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Alert for Photographers: Package Theft Soars to Record Levels |

By in Photography

Alert for Photographers: Package Theft Soars to Record Levels |

As the holiday season approaches, the Better Business Bureau has issued a warning to photographers, revealing that package theft is currently “at an all-time high.” This troubling trend is a cause for concern, especially as we anticipate an increase in package deliveries during this busy holiday season.

One Milwaukee resident, Latisha Franklin, experienced this issue firsthand when her doorbell camera captured a brazen thief in action on November 7th. In the footage, a woman approached Franklin’s front door, nonchalantly placed an empty McDonald’s box, and made off with a recently delivered package. Franklin’s response was one of disbelief, stating, “I think I came home maybe 15 minutes later and realized the package was gone. For things like that, I didn’t think I would need to review my camera footage within a month of living here.”

Unfortunately, Franklin is not alone in facing such a situation. Many photographers and residents have fallen victim to package theft, sometimes mere minutes after a delivery. According to Lisa Schiller from the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin, this is an issue that could worsen over time. She emphasizes the gravity of the situation, stating, “It’s at an all-time high. That’s a huge problem, very big concern. This is the month that we are going to have more package deliveries than ever, so it’s an opportune time for criminals.”

In light of these circumstances, it’s essential for photographers to take proactive measures to protect their valuable equipment and supplies. Schiller offers valuable advice to safeguard against package theft: “Don’t leave the packages unattended for long periods of time at least. If you have a neighbor, you could always ask them to bring the item in for you. Pick up the package later.”

For those who, like Franklin, are particularly concerned about the safety of their deliveries, they may consider having expensive items shipped to an alternate address, even if it may not be the most convenient option. Franklin reflects on the unfortunate reality, saying, “It is unfortunate now that we have an added need to check when our packages are coming.”

A study by Capitol One Shopping reveals the gravity of the situation, with 14% of Americans reporting a stolen package last year. As photographers, it’s crucial to be vigilant and proactive in protecting your valuable photography gear and supplies, especially during this high-risk season of increased package deliveries.

Photography center’s latest home makes for a pretty picture

By in Photography

Photography center’s latest home makes for a pretty picture

The Colorado Photographic Arts Center has changed locations with considerable frequency over its 60-year history, and no one knows that better than its current executive director, Samantha Johnston. During her tenure — just eight years now — CPAC has had four different headquarters in various parts of Denver.

Each move was more than packing and unpacking. It also required adjusting to new gallery spaces, setting up classrooms for its students, transporting the organization’s substantial in-house holdings and launching a fresh campaign to tell the public exactly where they could find CPAC’s popular exhibitions of work by photographers from Colorado and beyond.

Is it real or staged? Jason McKinsey’s archival pigment print “The Commuter.” (Provided by the Colorado Photographic Arts Center)

But CPAC’s latest change of place, to the first floor of a high-rise at 1200 Lincoln St., might serve it for the long haul. Everything feels right about it, particularly its physical location, on a busy thoroughfare in the culturally rich Golden Triangle Creative District.

The neighborhood is a regular destination for art fans already and, for many, CPAC’s new building will be familiar, too. For several years, it housed the Art Institute of Colorado, which shut down in 2018. The structure has since been converted into residential apartments.

CPAC has a 10-year lease, with the option to extend that another 10 years, according to Johnston.

The new CPAC home is, to use an appropriate adjective, photogenic. Johnston spent more than two years — working with architect Nathan Gulash of Semple Brown Design — customizing the 4,000-square-foot space to fit its needs. There are work rooms, dark rooms, offices, stacks for the archives and an L-shaped exhibition hall with a sliding wall that will allow it to be divided up for multiple shows.

The pair kept things neat and clean, and monochromatic. The walls are white, of course, and the ceiling, with its plumbing and duct work exposed, is matte black. The galleries are elegant, but meant to disappear in favor of the photo shows that will occupy them.

The current exhibition, titled “Tell Me a Story,” fits the space well. The show, which runs through Jan. 6, features work by a mix of regional, national and international photographers. Guest juror Mary Statzer, the chief photography curator at the New Mexico Museum of Art, chose the work from more than 500 submissions.

“Tell Me a Story” explores the idea of photography as a format for storytelling, but in a very specific way. What is the power, the show asks, of a single image, to relate a complex human tale?

The answer comes in 32 photos — digital prints on paper, for the most part — rendered in various shapes and sizes, and in different styles. Many fit easily into the common language of visual arts. For example, some are portraits, while others are landscapes. Some photos capture domestic scenes of everyday life, others are clearly staged. Most fall somewhere in the middle of all that.

One example is photographer Mark Coggins’ shot, titled “4-H Club,” a black-and-white image that captures a teenage boy, dressed in a hoodie, nestled up with two pigs.  All three of them are enjoying a nap. The photo is set in the sort of metal pen that will look familiar to anyone who has wandered the hay-filled halls of Denver’s annual Stock Show and watched kids compete with their livestock.

Jesse Freidin's archival inkjet print

Is it a traditional portrait? It goes a long way toward capturing the personality of this young competitor. Or does it fall under the category of photojournalism or documentary? It is certainly meant to freeze a moment in time at an important cultural event.

The same questions surround the photo titled “The Commuter,” by Jason McKinsey, which presents a middle-aged man behind the wheel of an automobile. He is apparently stalled in traffic, looking off into the distance, waiting for things to move along during rush hour.

Several things make this image compelling. First, it captures the man through his windshield — how did the photographer get such a vantage point? Second, is it a real scene or manufactured? Is this an actual instance in a daily commute or is the man an actor and the whole image fiction? The piece has a cinematic feel.

And more to the point of the exhibition overall, what is the narrative here? Who is this guy? Where is he coming from and where is he going? The image begs us to fill in the missing parts.

That is true with nearly all of the photos in “Tell Me a Story.”  Each is a mystery without quite enough clues to solve. They hint at a bigger tale, giving us neither the beginning nor the end, just a split second of the action.

I found them provocative but also frustrating, a reminder that we can never understand the whole truth by looking at a single moment in time. We can only guess — and we often guess wrong.

This exhibit is content to dwell in the conundrums, and many viewers will enjoy that. Humans love a good puzzle, and this show succeeds by delivering them in overwhelming numbers.

But it also, quite clearly, shows the inability of single photographic images — served up without context or captions or other photos — to convey complicated truths. When people fill in the blanks, they bring their own biases and personal histories into the equation, including their preconceptions about race, class, gender, politics and social history, and that influences their comprehension. These photos spark the imagination but they also invite misinterpretations in a way that feels not quite right.

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John Bonath’s “Forbidden Fruit” is printed with archival pigment ink on canvas, surfaced with wax. (Provided by the Colorado Photographic Arts Center)

Instead of being powerful narrative tools, the solitary photos can feel like weak links in the information chain. They want us to come to conclusions without all the facts, to feel smart and well-informed when, in fact, we know little. They are certainly not dangerous in any way, but they underscore how some images — especially those manufactured through artificial means with the intent of serving as propaganda — might actually be dangerous.

Either way, they are riveting, and the show is exceptionally cohesive and relentlessly on point. Viewers might find the shots inspirational or be annoyed by the whole exercise, though they will, no doubt, stare for a very long time.

Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver freelancer who specializes in fine arts.

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How modern-day skiers and Native American spirituality can connect on the slopes

By in Native

How modern-day skiers and Native American spirituality can connect on the slopes

For big-mountain skier Connor Ryan, skiing is a deeply spiritual experience. As a Hunkpapa Lakota Native American, he believes the mountains themselves are alive with spirits, along with the spirits of Indigenous Utes who inhabited them for centuries before miners came to Colorado in the 18th century.

When Ryan climbs and skis big peaks blanketed in backcountry powder, he sings prayers in his Native language while hoping non-Native skiers and snowboarders understand the need to respect the mountains even as they use them for recreation.

“The ski industry, and the outdoor industry, they need to reconcile with the fact that this whole industry happens on Native land,” Ryan said in a ski film he made in 2022 called Spirit of the Peaks. “They are places that have been deeply related to Indigenous people for so long, and there’s not blame in that statement, but there is responsibility that’s needed on the other side.”

Ryan’s film was produced in conjunction with NativesOutdoors, a Native-owned creative and athletic collective that also has been involved in initiatives with Winter Park Resort, Ryan’s home mountain. Through the collective, Native skiers and artists worked to create art pieces installed on the mountain this year that reflect awareness of the area’s Native heritage, connection to the land and ecology.

A new art installation at the summit of Winter Park Resort at Sunspot honors the historic relationships Indigenous people had with the landscape long before it became a ski resort.  The ski area partnered with NativesOutdooors, a Native-owned athletic and creative collective, on the project. (PROVIDED BY WINTER PARK RESORT)

At the summit of the mountain is a new monument with a pattern created by Native artists Jordan Craig and Vernan Kee. It depicts prominent mountains in four directions — Longs Peak to the north, Parry Peak to the east, Mount Blue Sky (formerly known as Mount Evans) to the south and Byers Peak to the west — along with a river flowing from them. On the monument is one Ute word, Heniiniini, which means “There is snow on the ground.”

Elsewhere on the mountain, a new snow stake incorporates the same four mountains, rivers flowing from them, and a snow measuring stick with a Native artwork pattern.

“I wrote the initial vision statement as someone who knew all the artists who were going to be working on it, but also as someone who closely knows the community of Winter Park and tried to find that intersection of where the work of the artists and the community intersect,” Ryan, who grew up in the Front Range, said in an interview.

“I do a lot of other work with (Winter Park) to get Native American folks up to experience the mountain through skiing. Less than half of a percent of skiers, according to Snowsports Industry America (an industry trade association) are Native American or Indigenous,” he said. “Increasing that representation starts with having a reflection of ourselves be visible on the mountain, but also the other work Winter Park does to be more accessible to people of all backgrounds.”

Two years ago, Winter Park issued a statement saying it “acknowledges and honors that the land on which we operate today is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Nookhose’iinenno (Arapaho), Tsis tsis’tas (Cheyenne), and Nuuchu (Ute).” That statement also pledged, “We reaffirm and recognize that connection both through our words here and our actions.”

Reverence for the land reflected in the new artworks on the mountain also is a call to environmental sensitivity. Snowmelt at Winter Park drains into the Fraser River, which feeds the Colorado River not far from its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park.

“All that snowfall is going to provide life to countless ecosystems and communities between here and the Sea of Cortez,” Ryan said. “People through skiing are getting connected to the snowpack, to ecology, and realizing a lot of the things that Native American people have valued about these landscapes for a really long time. To me it’s a place where we can find that commonality around conserving and protecting what is valuable, and at the same time for Native American folks, it represents a potential economic and career space for our people to be in that is more in line with our cultural values. Recreation is far more sustainable than extractive industry.”

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Rome native celebrates Capitol Theatre memories with live performance series

By in Native

Rome native celebrates Capitol Theatre memories with live performance series
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ROME — Growing up in and around the Capitol Theatre is now inspiring Rome native Bill DiPaolo to help bring some major entertainment performances to the downtown venue.

DiPaolo, president of Rome-based Entertainment Services and a Rome Free Academy class of 1992 graduate, recalled his late father Tony DiPaolo – an icon in the local entertainment industry himself – was a projectionist at the theater. As a youngster, the younger DiPaolo came to the theater with his dad and cleaned and painted and helped with just about any job he was capable of doing.

Art Market features local artists’ work

By in Art World News

Art Market features local artists’ work







Art Market at The Landing

Patti Hanley, Sharpsville (right), purchases jewelry from Lauren Potts, Austintown, Ohio, and Chris Daniels, Lowellville, Ohio, Saturday at the Art Market at The Landing in downtown Sharon.



SHARON – Patti Hanley decided to visit the Art Market Saturday with a friend in part because she knows a couple of the vendors.

“There’s some gorgeous things here,” said Hanley, of Sharpsville. “This is great.”

Hanley purchased a necklace from Lauren Potts of Austintown, Ohio, and Chris Daniels of Lowellville, Ohio. Potts creates the designs and Daniels, who has a degree in geology, goes with Potts to pick out the stones she uses in her jewelry.

Potts started bringing her jewelry to the Art Market because she is friends with one of the organizers.

Alane Jewel, and Jen Crisan and Crisan’s husband, Daniel Horne, have organized the event that has been running around the holidays for four years.

Jewel and Crisan are artists who manned their own booths at the show with Steve Vuich as entertainment, taking donations for the Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County.

Crisan and Jewel both have studio space in The Landing. The show started in 2018 when Crisan and Horne thought the center needed an art show.

The first year, they opened up their studio space to have the show then in 2019, the show expanded to the main lobby and adjoining room inside The Landing.

The show ran Friday and Saturday. About 200 people came through on Friday, and Jewel and Crisan were expecting the same amount Saturday.

“I feel like everybody I talked to today is doing well, selling, and that’s what we want,” Jewel said. “We want to make sure our artists are selling and that traffic comes through.”

The show has a variety of everything from pottery to jewelry to sculpture art and photography.

“We’ve got it all,” Jewel said. “Someone can find a handmade gift here that’s homemade.”

And it all comes through the arts in Sharon, Crisan said.

“It’s important to get the artists together to have a place to sell their work. There’s not a lot that we have around here,” Crisan said. “It’s nice for them to have an outlet for sales, especially for the holidays.”

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com

RaMell Ross’s Poetic Photos of Black Life in the US South

By in Photography

RaMell Ross’s Poetic Photos of Black Life in the US South

December 04, 2023

Lead ImageRaMell Ross, Man, from ‘South County, AL (A Hale County), 2018-22From Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body (MACK, 2023). Courtesy of the artist and MACK

RaMell Ross is an artist, photographer and writer who chronicles the American South, a region that has a long and complicated history with photography. His Academy Award-nominated 2018 documentary film, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, presented the audience with an intimate view of the everyday lives of the Black community living in his adopted home of Hale County, Alabama. This commitment to creating a portrait of a place was also evident in Desire Paths at Pace Gallery in New York, one of the standout exhibitions of 2023; a two-person show where Ross’s work was presented in dialogue with pieces by the late photographer, painter and sculptor, William Christenberry, who also made work in Hale County. Although they employ different approaches, both artists’ work “grapple with the beauty of everyday life over and against the legacy of white supremacist terrorism that has shaped the history of both Hale County and the United States itself,” says Pace.

10Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body by RaMell Ross

Recently, Ross released his first book, Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body published by MACK. Ross sees this publication as an opportunity to “consider the scope of his work”, featuring photography, mixed media sculpture, film stills and writing. At the centre of the book is Return to Origin, a conceptual work in which the artist shipped himself from Rhode Island to Alabama in a 4×8 foot box, “a nod to Henry Brown, who shipped himself to freedom in 1849.”

Below, AnOther spoke with RaMell about the impact of the history of photographic work based in this region, the limits of the medium, and feeling like an outsider in the South. “This is what my work is about in its essence, this insider/outsider relationship many Black folks have with the region,” he explains.

Adam Murray: Can you explain your relationship to and experience of the American South prior to making work there?

RaMell Ross: My father was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina in the late 1950s and early 60s. We’d visit there often, what felt like every summer, my sister, my mum, my dad and I. For me, it’s a place I have a memorialised geographically, which is possible only when you’re a child as your senses are so inexperienced and awake that they log the physical world ecstatically, indelibly. It’s also a place filled with the after-images of my father’s stories. Everything from the afternoons at the pool where he’d eventually chip a tooth to the race riots at his high school where he’d dodge a racial slur, his accounts of growing up in a slowly integrating city, attempts on his life by the bigoted, the everyday of his youth – [these things] kind of animated the region for me. That and the world of media, news and film and books, were my tie to the region.

AM: Do you ever feel like an outsider in the South?

RR: Yes. This is what my work is about in its essence, this insider/outsider relationship many Black folks have with the region. Our elders fled, but the train tracks, footprints and stains are still there. I always feel like an outsider, and insider, like one might at their own family gatherings. I’ve found only non-verbal language capable of holding the two tight enough together that they appear as one. 

