08.06.09
Aqua Chautauqua!
Outside of my life with toy cameras, I spend lots of time photographing performers (yes, with a digital camera!). Mostly these are folks in the worlds of vaudeville, variete and circus, and you can be sure they are always fun and fascinating to work with! This summer I once again joined up with the New Old Time Chautauqua on their summer tour, this time in the island of Washington and British Columbia.
The tour, dubbed Aqua Chautauqua II (last year being I), and also Eau Canada, involved 4 islands and traveling by a combination of boat and land. A logistical challenge, to be sure, but we got to experience Lasqueti Island, which is totally off the grid, in addition to Gabriola, Salt Spring and Orcas Islands, and finished up at the Future Festival in Port Gamble, WA.
In the past, I’ve been exclusively the tour photographer. This year I also added a new role as clarinetista in the band – The Fighting Instruments of Karma Marching Chamber Band/Orchestra – a longtime dream come true!
The group goes to a variety of communities, usually underserved, and does public parades, free workshops, community shows at senior centers and other places, and finishes off with a full-blown show (often free). We partner with community non-profits, have pot-lucks with the locals, and spend time getting to know each other and playing at our various skills. It’s a fantastic group!
A selection of my photos from the tour are up here: Aqua Chautauqua photos.
Enjoy!
~Michelle