SOUVENIR STORIES

A Hand Pressed Souvenir embodies the literal space between people and place but it also records a story. I remember some of these stories in particular because of the time I spent interacting with individuals who made souvenirs on group walks; when I facilitate the making of Hand Pressed Souvenirs from afar by shipping Field Kits, I always include a card for the participant to fill out, thereby building a written log of souvenir stories.
The High Line
A City Souvenirs walk in 2010 traversed the entirety of 14th Street from East to West, ending at the High Line, where I met a group of individuals who had traveled from Israel to New York. They were all members of an organization called Tikvot, a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that rehabilitates Israel’s victims of terror and … Continue reading The High Line
Hotel Lobby
On May 26, 2012 I led a collaborative City Souvenirs walk where we collected souvenirs of hotels in Midtown, New York City. It turned out to be one of the more mundane looking collections because most hotels, whether luxurious or average, new or old, all seem to have very smooth exteriors. Perhaps the lack of … Continue reading Hotel Lobby
Q
Q is a friend of mine who has participated in more group City Souvenirs walks than anyone else. Once while sorting through hundreds of Hand Pressed Souvenirs I fit my hand into an object and I instantly knew: this is Q’s hand. I could feel his touch through the object even though I didn’t remember … Continue reading Q
The Stairs at Churchville Middle School
As part of a Hand Pressed Souvenirs project where I make souvenir collections of single buildings, I organized a walk and collection of the local Churchville Middle School in 2012. A group of seventh graders participated and were quite personal about the details of their school that they wished to make permanent as porcelain souvenirs. One student … Continue reading The Stairs at Churchville Middle School
Aunt & Niece
In 2012 a woman (who taught at the Early Leaning Academy in Elmhurst, IL, where I would later make Hand Pressed Souvenirs with her students) joined a group walk with her niece. Their endearing relationship was perfectly illustrated when they made a single souvenir together of a local public sculpture that nearly mirrored themselves.