John Noltner’s “A Peace of My Mind” returns to Corvallis this week with hopes to spark dialogue among the community.
“A Peace of My Mind” is photojournalist Noltner’s multimedia project that has been traveling the nation for over 15 years with a lofty goal in mind.
“I was frustrated with the quality of our national dialogue,” Noltner said. “I wondered if there was something I could do with my photography and storytelling instead to remember what connects us.”
The exhibit travels the country, stopping in places that seem fruitful for dialogue, such as college campuses and community centers.
The format is simple: Noltner brings a question into a community, in this case, “What does belonging mean to you,” and asks it to the community in open dialogue.
“It’s an opportunity to hear from people who are directly impacted by these issues,” Noltner said. “And also to hear from folks who are engaged in finding creative solutions to move through some of these difficult issues.”
This is done through open studio time with Noltner, where participants can submit their answer, and take a black and white portrait to pair it with. At the end of the week, the submissions are processed and presented in a keynote presentation.
The Westminster House hosted these studio sessions this week, on Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The keynote will be held on Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Corvallis Community Center.
Noltner has hosted a session in Corvallis before, at the Daytime Drop-in Center. The connection he made with Allison Hobgood, the director, was the first step to the Oregon State University collaboration today.
“Anytime that you ask people a hard question and a good question like ‘what belonging means to you’, it provokes people,” Hobgood said. “To think about where they’re comfortable and where they’re not comfortable … Those are moments of growth and opportunity for all of us.”
The Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center provides many services for people who are experiencing poverty. This includes shelter, and helping people towards housing, gaining identification, methods of travel and access to necessary health services.
Hobgood collaborated with several other community members to organize this week’s event, including OSU student Seneca Moback.
“Maybe it could be something to show city council,” Moback said. “These are the strengths and weaknesses of our community, (that) … bridge the differences that we have as members of different facets of the city.”
Additionally, Noltner’s exhibit “American Stories” will be hosted at both the Student Experience Center and the Corvallis Museum throughout the week.
Both the studio sessions and keynote presentation are offered with Spanish and American Sign Language translation, in order to further open up the dialogue between community members.
“(The keynote presentation) is an opportunity for individuals in the community at large to start to see themselves and their peers in new ways,” Noltner said. “It’s a very powerful way to say ‘I see you, I hear you, and you matter.’”
