Dismantling Geneva Steel

I attended the artist lecture by Chris Dunker for "Dismantling Geneva Steel" now on display in the Museum of Art here on campus. In class one night I described the image or symbol that might describe me as a smokestack. I was thinking of Geneva and where I grew up in Geneva Steels backyard. The plant was the geographic landmark in the valley for me. I knew where I lived no matter where I was in this valley because I could see the smokestacks. My dad's uncles worked there for 30 years and my best friend's dad worked there until he was disabled. I jumped trains coming in and out of the plant. Watched late at night when the sky would turn orange and know they were pouring a new batch of liquid steel into pressure molds. In some ways I was sad to see it close.

I was hoping that this exhibit would help reflect that sense of community that Geneva meant to me, it didn't. Don't get me wrong, this exhibit is amazing and I recommend it. The attention to photographic detail is amazing. I will continue to visit the museum to view again the quality of work. I just feel the exhibit was missing something. In the artist's lecture he was asked if he ever felt the presence of the people who had worked an died there. He said "yes, in the changing rooms, control rooms, and break rooms." The photo of the changing room was amazing and it was the only photo I really connected with. I looked at the audience when that photo was shown and think it was really the image with the most impact.

As a result of the show I have decided to have my Orem High students create a podcast/video about what Orem High means to them individually. The school will begin a reconstruction this spring. I want to start on the individual level and then have them go into the community and find other perspectives. I hope that this will result in documents that people in the community can relate to.