes.
Speaker E:I was really committed to the idea of working at the Eastman, but really my background's in film, and I would really just consider myself an art appreciator.
Speaker E:I just love all mediums of all different, like, everything.
Speaker E:I'm just impressed, and I think people can connect to it.
Speaker E:So even if I personally am like, eh, not.
Speaker E:I think it's for someone, and even if it's for the artist to make it, and I think we were talking about this earlier too, but, like, making art for yourself, like, it's not making it for an audience or for somebody, it's making it for you and being proud of it and sharing your perspective and your lens on things, whether that's photography, film, painting, drawing, plays, fashion.
Speaker E:Like, I think that expression is really important.
Speaker E:So that's where I think that's where I come into this.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker A:I'm curious, Marcus, also, since you worked with a lot of middle schoolers and students, and this topic of appreciating art feels like a skill that needs to be developed.
Speaker A:For a lot of people, there's almost this.
Speaker A:In pop culture, it's popular to be critical.
Speaker A:You get more clout by frankly shitting on things.
Speaker A:But there is this amazing skill to learn for the self how to look at a piece of art for more than 1.5 seconds.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So I'm trying to ask some sort of esoteric question I can't grab about the appreciation of art, but what is your relationship to appreciating art and teaching.
Speaker D:It also, I mean, I think similar to Emma, I mean, it's just a big part of the human experience.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:Every culture throughout history, recorded history, has some art.
Speaker D:And I think that for me as a storyteller, and I, you know, I was in the classroom for a long time and.
Speaker D:But I always kind of kept film on the outside.
Speaker D:And then just recently kind of really got sort of jumped back in with two feet.
Speaker D:And it's just a great language.
Speaker D:And I think in terms of teens, especially in young people, you know, when I was a kid, we didn't have this much media.
Speaker D:You didn't see thousands of images before noon.
Speaker D:And so how can you appreciate that?
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And so I think just the simple act of slowing down is powerful.
Speaker D:And I think that sometimes people.
Speaker D:I mean, you see books all the time teaching creativity.
Speaker D:Okay, I know what that means.
Speaker D:I don't know how you teach creativity.
Speaker D:Turn that book into something cool that would be creative.
Speaker D:But.
Speaker D:But I think that the just slowing down and having relationships and appreciation.
Speaker D:And I think these young people having a relationship with Eastman and some of them, we do a pre survey and a post survey, and some of them had never been to an art gate gallery.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker D:And of course, the post surf a, they all could say they were, you know, had gone to an art gallery.
Speaker D:So I think that just slowing it down and just listening is really important.
Speaker D:But I do think there's a re education probably for all of us to just listen and to watch and to really appreciate.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, we're in such a world that encourages desensitization so much and really like, it is.
Speaker A:It is this, like, learned thing now to have to.
Speaker A:To become more sensitized, so to speak.
Speaker A:I mean, I don't mean emotionally necessarily, but that's a part of it.
Speaker A:But it's just breathing in what you're experiencing.
Speaker A:And maybe I always encourage, when we go to galleries, like, I'll tell my kids or I'll tell somebody that's just kind of looking, but they don't.
Speaker A:You look at their eyes and they don't.
Speaker A:Really know what they're looking at.
Speaker A:Their eyes are all over the place.
Speaker A:And I'm like, just look at the texture or look at the details or look at a color or pick a spot and just start there and see where your mind goes next.
Speaker A:Almost let your mind, like follow a trail and see what happens.
Speaker A:Like, all of that's incredibly interesting.
Speaker C:Well, I think that's.
Speaker C:That's also kind of where I was thinking about going is the.
Speaker C:It's exemplifying the practice is sometimes the best education you can do.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Just doing the thing.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And showing that you can do it.
Speaker E:It.
Speaker C:Because we are overwhelmed.
Speaker C:I mean, like, I was like, before people got here, I was sitting with TikTok, going, playing a video game and thinking about doing this at the same time.
Speaker C:So, like, I was like, that's sound overwhelming.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:I'll be playing 2K, listening to that and then thinking about something else at the same time.
Speaker C:That's fundamental overload.
Speaker C:And sometimes it's hard.
Speaker C:You know, that's where I love these practices where we.
Speaker C:There's nothing else.
Speaker C:We have a conversation in front of us.
Speaker C:But what is education?
Speaker C:But you're.
Speaker C:You're portraying that stuff.
