Binghamton University to digitally preserve local history through Past 2 Future Project

BINGHAMTON, NY – You might have preserved your grandmother’s wedding gown for posterity, or plan to pass a cherished family necklace along to your children, but what about photos, films, letters and other records – the kind of records that tell stories so easily lost?
 
What if you could have them digitized at no cost to you?
 
Binghamton University’s Past 2 Future Project (P2F) can do just that and is actively seeking letters, documents, photos, diaries, movies, audio-tapes and other records that depict the rich history of individuals and organizations in the Southern Tier. Students will digitize the records, return them and a digital copy to the owner, and Binghamton University will retain a copy for students, faculty and the community to use for research.
 
Kevin Wright, P2F director, has developed the project to be a true University-community connection, and one that opens up several paths for undergraduate research:
through information collection, processing and preservation (film digitization, cataloguing, preserving paper records and life-history interviewing);
by interpreting and analyzing the information; and
through independent research mentored by faculty members.
Wright’s vision is that some important themes or tracks will emerge from the digitized materials. “What I hope and think will happen is that we will start to accumulate a lot of information and some important tracks will emerge, like in innovation, entrepreneurship, immigration, environmental impact – and we can actually use the project as a recruitment device for getting freshmen here,” he said. “We will teach them research methods and they’ll have real, live data to do research in their second semester of their freshman year.”
 
A number of students are already involved in P2F, and will begin a series of oral histories with local residents in the spring semester, while others train on digitizing material.
 
As the digitized collection grows, it will provide scholars and students with valuable data for exploration and analysis that will provide the people of the Southern Tier with documentation of the area’s rich history, accomplishments, failures and everyday life over time.
 
There is certainly plenty of material out there. “Pretty much any time I talk to someone about it, they say ‘I’ve got something for you,’” said Wright, who noted P2F will be in the data collection stage well into the next semester and next year.
 
“We need a sufficient amount of data before we can hand it to students,” he said. “As a researcher, collecting data and beginning to put it into user format is also part of the research project, not for the analysis, but by being actively engaged in data collection and data management.”
 
P2F is located in the Nelson Rockefeller Center, Room 262, at Binghamton University. Contact Wright at wright@binghamton.edu or call 607-427-2051.

Binghamton University to digitally preserve local history through Past 2 Future Project Read More »

What Happens After The Bin?

A lot of us have good intentions. When we’re provided the option to recycle, we toss what we think of as recyclable trash into the appropriate bin, and assume our job is over: Our waste will be recycled, and we’ve done our part. But, as we are about to learn, this isn’t always true. All plastic is not created equal. Some plastic, like the durable #1 PET (also called PETE, and when recycled, rPET), is inherently reusable—it can be melted down and reused again and again without loss of function. And other types of plastics not as easily recycled wind up in land?lls.

What Happens After The Bin? Read More »

Winners Announced in Photo Competition

Best of Show: "Courthouse Detail" by Kirk Van Zandbergen

5th BOB JOHNSTON MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW AND COMPETITION
SPONSORED BY Cooperative Gallery 213 and the Two Rivers Photography Club

January 1 – 23rd, 2016

            The Cooperative Gallery 213 and the Two Rivers Photography Club are sponsoring the 5th Bob Johnston Photography Show and Competition January 1-23rd, 2016. “We are looking forward to the best photography this area has to offer,” according to Peg Johnston, Cooperative Gallery president and daughter of the late Bob Johnston. It is an open themed Photography Show and Competition and all photographic media and all photographers are eligible to enter. Photographs will again be judged by J. W. Johnston (no relation), a local professional photographer.

            A reception for the photographers, friends, and the public will take place New Year's Day at the Gorgeous Washington Association Art Walk from 6-9, with gallery hours starting at 3 pm that day. The Exhibit will be open Fridays 3-6 pm, Saturdays 12-4 pm and by appointment until January 23rd. Prizes and cash awards for the winners will be presented at First Friday, January 1st at 6:30 pm at a reception for the artists.

            The winners are as follows: Best of Show– “Courthouse Detail” by Kirk Van Zandbergen; Judge’s Choice in Black and White—“Phaseolus coccineus (Scarlet Runner Bean)” and "Asclepius tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)" both by Susan C. Larkin; Judge’s Choice in Color—“Arboreal Spirit I” and “Arboreal Spirit II” both by David LoParco. Ten Honorable Mention awards will be awarded to (in alphabetical order): “Dew of the Morn” by William Bay; “The Silhouette Maker” by Barry Biddle; “Colors of Darkness” and “Indiglow” by Jessica Fridrich; “Urban Construction” by Bill Gorman; “Creepy Crawler” by Dan Harendza; “No Corner for the Devil” and “Fall Oak” by Sandra Kirker; “Selfie” by Peter Kofira Jr; “JD2040” by Lesli Van Zandbergen

            The Competition is named for Bob Johnston, a lifelong photographer and a gallery member who died in 2010. “Bob Johnston was an ‘Ansell Adams’ kind of photographer who worked mostly in black and white film and favored both urban and natural landscapes,” said Bill Gorman, also a photographer and member of the Cooperative Gallery. Bob Johnston defined a good photo this way: “For me, the successful photograph is one in which both the abstract elements and the subject matter of the image reinforce each other to provide an emotional experience for the viewer.”

