"When I first arrived in Lando, I was intrigued by this small town around a cotton mill which had already been closed down. At some point I met the local preacher and corresponded with his wife, Judith Inabinett, and proposed to do a project with local students; an idea of gathering an oral and visual history with them.
I began by making Polaroid pictures, then I taught the kids how to make pictures of their families and neighbors. They would photograph and then collect stories of how families had originally come to Lando, who in the family had left, and what had happened to them. Then we started collecting their family photographs."
-SM
Spread from The Old Mill Stream, a community publication from Lando, South Carolina, December 1975.
Spread from The Old Mill Stream, a community publication from Lando, South Carolina, December 1975.
“Any Ideas for the polaroid?... Would doing a set of portraits with high school kids be possible, practical, etc? … Shall we only trace Landoians?”
- SM to Judith Inabinett
Student Polaroid, 1975
Student Polaroid, 1975
Student Polaroid, 1975
"I think that portraits of the local people would cause no problem and would mean a great deal to the people and I’m sure it would be meaningful for the kids- they have such a depressed attitude about their chances to do anything meaningful- “everything else always gets the break” - so anything you can come up with would be much appreciated- by all of us.”
- Judith Inabinett to SM
Student Polaroid, 1975
Student Polaroid, 1975
“The principal and the journalism teacher at our high school… both seemed very interested- especially in light of the school’s desire to participate in bicentennial projects, and hope to be able to set up a schedule whereby each student works with one person’s family … and then some of the kids from the summer to take necessary photos.”
“Any Ideas for the polaroid?... Would doing a set of portraits with high school kids be possible, practical, etc? … Shall we only trace Landoians?”
- SM to Judith Inabinett
"I think that portraits of the local people would cause no problem and would mean a great deal to the people and I’m sure it would be meaningful for the kids- they have such a depressed attitude about their chances to do anything meaningful- “everything else always gets the break” - so anything you can come up with would be much appreciated- by all of us.”
- Judith Inabinett to SM
“The principal and the journalism teacher at our high school… both seemed very interested- especially in light of the school’s desire to participate in bicentennial projects, and hope to be able to set up a schedule whereby each student works with one person’s family … and then some of the kids from the summer to take necessary photos.”
“Any Ideas for the polaroid?... Would doing a set of portraits with high school kids be possible, practical, etc? … Shall we only trace Landoians?”
- SM to Judith Inabinett
Student Polaroid, 1975
Student Polaroid, 1975
Student Polaroid, 1975
"I think that portraits of the local people would cause no problem and would mean a great deal to the people and I’m sure it would be meaningful for the kids- they have such a depressed attitude about their chances to do anything meaningful- “everything else always gets the break” - so anything you can come up with would be much appreciated- by all of us.”
- Judith Inabinett to SM
Student Polaroid, 1975
Student Polaroid, 1975
“The principal and the journalism teacher at our high school… both seemed very interested- especially in light of the school’s desire to participate in bicentennial projects, and hope to be able to set up a schedule whereby each student works with one person’s family … and then some of the kids from the summer to take necessary photos.”