catalog model profile two

This is Beverly. I met Beverly after our first shoot with Phon and about a week before our second scheduled shoot. My husband had invited a small group of neighbors to our house for a light dinner before heading over to the grand re-opening of the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. Beverly and her husband Bill were among the group that came for dinner. I took Beverly on a tour of our garden, we chit-chatted about numerous things before dinner.

That night as I was getting ready for bed, I asked Souliyahn if it would be weird if I asked Beverly if she'd want to model for our project. She had a beautiful energy about her, a wonderful smile, and she carried herself in a way that was wise. He said I should call her. A day or two later we received a thank you note from them and I decided to go for it. She was my neighbor, after all. I got ahold of her right away and she was free and willing! Perfect.

At the (second) photo shoot, we had scheduled multiple models and arranged for them to come in 2 'waves' so that we only took a couple hours of each person's time. I was about to introduce Beverly to one of the other models and before I could get my words out they held their had out to her and said something like "Oh, I have admired your work from afar for quite some time." (I had no idea, but I do now.) A friend of mine who works doing fund-raising for the arts asked me at the trunk show, "How'd you get Beverly Cottman to be your model? She's like Arts Royalty." Perhaps I should be embarrassed that I did not know who she was, or all of the art/work that she has done in her career and in our community - but I'm not. I think this is but one of many magical relevancies that simply happened during this project. In each shoot, and with each person, there is something more than the surface shows. There is meaning and there are ties to something bigger than simply my jewelry. And collectively they tell a story about this place that we live: Minneapolis: Minnesota. It reveals depth - even if I'm the only one who knows all of the connections.

Thank you, Beverly!

all photos by: Paige DeWees