Here are some commonly asked questions with my answers.
Q: Who is eligible for the project?
A: I am interviewing women and/or people who identify as female who work in an artistic field who live in Chicago. One does haven’t to be born in Chicago but one has be here a few months of the year.
Q: What is an artistic field?
A: I’m leaving it very broad. I believe that it somehow involves a creative endeavour to impart a message or meaning to the world. I’ve been talking to women who work in the traditional art spheres such as visual and performing arts. But I’m also interested in design, illustration, and other fields.
Q: How do you find participants?
A: It’s a combination of people who I know from various spheres of my life, recommendations from people I know or other participants. I also survey the Chicago arts scene for people who are doing interesting things. I make a lot of cold calls (emails).
Q: How do you conduct the interviews?
A: Generally, the interviews are conducted in person. I have a trusty audio recorder named Athena. I am open to Skype calls, etc, in special circumstances. I like the opportunity to meet the person and see their work. People have showed me their studios, which is an amazing treat.
Q: How long do the interviews last?
A: They tend to be between 40 and 55 minutes. I take the time to talk about my background, the impetus for the project so that might take 15 to 20 minutes. Generally, a meeting last about an hour fifteen to an hour and a half.
Q: Where do the interviews take place?
A: I leave it up to the participant. I’ve met in cafes, restaurants, people’s studios, and homes. I want the person to be comfortable. I just ask that it is reasonable quiet but I like the background noises too. I’ve traveled all over from Little Village, Beverly, Skokie and Logan Square. I love seeing new parts of the city and its surrounding suburbs.
Q: What is the timeline for the project?
A: Right now, I’m working on interviewing women all over the city. The interviews are likely going to last until July 2016. So I’ve got another year of collecting interviews. I’m also working on getting them transcribed. In 2016/2017, I’ll begin the huge editing process. I hope to have the final product ready to go in 2017.
Q: Are you transcribing the interviews?
A: Yes. I have hired a third party to transcribe my interviews. When I have reviewed the transcript, I send it to the artist so they can see it and let me know what they think.
Q: What is the final goal?
A: I’m going to compile all the interviews into a book. It will be a physical thing. I hope to have it ready by 2017 since I’ll be working on interviewing more people for the rest of 2015 and 2016. An audio piece would be amazing too.