Tim Frakes Productions » Interesting Places

Matthiessen State Park Fog

timfrakes — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:21:16 +0000

Matthiessen State Park is located in central LaSalle County, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. These shots were taken along the Vermilion River which runs through part of the park. My son, Connor performed the guitar music.

Honoring MLK, KKK Cross Sculpture at Chicago Temple

timfrakes — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:18 +0000

If you are in Chicago’s Loop, stop by the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple and check out a sculpture based upon a cross that was burned on the lawn of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi in the autumn of 1963. The students were being encouraged by Ed King, the campus minister to go into the city and to try and desegregate the churches on Sunday morning.

That not only led to the arrests of the students, but also led to the KKK burning a cross on the college lawn. Ed King kept the cross and gave it to the United Methodist Church who were in the process of trying to desegregate the denomination nationally. So, this cross became the symbol for the desegregation of the United Methodist Church in the 1960′s.

Eventually, the cross was taken to Pittsburgh at the general conference and walked around the conference hall. It became a rallying point. Later, the cross was given to Gerald Forshe, a pastor in Chicago, who brought home. He took it to Jack Kearney who was a very well regarded sculptor in town.

Kearney took that charred wooden cross, encased it in a kind of skin of metal, so that it wouldnt disintegrate. On it, he placed the obviously African American, distressed, truncated Christ. And so Jerry has had this sculpture for over 40 years in his own possession.

But when Jerry was very ill last spring he wanted to make sure that First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple received it and put on public display. The cross is a gift to the church that we can make available to people who visit and want to know the story. This cross not only referrers back to 1963, but it, holds a great deal of power for us today.

This summer, First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple had a guest who came to worship. He was a retired university administrator from Mississippi. He saw the figure on the cross and immediately said, “That is James Chaney.” James Chaney was one of the three young men who were murdered as they tried to register voters in Mississippi in 1963. Chaney was the only African American among the three. And so at least for that person, he saw in this figure, that historical moment.

www.frakesproductions.com

Edongo Band, Kitgum, Northern Uganda

timfrakes — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:04:45 +0000

Jim Quattrocki and I were in Kitgum, Northern Uganda, recording a story at the Anglican Cathedral. I can’t remember if this is out of his camera or mine. Either way, it was a great day and beautiful music.

2011 Year in Review: Frakesproductions.com

timfrakes — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:45:13 +0000

Here is a random collection representing a few of the images I recorded during the busy 2011 production year. Locations included Haiti (twice), Cuba, Dominican Republic, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio. Music by JS Bach, Mass in B minor Dona nobis pacem (BWV 232).

For more detail, here are links to most of work I did this year.

- People of Faith: Christianity in America
- Church World Service, Haiti
- Ascension Catholic School, Oak Park, IL
- Herald of Truth Image Video
- Rural Community Assistance Partnership
- Bethesda Lutheran Communities
- Lutheran Life Communities, Gifts of Grace
- West Chicago Printing Company 100 Years
- Haitian Artist for Peace International
- The Bread Shed
- St. Stephen Martyr Lutheran Church, Canton, OH
- Alianza Church, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Simply Fragrant, Christian and Missionary Alliance
- Herald of Truth Cuba churches of Christs
- 30 Good Minutes Spiritual Journeys

Introducing Jesus of Nazareth

timfrakes — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:30:00 +0000

It is Advent and a good time to reflect on the life of Jesus. This production aired on ABC Television in December 2006. I produced it for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with my good friend Peter Marty as host. Jim Quattrocki directed the on-camera sequences. Jim Parks did the editing.
www.frakesproductions.com

Images from Mizak, Haiti

timfrakes — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:04:48 +0000

Here is a collection of images from my visit to Mizak, Haiti in 2011 with Haitian Artists for Peace International. The music is performed by a group of guys who were jamming by the side of the road.

Tour a Cold War Era Atlas Missile Silo

timfrakes — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:40:54 +0000

Along a lonely stretch of blacktop in rural, Central Texas, my friend Larry Sanders takes me on a tour of a partially restored Atlas missile site.

At the height of the Cold War, Curtis Lamay and the Strategic Air Command, built and deployed the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System.

A Late Autumn Walk

timfrakes — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:20:47 +0000

A late autumn walk through Hidden Lake Forest Preserve, Du Page County, Illinois. Panasonic Lumix GF3, 720p
www.frakesproductions.com

HAPI: Madame Gabriel

timfrakes — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:17:29 +0000

My second visit to Haiti in 2011 was with Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI). One of the many projects HAPI has going is Nouvel Etwal (New Stars). The New Stars help young Haitian girls develop self esteem and share their stories through dance. One afternoon we packed the girls in a van and drove to a nearby village to meet with a group of older adult women. One of these women, is a former professional carnival dancer. Many years have passed since Madame Gabriel danced on the big stage, but its clear from this video that she has moves and grace.

Empowering Haiti: Let’s Hear it from the Girls

timfrakes — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:22:17 +0000

It’s back to Haiti in August. This time, I’ll be shooting footage for Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI). HAPI was founded in March 2007 as a fair trade artisan co-op focused on spirituality and creativity. The marketing of the resulting art supports women’s economic development and empowerment.

HAPI Executive Director, Valerie Mossman-Celestin and my friend, photo journalist, Paul Jeffrey asked me to help with this project. The footage will be woven into a short documentary. “Let’s Hear it from the Girls” (working title) will connect the voice of girls in a rural Haitian community to touch us with stories, music and dance that convey the joys and challenges of growing up female in Haiti. The film will also capture the subtle messages of hope emerging from a dream that the community recognize the value and equality of girls and women.

We will be working in Mizak, a mountainous, rural section of La Vallee in South-East Haiti, 80 km south of Port-au-Prince and 12 km west of Jacmel. The total population is just over 35,000. Seventy percent are peasants living under the poverty level of less than $1 US per day, and 63% of the population is under the age of 18. There are no jobs available, no electricity, no telecommunication system, no plumbing, and no water filtration. The majority of households have no measurable income and they rely on system of barter and trade.

HAPI plans to make this DVD available as a teaching resource to folks in the United Methodist Church. The project is funded in part through a grant from the United Methodist Women’s organization.

Look for more in the coming days and weeks!