Today we looked through the mountain of papers and magazines, on line blogs and postings, in relation to the project. Sunday Times exclusive, Grazia Magazine, British Journal of Photography, El Pais, Lensculture, Artinfo, BBC Radio 4 Front Row…. it goes on. Interesting to know if its about the photos themselves or simpy their association to Obama, who still seems like the visionary the world was waiting for. Time will tell. The guestbooks in the museum, both the real one and the blog, are a mixture of political and photographic curiosity, so its so fascinating that the show works on both levels simultaneously. Which is what we hoped for. I’ll be in the gallery tomorrow after 1pm, so if you want a guided tour… see you there. Oh and for those of you who want to see Obama in cartoon style, go see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8004024.stm Yankee Doodles…..

Sean McGarry, the Rhubarb-Rhubarb Information Co ordinator, was up early this morning and off to the post office to send the letter to Eugene Kang at the White House. The man behind the Post Office counter, John, was more than interested in the package, which of course not only contained our letter to Eugene but also a photograph of himself between Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geitner in the BMAG gallery, some flyers, and a picture of him on the Banner outside the Museum…. John said ‘I’ve been here in the Post Office for many years and I have never had anyone sending a letter to the White House before, or at least not that I was aware of…” So Sean stayed awhile and told John the story of the portraits and how they came to be here. In return John sent his best wishes to us all. Let’s hope that warm piece of communication bodes well for the letter to the White House……

Very late last night, or actually, very early this morning, I was attempting to send President Obama a message via his comment sending facility on his website. But scuppered at the last minute as of course I have no zipcode, merely a postcode. Doesn’t he reckon that anyone outside of the US wants to communicate with him? So recently, today, have made myself a blog on the White House website, phoned the White House hotline and written a letter to Eugene Kang, the Special Assistant to the President.
Why, you might ask yourself? I am trying to get a letter from Mr President, wishing the Obama People show good fortune in Birmingham. Will let you know how it goes. In the middle of this, Obama’s People photographer, Nadav Kander, sent me and the Rhubarb team a small garden as a thank you for arranging for his show to open in Birmingham. So its been a heady day, what with the White House communications research and the smell of those flowers filling the studio.

Look at today’s copy of The Independent and you can see that the future of architecture in the city is a pretty impressive story. Clive Dutton, Head of Planning for BCC, and a big supporter of the Obama’s People project, has some significantly visionary quotes in the piece, the best being – “We’re going to illuminate Spaghetti Junction – you’ll be able to see it from space!” What an amazing thing to imagine.. Go Clive…
For those of you who only use online paper shops, go to this link and see the full story – www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/birminghams-1636bn-makeover-1671974.htmlSeems like all eyes are Birmingham and its culture at the moment. Long may it stay that way.

We’ve just had confirmation that Nadav will be here in Birmingham on 15th May, so hope many of you can come. Here are the details:

Rhubarb Rhubarb and Flowers Gallery Present
Obama’s People Exhibition – World Premiere, Birmingham UK

Nadav Kander in Conversation….

Birmingham Repertory Theatre
1.00pm Friday 15th May 2009

Rhonda Wilson, Creative Director of Rhubarb-Rhubarb, Co-Curator of the exhibition, will be talking to Nadav Kander about the story behind the commission, his approach to the shoots, the significance of the show at this time in the world, all those questions being asked about the project, and how it became the exhibition everyone is talking about.

Tickets: £15/£10 concessions
0121 236 4455
online sales: http://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/event/nadav-kander-in-conversation

Posted in: In Conversation, Nadav Kander No Comments

Nadav was on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row program this evening talking about the Obama’s People show. You can listen again for the next 7 days and he appears 18 minutes in.

Today the long awaited article in the Sunday Times magazine, with a six page spread of Nadav’s portraits and some up to date background information on the key players in the administration. And more importantly, a footnote advertising the show at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, on the second page of the article. I was in the show early this morning to make sure that the blog was working. All the people in the portraits were peaceful, awaiting the Sunday museum visitors. We have finished the ‘Obama’s Administration Office’, where the audience can respond to the show via the blog, or write in the guestbook on the desks, which are in the style of stateroom furniture, and white of course. So the whole gallery now mimics the White House theme and with its own small ‘corridor of power’, where visitors are finding a suprise awaiting them, which everyone just loves.

I spent the day in the country after visiting the Museum, and had a drink by the River Severn. I’m in a reflective mood following the intensity of the installation and the opening yesterday. Like the portraits this morning, I feel very peaceful, fulfilled and wondering what will be the next adventure in the story of the Obama’s People Exhibition.

Last night the show was featured on regional ITV news and drew in a great crowd today, literally from all over the world. The gallery was full of people talking to one another, or having a conversation with a portrait. But it has to be said that the secret find in the corridor of power bought some tears and much delight…. People who campaigned for Obama in Illinois, Frank and Julie, who had come to Birmingham on work, found the exhibition by accident, and had their photo taken next to John Podesta who was once one of their students. One man, a photographer also from the USA, stormed from the gallery, declaring there were two portraits which were crap…. meaning that 51 must be brilliant…. The best was watching the children find the lightboxes of the Washington Memorial, and talking to the five women from Wales who wanted to know all about the story of the show. So a day to remember and with some images to follow. More tomorrow.

Watching the show go into the gallery has been uplifting. People passing through, the cleaners, museum staff, the visitors who are trying to take a sneak preview, all are fascinated by the size and power of the portraits. Frequently asked questions are ‘Who are all these people’, ‘What do they do?’, which will hopefully be answered when the captions are next to each image, the introductory panels have arrived from London, and the doors are open to all to come in and view.

Its a strange experience to see how moving the images from their resting places on the ground to their new homes a bit higher on the wall gives them such presence. Some of the Obama team look truly scared by this process of making their portrait, others challenge you straight on. Some obviously want to be relaxed, whilst some of them almost hide behind the props they have bought with them. One or two appear to be in action and full of energy, whilst many are very still and yet a little nervous.

The curator from Flowers Gallery, Chris Littlewood, and the Flowers technician – would you believe he is called Dave Hanger… have been busy today building the ‘corridor of power’ where will be hung the lightboxes showing images of the Washington Monuments by night. The Lincoln memorial is where Martin Luther King gave his famous ‘I have a dream‘ speech, in 1963. Five years later and he was shot dead, leading to major riots across the USA.

It’s true to say that part of his dream was for people of different races to live in harmony. It’s probably true to say that he would never have imagined that 36 years after his dream speech, there would be the first black president of the united states.

So I was reminded today that though this is an exhibition of portraits, it is so much more. The pieces of the show build a story, one which has references to the history of black civil rights in the USA, and one which is related also to the amazing show about the story of The Supremes, which is also on at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Tomorrow we are building in the computer in the gallery, so that visitors will be able to visit this site and add in their comments about the pictures and all that they inspire in them – whether that is photographic, political, or just plain curiosity.

As you’ll hopefully be aware the Nadav Kander was commissioned to take the photographs for the New York Times who devoted their entire magazine to them for the inauguration. They were also put on the NYT website with audio commentary which is well worth listening to.

While you’re there check out Back Story gallery where Kander and NYT director of photography Kathy Ryan talk about the work involved in taking 53 portraits in record time, accompanied by Felicity McCabe’s behind the scenes snapshots.