10 things that define my practice

1. that art can shift perception in the public sphere
2. that we need to utilize ways to disrupt social norms and assumptions in order to progress
3. that performance is everything
4. that we don't need institutions to make art
5. that institutional support can be subverted if necessary or desirable
6. that subversion and gray area are o.k.
7. that political processes are flawed and we need new ways to engage with our communities
8. that sometimes it's o.k. to not understand and just to feel
9. that music is everything
10. that we need to create our own folk culture to maintain our humanity in a globalized world
    
    
    
    
    
    
    i produced this in the very useful workshop with joyce grimm last wednesday.
    
    
    

the internet is a funny place

questions you post on facebook just might end up on tv.

Houston Johansen Hosts First Santa Fe Assembly

Houston Johansen Hosts First Santa Fe Assembly
Heralding a New Tone, Council Candidate Jumpstarts Participatory Politics

WHAT: Houston Johansen begins to make good on his promise to bring new energy, more transparency, and collaborative democracy to city politics by hosting the first Santa Fe Assembly. In convening this open forum, Houston jumpstarts his plan to facilitate collaborative democracy processes in city politics. Collaborative democracy is characterized by a decision making structure which involves and takes into account as broad a range of citizen input as possible, and citizens, whether elected or elector, openly debate and critique public policy in real time from conception to enforcement, employing collaborative methods and processes.

Believing in a more transparent form of representation, if elected, Houston promises to host similar monthly forums with constituents, assuring Council actions support Santa Fe voices. Along the campaign trail, Houston hosted weekly coffee forums to facilitate community conversations and dialogue; the Santa Fe Assembly will be the largest convening to date.

WHO: Every Santa Fean is invited to participate in an open, non-partisan, public discussion of City issues and potential solutions that could be supported by legislation.

The Santa Fe Assembly will be livestreamed on houstonforsantafe.com, allowing for real-time participation from online viewers who might be unable to attend meetings because of work commitments, family priorities or health issues.

WHEN: Thursday March 1^st, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

WHERE: Farmers' Market Pavilion, 1607 Paseo de Peralta (at S. Guadalupe St) in the Santa Fe Railyard

Houston Johansen - Let's Keep Santa Fe Moving

Houston Johansen - New Energy for Santa Fe

this week in new mexico

experiments with the argus a2b

so the 70+ year old camera actually does work, light leaks and all.

Meet Houston Johansen

the argus a2b

It has been almost a year since I purchased my prewar Argus A2B at a pop-up vintage boutique in Santa Fe. The camera from the 1930s only cost me $18, and it has served as a curious decoration. It's only now that I realize it is a functional 35mm camera with a remarkable history. It is an elegant piece of analog machinery, and I look forward to shooting many, many rolls with it. If there are light leaks, I hope they're interesting.

notes from the field

I watched an 85-year old woman begin to weep at her doorstep yesterday. I knocked on her door to ask her to sign a petition to get Houston on the ballot. She told me that she liked his opponent, but that she would sign anyway. She looked forward to learning more.

I didn't adhere to the golden canvassing rule I tell everyone I train-- I didn't keep it short and sweet. I wanted to talk to her. She carried the lonely air of wisdom that many elderly people have-- that many of us young refuse to acknowledge or respect.

I asked her, What issues are important to you? What would you like to change about Santa Fe?

She told me about the drainage problems on her road. She referenced the nearby military cemetery, and how it was quickly filling. She told me that her grandsons are about my age, and that they don't listen to her when she tells them that they're not going to have the future or the comfort in their lives that she had. They don't hear her when she says my generation is dying, and it's up to you.

That's when she started to weep, and that's when my canvassing partner appeared. She bid me farewell.

Moments like these are the real essence of politics. How the sincere conversations between people about their lives and what is wrong in the world get transmuted into the circus we typically see depicted as American politics is as profound a question as how to achieve the philosopher's stone.