AM: Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body is your first book. What motivated you to make this book now?

RR: The book started off as a catalogue for a show I had at the Ogden Museum in 2022, with the same title. Around the time, I had a conversation with Liv Constable-Maxwell at MACK. She invited me to consider the hitherto scope of my work and the possibilities of presenting it in book form as part of my art practice, less as an extension and or catalogue of it.

AM: Your work is featured in the exhibition A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845, which recently opened in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. What impact does that history of photographic work rooted in this region have on you firstly as a citizen, and secondly as an artist?

RR: I think I was unaware of the impact until I moved to Hale County. To go to a place and feel like your eyes are not yours is a hell of a feeling, a feeling once gotten inside of, and befriended, becomes a mentor of sorts. The place has an unflinching déjà vu of the real feeling about it. It’s quite difficult to succinctly talk about what that means … documentary images and perhaps images in general were more critically naked, shaping the perception of – or better yet, producing – Black Americans in the imaginaries of a national and global population.

The early ethnographic work being done was pretty damning. As a citizen in these images, I see my conceptual birthplace. Where the term Black person, Negro – all the ways of naming me – were born, forged, duplicated, fantasised about, essentialised and disseminated. Photography has made much of the meaning of me and my home. As an artist, the photographic history revealed the American South as an open-air library, a reminder of the jester of time, encouraging us to believe that history isn’t also the future, the longest theatrical performance ever produced.

AM: In 2014 you completed an MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design. How did this academic context change your understanding of what you wanted to do with your work?

RR: Going to RISD allowed me to locate where the work I was inclined to make could live. I didn’t go to art school. I was a basketball scholarship, student-athlete, and both my parents were in the military. I had a very American-programmed,, uncritical relationship to images and cultural production. At some point, while living in Hale County, I felt something click but I was genuinely unsure if my work made sense. [I was unsure] if all the things I was noticing about the documentary tradition and of images of Black people in general were communicable.

AM: Beyond place, extended passages of time are a common device central to your work. I read that you filmed 1300 hours of footage for Hale County This Morning, This Evening. The Return to Origin journey took 59 hours. You spoke in a 2019 interview about “slowness being a uniting element of rural life.” Can you expand on the role time has in your work?

RR: I think of time as I think of desire and language and our bodies; the distance between things and then things themselves, time as the unexplainable impulse that both sparks our sentience and propels this unknown world. It’s central to my work’s legibility [and] to myself; time as context, time as tutor, time as the chef of meaning. Time is there whether I need it or not, it is my most reliable collaborator. But I actively consider clock time when making work, and then slip into a relation to what time ineffably is, a divine currency.  

AM: What are the limits of photography for you?

RR: I feel like photography for me is limited by the person and or thing on the other end of it, receiving it. It almost feels like a cop-out answer though, but it seems like the limitation is a human problem. Can the limits of photography be us? I ask myself, how are we conditioned and programmed to read, engage and take in images? To make images? Formally and conceptually. From a less social angle: what does science have to say about the psychological consequences of image interaction? Of its memory intervention? What’s its evolutionary stake?

I don’t really think photography has built-in limits, more that photography has precedents and realistic uses, and while much of them are enlightening and arresting, a lot of them are concerning, given our species’ capacity to self-sabotage.

Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body by RaMell Ross is published by MACK, and is out now. 

Olympic ice dancer Alex Shibutani on photography, lessons as an athlete, choreography and more

By in Photography

Olympic ice dancer Alex Shibutani on photography, lessons as an athlete, choreography and more

‘I always tried to ground myself’

While Shibutani mentions toying with the idea of a return to competitive skating (“there’s definitely the possibility that we will return”), he appears firmly planted in “the life after” for an Olympic medallist, but still feels as though he and Maia are reaping the benefits of their experiences as world-class ice dancers.

“I always tried to ground myself in the present moment because it’s easy to get stuck in the future and start thinking about your goals,” Shibutani, now 32, says. “Every athlete has very specific situations; each person is different.

