Bilingual report — Gina Santi Photography Images of the Month – July 2022

Images of the Month – July 2022

Gina Santi Photography

Images of the Month – July 2022

  In English            En Españo        In Other News
Music can transform thinking and arouse innovation. It can bring people together, heal relationships, spike enthusiasm, and encourage originality. Music can do all these things on a personal level, but it can also do them on a larger scale: it can assist and be a part in the transformation and revitalization process of entire communities.Such is the case of the town of Winslow, in the state of Arizona, United States, with a population of about 10,000 people according to the 2010 census. This town became ruthlessly impacted in 1979 when construction of Interstate 40 cut it off, making unnecessary the use of U.S. Route 66 -and Winslow’s downtown- to travel East or West. Homes and establishments were deserted, and Winslow became a city lacking opportunities and safety for those who stayed behind.

By that time the musical group Eagles had already made Winslow famous with their 1972 hit song “Take it Easy”, written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey. Taking advantage of the lyrics of “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”, the small town built a “Standing on the Corner” park at the intersection of Old Highway 66 and North Kinsley Avenue, complete with a flatbed Ford and statues of Browne and Frey. Since then, Winslow is a mandatory stop for anyone wanting to stand on a corner of this otherwise neglected city. It is estimated that 100,000 people visit this location each year, absentmindedly expressing the joy of taking a selfie or simply standing at the spot they’ve heard so much about in this song.

Nevertheless, the town is far from revitalized. Only a handful of souvenir shops and a famous mid-century hotel -where the train stops- are benefitting from the brief crowds.  Music alone will do little. Cities like Winslow, struggling to stabilize their economies and revitalize their growth, need strategies created with insight, intelligent long-term vision, and all-encompassing community-wide development so current and future residents and visitors can accomplish something more than just taking it easy standing on a corner.

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La música puede  transformar el pensamiento y despertar la innovación. Puede unir a las personas, sanar las relaciones, aumentar el entusiasmo y fomentar la originalidad. La música puede hacer todas estas cosas a nivel personal, pero también puede hacerlas a mayor escala: puede ayudar y ser parte del proceso de transformación y revitalización de comunidades enteras.Tal es el caso de la ciudad de Winslow, en el estado de Arizona, Estados Unidos, con una población de unas 10.000 personas según el censo de 2010. Este pueblo se vio afectado drásticamente en 1979 cuando la construcción de la carretera Interestatal 40 lo aisló, haciendo innecesario el uso de la Ruta 66 de los EE. UU. y el centro de Winslow para viajar hacia el este o el oeste. Las casas y los establecimientos quedaron desiertos y Winslow se convirtió en una ciudad sin oportunidades ni seguridad para quienes se quedaron atrás.

Para ese entonces el grupo musical Eagles ya había hecho famoso a Winslow con su exitosa canción de 1972 “Take it Easy”, escrita por Jackson Browne y Glenn Frey. Aprovechando la letra de “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”, el pequeño pueblo construyó un parque “Standing on the Corner” en la intersección de Old Highway 66 y North Kinsley Avenue, incluyendo un Ford de plataforma y estatuas de Browne y Frey. Desde entonces, Winslow es una escala obligatoria para todo el que quiera pararse en esa esquina de esta ciudad por lo demás olvidada. Se estima que 100.000 personas visitan este lugar cada año, expresando distraídamente la alegría de tomarse un selfie o simplemente pararse en el lugar del que tanto han oído hablar en esta canción.

Sin embargo, la ciudad está lejos de revitalizarse. Solo un puñado de tiendas de recuerdos y un famoso hotel de mediados de siglo -donde se detiene el tren- se benefician de la breve multitud. La música sola no puede hacer mucho. Ciudades como Winslow, que luchan por estabilizar sus economías y revitalizar su crecimiento, necesitan estrategias creadas con conocimiento, una visión inteligente a largo plazo y un desarrollo integral de toda la comunidad para que los residentes y visitantes actuales y futuros puedan lograr algo más que simplemente tomarse las cosas con calma, parados en una esquina.

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Take it Easy – Reel
Would you like to add these images -and more!- to your fine art collection? To view the entire July 022 Gallery and access the shopping cart, please click on this link.
For more information, comments, special requests, and general feedback, please feel free to contact Gina@GinaSantiPhotography.com
In Other News…
Join us for the reception and the opportunity to meet the awesome artists -including yours truly- participating in Xico’s most recent exhibition, Nosotras las Mujeres – We the Women. This exhibition reaches into the core of our roots and resilience as women and our connections to the land. It shows the artists’ interpretation of what it means to be a woman in today’s challenging world.
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— Gina Santi is a freelance photographer born and raised in Venezuela and currently based in Tempe, Arizona. She earned her master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northern Arizona University and has participated in various events in Northern Arizona, including the annual Celebraciones de la Gente at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Visit http://www.ginasantiphotography.com for more information.