Linda and I are part of the Friday Morning Creative Collective. Linda chose to do a Human Library at the Chautauqua Event that blue dirt girl produced March 5/6th ’16. Linda set up a mike in Chautauqua venue owner Blake’s kitchen and had many people come and answer the question “tell me about a transformational experience in your life”. This question related directly to the creation of blue dirt girl and other Collectives members creative work.
The responses Linda elicited from the Human Library participants was wonderful. The Creative Collective started talking about each of our experiences and insights from the Chautauqua Event, including the Human Library. I had decided to continuing the Chautauqua Events at various spots in Vancouver and maybe outside the city or province. Take our family Trailer, Rhoda, and invite people into the kitchen to tell their stories. Each Chautauqua would have a theme or question to inspire music and art and discussion.
Linda was interested in joining me on for the travelling Chautauqua series with her Human Library.
Suddenly a podcast project was born “Why do we always end up here?” along with a decision to pitch to NFB for funding. I edited the hours of interviews down to 5 minutes and Linda, with, fellow Collective member, Kiki’s photos and editing assistance, wrote up the pitch for NFB.
The premise of Why do we always end up here? A “Collage Kitchen” serves as the portal to the short-form POV documentaries about transformation. Clicking on elements—a stainless steel sink, a blue cupboard, a calendar on the wall—launches each story. In the centre of the Collage Kitchen will be the Shack’s round white table, the portal to our creative transformation story. The storytellers included in Why do we always end up here? will be diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, and types of transformations. Kathryn and Linda will draw on their multitude of skills and connections in the community to track down compelling stories.
Linda and I are still in the pitch process with NFB, as well as researching other funding options, plus blue dirt girl will be touring through BC, AB and Saskatchewan in 2017 with a Chautauqua theme to the tour.
“Why do we always end up here” Pitch with Audio Compilation is available on request from bluedirtgirl@gmail.com.
Here is the background on Linda Major’s Human Library Project.
The Chautauqua Human Library Project -become a “human book” and share your story.
Human Library Organization http://humanlibrary.org/
One of the core concepts of the Friday Morning Creative Collective is that creativity is a part of the human condition, but needs encouragement and support to blossom. The Chautauqua Human Library Project draws on this idea by inviting the audience to become the artist by sharing their personal stories.
Linda Major has worked behind-the-scenes in factual series television for over 17 years. A “mid-life transition” led her back to school and a new job working with a non-profit organization. Thanks to the support of the Friday Morning Creative Collective, she is one-year and 70 pages into writing her first novel.
Come into the living room Backspace,sit and talk with Linda out your story.
The Human Library movement began in Denmark 15 years ago: https://www.facebook.com/humanlibraryorg/ http://humanlibrary.org/
“because is said i would”