Spring Zooming From Afar

by Barb Renfro

Introduction

Barb Renfro, reporting to you remotely from an undisclosed location (in the Pacific NW). I must admit I was disappointed that I would not be able to be there to take in-person classes, but I forged ahead with the wonderful alternative offered.

Opera at Dawn

So from my perspective, an 8:30 a.m. Zoom class (Opera as Politics: No Kings) presented by Chuck (Mishaan) can’t be beat—but out here on the West Coast that 8:30 a.m. EST class is at 5:30 a.m.! And even though I may not mind and actually look forward to opera pre-dawn, my apartment-dwelling neighbors may not be so inclined. (So I had to don headphones, not a great look.) For those of you Zooming on the East Coast, no biggie. This class, opera immersed in history, was phenomenal, and I only missed one (due to a late-night seder the night before).

I loved Chuck’s film inserts. Who knew that Greta Garbo’s first film role was as a prostitute in The Joyless Street?!?

Stirring Images

Another in-depth, fascinating class was Birth and Death of Photojournalism, with the incomparable Gary Miller. In this class, even though I was very familiar with Mathew Brady, the eminent Civil War photographer, and knew that he had a crew, I still thought he took most of the shots. I was surprised to learn that Alexander Gardner, whose photos I also knew, worked for him and in those instances the credit was given to Brady.

Also, as this class proceeded I realized we often forget about those photojournalists who put themselves in harm’s way to be able to bring us closer to global happenings—wars, riots, natural disasters. The number who died just last year while on assignment was quite high.

We can be moved by photos of migrant mothers and mangled bodies on a battlefield or on a street, but I’m reminded of a quote Gary shared: ”Broken hearts cannot be photographed.” On a lighter note, check out Cristina Mittermeier’s nature photos online (her underwater photo of an egg yolk jellyfish is just one of her amazing shots), which inspire us to connect to and care about the other living beings on our planet.

and More...

I had meant to write about a couple of other classes, but this article would be too long. So under honorable mention, A Call to Courage: Resisting Fascism reminded one of the fortitude often driven by need and suffering to band together and protest without aggression.

In summation, since I am reporting remotely, I was unable to partake in the shared goodies in the hospitality room, and have had to settle for eating cheesecake from the Basque bakery (in Tacoma). Come join me! Carpe momentum!