Powderhorn 365
Today I’m embarking on a new year-long project. I’ve been chosen as one of the seven weekly photographers for the Powderhorn 365 Project in 2016.
I live in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood. It’s a 3/4 square mile area in south central Minneapolis, centered around Powderhorn Park, which takes up about one sixth of its area. The neighborhood is bounded by Lake Street on the north, 38th St. on the south, Chicago Ave on the west, and Cedar Ave on the east. It’s a culturally diverse neighborhood, politically progressive and left-leaning, and home to a lot of artists.
The Powderhorn 365 project began in 2009 with the vision of telling the story of the Powderhorn neighborhood through photography. Every day, one of the volunteer photographers submits a picture taken within the neighborhood. The photos are posted on the web and collected into a book at year’s end. I’m the Friday photographer for 2016, and today – New Years Day – is my first day on the job.
I went out early this morning and took 21 shots. The four best ones are below. I’ll have to choose just one of them to submit.
The application form for this project asks, among other things, why do you want to be a photographer for Powderhorn 365? Here’s what I wrote:
I enjoy the challenge of capturing images of ordinary things in ways that make them extraordinary: visually interesting and memorable. Walking around with a camera and the intention to use it spurs me to pay a different kind of attention to what’s around me. The world becomes richer.
You can view the continually expanding gallery of my Powderhorn 365 photography below. I’ll be adding to it every week throughout 2016.
All of my Powderhorn 365 Photos
Powderhorn Park was the first neighborhood to start a 365-day-a-year photography project (in 2009), but other Minneapolis neighborhoods have since launched their own:
- Central 365 covers the neighborhood between Chicago Avenue and 35W, from Lake St. to 38th St.
- Longfellow 365 covers the area of Minneapolis east of Hiawatha Avenue.
- Phillips & Whittier 365 was active 2011-2013.
- Armatage 365 existed briefly.
- Northside 365 was active in 2012 at northside365.com but the site no longer exists.
In addition to the main website, Powderhorn 365 is also on Flickr, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook.
I vote for the jogger.
I love the fish.
I like the twnnis nets; cool angle. Then the fish.
The fish are very artistic.
Jogger has more sense of place.
I’ve been wavering between the gazebo fish and the orange hat jogger. But I submitted the fish.
I’ll go with the fish — artistically eye-catching.
Shouldn’t tennis nets be removed for winter?
You would think so, wouldn’t you?
I just take pictures. They haven’t put me in charge of the tennis courts.