the keepsake project

in the fall of 2015 at irving street projects in the sunset neighborhood of san francisco, //// 4331 irving street //// oakland artist lisa solomon will document keepsakes. ///please contact me to book an apt. to bring your keepsake !!

[thekeepsakeproject]

the catalogue for this project is available here:

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1174690

[thekeepsakeproject]

a catalogue is in the works !

i have just finished the 65th item for this first round of the keepsake project and have enlisted the help of an awesome and talented artist and graphic designer liz kalloch [who actually participated in the project as well] to help make a catalogue !! i’m so excited. it should be complete by the end of the summer and will be available for on demand ordering/printing. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

this blankey was given to jodi throckmorton when she was a baby by Virginia Wareheim, a friend of her mother's and my sister's baby-sitter. she’s been sleeping with blankey since then. her mom offered her $500 when she was in high school to get rid of it--blankey was so important to her that she refused. she wishes that blankey were a keepsake that she could store in a chest or put away for safe-keeping, but she still relies on it for a comfort (not in a creepy way...of course). it is seriously degraded--every morning she finds pieces under her pillow, on the floor, in her dog's fur. it started crumbling when she was in high school and her grandmother tried her best to keep it mended until it was too late. she tries to think of it as an ephemeral object...but her husband worries about what will happen when it finally falls completely apart. will she ever sleep again?! oddly enough, she was never ashamed of it or embarrassed that she would be made fun of (which she certainly was). it's a running joke with family and friends and makes a yearly appearance for family on Christmas morning.

[thekeepsakeproject]

this needlepoint belongs to shari altman. her beloved Gran (Henrietta) made and gave this to her about 7 years ago right around the time she moved to vermont. she has since passed away, and shari will never part with this. as a child, shari remembers going with gran to the yarn shop that was owned by her godmother. she loves that the hanging she chose to give to her and her husband features owls, as they often hear them in the woods near their house.

[thekeepsakeproject]

this is person. 

he belonged to her grandfather and sat on his dresser. her grandfather took him along in his toiletry bag when he traveled (and her grandparents traveled a LOT).  she can vaguely remember person coming along with her grandparents when they would visit.  her grandfather died when she was 9 and somehow, person was passed onto her.  that felt like a big deal to her then, and it feels like a bigger deal to her now.  this is the item that she most strongly identifies with her grandfather, and the fact that it's now hers feels huge, as though her grandfather is with her.  person sits on her "dresser" today, and he goes with her in her toiletry bag when she travels.

[thekeepsakeproject]

patty hilgado bought this huipil in guatamala. she is originally from guatamala, and has a small collection of huipils from all over the region. they mostly made in mexico and central america. they are often very distinctive by region - with varying colors and motifs. in general the traditional ones are made from a simple square pattern, and are hand woven and embroidered.

patty saw a woman wearing this huipil one of the times she was visiting. she asked if she could buy it, but the woman refused. patty mentioned if she changed her mind she should find her at her hotel. a few days later the woman was standing outside of her hotel and offered to sell it. she said the money would do better things for her family than keeping the shirt. 

it is one of patty’s favorite huipils she’s ever seen. it is exquisitely made. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

beth reynold’s husband bought this camera as a christmas present shortly after they moved to vermont. it was shortly after she expressed an interest in film photography. she was ecstatic when she opened it, and delighted when the the prints finally came back. waiting to see what developed was part of the fun.

this camera also changed the direction of her life. in 2009 she used it to take pictures for a book that became her final project when she was getting her degree. during this creative process she discovered her passion for analog technology: cameras, fountain pens, dictionaries and typewriters. as a children’s librarian she tries to help introduce kids to transformative experiences. while this includes books and current technology she loves presenting them with opportunities to slow down and find wonder - to step away from busyness. she credits the camera for this outlook.

