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Posted
July 26, 2002
Amateur
photographer captures the chaos and charm of College Avenue reconstruction
By Greg Bump
Post-Crescent
staff writer
Carol Beaver sees
beauty in piles of rubble, sculpture in corroded pipes.
The amateur
photographer, captivated by the images she saw in the deconstruction and
rebuilding of College Avenue, captured in photographs the exquisite chaos
of the reconstruction project that has enveloped the downtown these past
six months.
Five thousand, three
hundred and seventy-six photographs to be exact.
An exhibit of her
work can be seen at Conkey’s Book Store, 226 E. College Ave., at the
shop’s Between the Pages Cafe and Espresso Bar through August.
Handmade postcards, showing abstract imagery of mundane objects most people
pass by without a second thought, are also available at the store.
“Part of my
goal as an amateur photographer was to try to reproduce what my eyes see in
person,” said Beaver, who works in order entry and sales at
Conkey’s.
Coming from a family
of artists, Beaver never felt particularly artistic. A computer programmer
who worked in the Silicon Valley, she tended more to the analytical.
Through the lens of
her camera, Beaver, who only has been taking photos for about a year, found
that art is for everyone.
“Doing this has
de-mystified art for me,” she said. “It’s made me feel
like I could do it, too.”
Her husband, John
Beaver, is a physics and astronomy professor at the University of
Wisconsin-Fox Valley and a gifted photographer in his own right, and has
helped to guide her, she said.
The project started
as a way to lighten the dark mood that hung over the downtown as months of
detours lay ahead.
“We were
worried about the customers. The mood was so low,” Beaver said.
“I thought these were hilarious. I said, ‘Let’s gimmick
it up and have a humorous perspective.’”
Conkey’s owner
John Zimmerman said Beaver’s amateur style helped to bring a
different perspective to the shots. He liked the work so much he used some
of the photos in store ads.
“We had to go
through a horrific time as far as retailing, and rather than be negative
about it we thought we’d be positive and look at it as other people
do,” Zimmerman said.
“Some of the
shots are very unique. She’s very talented.”
One Saturday morning
in February, after Beaver left a downtown restaurant, she suddenly was
captivated by what she saw in the street among the piles of gravel.
She stayed there for
two hours and took four rolls of film.
“In the shapes
and movements, I see forms that are beautiful. They looked like sculpture,”
Beaver said.
At first,
construction workers thought she was from the newspaper or worked for the
contractor’s office.
“When I told
them I was a hobbyist interested in the subject matter, they thought,
‘Oh well, what a strange person.’”
Eventually, the
workers began to shed their self-consciousness in front of the camera. She
presented many shots to the workers, who supplied her with an orange
construction zone vest.
Beaver said she was
not working alone, but she was a participant in the process among the
workers and machinery. She sometimes would hide behind buildings, trying to
depict the most natural scenes.
The best pictures,
Beaver said, are unplanned.
“If I try to
plan it and take a second picture of the moment, I end up messing it
up,” Beaver said. “Like any snapshot, it’s magic.”
Her postcards will be
the subject of a scavenger hunt at College Avenue businesses during the
re-opening celebration Aug. 23 and 24.
Beaver has compiled
four thick albums of photographs intended to serve as a historical record
of the project.
The photo albums will
be on reserve at the Appleton Public Library from November to February,
accompanied by a display of her work.
Now that the
construction is ending, the avenue is due to open Aug. 2, Beaver said she
feels a sense of loss for the people and work she has grown close to. But
she said she will continue to turn her camera on all the splendor of
everyday life in the city she calls home.
“I hope to
continue to capture images as a downtowner.”
Greg Bump can be
reached at 920-993-1000, ext. 426, or by e-mail at gbump@postcrescent. com.
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