Butterfly Herbs First Friday Art Walk

Hopefully you are on this page right now because you saw our photos at Butterfly Herbs (they will be there all of April 2015), and you want to join a community discussion about poverty, wages, jobs , etc, in Missoula!  If so, welcome!

We will be posting video, images, and more content through the month of April.  Soon you will be able to see video of us sharing our stories, and clips of us on the news!  Look for that during the second week of April.

Meanwhile, feel free to write in our comment book located at Butterfly Herbs and to take a picture of your comment and share it here.  Or, just for fun, you can take a picture of yourself at Butterfly Herbs and post it along with your comment.   Please remember that this conversation will be moderated, so do not use personal attacks in your posts or they will be removed.  You are welcome to pose challenging questions, and say what you think, but please do so with respect to others. We will  remove posts that are discriminatory against any group for race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or ability.  Thank you!

March 25th Food Bank Open House

Our event at Missoula Food Bank was awesome!  Thank you so much to Missoula Food Bank for partnering with us and making this project possible.   Below are some images from the event.  We put the photos right on the shelves , so that people could have the experience of walking through Missoula Food Bank.  We estimate between 80 and 100 people came through.  We'll post video and more images soon!  See you on First Friday, April 3, at Butterfly Herbs!

Info Meetings, and sign up Jan 21, 22

Are you in food service, retail , or other service industry job, struggling to get by? Are you concerned about dignity, stereotypes, wages, scheduling, or food security? Or, have something else to say about your work and your passions? Join our photo exhibit!

Choose from the following times to sign up: 
Jan 21 at 4pm , or
Jan 22 at 10 am, or
Jan 22 at 6pm
Meeting at the Missoula Food Bank. 219 S 3rd Street West. Their phone number is
(406) 549-0543.
These each are the same meeting, repeated.  PLEASE RSVP by calling the food bank or email debbyflorence@gmail.com.  Space is limited!   Or "join" our Facebook event, and help spread the word http://www.facebook.com/events/332819830243350/

We're using the "Photovoice" method: 
Rather than have a photographer take a portrait of you to tell your story, you will take pictures from your life. As a group, we will brainstorm themes and ideas. Then, you'll decide what images are important to you, and what story you want to tell. A professional photographer will teach you how to use your camera, and give you photography tips. Photovoice is a style of photography mixed with story telling through YOUR lens, with the goal of creating dialog in the community in hopes of affecting culture and policy.

Benefits:
- $50 gift card for committing to the project. (Three meetings, and photographs submitted by deadline)
- No experience necessary! We'll provide training and support.
- Digital cameras available to borrow.
- Only three required meetings. Food and childcare provided.
- Free photography class taught by a professional photographer
- Free prints of your photos and story.
- Exhibit goal is March - April 2015. Photos may also tour the state!
- We aren't taking photos at workplaces
- Create a new conversation in Missoula about poverty, work, and quality of life! We are dedicated to using the exhibit to spark conversations. We want these conversations to lead to change.

** Made possible with a grant from Humanities Montana, community support and donations through an Indiegogo Campaign, and a partnership between Good Jobs Missoula, The Missoula Food Bank, and Montana Women Vote! Thank you!!!!

Open Submission Call

Are you a photographer that waits tables a few days a week? Maybe you’re an artist that gets by with a couple retail jobs...Or a musician who works the door at the bars?  Do lyrical and amazing things happen in your daily life, so that barely scraping by sometimes feels worthwhile? Is it also hard?   This is a chance to tell your story in an exhibit that will tour the state, raise awareness, spark discussion , and create change for working people.  See Submission Guidelines Here! 

therapist / dishwasher

This photo was taken by a therapist. As fewer people can afford therapy, professionals like her must seek additional income to survive. These are non-slip shoes required for her dishwashing job. She had to borrow money to buy them. “While my manager said, ‘Oh you can get non-slip shoes for $20 at a box store,’ what she is unaware of is that I wear a women’s size 4.5 and had to borrow $60 to find a size 5 that I could wear thick socks with. Not including taxes, I had to work 7.5 hours to pay back the loan."  

artist / cook

“When searching for ingredients to make the soup of the day, I remembered the season’s first winter squash arrived not even an hour earlier. This squash was local and organic and was delivered by the regional grower’s cooperative.  I spent most of the morning prepping and roasting the squash and then made it into a rich and creamy soup, according to my own recipe.  I do not know many cooks in town that have this opportunity to work with such quality ingredients that support the local people, land, and economy, or have the ability to cook with so much freedom and according to the seasons.  Although I desire a living wage, health insurance, and other benefits, I am grateful for a job that aligns with my ideals of sustainable, local food, and allows me to utilize and hone my culinary skills.”