After the canvassing there is usually an event to attend. It typically involves people and circulation. Every year that you do this work, you find it easier to seamlessly introduce yourself to complete strangers and get them to discuss the issues and ideas that are most important to them.

Never come straight home from a campaign event, or else you will be seeped in the omnipresence of the energy of every hand you shook, and all the things you have to do and think about and say. If the event was particularly profound, the moments are brazen memories you can't exile from your mind.

Early drinks or late dinners are always wise.

a few photos of letters to the art world

photo credit, alexis brown. rest of the beautiful aha album is here


photo credit- my shitty-ass blackberry

photo credit-- mix- rest of their album is here


more soon...

HOUSTON JOHANSEN ANNOUNCES CITY COUNCIL CANDIDACY IN DISTRICT 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Contact: Alysha Shaw
505.795.8096
houstonjohansen2012@gmail.com
http://www.twitter.com/HoustonforSF
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Houston-Johansen-for-City-Council/138702216226635
Coming soon: http://www.houstonforsantafe.com

HOUSTON JOHANSEN ANNOUNCES CITY COUNCIL CANDIDACY IN DISTRICT 1
Johansen Challenges 17-Year Incumbent Patti Bushee, Offers New Ideas and Proactive Participation in Politics

SANTA FE-- Santa Fe native and lifelong city resident, Houston Johansen announced his candidacy for City Council in District 1 on Tuesday, offering a new perspective on politics and a plan for increased civic participation and responsibility.

Johansen (age 25) is especially concerned about the lack of opportunity for young people in Santa Fe, and wants to focus on building an economy that restores opportunity for working families and addresses the mis-trust in elected officials.

“I want to be the next City Councilor in District One. Santa Fe is the only home I know. I love Santa Fe, but I think we can do better,” Johansen said. “I hope to raise some important issues in this race – such as: where are the economic opportunities for young people? Why do young people flee the city to find jobs? And how can we do better by working families?”

Johansen will spend the coming weeks talking to voters, listening to their concerns, issues, and experiences living in Santa Fe. The campaign will periodically host public forums online and in-person that provide unprecedented venues for Santa Feans to publicly express their concerns during an election cycle. Constituents' issues will form a significant part of the campaign and its platform.

“I’m going to do this the old-fashioned way – listen to the concern of voters in my district and share my ideas about how to make Santa Fe better. Basically, I’m going to work really hard and talk to every voter I can. A lot of candidates make the rounds and chalk up constituent visits, but the lessons learned and the concerns confided in that process seem to vanish after election day. Again, I think we can do better. ” Johansen said.

With this voter feedback, Houston will release his campaign platform in the coming weeks.

Houston was raised in Santa Fe, and attended Rio Grande Elementary and Santa Fe Preparatory schools. At the age of 19 he opened One World Coffee, a fair trade, sustainable, education-oriented coffee house. One World gave young people hands-on experience running a business, helping to inspire a generation to think creatively about their ability to affect change in the world. After stepping down as manager, Houston left Santa Fe to pursue a degree in political science at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. During that time Houston interned for Governor Richardson’s top water policy advisor, Bill Hume. He also worked to raise money for Creighton’s scholarship funds and worked on President Obama’s Omaha campaign.

Johansen is the son of Carl Johansen and Mary Lattimore, long time residents of Santa Fe. His father is a well-known local artist who taught Johansen the power of art, and the importance of creativity. Houston's mother raised him in a house that is completely off-the-grid, which helped him develop a deep passion for sustainability and innovation. Together they taught him early on that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to find a good job and be a part of something bigger.

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city worker classes

Last week city workers taught each other classes in tin working, paper flower making, and dancing during their lunch hour. This is a little bit of the documentation. I was inspired to organize the classes, as part of a multi-layered strategy to intervene in city workers' work days. The unhappiness and stress people have at their jobs from filling multiple positions in city offices is one of the most challenging hurdles for me to break through in my residency at city hall.

There are other projects in progress, but it'll probably be a little while before I share any of that documentation.