Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Picture It!

Sometimes scrolling through Facebook offers opportunities you'd never imagined.

I admit it: I probably waste a fair amount of time looking at Facebook. But in June, I saw a post from K-State's College of Business Administration. They were asking K-State alumni to submit original photos to be considered as decor for the new building.

Since Brent is the Communications Coordinator at the college, I emailed him about it. But he didn't know any more than what had been posted. So I decided I'd give it a try.

It wasn't limited to College of Business alums. Even those of us who graduated from K-State's College of Home Economics (1979) could submit up to five photographs for consideration. It wasn't limited to K-State themed images. When I asked, they told me this:
Whatever you shoot that’s exceptional: Kansas, France, K-State, California… We just want good work by KSU alumni.
Well, I was fresh out of photos from France or California, but I have lots of Kansas and K-State. I spent a few days thinking about it, then emailed my choices. And in July, I was notified that three of the five had been chosen for inclusion in the new building! The final selections were made by the Leopold Gallery + Art Consulting in Kansas City. (And Brent didn't have a thing to do with it.)
 
I was anxious to see the new building. For one thing, Brent works there, and I like visualizing where my kids are. (Mom habits die hard.) However, we were planting wheat when they had the grand opening ceremony earlier in October. Brent said he'd give us a personalized tour later. We finally got our chance last Friday.

It was such a thrill for me to see my photos enlarged to archival prints and matted to decorate the walls of the new building. Little gold plaques are mounted beside each print, giving the name of the photo and the photographer.

One of them - which I titled Hope for the Harvest - is in the Student Success Center on the building's first floor. I took it in June, as the sun was coming up over a nearly ripe wheat field.
Another is hung over a communal study area on the 3rd floor. It's called Rainbow's Gold. It was an older photo I'd taken in September 2009.
My shot from a K-State football game is in the offices for the National Strategic Selling Institute. (The universe - and wind - aligned just right during the pregame ceremonies in September 2014, and the flags were perfectly framed by the goalposts. I'd never captured it before or since in just that way.) I called it "Faithful to Our Colors," a line from the K-State Fight Song.
I didn't whip out a tape measure to figure out how large they are printed. (I was already embarrassing Brent enough.) But it definitely gave me a thrill to see my photos on walls other than my own.

Photography takes an instant out of time, 
altering life by holding it still.
Dorothea Lange

***
Just a note:  I suppose someone out there will read this and think I'm bragging.  That may be part of the reason it's taken me from the time I was notified in July until now to write about it - or talk about it at all. Until now, I had told my parents and my kids. For one thing, I thought it was just too good to be true until I saw it with my very own eyes.

However, one of my missions for this blog is sharing about our life on a Central Kansas farm. This is part of my story. If I had a diary like a turn-of-the-century farm wife, I would have recorded it there so my descendants would know about it someday. This is my modern-day diary, I suppose. I am humbled to share a couple of images from the County Line and another from our beloved alma mater with visitors to the College of Business Administration. I am thankful for the opportunity and for the honor!

16 comments:

  1. Love it!!!! Kim I love the work you do all over Kansas from your radio show to the blog but truly love your photos that depict our humble lives here in Kansas!

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    1. Thank you so much for your affirmation! It means a lot.

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  2. That is so cool, Kim!!!!!!!!! What a huge honor. And just from the pictures, it looks to me like they printed them up about 16 x 20. Wow!

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    1. I have 16 X 20 in my living room and they were bigger than that. (But who's counting, right?!) Thanks for your kind words and for taking time to comment. And I'd say you and Ben were the talk of the church last Sunday morning. We are all very happy for you both!

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  3. Congratulations, Kim! I don't know how you were able to select these submissions from all your work--I think all your photos are amazing!--but these are perfect. Very cool to think that your work will hang there for some time to come! It's almost like you've staked your claim to those walls. A little bit of K-State that's your very own.

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    1. Thank you, Cindy. Yes, it makes it even more special that it's connected to K-State!

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  4. I am so proud of you, and so glad you shared the news. Those of us who grew up in the same community may take an extra special pride in "one of ours."

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    1. I appreciate that, Lyn! It makes me feel better about my decision to share.

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  5. Well done Kim. This is so cool!! I am super excited for you. You are not bragging at all and I am so glad that you are sharing your love of farming and raising awareness of agriculture in such a positive way. You are a wonderful agvocate for us all.

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    1. As you know, it's a privilege to share glimpses of our rural life with others. I am honored for the opportunity to reach a different audience.

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  6. Kim,
    I am so excited for you and proud of you! This makes me smile.

    Thank You for sharing your success. There can be a fine line between humble and sharing fun news. Most ranch/farm wives error to the humble side. I think this is something you needed to share on your blog.

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    1. I appreciate the affirmation, Robyn, which you are so good at providing. Thank you!

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  7. Congratulations!! You have every right to be excited/happy/proud/whatever you want to call it about your photos! They're beautiful, and I'm happy for you!! :)

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    1. Thanks, Alica. It was so much fun to see them hanging in a public space, especially at a university I so love!

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  8. Well done!!! Those of us who live in beautiful, rural places and who occasionally get that great photo definitely understand. It's like you captured something so special, and you get to share it with everyone. You should be very proud. :)

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    1. It was interesting to see the other photos that were chosen, too. Their selections ran the gamut of subjects. (And thanks!)

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