Speaker C:You are storytelling, like you mentioned, but your story.
Speaker C:Tension.
Speaker C:Storytelling with intention and purpose and a direction.
Speaker C:But that's.
Speaker C:I think art appreciation too is.
Speaker C:We can.
Speaker C:We can portray the attention we want others to give by describing it evocatively, describing it with passion.
Speaker C:And you can't avoid that if you're.
Speaker C:Even if you're young.
Speaker C:Sometimes you might downplay because it seems hokey or whatever else.
Speaker C:But in the end, that's what.
Speaker C:That's what lives is the passion.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Just modeling it.
Speaker B:Like, I Like, they're always.
Speaker B:The kids are always paying attention, you know, to what we're doing.
Speaker B:Not really what we're telling them.
Speaker B:Like, I've had instances with my.
Speaker B:We have a 12 year old, so she's right.
Speaker B:In the middle school.
Speaker B:She's in seventh grade.
Speaker B:So we're in it.
Speaker B:And when we have days when I'm maybe like a little bit more tired and I'm looking at my phone a lot or what have you, like, the energy is just different.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Versus a day where I'm like, okay, y'all, let's go take a walk and like, look at paintings or look at nature or whatever and slow down, and it really changes the texture of your day and your experience.
Speaker B:And like, I feel like that is the gift that creating art makes.
Speaker B:To your point, Marcus, is like slowing down, like, not just doing the Doom scroll for hours and hours, but just like, oh, what is this thing that I'm looking at at the public market?
Speaker B:And how do I want to frame this shot?
Speaker B:And then when I come back to the dark room, did that work out the way that I wanted it to?
Speaker B:Or, you know?
Speaker D:And I think the word intention that keeps coming up is now, like, bold for me in the word of the day, because I think that's why the partnership works really well for us.
Speaker D:Flower City Arts has a very.
Speaker D:We have a clear intention of what we're trying to do.
Speaker D:George Eastman Museum has a clear intention.
Speaker D:And even as we change and make adjustments, there's something baked in the DNA of both organizations that knows what it wants to do and is intentional about doing it.
Speaker E:Can we go back really quick just to what you were just saying, too?
Speaker E:Because I think it's so important to model how people behave in museums.
Speaker E:I think it's interesting but not shocking that Marcus says some of these students have never been in an art museum or gallery.
Speaker E:I think folks don't know how to engage with art or interact with it.
Speaker E:It can be very intimidating.
Speaker E:I think folks sometimes don't feel like they belong in these spaces.
Speaker E:So I think it can be really challenging.
Speaker E:The idea of someone looking at something for 1.4 seconds is not shocking.
Speaker E:If you're like.
Speaker E:Like, God, I don't know what to do with that.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker E:I'm moving on.
Speaker E:I'm uncomfortable.
Speaker E:I already don't.
Speaker E:I spent so much money to be here, and I'm not getting it right.
Speaker B:And then you're like, and now I have to look interesting.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's, like, the thing that most people at museums are like.
Speaker B:I notice people.
Speaker B:I can always tell.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:Hand on the chin.
Speaker E:Well.
Speaker B:And I have a joke that I can always tell who are just appreciators versus artists.
Speaker B:Because, like, if you're an art, like, I'm a painter, and I will try to get so close to the paintings that I can, like, lick them, because I want to see how that texture got on there, you know?
Speaker B:But if you don't have.
Speaker C:How does this paint taste?
Speaker A:Lemony.
Speaker E:We have the same joke at the museum for our staff.
Speaker E:We're looking at, how is this hung, and what is the security hardware on this, and what kind of frame is this?
Speaker E:So we're always getting in trouble, getting way too close to the artwork.
Speaker E:But I think modeling and just being in the spaces is a great first step.
Speaker E:So even taking the field trip, taking your kids, going by yourself, whatever that looks like.
Speaker E:And then the Eastman specifically, we have some cards, some engagement cards to help folks, some questions to ask.
Speaker E:So whether it's on a specific topic for the exhibition.
Speaker E:For example, we had a war and conflict exhibition a few years ago, which was a little difficult to look at, but we had a war and conflict card or viewing a traumatic images card, which was just really helpful in guiding people.
Speaker E:And what are you looking at?
Speaker E:Why might this be traumatic to look at?
Speaker E:Asking some really safe basic questions.
Speaker E:And we have a handful of those.
Speaker E:One of our other favorites right now is our I Spy card.
