The photographs are of me getting ready for their family portrait one cold winter day.

After spending three years working on SoA this has been the best. I think it has to do with the fact that I have two pieces on the site in two different Editions, both I am very proud of. I got a chance to continue photographing Locke and Christina throughout the year after making a multimedia piece, “Raising Felix” for my capstone major class, 486 in the fall. By working with Uma Sanghvi in the winter I slowly added in new photos and audio, and finally finished the piece this spring. Thanks for all those who took the time to review my work and give such helpful feedback; Rachel Mummy, Josh Birnbaum, Eric Maierson, and Marcus Yam.

Abby Verbosky

in my SOA story, Paul Strauss, told me that when he bought his farm 30 years ago, what he really purchased was an education. My time in SOA this spring has helped to shape my idea of what constitutes a classroom. This stemmed from my work on my own project and the relationships it fostered.

For the Hocking College students taking an edible/medicinal plant class at Strauss’ farm in Meigs County nothing could be more paramount then first hand experience in the forest. These students formed intimate relationships with the land around them in ways that simply reading or writing about a topic couldn’t produce. For me spending time with people, taking photographs of them, interviewing them, becoming friends with them, was a similar experience. Something important happens when you engage and interact with communities around you. You begin to absorb things first hand rather then have it mediated or filtered through classrooms or academic institutions.

One of the positive aspects of participating in something like SOA is the freedom you have to form and make the most of the community around you. The classroom can become elevated to many things, a tent on an organic farm under the stars or a caffeine-infused media lab. What you walk away with is an appreciation for all the opportunities to grow that surround you.

Francis Tatem