The Big Sixty

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60 interviews. Sixty interviews. The big sixty. Wow. I feel so lucky and humbled by every single one of those interviews. So many amazing women making incredible artwork here in Chicago. 

This 60th interview was with Melissa Leandro who works in painting, drawing, and textiles. I learned about her work at the recent Chicago Cultural Center show Present Standard curated by Edra Soto and Josue Pellot. It was an incredible show. I"m sorry it closed last week!

The big question: am I done? Well, no. I have a few more interviews that I want to do but I'm very close. June 30th is the cutoff. So there's that.

Anyway, I just wanted to leave a short note. I'm doing a lot for the Chicago Northside Mini Maker Faire right now. You can check out the website where I've done a bunch of interviews with makers: https://makerfairechicagonorthside.com/

That's all for now!

Radio Progess 2

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So I'm coming up to the final week of the Vocalo Storytelling workshop. The final piece is due next Wednesday, March 2nd! I've learned so much in these past five weeks!

I've finished my second round of interviews with everyone. I've got all the secondary tape I'm going to need. Right now, I'm working on finalizing my script for my voiceover. And then mixing it all together. TIme is of the essence.

I've learned new ways of thinking about sound. There's the interviews themselves, which are critical. But I should also think about getting sound from someone showing me some work or asking them to show their favorite tool for their artwork. It helps set the scene!

So I'm going to be off the radar for the next week and a half as I finish this project.

Until then!

Happy New Year!

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It's been a few weeks since i've last posted. The great news is that I have completed 52 interviews by the year's end. I've been working on this project since July 2014 with the intention of only doing one interview a month. Clearly, that fell by the wayside.

I just want to reiterate how lucky I am for all the women who have taken the time to meet with me and share their thoughts and stories about their work and lives. People have been so generous with their time and sometimes their homes and studios. I already knew that Chicago was filled with amazing people but I'm so thankful to have it reaffirmed over and over again. Thank you to all the participants!

For those of you wondering about the timeline of the project, I am nearing the end of the interviews. I had originally thought that I would continue interviewing until June 30, 2016 but I don't want a 500 page book. Now, I envision stopping around 60 interviews. So yes, the research stage is near an end. Once I finish the interviews, I'll work on getting everything transcribed; I have some transcriptions completed. And then, the grand work of editing interviews for the book is next. 

So stay tuned!

Also this news about Sundance directors is exciting. Not 50% but the numbers are moving in the right direction.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/sundance-2016-competition-lineup-unveiled-over-40-directed-by-women-20151203