Speaker E:So really good for families and for anyone to grab, because again, if you're just like, I don't know what I'm looking at.
Speaker E:I don't understand process, I don't know why this is important.
Speaker E:You can be like, where's the cat?
Speaker A:It's the gift of guidance.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:No, and it's.
Speaker C:I think that's a great point too, is.
Speaker C:Yes, guidance is great.
Speaker C:And sometimes context helps you appreciate it.
Speaker C:We were at the Toronto, one of the Toronto museums, and they had this, you know, they had an area that was very focused on indigenous artwork.
Speaker C:Obviously, you know, Canada's very, very attuned to that, you know, a little more than we are often.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And there were some.
Speaker C:There were some pieces there that, you know, shook me real, real hard.
Speaker C:And then there are some capital A art pieces that I'm like, no, I don't care.
Speaker C:And I think that's the other thing, is people feel the weight of having to understand capital A art pieces and that that is important, so it needs to feel important to me.
Speaker C:And I think that's one of those great things, is when you give them the opportunity, say, hey, just look for the cat.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:It adds some levity to it.
Speaker C:Where they can then just let the things that impact them impact them and not worry that they're not understanding the most important thing.
Speaker C:Because I know for me, capital A art stuff often doesn't.
Speaker C:Doesn't impact me in any way whatsoever, but other things will stick with me for years.
Speaker C:And that might not be the highlight piece, but I think that's one of the amazing things about a real gallery, you know, in a real museum, where things are curated, is not everything is for everybody.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker C:But that's the delight of having kids go to the public market, too.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Is there's so much there.
Speaker C:If you can't find one thing that you care about at the public market, you're not paying attention.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker C:Because you could talk about society, you could talk about fruits and vegetables.
Speaker C:You could talk about animals, you could talk about murals.
Speaker C:You could talk about integration of something into an area.
Speaker C:Everything's there.
Speaker C:It's a beautiful canvas for acknowledging what's going on and what else is photography.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker C:But acknowledging reality.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker D:And to your point, when we took our high school.
Speaker D:This is our first year piloting our high school program, which is digital, not analog photography.
Speaker D:But when we were, you know, just pulling up to Eastman, I said, you don't have to, like, everything or anything.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:But at the end of this, I'd love to know what you liked.
Speaker D:That's it?
Speaker D:Just one thing?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:And it was fun to see the kids who were not turned on by one wing, but then went to the other wing and the mansion said, this is cool.
Speaker D:Yeah, this bathroom's cool, or whatever it is, you know, so they found their thing, things.
Speaker D:And whether it was a crack, you know, in a wall, and that was cool.
Speaker D:I'm like, great, you saw something.
Speaker D:I don't think there's any cracks in the wall.
Speaker D:But anyway, if there were, I don't know.
Speaker D:But something like that.
Speaker D:But no.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I think that Emma is taking notes.
Speaker A:Furious.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:What room.
Speaker B:Talk to facilities about this.
Speaker D:The.
Speaker D:Emma said about giving people permission to be okay with not knowing what they're seeing.
Speaker D:Like, Right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:Because all you're asking is to invite them to be a part of something.
Speaker D:And so I think that that's just really exciting.
Speaker D:I think you talk about art with a capital A.
Speaker D:I know that our sort of joke in our little photography world is, you know, if you go to someone's house and have a great, you know, meal, you don't say, well, what kind of stove was that?
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And I think in some of our industry and certainly photography, like, well, you're shooting with an icon.
Speaker D:You're shooting with, you know, have this, and you're like, you know, there's kids running around with, you know, Barbie Polaroids, taking beautiful work.
Speaker D:And so really, again, slowing down and saying, what was the intention behind it?
Speaker D:Why did this person push down the, you know, the clicker, the plunger, the shutter?
Speaker D:And that's where I also think back to analog is really, you're making a choice because it's costing you more.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And you have to.
Speaker D:You don't want to.
Speaker D:I've had roles where I can't find anything I want to develop.
Speaker D:You learn quickly to be patient.
Speaker D:Whereas, again, with our phones, we can click a thousand shots before we get home.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:Nothing wrong with that.
Speaker D:But it's just a different Experience the.
Speaker C:Joy of constraint, the creativity that constraint forces.
Speaker C:And sometimes it can restrict too much.
Speaker C:But there, There is a great joy of creativity when you don't have a choice.
Speaker C:Yeah, this is what you have.
