Quite the range of topics, but you expected that already.

Sunshine Community Garden This short documentary chronicles the regular practices and annual plant sale of a community garden in Austin, TX.  It was created by the spring intern class of Elephant Productions.  Enjoy!

Watch it on KLRU-TV, Austin PBS at 7:30, and look for it on YouTube later today.

We’re sad to see the show go, sadder to lose our jobs, but most importantly, sad to see this experiment in social media come to an end.  For all our fans and docubloggers, this is the Docu-Duo signing off.

This short documentary chronicles the regular practices and annual plant sale of the Sunshine Community Garden in Austin, Texas.

This year, the theme was Give5: “Bring 5 Friends”, “Give $5″, “Give 5 Hours”

Mayoral Candidates Brewster McCracken and Carole Keeton Strayhorn, along with Team Leffingwell, were the keynote speakers. Volunteers put in an estimated dollar value of $36,400 of volunteer hours in the Austin community in one day!

Projects featured in the video:

• 3M volunteers update Wooten Elementary Library
• Community Volunteers Improve Mt. Sinai Christian Academy childcare center
• Allstate volunteers remove graffiti for the City of Austin, Graffiti Abatement Project
• Dell GRSO and Intel volunteers help recycle computers for Goodwill
• Nordstrom volunteers beautify the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens
• Amplify and Team Qwest volunteers renovate Open Door Preschools playgrounds
• Freescale Semiconductor volunteers inspect, sort and box donations at the Capital Area Food Bank
• Flextronics and Four Seasons Hotel volunteers beautify Reagan High School grounds

“Were you there? Send us photos, tell us about your volunteering experience:
web@unitedwaycapitalarea.org”

The current 2009 Texas Legislature is considering passing a bill that would allow licensed concealed gun carriers to bring their weapons to school (any public college or university in the state of Texas). On the anniversary of the Virginia Tech 2007 shootings, alumni John Woods helped organize a walkout on April 16th at the University of Texas where he is now a graduate student. Students across campus walked out of class and marched to the capitol to protest. Those who opposed the bill listened and cheered to speeches made by John Woods and Texas Representatives while counter-protesters voiced their opinions on the side, standing up for their second amendment rights.

Years ago before Docubloggers started, I produced a story for In Context about Catherine Lee, an internationally recognized artist that happens to live in Wimberley, Tx. I was invited to one of her potlucks that’s well attended by numerous artists, but I found myself conversing with one man in particular by the name of Ken Little, who is based in San Antonio.  I’m glad I waited a few years to produce this story – the timing is perfect with his new installation, Homeland Security - made possible by Texas Biennial 2009 - that can be seen here in Austin on the grounds near the Long Center.

Ken Little is a native Texan born in Canyon, Texas in 1947.  He knew since he was a kid that he wanted to be an artist even though he didn’t really know such a thing existed.  In college he started out majoring in architecture but he didn’t enjoy it as much as making art, so his advisor told him if he switched his major he could maybe someday teach art, and that sounded about right for Ken Little.  In 1988, Little moved to San Antonio and started teaching at UTSA and hasn’t stopped since.  He also has his own studio inside his home.  In his work he incorporates many techniques ranging from painting, ceramics, sculpture, working with bronze, neon light, collecting dollar bills for steel sculptures….you name it.  What I love about his work is it can be playful, almost like a comic book, but at the same time, his work can make one think about the worldly issues at hand. Homeland Security is a simple white picket fence in the shape of the United States of America and was made soon after 911.

Ken has been teaching for quite sometime and claims that his favorite thing about what he does is maintaining a sense of community and understanding amongst artists.  He recognizes that working with students can be a little more challenging these days because many kids come from living in a digital age.  Working with their hands is not as common as it used to be.

After working with Ken on this story, I feel like I featured a real Texan that makes real art.  In other words, he puts a full dose of integrity in his work.  Ken mentioned that he always starts his work with a question rather than an answer and by the end he usually has come full circle with some sort of closure.  And in return, observers of his work recognize his eye-catching aesthetics that is accompanied by a greater meaning.

We were put in touch with Donna and Angie, who came in 74^th place in last year’s race, but won the costume contest as Team Boo-Bees (Donna as a ghost and Angie as a Bee. Get it?). They were in it to win it in ’09 and we couldn’t wait to chronicle their journey – or their costumes.

We volunteered Docu-Intern Drew for this assignment, and this story is the result of several hours of racing mayhem. Enjoy!

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