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Thank you so much for considering to participate/collaborate in this project. This is just the beginning and I hope this grows into a project of the people rather than any individual artist or thinker.

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Please look over the gallery of images below. There are a lot of images so it may take some time but feel free to think it over and take your time. You will see some images that are repeated that are slightly different so choose the version you prefer, but don't overthink it. I reinterpret images all the time, often switching papers, colors, mark-making, etc. so the images may evolve after you select the images you want to work with.

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My Promise to You:

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My hope is to have this portfolio book and associated website housed and engaged in cultural and educational institutions. 

 

I will promote and support all scholars, artists, activists, and individuals involved in this project with comprehensive bios, website links, and news of their upcoming events, publications, etc. The website will be active and maintained with the intention of evolving into an educational source with the main mission of encouraging inclusive dialogue with self-identifying Puerto Rican people about the potential futures of our culture.

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Simple Project Summary:

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You will handwrite write and scan a 1-2 page handwritten response on unlined letter paper to one of my images for a book/website on Puerto Rican identity and the future.

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Tentative Timeline (Highly flexible so please do not stress):

 

10/15: Choose 5 images ( You will only write about one (1) of these images) and send me an email with image number choices, as well as a small bio, portrait, a link to your website/instagram you might want to promote, and a link to a Puerto Rican charity you want to support  to pbthulin@vcu.edu.

 

             11/1, 12/1, 1/15:  Email me an image, scan, and/or mailed letter of your writing. Please just let me know which of these deadlines works for you. 

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Guidelines:

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IMAGES

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1. Choose 5 images that you feel your writing will pair well with. We will only be using one but need to have choices so the book does not have redundant images or types of images. Each image has an identifying number associated with it that you will send to me in an email (pbthulin@vcu.edu) after you have made your choices.

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2. IMAGES Please do not choose all images of yourself if you have been part of the photographic element of this project. Up to two of yourself is fine but anything more and I worry it becomes too self-directed.

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WRITING

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1. Your writing should be in the form of a letter, song lyrics, proclamation, manifesto, poem, critical essay, story addressing a future generation of Puerto Ricans you will never know, etc. What wisdom, warnings, questions, actions, emotions, lessons do you want to pass onto future people you imagine evolving from this present? You are free to interpret this however you like because I know it is deeply personal and existential, but I want you to try to contextualize it in a conceptual framework of what it means to "be, become, remain, Puerto Rican in the past, present, or future." Feel free to ask for clarification if you need it -- I am here to help!

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2. Your writing should be on one or two pieces of 8.5" x 11" white paper (preferably no lines). There is no minimum word count so you can choose to write one word on one side of a piece of paper or a million as long as you do not use more than two sheets of paper, front, and back. Please handwrite these letters and make sure to sign your name.

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3. In regards to getting me your writing I am going to have to work with each of you individually on this. I am thinking of scanning, taking an image with your phone, and/or mailing it to me which I will pay for. We have some time to figure this out and I can help work through the best method with each of you

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Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I am so appreciative to have the opportunity to learn from each of you and cannot wait to see what we all make together.

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