Thursday, July 24, 2008

Cool News! ROAD TRIP

Esther Pearl Watson and I applied for a research & development grant and we got it! Starting on August 15 we are driving across the country to interview people about their personal ideas of beauty. We are going to let what people tell us drive the images and direction of the project, trying to not have too many preconceived notions. This came about because living in L.A. can warp your sense of what is beautiful. You can lose your idea of what is "real" here.

We'll be taping, filming, writing, drawing and painting for a month from Los Angeles to Maine thru the middle of the country, then down the east coast to Atlanta and back across the country via the southern route and ending up at home in September. When we get back we plan to produce a multi-media exhibit about what we found.

If you are interested in being interviewed, let us know and if we come thru your town we'll look you up. We want to talk to men, women, teens, kids, from all nationalities, artists, business people, student...as many different people as we can. Cool beans!!!

13 comments:

niki said...

come to urbana, illinois! we'll show you everything that's beautiful about a college town.

shaunna said...

Dude, that's freakin' sweet! Road Trips are just cool by themselves, but to get a grant to help out?! I hope you do a lot of bloggin' along the way! Yay for you guys!

Anonymous said...

Hi Martha,
Just visited your blog. Saw your sketchbook in Graphic 10 and got a chuckle out of it. Like you, I am about to go back to school after almost 12 years of working in another industry. Though I do not have 2.5 kids to show yet, I am imagining you went through some of the same stuff as me. Was your prior degree art related?

Take care
Amrita
amritab@yahoo.com

Martha Rich said...

Amrita,

My first degree was Sociology. No art at all. Good luck, it was totally worth for me!

Martha

Anonymous said...

If you come to Madison, Wisconsin I'd be happy to talk to you.

Anonymous said...

if you stop by philly i'd love to meet you guys and talk about all things pretty! i can even treat you to some cheesesteaks :)

Martha Rich said...

Shannon

We are definitely going to be in Philly. I think around the 21 of August. My pop lives there!

Martha

Anonymous said...

Would love to treat you to some southern hospitality, just be careful when you walk away. Just kidding, that's really not true, I don't think...at any rate would love to help you guys out. If you can't make it to SC, maybe I will see you in Atlanta!
Peace,
Leslie

Unknown said...

Best of luck to you and Esther! I'm looking forward to hearing about all the interviews. Good job at acquiring the grant. Now I have to check out the "beauty blog" you set up. Well done!

Anonymous said...

Did you gals already pass through Philly? After my two week stay in LA, my perceptions of beauty got totally effing twisted, I can't imagine what living there all the time would do to me!

martha miller said...

VERY cool beans! I'm in Portland, Maine and would love to have you visit, if you haven't been here already! Perhaps you would consider sitting for a portrait - I could draw you while you interview me...

Sounds like a terrific project!

Signed
A fellow Martha
(well, not really, I'm not a fellow, but what does it matter...
don't meet too many other Martha's...
www.marthamiller.com

RZ said...

I like your style, player. How does one apply for such a grant?

Martha Rich said...

This was a grant specifically for teachers at Art Center College of Design so to apply you'd have to teach there for a year. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful