A Museum and Yum for a Cause

With a planned stay local afternoon, Lynne and I met at the Temecula Valley Museum. We were there for the photography exhibit but a surprise was found in the lobby's installation.

How cool is this Cork Divine art, created by Havana born, Isabel Lemus? "With a career in languages (Spanish, English, and Italian) and a master degree in marketing and business management, she is currently applying her artistic skills by creating unique artwork pieces through sustainable natural materials."

Upon close inspection, the flowers are shaved wood. Oh my gosh, so dang clever.

Whimsy and creativity abound!

I smiled at this one. I love the cassette tape earrings. So very cool.

We were actually at the museum because Lynne hadn't seen the current, main exhibit, Black and White in Black and White. As previously shared, in 1965, 16-year-old Doug Keister acquired 280 glass plate negatives, originally found at a local garage sale. He immediately made prints from some of the plates, revealing powerful, early 20th-century portraits of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska. These astonishing images are now on display in a new traveling exhibition curated by Keister and here until March 24th.

This visit to the exhibit had me reading the accompanying informational plaques in greater detail. For instance, "In the early 20th century, most photographers captured images using black and white negatives. Amateurs often took photographs on flexible film, usually made of nitrocellulose or cellulose acetate. Embedded on the film surface was a sensitized coating, called an emulsion, that was activated by light.

While amateurs took pictures using film, professional photographers often took photographs on glass plates embedded with emulsion. Although glass plates are more stable and last longer than film, they are also very breakable. And, unlike its film counterpart, which allowed for many pictures to be taken on one roll, only one picture can be exposed on a glass plate. This made glass plates much more expensive than film."

If the rings on both hands are an indication of marriage, this may be one of the very latest Johnson images. Frances Hill (1904-1932) married Bert Taylor around 1929 or 1930 and moved to New York City, where she died in 1932. In the days before high film speeds, this was a very difficult image to execute, especially of a dark-skinned person. W. E. B. Du Bois may have explained this best: "Why do not more young colored men and women take up photography as a career? The average white photographer does not know how to deal with colored skins and having neither sense of the delicate beauty or tone nor will to learn, he makes a horrible botch of portraying them." I fould Frances' image to be enchanting.

Reverend Albert W. Talbert (1859-?), his wife Mildred (1874-1960), son Dakota (1898-1968), and daughter Ruth (1906-2005) pose in front of Newman Methodist Episcopal Church around 1914. The Talberts came to Lincoln in 1914 from Guthrie, Oklahoma, and Rev. Talbert ministered to his African American congregation until 1920. Mother Millie later worked as a hairdresser to support Ruth as she earned her teaching certification at the University of Nebraska.

This image is pivotal in our understanding of this body of photographs. The glass negative reached California as part of the Keister collection, but an original print survived in the possession of Ruth Talbert. She told researchers in 2002, "Mr. Johnny Johnson took our picture," providing key information related to the identity of the photographer.

The panting dog, hand fan, and kerchief all suggest a hot summer day. The old house is probably in or near downtown, as it is positioned much closer to the sidewalk than was typical of most of Lincoln's residential areas, even for low-income residents. Photographers as well as other artists love composing in threes and triangles. This trio fits the bill.

The screen door is propped open with a rock, and a rug has been pulled across the threshold, transforming a simple doorway into a contrasting dark frame for a portrait of a woman in gleaming white. Like most of the photographs in the collection, the attention to detail, composition, and knowledge of shadow and light suggest a craftsman at work. This photograph is "made" rather than "taken."

I love this quote by Diane Arbus, “Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”. How wonderful that these amazing images provide us with such a delightful treat. Wow.

After a healthy lunch, we discovered this delightful dessert spot... Oak Grove Culinary Creations.

"Culinary Creations is a Vocational Training Program for at-risk and special needs youth. The program provides culinary skills, customer service and hospitality training. Youth that complete the program are ready and able to enter the workforce. We teach the value of hard work and strong character, preparing youth to be successful in the world of work."