Yesterday I spent the evening driving around Janesville with a camera around my neck, trying to capture images of some of the area’s notable landmarks, buildings, and sights.
Of the dozen or so places, I stopped by the Tallman House, Rotary Gardens, Lions Beach, and the Janesville Performing Arts Center. Most of these places were closed by the time I got there, but there were still plenty of people around the city and by the river as sunset approached.
I also visited the GM plant, Lemans, and Leer. The contrast between the city’s quiet activity and the deserted parking lots of these companies was striking. A reminder of what used to be.
Behind the Scenes Dispatch by:
Zahra Haider, a member of the EngageWisconsin team
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PARTICIPATE: If you are a resident of Janesville, Wisconsin, or Rock County and you’re interested in sharing your story or the story of your business or organization, please contact Zahra Haider for more information. More specifically, we are also looking for high school students who might be interested in using a Flip camera to interview their family, friends, and neighbors to tell the story of their life in Janesville.
The JANESVILLE STORYTELLING PROJECT has been inspired by Digital Nation, a Frontline documentary, and Milwaukee-based 371 Production’s As Goes Janesville. Wisconsin Public Television’s EngageWisconsin team seeks to give a face to the current, post-GM situation in Janesville; to give the community a chance to respond to that negative press from the recent past, which frequently depicted Janesville as a permanently ruined city; and to explore the relationship of technology and people within a Mid-American city in flux.
