Life went on. In Street Art class, four students on my team offered feedback. Maybe trying to use the "Music of Vegetables" CD was not such a good idea. Rozzell was determined that it had to happen outside. The weather, I pleaded. He smiled.
Suddenly, I looked at the calendar, realized it was about to be my turn to present. Time speeded up. Made a large
sourdough loaf, took a photo to display of rising sourdough in my fridge, selected an empty jar to be filled before the performance with flour and water (demo of how simple it was to catch "wild" yeast).
We met on the morning of April 27 in the PSU Food for Thought cafe. Aside from the woman at our table, no one paid attention to our assembling the buttons and manifesto (designated a "zine" by one of the FFT people)...and the bowl of rising dough.
While I'd worried about where to find buttons, paper, etcetera, Rozzell knew that everything was available to students, where to find it. His calm always impressed me since the class population struck me as very individualistic and not easily organized. I'd never been taught by someone with an ever-present cap.
Nick and Kelly did most of the button-assembling work; I checked on the life of the rising bread dough and worried
about weather. Then I got comfortable with different colors of button (not sepia) and shape of zine than I'd visualized. Collaboration changes things.
At the usual afternoon class time, Ron arrived to take pic
tures and I marveled once again at the inaccessibility of the Urban Center Plaza, an architectural mish-mosh near the trolley that cuts through campus.
Nick held the mike. I read KNEADING TO KNOW text and kneaded. Kelly and Maryann (yellow boots) distributed
the buttons. Rozzell sliced bread. People ate bread. A happening shrouded in mist.
All the aprons were vintage except this one with green peas from last year's PSU Farmers' Market. Details like this become too-large for me in performance.
John, who often carried this "Free Conversation," sign also helped out. His message pre-dated Kneading to Know. Always meant to ask him about responses to his invitation. Things moved quickly, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and ready for my somewhat different take on street art. When we ended, I packed up the pieces and thought about whether it could be done in a way that onlookers could also knead.
Next came other students' mid term projects.
Shadow graffiti gave everyone, except Ron and me, a chance to throw themselves around.
I went home and baked bread.