Ugh* My proposal got dogged by 'the professional'. Back to the drawing board. I hate writing. It's so difficult! Dig Dag

all of the pieces are coming together. It's super exciting. The grant proposal is almost all finished. It's making me sick to my stomach *nerves*

This is my proposal for the Art Center’s Faculty Enrichment Grant....

With the grant from the faculty enrichment, I will generate an online diary with the intentions of further publication or some form of artifact. The nature of the diary will be interviews and images of individuals who knew my father, deceased for 28 years. The interviews will provide me with stories of who this man was and what he meant to others: to demystify the dead dad.

My father’s sudden death generated a deep loss within the community of commercial fisherman to which he belonged. Several times during my adulthood, strangers would recognize my name and express deepest sympathies. I was always left with the question, “Who was this man and why did he touch so many people?” I am inspired to seek out the answers.

The town where I grew up has a website to post topics of discussion. I posted and asked if anyone remembered my father. I received an overwhelming response from people who were excited and anxious to share their personal involvement with my dad.

With the monies from the grant, I will drive to the East Coast. Along the way, I have established interviews with family and friends of my father, the majority of whom are in New England. The interviews themselves are an integral part to this endeavor, providing me with context for who these people were to my father and how he affected them. Many of the individuals on my father’s list of friends have already passed. The timing of this project is essential. Many of the men who fished with my father led hard lives and their time left is short.

The nature of story collection is such that meaning is created as stories are collected. In the beginning of the process the result is uncertain, but begins to become clear - a direction is formed - as we get more information and begin to draw conclusions from what we’ve learned, or imagine how we can present the results of our research.

The use of such anecdotal, qualitative research and how it is ultimately presented is an integral part of the classes I teach. In response to their findings my students strive to create a particular experience in the presentations of their work - through design, language, technology, or combinations of these elements. My intention with this personal project is to internalize my own discoveries and in turn create an experience of my father to share with others.