            The Cooperative Gallery, a popular stop on the First Friday Art Walk, located at 213 State Street in Binghamton, is open on Frist Friday 3- 9 pm and regularly Fridays from 3-6 and Saturdays from 12- 4 pm. Find us on Facebook at Cooperative Gallery 213 and sign up for our weekly e-newsletter on our website at  www.cooperativegallery.com or on our Facebook page.

Winners Announced in Photo Competition Read More »

Blight Mural Project Final Report

The Dept. of Public Art received a $5000 grant from the Chenango Co. Arts Council and the Hoyt Foundation in 2015 to place murals on blighted properties. In all, DPA volunteers placed 37 panels on 11 sites.

The Blight as Our Canvas project aimed to post temporary murals on blighted properties in Binghamton. The goal of the project was to get public art into neighborhoods and to improve the appearance of blighted properties. Audiences included neighborhood residents, local artists interested in painting, and property owners trying to improve their buildings.

Blight Mural Project Final Report Read More »

Speak up and Stay Safe(r) Online

December 8, 2015 – – – Three women who have survived sustained online abuse are releasing an easy-to use digital handbook designed to help others speak freely and safely in digital spaces.
 
Anita Sarkeesian director of Feminist Frequency, Jaclyn Friedman, anti-rape activist and founder of Women, Action & the Media (WAM!) and Renee Bracey Sherman, reproductive justice activist and author of Saying Abortion Aloud, have been forced to learn a lot about how to protect themselves against cyber mobs, stalkers and harassers. Now they’ve collaborated to make all of their experience available to anyone else who fears they might be targeted, or who is already under attack.
 
Speak Up & Stay Safe(r): A Guide to Protecting Yourself From Online Harassment, launched today at onlinesafety.feministfrequency.com, features a warm, friendly tone and easy-to-use navigation designed for use by people who may be experiencing fear or trauma. It details best security practices for social media, email, online gaming, website platforms, and ensuring privacy of personal information online, as well as the documentation and reporting of harassment, and caring for oneself emotionally during an online attack.
 
Speak Up & Stay Safe(r): A Guide to Protecting Yourself From Online Harassment was made necessary by the failure of social media services to adequately prevent and deal with the hateful targeting of their more marginalized users. As this guide details, forcing individual victims or potential targets to shoulder the costs of digital security amounts to a disproportionate tax of in time, money, and emotional labor. It is a tax that is levied disproportionately against women, people of color, queer and trans people and other oppressed groups for daring to express an opinion in public.
 
Speak Up & Stay Safe(r): A Guide to Protecting Yourself From Online Harassment can be found at onlinesafety.feministfrequency.com and is currently available in English, Spanish, and Arabic. More information on the creators can be found at http://onlinesafety.feministfrequency.com/#about-us

Speak up and Stay Safe(r) Online Read More »

The Inside Story of Shell’s Arctic Assault

Reporter Barry Yeoman digs deep into Shell's oil drilling in the Arctic even after they pulled out earlier this year. Our government agencies have been bullied by Shell to rush the process. 

A months-long investigation shows how the energy giant pressured the Interior Department during the company's gung-ho Arctic push—and got most of what it wanted (except oil).   Read more here.

https://www.audubon.org/news/the-inside-story-shells-arctic-assault

The Inside Story of Shell’s Arctic Assault Read More »

A DARING JOURNEY From Immigration to Education

The film A DARING JOURNEY: From Immigration to Education documents three stories of people who risked their lives to cross the border from Mexico, to fulfill their dreams. The film begins with each giving a vivid description of the journey coming here, then describing their struggles to earn a living in the shadows of our immigration system. Each of them goes on to pursue education, Luis and Sergio for themselves and Ruben Sr. and his wife Janet for their son. They all share the goal of wanting to make a contribution to their new country. Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman was inspired to make this film while shopping for groceries in Ruben Sr.'s market. One day he greeted her with this news, "My son is going to college!" She asked, "Where is he going?" Ruben answered, "Vassar." Dorothy said, "What a small world, our daughter graduated from Vassar!" She knew then and there that this family's story would make a provocative documentary. Ruben Sr. and his wife, Janet, had arrived with no education, and now their son was off to a private highly-ranked college. Over the next five years, Dorothy documented Ruben Jr.'s educational journey – from Eastside College Preparatory, a school for under-represented populations in East Palo Alto, CA, through his college graduation. While filming she met the other two interviewees: Luis, a published poet who works full-time as a waiter while getting a Master's degree from San Francisco State, and Sergio, who became the first undocumented person to be licensed to practice the law in the USA. What impressed her about all of these people was that they share an appreciation for the importance of education in being able to participate, actively, in their new country while building a better life.
WHY is this film important: There are approximately 12 million undocumented people living in the United States. Half of these individuals are Mexican. These three stories present a microcosm of the realities that many immigrants experience once they arrive in the United States: of working hard to survive without legal status and going on to pursue education so they and their children are able to address the challenges in their futures with better tools and more options.
DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER: OSCAR-nominated, EMMY-winning filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman
NARRATOR: María Marroquín, Executive Director of the Day Worker Center of Mountain View. CONCENTRIC MEDIA is an independent media production company. Our films document stories of individuals and communities working toward social justice, human rights, and personal growth. All of our films can be viewed and downloaded FREE.