Speaker C:Make the best of it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I've actually found that I'm more creative in my own art practice when I have those limitations.
Speaker B:Like I only have X, Y and Z to work with, so just gotta make it work somehow.
Speaker A:I mean, there's something inherent in the word creativity and creating.
Speaker A:You're trying to escape something you're trying to.
Speaker A:There's a bound that you're trying to work past.
Speaker A:There's a limitation.
Speaker A:There's an understand.
Speaker A:Whether it's internally, psychologically and understanding or trying to, I don't know, look at a canvas and then you're like, actually, I don't need to stay within this canvas.
Speaker A:I can add something that makes it dynamic or something that pushes.
Speaker A:Like, how do I.
Speaker A:How do I get out of this limitation?
Speaker A:Just a little bit.
Speaker A:And you have to have the limitation in order to break it.
Speaker A:You know, you have to have the rules to break them first or something like that.
Speaker A:There was a quote or whatever that.
Speaker C:Seems like that would be on a wall in cursive.
Speaker C:Christian.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Like.
Speaker C:Like some sort of applique vinyl thing that you'd buy at like a home goods.
Speaker B:Learn the rules so you can break them.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And it feels like it'd be misattributed to a famous person.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like eat, Pray, love.
Speaker D:Break the rules.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker C:But I appreciate the cursive mentality of.
Speaker D:Your questions and other tricks.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:But I was, I was basically gonna get to this idea of what we're kind of, I don't know, sort of putting a bow on.
Speaker A:What we're talking about here is this idea that there's no wrong answer.
Speaker A:There's like a fear of getting the wrong answer or desire to get the right answer.
Speaker A:Often when it comes to creating art or even your perspective or even looking at art or taking a photo looking at art, it's like, what is the meaning is often what messes people up.
Speaker A:Like, what is this supposed to be?
Speaker A:Is the question.
Speaker A:I've heard people talk about your art, Molly.
Speaker A:Sometimes when they look at your abstract art and they're just like, what is this supposed to be?
Speaker A:Or we had a guy that lived with us that I was carrying her art into the house and he was looking at it from afar and it was just mostly abstract.
Speaker A:And I think there was a cutout of a statue on It.
Speaker A:And he was like, do you make art?
Speaker A:I'm like, no, my wife does.
Speaker A:And he's like, what's that?
Speaker A:Like, what's that supposed to be?
Speaker A:Like just kind of yelling in the parking lot.
Speaker A:Yelling in the parking lot.
Speaker A:He's like, what's that supposed to be like?
Speaker A:It's abstract art.
Speaker A:He's like, oh, that stuff doesn't make sense to me.
Speaker A:I'm like, oh yeah, that's cool.
Speaker A:What do you see?
Speaker A:And he's like, I see colors.
Speaker A:I'm like, that's amazing.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker D:Yeah, you got it, you got it, you got it.
Speaker B:That's usually my response is some.
Speaker B:Cause I do work in a lot of abstract and when people.
Speaker B:But that's.
Speaker B:It brings me all the way back to what we've been talking about this whole time is like taking the time.
Speaker B:Like I create works that hopefully draw you in to look a little longer than 1.5 seconds.
Speaker B:Maybe if we're lucky I can get you looking for three, you know, but like it's that kind of thing of taking the time.
Speaker B:And this whole project is bringing opportunities like that to the teenagers who are or the middle schoolers who are working on it and the community who experiencing it.
Speaker B:So it's a really beautiful thing.
Speaker E:And I would say too, for.
Speaker E:Especially for the Studio 678 exhibition, especially for Rochesterians people in the area.
Speaker E:You're going to see so many familiar things in the exhibition, but from beautiful perspectives that we might not have seen them before.
Speaker E:So it's really special.
Speaker E:And again, in one of those non academic, not intimidating ways to see the work, it's just really nice to kind of go in and be like, oh, that is the public market.
Speaker E:And I would have never known that.
Speaker E:But it's just really special and really relatable and you have both the photos and the poetry to do that.
Speaker E:So I find this a really great entry point too for folks that might not be super comfy in museum spaces.
Speaker B:Well, I'm really thankful that you guys have been able to come on today.
Speaker B:Is there anything that we didn't touch on that you would like to add before we wrap up?
Speaker D:I'll get in trouble if I don't remember to say that.
Speaker D:Our students do have a final ceremony that's at City hall on April 25th.
