Items

• 2020-03

  Rural Connecticut: Covid Doubters

  I lived in a rural part of Connecticut during the 2020 Covid lockdowns. Despite the widely publicized nature of the pandemic, at least half of the citizens in my town didn't believe the disease was real. There was a real divide over wearing masks and closing down schools/work because many people felt the disease was over-blown, not deadly, or simply wouldn't strike a rural place as hard as a city. While my town didn't suffer as much as places like New York City did, we still had Covid cases and deaths across the county. It was frustrating to live in a rural place during the outbreak, because even though we were "safer," than city-dwellers, nobody took measures to preserve that safety. This mindset continued when vaccines became available, and the latest rage in rural areas is using Ivermectin (horse medicine) instead.
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  2020-06-16

  Class of 2020 Celebrated by a Rural Community

  The rural community of Tuttle, Oklahoma honored their class of 2020 high graduates with a sign made out of a round bale of hay. The round bale was located just off of State Highway 37 next to the Tuttle Grain & Supply. As part of the creativity, the bale had a sign saying: "Class of 2020" with comments such as "Proud of You!" and "Congrats!" as well as "Great Job!" The sign then covered the face of the hay bale in the design of a large face mask. The community was acknowledging the circumstances that altered the 2020 senior year and graduation to be a smaller event.
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  2020-11-03

  Voting Lines Stretched Across Two Parking Lots

  On November 3, 2020 I took a photo of the voting line that was spread across the Legacy Bank and Library parking lots in Blanchard, Oklahoma. The small community has several voting precincts and this is just one of them. At one point it was mentioned that people were waiting up to three hours to vote at this voting location. The crowd appeared to be somewhat spaced apart and some were wearing masks. The pandemic affected how people stood near each other, which would've been normally much closer.
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  2020-07-10

  Summer Coin Shortage Still Going in November

  On July 10, 2020 the local bank had a sign displayed that warned of the coin shortage that was caused by the pandemic. Due to the shortage, local businesses were limited in the amount of coins they could request from the National Bank in Blanchard, Oklahoma. On July 24, 2020 we decided to do our part and cashed in all of our coins. This gave us some extra cash and gave the bank some extra rolls of coins to distribute to the local businesses. Signs at local fast food restaurants still display their signs on the coin shortage and occasionally cannot make exact change. For certain restaurants like Taco Bell, they were encouraging over the summer to donate the remaining change to a charity they would then distribute the money to. This is example of how the pandemic has changed our lives in unpredictable ways.
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  2020-09-15

  US Postal Service notice on voting by mail during COVID-19

  On September 15, 2020 I received a post card mailer from the U.S. Postal Service. The message is: "If you plan to vote by mail, plan ahead." The reverse side had my information and a note detailing a list of suggestions to prepare for mailing in a ballot during the 2020 U.S. Election. Personally, I've voted in many elections over the past few decades and voted by mail for a long time before this election as well - I've never received any information like this. You can tell that during the pandemic there was going to be a lot of pressure on voting by mail. Personally, I turned in my ballot at least a month before the actual day in fear that the postal system would be overwhelmed in the days right before the election. This is the first year where voting by mail didn't seem like a convenience, but felt like it was a large part of election history. The pandemic seems to be shifting our daily lives in ways that no one would've expected at the beginning of 2020.
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  2020-05-21

  Covid Morning Routine

  “Morning Routine” is an ad I created about Covid-19. The reason I chose this medium is that many advertisements on the internet and TV are related to the virus. “Morning Routine” is about my brother's routine and how he gets ready in the morning. It seems like a normal routine like everyone else which is to wake up, brush your teeth, put on clothes, put your shoes on and go out to the rest of their day. In the end, it shows a close of him putting on a mask. In the news, there is a lot of talk about when normal is coming back. Countries all over the world were under lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19. In Minnesota, the confirmed cases are not as extreme other states like New York. My personal experience with Covid-19 is doing my part of trying to make things better. In my family, many are nurses so are making sacrifices and working hard. I am still in college trying to become a nurse so staying home is doing my part to make their job easier. On social media, many of my peers and others are complaining about when all of this will be over. People are going out acting like life is normal by hanging with friends without social distancing and not wearing masks. As time goes by, many countries are now easing lockdown trying to bring up the economy against, but the consequences are increasing the chance of the virus spreading more. Although I try to stay home as much as possible, I have uncles and aunts that are getting older and are at a higher risk by the coronavirus so I grocery shop for them every week and deliver them. When I go to grocery stores, I get very anxious because many people are not wearing masks. I don’t want to be the one responsible for getting corona and getting my family sick. The coronavirus is going to stay and be here for a while until a vaccine is found and produced on a large scale. This in my opinion is the new normal because I don’t think we will ever go back to normal. This pandemic has and will keep changing the way we live in the future.
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  2020-04-29

  Neighborhood Fence, Chippewa Falls, WI

  A simple poetic sentiment on my neighbors fence is more than enough to brighten a day. It might have been written with the "community chalk" placed near the sidewalk a few doors down.
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  2020-04-29

  Social Distancing Wisconsin Style

  The image is of a yard sign using a dairy cow as a measuring device for social distancing. Wisconsin’s dairy industry is a major contributor to its agrarian culture. This yard sign makes a funny reference to both the dairy industry and COVID-19.
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  2020-05-27

  Push Back in Rural America

  Podcast about the push-back by rural Americans against restrictions.
• 
  03/13/2020

  Call for Indigenous Peoples to Respond to the Pandemic Responsibly

  Recommendations for Indigenous people to stay grounded during the pandemic, including a call to connect with traditional medicines and knowledge and build community. #IndigenousStories