Stories
Listen to stories of the past and present from Lena Gadbaw.
Lena Gadbaw, originally Lena Roggie, was born in 1929 into a Mennonite family on a farm in Croghan, NY. Her father owned a ‘sugar bush’ and as she says, “she was one of the boys”. She is also my Grandmother and still tells these stories today. She remembers much, but not all and reflects her fading memory. That is why I choose to record her stories. Where does ones past go? Is there a way we can keep our memories and those we love? Today’s world is much different than it use to be in the 30’s, by recording her voice, I am preserving her history.
Lena Gadbaw, originally Lena Roggie, was born in 1929 into a Mennonite family on a farm in Croghan, NY. Her father owned a ‘sugar bush’ and as she says, “she was one of the boys”. She is also my Grandmother and still tells these stories today. She remembers much, but not all and reflects her fading memory. That is why I choose to record her stories. Where does ones past go? Is there a way we can keep our memories and those we love? Today’s world is much different than it use to be in the 30’s, by recording her voice, I am preserving her history.
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Each of these Installations played "Stories from Lena Gadbaw" from above. The sound from the installation in Potsdam, NY came from headphones, where viewers could sit in the chair and put them on. The installation set up in Paducah, KY played these stories in the room, where the sound came from the chair underneath the quilt.