He continues: “But I think to start with, just on a very simple level, breath and the ability to control one’s energy, especially when there might be a heightened level of intensity, [that] is something that definitely required years of experience to be able to – I wouldn’t even say master – but to have more awareness of that.”

Shibutani participated in the IOC’s International Athletes’ Forum in October, a gathering aimed to “empower, excite and unite the global athlete community” that included a mix of current and former athletes, as well as leaders within a host of Olympic sports.

The forum represents another pillar of Shibutani’s varied CV, as he also serves on the Athletes’ Commission for the coming Olympic Summer Games LA 2028, set to be the first Olympics in the U.S. since Salt Lake 2002.  

“The job of the Athletes’ Commission is to be a voice for the athlete globally: Not just the U.S. team, not just the L.A.-based athlete, but we are trying to craft and form the Games to the best of our ability that will positively impact the athletes that compete in L.A., but also the future,” he says.

“[Our aim is] to create a defining legacy – for both Games and the city.”

Best books to give for the holidays in 2023

By in Native

Best books to give for the holidays in 2023

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (12/04/2023) — If you plan to follow the “four-gift rule” this holiday season — something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read — experts from the University of Minnesota Libraries recommend choosing books from a wide range of new releases. 

Lisa Von Drasek, curator of the Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature, shares book suggestions for the young people in your life. Malaika Grant, arts, humanities, and area studies librarian, shares great adult gift ideas.

Lisa Von Drasek

“We are Branches” by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes

“‘Branching is nature’s most efficient way to spread something…from one central spot over a large area.’ The blood in our body branches out from arteries to veins and back again. The bones of the fruit bat branch from arms stretched in wings to their fingertips. And colorful coral branches skyward under the oceans and seas. Science writer and poet Joyce Sidman pairs again with artist Beth Krommes to create an intergenerational picture book treasure of factual information that is a joy to read aloud.”

“I’m From” words by Gary R. Gray Jr. and pictures by Oge Mora

“We follow a community of children dancing through their day as a Black child joyfully announces that they come from ‘early morning wake-ups, handcrafted blankets knitted with memories.’ All is not perfect but resilience and strength are expressed through Gray’s straightforward language and Mora’s celebratory collage illustrations reminiscent of the work of Ezra Jack Keats.”

“Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend” by Noah Van Sciver, Marlena Myles and Lee Francis, IV

“Many may believe the story of Paul Bunyan is a tall tale about a goofy oversized lumberjack and his sweet companion, Babe the Blue Ox. They would be wrong. Paul Bunyan was an invention of the timber industry whose goal was the clear cutting of indigenous lands. Noah Van Sciver with a team of experts, Lee Francis, IV, (Pueblo of Laguna), Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee), Dr. Deondre Smiles (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe) present the true story of loggers, propaganda and the land. The cartoon graphic format and original art by Myles with additional archival materials have created an accessible and layered factual history for all ages.”

Malaika Grant

“The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year” by Margaret Renkl

“A wonderful gift for gardeners, birders, and nature lovers, Renkl’s book of 52 short essays is designed to be read over the course of the year. She reflects mostly on observations of the flora and fauna in her own Nashville garden, but this is also a memoir of the seasons of her life. Featuring 52 unique color artworks by the author’s brother, Billy Renkl, ‘The Comfort of Crows’ is a lovely and profoundly touching book from an insightful observer of the natural world.”

“The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin

“Rick Rubin, co-founder of Def Jam records, winner of eight Grammy awards, producer of legendary musicians Jay-Z, Adele, The Beastie Boys, and many more, is a renowned artist with much wisdom to share. This is a treatise on what it means to be an artist, a contemplative guide on enhancing creative abilities, and a meaningful and useful gift for anyone on a creative path. Rubin underscores the notion that everyone possesses artistic potential, offering mental frameworks for both unleashing creativity and surmounting obstacles. It is the sort of book one will revisit over the years for inspiration and to revisit favorite musings such as, ‘artists allow us to see what we are unable to see, but somehow already know.’”

