Facing The Future Exhibit in Carrboro

by Nathan Clendenin on August 4th, 2008

After a good running at the Chapel Hill Bible Church, the Facing the Future exhibit has moved to Padgett Station in Carrboro.  The deep red walls inside make a really nice backdrop for the prints; I am excited how it looks, and unlike most exhibits I’ve hung, it was a breeze.

A good friend Rachel Lillis has volunteered to be the curator of the exhibit and while Rebecca and I are in South Africa.  She is currently in search of some new venues starting in November.

Headed Back!

by Nathan Clendenin on May 23rd, 2008

We have great news to share.  My wife and I are headed back to sub-saharan Africa for a year!  We’re going as part of a team of interns with the organization Africa Revolution.  Our friend and co-conspirator for the Saturday Night Soul event, Will Brown, is on the team.  And the the other two are the Africa Revolution founders Allan and Annie Greig.  We’ve set up a new site for that trip called Mamelodi Stories, where we’ll share some of our experiences but also the stories of people we meet.  It’ll be similar to HIV Stories, but not focused just on HIV/AIDS.  We’re very excited and feel greatly blessed to be called to this endeavour. Join us on this new adventure!

Exhibition at the Chapel Hill Bible Church

by Nathan Clendenin on September 26th, 2007

It was over three years ago that I met pastor Vincent Nyathi at an AIDS in Africa panel discussion at the CHBC – when I told him what I was interested in doing for my thesis, he immediately invited me to Mamelodi. Now prints from the project that he helped me complete are going on display at the same church. It’s also going up in time for Carolina Hopefest as well as a group from Kenya arriving to lead worship at the church this Sunday. I don’t know how long it will be up, but hopefully it’ll stay for a month or so!

Smaller Exhibition for “Facing the Future”

by Nathan Clendenin on June 15th, 2007

I was asked by a good friend, Mary Katherine Tyson, to contribute work to a collaboration of artists showing this summer at Garden Salon in downtown Durham. The opening is tonight from 6-9 pm but the work will be up all summer.

INFO:
The Garden Salon. 111 ½ W. Parrish St.
Photography by Elizabeth Galecke, Nathan Clendenin, and Serena Boggs; Pastels by Elise Okrend; Fine Crafts
by the artists of Creative Juices.

The Giving Continues

by Nathan Clendenin on January 21st, 2007

The Christmas Eve Blessing
The Chapel Hill Bible Church decided to dedicate their Christmas Eve offering to the Powerhouse.  They received the largest Christmas Eve offering ever with almost $20,000 raised!  Praise God and his people for pouring out generously.  Read Vincent’s response:

“We received the good news yesterday. Gloria and I could not sleep because of the joy which flooded our hearts. We are still battling to find words to express our appreciation. It is like we are in a deep sleep enjoying a good dream. When we wake up we shall be able to respond appropriately to this huge help. I am sure you will be interested in getting the response from our leaders and church members as well as the progress of the building. We shall update you. PRAISE GOD FOR THE BIBLE CHURCH.” – Vincent Nyathi

New Powerhouse Church Building!

by Nathan Clendenin on November 30th, 2006

Vincent wrote me to say that they had their first meeting in their new building this Sunday (11/26/06)! Construction on it resumed immediately upon Vincent’s return to Mamelodi in November and is now complete (or very nearly so). Praise God for providing funds through the Saturday Night Soul event to pay for the building completion.

This photo was taken a few weeks ago, before construction was totally completed.

HIV Stories on Toast

by Nathan Clendenin on November 20th, 2006

I found an interesting viral marketing site today called Your Name on Toast. All the proceeds from the site are going to charity and in the first day or say they’ve raised over $1500, just for putting your name on toast with a link to your site.

Saturday Night Soul A Huge Success

by Nathan Clendenin on October 3rd, 2006

With more than 300 lbs. of meat, more than 100 volunteers and months of prior planning, the first annual Saturday Night Soul benefit went off without a hitch. More than 250 people from around the country showed up for some amazing food (smoked brisket, smoked ribs, corn and sweet potatoes for starters), great music from the New Soul Survivors and an exhibit from HIV Stories, all outdoors in a beautiful park in Will’s neighborhood.

We met lots of great people, mostly from Atlanta, but many came from elsewhere. My father, sister and friend Bill Ross, came from Arkansas and Rebecca's parents and a friend came from Birmingham, AL. Not to mention a posse from Chapel Hill. We had a great time setting up, enjoying the evening, and most of all raising more than $7,000 for Vincent's church, The Powerhouse! Vincent will be able to finish the building his church hopes to use for the next few years as their permanent location goes through a long process involving endless paperwork and bureacracy.

Check out the video below, shot just a month ago in Mamelodi by a team from Chapel Hill Biblechurch visiting. Vincent discusses the site and their hopes for it. In the video with Vincent is Andy Smoak.

We said goodbye to Vincent on Monday night. He's off to Chicago for a bit, then Germany with missonary Bill Rapier, then home to Mamelodi. It was sad to see him go, but we know we'll see him again, hopefully soon in Mamelodi.

Final Days of Post-Production

by Nathan Clendenin on April 16th, 2006

Like water to parched land, this psalm is getting me through the final days of production, as deadlines loom…

Psalm 121
“I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from GOD,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

He won’t let you stumble,
your Guardian God won’t fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel’s
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

GOD’s your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you–
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

GOD guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.”

More Funerals

by Nathan Clendenin on February 11th, 2006

I tried to arrange on Friday with William, the gravedigger, to visit the gravesite again on Saturday, hoping for softer light with the cloudy weather. He said he would not be there and wasn’t sure if he could arrange with his substitute to have me there. I would not have been worried about that, given that I always just explain to each funeral party what I’m doing when they ask, without William being right there. However, Gloria’s father passed earlier in my trip and his funeral was today. Vincent asked me to come, and with hesitation at first, I went. I was feeling, as at the end of Friday, totally uncreative and out of energy to keep shooting. I shot photos but without enthusiasm and they weren’t very good (in my eyes). It was a very large funeral though, bigger than any I’ve witnessed in S Africa. In the car with me and Mandla were Selina and Vuci. It was great to ride with them and spend time with them, not photographing. Vincent noticed, and I concur, that I’m really becoming a part of their family. I bought disposable cameras for the kids earlier, as Thebo esp. kept trying to take pictures with my cameras. I wish I had time to really teach them, and perhaps I will in future trips. I find myself wanting to help this family so much, not in a poverty relief way, as they have good shelter and food, but in an opportunity way. I see such promise in the kids, because of their strong parents. I want to have them visit the U.S. and show them around. I want to finance their educations and see to it that they make it out of Mamelodi, at least for awhile. But those are my feelings and thoughts, I only pray that our relationship will be able to continue over the years to come.

Along the same lack of creativity lines, I am having a feeling that I have missed some crucial part of some of the stories, like no closing shot or no good scene setter. Yet weirdly, I am taking no initiative to check or make those kinds of pictures just in case. I am trying a bit, but the pics don’t have people in them or for some reason don’t work out right. I am basically just worn out from working on these stories, and feel like I’m in a huge rut with my camera. I don’t know how to get out of it, except to take time away, which I don’t have. Deep down I am worried all this effort will go to waste, will be not as good as I hope. I know sometimes these are just lies blown out of proportion by my feeling a lack of control. I try to ignore them, and I pray about them. I have this deeper feeling that God will use this project, as I’ve asked, to raise awareness beyond ways I can imagine.