The Creative Arts Film Festival is an annual international short film festival that takes place online, every year, around the world, all throughout December. Admission is FREE, so tell your friends! We want the entire world to enjoy these amazing movies — on every continent, in every country, and in every home. Tell your friends! Because it's all about having a GREAT time watching GREAT movies from the next generation of GREAT filmmakers!

A DARING JOURNEY From Immigration to Education Read More »

Are You a Poet? Split This Rock

Check out Split This Rock, a progressive poetry collective with lots of events both online and in the DC area.
 Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2016 April 14-17 , 2016
 
The 5th annual Abortion Rights Poetry Contest is open for submissions – January 10, 2016 deadline.
 
On December 20 we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the influential series, Sunday Kind of Love. A unique collaboration with Busboys and Poets, the series predates even Split This Rock!
 
In January we are proud to kick off a major series of events, Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here DC 2016, a city-wide festival dedicated to the people of Iraq and those living everywhere that free expression is threatened. Arab and Iranian poets and translators will be reading and talking about the power of translation throughout the DC area.

Visit their website at http://www.splitthisrock.org/

Are You a Poet? Split This Rock Read More »

Bob Johnston Photography Show and Competition Returns in January 2016

Last year's Best of Show "Toast" by Mike Ricciardi

5th BOB JOHNSTON MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW AND COMPETITION
SPONSORED BY Cooperative Gallery 213 and the Two Rivers Photography Club January 1 – 23rd, 2016

The Cooperative Gallery 213 and the Two Rivers Photography Club are sponsoring the 5th Bob Johnston Photography Show and Competition January 1-23rd, 2016. “We are looking forward to the best photography this area has to offer,” according to Peg Johnston, Cooperative Gallery president and daughter of the late Bob Johnston. It is an open themed Photography Show and Competition and all photographic media and all photographers are eligible to enter. Photographs will again be judged by Jim Johnston (no relation), a local professional photographer.

A reception for the photographers, friends, and the public will take place New Year's Day at the Gorgeous Washington Assn Art Walk from 6-9, with gallery hours starting at 3 pm that day. The Exhibit will be open Fridays 3-6 pm, Saturdays 12-4 pm and by appointment until January 23rd. Prizes and cash awards for the winners will be announced at First Friday, January 1st at 6:30 pm at a reception for the artists.

The Competition is named for Bob Johnston, a lifelong photographer and a gallery member who died in 2010. “Bob Johnston was an ‘Ansell Adams’ kind of photographer who worked mostly in black and white film and favored both urban and natural landscapes,” said Bill Gorman, also a photographer and member of the Cooperative Gallery. Bob Johnston defined a good photo this way: “For me, the successful photograph is one in which both the abstract elements and the subject matter of the image reinforce each other to provide an emotional experience for the viewer.”

Complete submission guidelines and deadlines are posted at www.cooperativegallery.com, www.2rpc.com. Or download below.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Each entrant may submit up to 3 photos with an entry fee of $10 each. The open themed show will be judged and cash prizes will be given for Best in Show and two Judge’s Choice photos one each in Color and Black and White. Photos may be sold and the standard 20% commission will be paid to the gallery. All photos must be framed and ready to hang. Two non-adhesive labels must accompany each entry with Title, Name of Photographer, Medium, Price using Arial 14 pt type on a label no larger than 2” X 3” (labels in envelope attached to wire is recommended). In addition, name and complete contact information must be affixed to the back of each photo.

Submissions may be dropped off at the Cooperative Gallery 213 State St. Binghamton NY on Sunday Dec. 20, 3:00 -5:00 pm, Saturday Dec. 26, 2:00-5:00 pm Sunday Dec. 27, 1:00–3:00 pm. Contact infoATcooperativegallery.com or ggouldATbinghamton.edu (607) 757-0499 for more information.

Bob Johnston Photography Show and Competition Returns in January 2016 Read More »

Scroll to Top