J U D I T H P R E S E N T from H i G H W A T E R M A R K S A L O [O] N volume 2 number
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digital montage: "Pickin' Out Our Lives"
"1871 -- Kara Whitmore" from Ghosts of the South "Now that I am free here in Canada, I can tell you da truth about slavery. It corrupts, and not just da whites, but da slaves as well. They learn to be cunning, to eat, rest, and find pleasure. And da Master of the Big House teaches his sons da same sins he performs. From da very beginning a slave girl learns about what is on da white man's mind; she learns through his and his son's filthy talk and she learns early what's expected of her. If the Master's cunning don't work with her then she gets da lash, dats right, she gets the lash, and must do what da Master, his sons or even da overseer want." |
Judith Present does many different things and has the knack of putting them all together for presentation. Whether performance and photo's, assemblages and music, or gardening and writing, she has an uncanny ability to combine her talents. "Ghosts of the South" is a multi-media piece that explores the two lives lived during the time of Slavery, continuing through the Civil War to Bobby Seal and the Black Panthers. Judith was a resident playwright in NYC at the American Renaissance Theatre where she wrote numerous plays, learned to act and direct. She took her talents with her to this area and ran "Theatricks by Starlight" for ten years. Being a Columnist for the Hancock Herald gave her the impetus to write a book on Small Town America and the American Dream. This gives her the chance to travel the country interviewing small towns, photographing the residents and finding out what they want and what makes them tick. Whether shooting photos in her garden or studying history Ms. Present likes to see things in a new light. She says, "Being creative is coming up with something no one else has." |
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