Process:  I used my time this week to focus on creating with my project. I decided to use canvas with acrylic paints and it was an exciting process because this is the first time I have ever painted on canvas (I was nervous to begin, because I didn’t want to mess up). Logistically, I had some difficulty transferring my map outline to the canvas. I had traced my map outline on 8.5″x11″ paper, so I decided to tape one map to the 8″x10″ canvas. I drew in heavy pen, hoping some outline would bleed through to the canvas below, but it ended up piercing the paper and cutting/drawing as I went town by town around Nassau County. Clearly there must be an easier way to do this.

I then used a paint pen (sacrilegious?) to make the borders appear darker, and then filled in white/black to signify towns with at least 30% white/black population. I tried to build up the red borders between the black communities so it was almost a visible wall. I then scoured some articles in the newspaper for phrases and words that symbolize this racist layout of Nassau county, pasting them as borders around the most segregated towns. Finally, I painted the literal number of black citizens in each town (30 people or less) as of the 2010 census.

Reflection:  I would like to find a way for the white part of the map to pop out more, because it is too similar to the canvas color itself. Painting the surrounding areas of the map blue, as water and an island, could symbolize the isolation of this segregation. My wife also had the idea of collaging some images around the borders of the painting, images that relate to the housing/social discrimination which led us here (Levittown house ads, black soldiers coming home from WWII, banks who deny home mortgages to people of color). I am not sure if this will clutter the image or add to the story.

Going forward:  It is my intention to make multiple maps, because depending on what data I include, a different story is told. The map showing percentage of white population tells a different story that the one showing black population. I also want a bigger map so I can fit the towns names within the borders (someone recommended projecting the image of my map on a smart board, taping a canvas to the smart board and tracing over the image). I had an idea to paint this map on different backgrounds, as well, perhaps some that evoke different emotions . After hearing the reaction of someone who, when looking at one iteration of data on the map, was in disbelief, I thought I could record people’s reactions to seeing the map, and then using these sounds as a background (over headphones?) for the display. Another idea is to collect field-recordings in public spaces in some of these towns, and map them through contact points within the map, so that when you touch it, it will give you an idea of sound from that area. All of these ideas are floating in my head, and I’m not sure how much of it I will be able to accomplish this semester. I will bring my initial creation on Wednesday so I can get feedback from everyone.