OOMA – Overview
Prompted by our mission and our desire to foster opportunities for developing deeper community connections, we have created our first community-wide collaborative project, Object of My Affection (OOMA). With the help of a grant from Illinois Humanities, this three-phase project, led by local artists will focus on the use of an object of personal significance as a catalyst for connecting people, place, and histories. The project is designed around participants choosing a physical object that holds great value and importance in their life and then telling the story of that connection.
Phase one will be individual interviews with participants where the participant tells the story of their connection with their chosen object. The team will record and photo document during this first interview.
Phase two will focus on organizing and curating the work gathered for an exhibition and community celebration at Farwell House. For the exhibit, a framed, large-format photograph of the participant’s hands holding their object will be on display along with a framed transcript of their story, preferably written in their own hand. It is our hope to display an assortment of these treasured objects as well.
Phase three will be the culmination of the project with an opening reception and community potluck celebration in the fall/winter of 2021. It is during this phase that we will invite the greater community to attend, see the work, and hear the stories from our participants. The stories and pictures gathered at the culmination of this project will then be archived on the Farwell House website to share with those outside of our community. The ultimate goal of this project is to involve our community in the sharing of their stories and to provide an opportunity for all of us to become more deeply connected to the rich history of those in our area.
How to Participate
Of course, we need your help! Focused on community members from Schuyler Co., like yourself, we invite you to participate. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? Would you like to know more about the details of this project? If so, send us an email (farwellhouse1867@gmail.com) with the best way to contact you by Monday, July 26. Please be sure to include “OOMA” as the subject. We will add your name to our list of participants and be in touch.
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