Speaker D:There's a 6:30 reception followed by other stuff.
Speaker D:So if people want to come out and see, there's the Link gallery at City hall where students also have some art hung and some of our great volunteers happen to Be Emma and Mike from Eastman.
Speaker D:So it's really exciting that they came out for that, and it just means a lot.
Speaker D:I've only been in Rochester a year, and it's a phenomenal city, and I just love of the art and the community and how people are just propping each other up.
Speaker D:So come out to City hall or definitely make it to the Eastman before May.
Speaker D:And okay, if you miss it, that's fine, but do come out.
Speaker D:It's not.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:We'll find you.
Speaker E:Can I plug one other thing for you, Marcus?
Speaker E:Please do.
Speaker E:I don't know all the facts, so you might have to fill in the gaps here, but the photographs on exhibition are also for sale, and the students get a large portion of that profit.
Speaker B:Heck, yeah.
Speaker D:All of it.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So if, when you go to the Eastman, there's a QR code, there's some.
Speaker D:Some what?
Speaker D:The postcards.
Speaker D:Postcards.
Speaker D:There you go.
Speaker D:That's where you can use the QR code to purchase art.
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker A:Real quick, I'm curious if you can describe one of the photos that come to your mind so that the person that goes to see this after listening to this can identify that.
Speaker B:Ooh, scavenger hunt.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker E:I love this idea.
Speaker D:I think.
Speaker D:Well, the one that just jumps to mind, there's a silhouette of violins through.
Speaker D:What kind of glass is that called?
Speaker D:It's like glazed.
Speaker D:Glazed.
Speaker D:Frosted.
Speaker D:Anyway, it's all crackly and it's kind of cool and trippy, so they should check that out and then hopefully go to the violin store after that, because that would be cool.
Speaker D:I haven't been yet, but, yeah, I think some.
Speaker D:That jumps to mind.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker A:And then come back to our podcast rating review and leave a comment and let us know that you saw that.
Speaker B:Yeah, Through Clark Glass.
Speaker A:Through Clark.
Speaker A:Yes, yes, Clark Glare.
Speaker A:Through Clay.
Speaker A:Dyslexic nightmare.
Speaker A:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:Nope, nope, nope.
Speaker B:Do you guys have any links or anything that you would like to plug?
Speaker B:Like, where can folks find you online?
Speaker E:Or if you just look up Eastman Museum on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blue Sky, I think we're on all of those right now.
Speaker E:We have a YouTube channel if you'd like to look at any of our programming.
Speaker E:And then I just also want to flag that Snap and EBT members get into the museum for free and as well as active military personnel, so just want to flag those things.
Speaker A:Great.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:Thanks so much for being on here with us, guys.
Speaker A:Marcus, do you have anything personal you want to promote?
Speaker D:No, I don't think so.
Speaker D:Maybe I have a chance to come back later when I have something I.
Speaker B:Was going to say.
Speaker B:We're going to do a whole other episode to talk about that film, and.
Speaker A:I would love to just check in with Emma every once in a while to see what's happening at the museum and updates there.
Speaker A:That'd be awesome for the show.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Anyway, my cup is full.
Speaker A:I'm done talking.
Speaker C:Well, I'm going to finish off with a quick plug for the Lunchadore podcast network.
Speaker C:If you go to lunchadore.org you can check out all of the shows we have to offer.
Speaker C:I want to highlight one of our newest shows, which is the the Lunchador Puppet podcast.
Speaker A:That was.
Speaker A:That was a Before the episode.
Speaker C:Oh, you're messing me up real good.
Speaker C:I appreciate that.
Speaker A:Gotcha.
Speaker A:Gotta keep you on your toes, baby.
Speaker C:So we have a new show from Rory Van Grohl from Ugly Duck Coffee and the curator of the Rendezvous Public Library, Greg Benoit.
Speaker C:They're talking about their experience in the hardcore music community and how it's affected them as adults.
Speaker B:It's real good.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I'm really excited that they're doing that and just talking about what is at what you become through your experiences and how it affects everything else.
Speaker A:Just a person that punches at the ground a lot at the grocery store, just punching at the ground.
Speaker C:This has been a presentation of the Lunchable Podcast Network.
Speaker C:Being good isn't always easy, no matter how hard I try.
Speaker C:When they started sweet talking to me, they'd come and tell me everything's all right.
Speaker C:Son of a preacher man.
