DONALD WOODMAN |
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DONALD WOODMAN
Gay Rodeo
A straight guy’s ‘Cliff’s Notes’ about the Gay Rodeo
About the Gay Rodeo: Anyone and everyone can participate in any event.
Most events are gender segregated, although sometimes you do need to have intimate relations with the contestant to know which gender they are or how they identify themselves.
Events:
Calf Roping on Foot
Break-Away Roping
Team Roping
Chute Dogging
Pole Bending
Grand Entry
Steer Riding
Barrel Racing
Flag Racing
Bull Riding
Camp Events:
Steer Decorating
Goat Dressing
Wild Drag Racing
A brief description of the three Camp Events:
Steer Decorating (A variation on Pin the Tail on the Donkey)
One steer, two contestants and a colorful ribbon - usually red.
One person with rope looped around the steer’s horns (steer starts out in the chute) tries to hold the steer so that the second contestant stationed 40 feet away can tie the ribbon around the steer’s tail after the chute gate is opened.
A timed event
Goat Dressing
One goat, two contestants and one pair of white jockey shorts.
One person carrying jockey shorts and with the help of the second person who must lift the hind quarters of the goat, must slip the jockey shorts onto the goat’s hind quarters so that they remain until both contestants run back across the start/finish line.
A timed event.
Wild Drag Race
One wild steer, one ‘cowboy’, one ‘cowgirl’, one person dressed in ‘drag’ (either male or female or other gender).
A 25 foot halter is attached to the steer, which is in the chute. After the chute gate is opened, the team of 3 must direct the steer across the finish line located 70 feet from the chute. The contestant dressed in ‘drag’ must mount the steer and then ride it back across the finish line with the help of the ‘cowboy’ and ‘cowgirl’. Two teams are in the arena at the same time. Lots of dragging by the steer, lots of dust and lots of fun.
A timed event, but inventive costumes are audience pleasers.
The Selling of the West
When I was young, I studied with Minor White (1908 - 1976) renowned photographer, teacher, critic, editor, and curator, whose efforts to extend photography's range of expression made him one of the most influential creative photographers of the mid-20th century. In his classes, it was a common occurrence to go on ‘road trips’, which entailed loading up film, packing up cameras and heading out to see what images were awaiting us ‘out there’. This series of images started as a ‘road trip’.
In July 2003, I planned a week long trip; as is my habit before embarking on such journeys, I gathered together a large collection of maps, allowing me to plot a trip that bypassed most major highways. At first, I had no idea what I wanted to photograph. After a day of driving, I became concerned that I would end up not taking a single photograph. So I reverted to a practice I had used in the past, stopping to photograph the next scene that attracted my attention. That turned out to be Prime Industrial Acreage, photographed on Route 191 in Wyoming. Thus was born The Selling of the West.
Landscape is a subject to which I have repeatedly returned over the years. The photo tradition I come from has been characterized as the ‘Ansel Adam School’ of the idealized landscape. Of course, nowadays, one has to travel to areas with sparse population that are inaccessible by motorized vehicle in order to find unobstructed vistas like those in Adam’s photographs. Or one has to crop out offensive power lines, roads and other signs of human encroachment. Using current technology, some photographers rely on Photoshop to remove the ‘offending’ object(s) or to clone together parts from various images - a sky here, a tree there, a beach, etc. But I don’t like to do that.
During subsequent photo trips over the next four years, it became clear that I wanted to record the landscape as it is; being sold, closed off and/or developed. At the same time, I admit it, I am susceptible to how realtors ply us with slogans like: “Solitude Brings You Closer to Paradise”; “River Runs Through It”; Build Your Dream Home”; “Hassle-Free Luxury”; “Often Requested, Rarely Available”; “Developable Land Is A Limited Commodity”; “It’s all about living in Strawberry Park, with trees all around and incredible views”; “One of a kind property”; “Your Home, On Your Lot, Your Way - Do you have a dream that transcends the ordinary?”
On these photo trips, I found myself day dreaming about having the money to buy whatever I wanted to; to be able to fly into the most remote areas to escape civilization; to create my own vision of the ideal environment; or being able to ‘save’ some vast acreage from unbridled development. Traveling down the road I often reflected: “wouldn’t it be great to live here”. Where realtor/developers see buildings, businesses and profit, I see defiled nature, displaced habitats and lost natural beauty. Alas, I don’t have the money to buy any of these properties or to fulfill these fanciful dreams. The only way I could ‘own’ any of these parcels was by photographing them.
I have tried to record what I see, but in order to accomplish this, I have had to shed the mantle of the tradition of landscape photography from which I come. These images come complete with trash, weeds, bushes, fences, roads and power lines, which make up the real world we live in. By the way, the titles reflect my quirky sense of humor.
The Holocaust Project
From 1985 - 1993, Mr. Woodman worked on the Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light, a collaboration with artist Judy Chicago. Together, they created a 3000 square foot traveling exhibition which premiered at the Spertus Museum in Chicago, IL in October 1993, subsequently traveling to seven other museums. The bulk of the exhibition combines painting and photography, the two mediums fused in an entirely unique manner. This project aptly demonstrates the range of Mr. Woodman's impressive photographic skills. The exhibition is accompanied by a book written by Ms. Chicago with black and white and color photographs by Mr. Woodman, published by Viking/Penguin. In conjunction with the Holocaust Project he was also involved in the filming and production of the video From Darkness Into Light: The Making of the Holocaust Project. Mr. Woodman has also produced the photographic work for Ms. Chicago's two most recent books published by Viking/Penguin; The Dinner Party, 1996 and Beyond the Flower - The Autobiography of a Feminist Artist, 1996. Most recently he has done the photographic work for two art books published by Watson/Guptill: Judy Chicago: An American Vision, Edward Lucie-Smith, 2000 and Judy Chicago edited by Dr. Elizabeth A. Sackler, 2002.
Catalogue
The Selling of the West, $25