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

carrie k. has a small collection of pills boxes. it started with one that she inherited from her grandmother - the square one with the ruby color stones. the gold one she found herself. the enamel one was gifted to her by her partner - who ended up having an addition to pills. 

she likes the utilitarian aspect of the pillbox. she also likes the idea of them as small vehicles for communication - like little mailboxes. [she’s exchanged notes in them before]. the idea of boxes/containment and potential for containers to be magical spaces also lead her to collect them. 

finally she finds that medicine has been a theme in her life. what is medicine? she remembers that when she was a child she’d pretend to take candy as medicine. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

this stocking was knit by lisa seibert’s great aunt marabeth. it’s the 1945 xmas stocking that came from women’s home companion. aunty marabeth made a stocking for every baby born int he haughey family. she ended up making the same stocking for 5 generations before her death. 

lisa loves the tradition and family history the stocking signifies. marabeth made stockings for her husband and each of her 3 children. 

growing up she has amazing memories of visiting the lake with her dad, cousins, aunt and uncle, her great aunt and uncle and her great grandma pearl, and the stocking reminds her of those times. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

this was given to john held jr. when he was born. he has 3 brothers. they each got one. the cross stitch was designed by a friend of his parents. he has carried it around with him his whole life, enjoying it’s late 40′s kitschy aesthetic. he as a very large art collection, but this is the one constant. it’s currently hanging in his bedroom. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

this locket belonged to kelly o’connor’s great grandmother sally. she got it from her boyfriend at the time - richard. they ended up getting married and being together for 65 years. she gave it to kelly when kelly was 10 years old for her first holy communion. 

kelly remembers only spending about 11 visits with her great grandparents, but from about the age of 8 she remembers the visits clearly. she remembers them having a wonderful and loving relationship. sally was a nurse and her great grandpa was in the service and that was how they met. kelly was the oldest great grandchild. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

meighan o’toole’s uncle larry passed away suddenly this spring. they were estranged. she hadn’t seen him in 15 or so years. he lived on land that her grandparents owned. both he and her grandpa were master electricians.

the pencils and case belonged to her uncle, and before him, her grandpa. her aunt found them while cleaning and gave them to meighan. it means the world to her that she can use things that the men in her family used to make a living. when she was little she’d sit at their drafting table and draw. it always felt exciting to use their fancy pencils. now she owns them. 

the scissors [still in their package] were found the same weekend. her gram was an avid stasher of craft and sewing supplies. she probably bought these because they were a good deal. 

using tools that her family used feels good. she misses her grandparents immensely and wishes she stayed in touch with her uncle.

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

after loosing her mother 6 years ago cyndi amerman and her sister were reluctant to divide her keepsakes. they avoided it. their father passed this january, though, and they were forced to figure out who would keep what. her mother was an artist and a collector of pretty things. this teapot was one of her treasures. her mother’s favorite color was blue, so this reminds cyndi so much of her. it was something her mom treasured as she inherited it from her mother. she always displayed it prominently in her china cabinet, and now cyndi keeps it in her dining room.

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on :: 

tigger was ellen oh’s favorite stuffed animal growing up, though favorite doesn’t really feel strong enough. he was her constant companion, security blanket, best confidant. she got him when she was 5. and actually he’s tigger 2 because tigger 1 was kidnapped at o’hare while saving her seat when she went to the bathroom. 36 years later he’s been passed onto her 5 year old who continues to give him love and snuggles. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on ::

wendy crabb’s stepmom made this from her paternal grandfather’s military insignias. she has hung it on the wall wherever she lives. it always makes her feel safe. the ribbons signify his stint in the asiatic campaign in the phillipines, and she knows he was also a repeaterman, telephone and sharpshooter in WWII.

wendy was really close to grandpa bill. he supported her move to NYC after college. he also gave her the best advice - she was going to have a lot of new things to deal with, but just tackle one thing at a time and she’d be fine. 

bill had a stroke when she was 10. before that he carved coins [she’s been thinking of him as she makes things these days]. he had a work shop in a spare room in their house, and a lot of finches. 

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on :: 

this cameo has been in rachel t. robertson’s family for quite some time. her grandmother got it from her mother, and then passed it onto her mother who gave it to her. the note in it was to her mother, Rita, who got the necklace on her 11th birthday.... ‘the necklace was given to me by grandma and grandpa shraeder in 1914 for my holy communion when i was around your age.... keep it and always remember someone who loves you...” 

rachel has worn it a few times. she always liked it because the cameo has a nose similar to her and her mom’s.

[thekeepsakeproject]

working on :: 

this donkey was carved by katie gill-harvey’s grandfather. he spent his whole life fixing and making things. his true love, though, was to make things from wood. once he and her grandmother retired, they bought an RV and travelled the country. he would whittle these figures on their journeys. he made a lot of them, by hand, all different. they were all dispersed to his sons and grandchildren. katie hopes to photograph them all someday. this donkey is her favorite of the ones she owns. she loves ha you can see the marks of the tools and imperfections. he signed each one in pencil. she also appreciates how they remind her that she comes form a long line of makers.