It took me a year to find Danny. I wanted to include a teenager from Boston in I Am More: Massachusetts but I couldn’t find one. I contacted schools, organizations, friends, with no luck. Maybe I didn’t need a teen, maybe I could live without Boston in the series. Wrong and wrong. One day I was scrolling the news on our local NPR website and saw a story about a student who had written a song inspired by Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s first speech on the floor of Congress. I watched his music video on YouTube and within minutes had composed an email to him asking him if he might consider participating. A few weeks later we were on a rooftop on Boylston Street: Continue reading →

During the month of July ten of the original I Am More portraits will be on display in the Matz Gallery at the Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester–my library! I am there every week picking up books, so it was an honor for the project to be chosen for a display in the gallery. Continue reading →

This month the 16 original I Am More portraits are on display at SeniorCare Inc. here in Gloucester. They are an amazing non-profit who provide essential services to seniors on the North Shore from home care to Meals on Wheels, protective services, and even pet services. Many of their staff attended the Rockport reception at the Police Department and immediately asked if there would be an opportunity to display the exhibit at their facility. Well, they were in luck since June was the only available month for the foreseeable future. The next DAY we had an exhibit planned and they have been extremely enthusiastic and supportive.

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This afternoon we found out that I Am More: Massachusetts subject, James “Jim” Dowd, who was also our friend and neighbor, died from brain cancer. I still find it miraculous that he was able to be a part of the project in the middle of his treatment, but I guess that’s the point. Continue reading →

I Am More portrait subject Anita Pandolfe Ruchman will be speaking about her experiences tomorrow evening, Wednesday May 29th:

I have seen Anita in a musical, live-storytelling, and presenting her photography, and it is always compelling and rewarding. See you there.

I’ve been trying for many years to express what depression feels like to the people I love, to the people who don’t have it, so they can understand the behaviors that go with it and the impact it can have on the body. But when you’re in the thick of it, nothing seems adequate and you inevitably feel like a fraud and a failure because of this invisible disease. There’s no bruise, there’s no x-ray, no fever or rash. Continue reading →

The first time I met Margot was after a performance of “Cabaret” in which Dylan played a Kit Kat Girl. I had never seen it performed live and when it was over I staggered out of the theatre, moved beyond words. When I was introduced to Margot in the lobby I asked her what she thought of the show. She replied, “I was there.”

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We are entering new territory.

I had an inquiry recently from a healthcare provider far far away wanting to know if there were any I Am More portraits available for purchase that they could display for their patients to inspire them. Well…there aren’t…yet. All of the portraits from the original series of 16 and the new 20 I Am More: Massachusetts will be given as gifts to the subjects or their families after the displays are over. But to say, “No, sorry I have nothing to offer to inspire your patients,” just seemed wrong. That’s where Cape Ann Giclée comes in.

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I met Áine during the planning of an I Am More event and display last year. She expertly guided me through the planning, and was there to answer every question and concern. After the event was over I discovered from her offhand comment, “I do a bit of writing,” that she was an author of BOOKS, and published essays, and I took a deep dive into her writing on WBUR’s Cognoscenti which detailed her perspective as an immigrant in America, and her memories of Ireland. When I asked her to be a part of I Am More: Massachusetts she invited me to her writing cottage, the focal point of which is an Irish wool blanket–a gift from home: Continue reading →

April has been a treat because the I Am More original portraits are in displays organized by two of the project’s most enthusiastic supporters. Continue reading →