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The warm night breeze riffled the trees as I soaked in my first live music since the pandemic began 18 months ago, and, dang, it was good. Music, sports, cultural exhibits – they all hum with real-time reactions, the electricity of shared emotions.

Many organizations have implemented a hybrid approach to extend their geographic reach and still retain that untranslatable connection to other humans. The citywide celebration of one of my most favorite artists is a good example in DC. Or try Photoville in NYC, and stop to see Daniella Zalcman's exhibit, one of several friends on the 2021 program.

We employed dual tactics for my exhibit in Wisconsin, too, which ***finally*** opened! Three years in the making and one more in the waiting.

I co-curated a set of photos from the archives at National Geographic that were never published and never seen by the public after they were made in 1933. I also researched and wrote all the caption cards to connect the narratives of these tiny Badger State towns with national and global events.

Even with smaller crowds due to socially distanced seating, I cherished the opportunity to share stories in the same physical space together with the audiences.

People are always the critical element at any exhibit but especially so when they are part of the actual show to illuminate otherwise inanimate archival materials.

The most exciting moment at my exhibit offered a microcosm of that truth and the capabilities kindled by the pandemic.

I worked with a graphic designer to remake a vintage T-shirt from the local archives so I could wear it to the events. With some research, I'd also found the woman who had owned the original piece of clothing as a young girl in the 1940s. She responded to my email with two days to spare, and she joined our live conversation inside the museum by video from her home in Canada.

Truly awesome.

CHECK OUT THE NEW-OLD SHIRT. Hey, I've worked for four years on this – like graduation, it needs some caps. :)

Of course poetry translates into exhibits, too, where you can "pulse & pace to get a closer look."