“Project 562 : Changing The Way We See Native America” by Matika Wilbur

“In this work of art and beautiful gift, Matika Wilbur, a renowned photographer and storyteller from the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes, documents members from the 562 federally recognized Tribal Nations across the United States. Utilizing ‘indigenous photography methods,’ she prioritizes relationships and storytelling to capture hundreds of stunning portraits and compelling personal narratives of contemporary Native people, photographed in clothing, poses and locations of their choosing. Wilbur honors and celebrates the vibrant tapestry of present-day Native American life and cultures to achieve the goal in her title, truly changing the way we see Native America.”

Malaika Grant is the librarian for African American and African Studies, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, and English at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Grant is also the selector for the Robert and Virginia McCollister Collection for Contemporary Literature and the Libraries’ online popular reading collection available through the Libby app — both collections include current literary fiction, non-fiction, biographies and graphic novels.

Lisa Von Drasek is the curator of the Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature. The Kerlan, an internationally recognized resource in the field of children’s literature, contains six core collections and several smaller collections. Von Drasek has lectured on the topics of Writing Boxes: The Reading/Writing Connection in Libraries, Emergent Literacy, Diversity in Children’s Literature, Comics and Literacy, the New Adult, What Makes an Award Winning Book, and Children’s Choice Awards. She also conducts community workshops on creative writing, reading aloud and selecting books for children and young adults.  She is the author of “Writing Boxes: The Reading/Writing Connection,” a compendium of book suggestions and writing activities for the classroom, library or home.

About “Expert Alert”
University of Minnesota experts can provide commentary, insights and opinions on various news topics. Find selected experts on the University’s Experts Guide or send requests to [email protected]. 

About the University of Minnesota Libraries
The University Libraries is a strategic resource of the Twin Cities campus and also provides integral information system support for the University’s four campuses in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester. Composed of 12 library facilities with collections of more than 8.1 million volumes — and with special collections valued at nearly $1 billion — the Libraries has a history of strength in research collections and a longstanding record of contribution to resource sharing within the state and beyond. Learn more at lib.umn.edu.

Fine Arts Student of the Week: Senior captures big moments as yearbook photographer

By in Photography

Fine Arts Student of the Week: Senior captures big moments as yearbook photographer

Ebanni Moore

Grade: Senior.

Age: 18.

Art focus: Yearbook photography.

Adviser nomination: “Ebanni took over covering just about every football game this year — both home and away games. She has a great eye for framing the photos and knowing where to be to get the kind of photos that capture the action that we seek for the pages of the yearbook. She’s in her fourth year as a yearbook staff member and has done a really nice job each year contributing to the creation of a quality yearbook,” adviser Rick Jensen said.

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Memorable fine arts achievement: Winning back to back photo of the weeks.

Artist most admired? Elsa Garrison.

Why did you join Brainonian? I joined because I was passionate about taking photos of sports.

Talk about your role on the yearbook staff: My role on yearbook staff is to take photos of events/games and work on the pages I am assigned to.

What excites you about being in yearbook? I love going through all the photos I take and sorting them out, then deciding what pictures will go on the page.

How is the yearbook coming so far? Really good, we just finished our fall pages.

Other extracurricular activities: Fastpitch softball.

Dream job: Interior design or physical therapist.

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Favorite movie: “Cars.”

Favorite TV show: “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Favorite book: “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.

Favorite food: Shrimp.

Favorite song: “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan.

Favorite singer/musical artist: Rihanna.

Favorite subject: Creative foods.

Hobbies: Softball, skiing, fishing, hunting.

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Parents: Kari and Shawn Arenkiel.

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Dispatch staff report
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

Hi, I’m the Brainerd Dispatch. I started working a few days before Christmas in 1881 and became a daily paper two years later. I’ve gone through a lot of changes over the years, but what has never changed is my commitment to community and to local journalism. I’ve got an entire team of dedicated people who work night and day to make sure I go out every morning, whether in print, as an e-edition, via an app or with additional information at www.brainerddispatch.com. News, weather, sports — videos, photos, podcasts and social media — all covering stories from central Minnesota about your neighbors, your lakes, your communities, your challenges and your opportunities. It’s all part of the effort to keep people connected and informed. And we couldn’t do it without support.

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