COLLABORATION BY JONATHAN RANDALL GRANT AND WILL JOHNSON
Culture Keeper is all about collaboration, and this whimsical impromptu photo shoot by Jonathan Randall Grant, Culture Keeper’s founder and creative director, and photographer Will Johnson embodies this Culture Keeper ethos. For creatives, space to improvise and play is fertile ground for new projects! (For more creative projects that emerged from an artist’s playing, check out our MADE column.)
STORY BY JONATHAN RANDALL GRANT
It is an act of courageous vulnerability to share a Paris city guide. This guide is as much a confession as a resource. No matter what places are shared, I am sure to get a few Parisian friends who think to themselves: "There is no way I would be seen there, dead or alive!... Of course it was okay to be seen there a few weeks ago, but we don't go there now."
For the past few months, Culture Keeper's founder and creative director has been full of so much enthusiasm about all the good things that are happening in his hometown. We decided it was time for him to spread that love beyond Facebook. So here in a special two-part article are some of the vibrant things happening in an Indiana town that doesn't make the headlines all too often. Culture Keeper readers, read on and then think of letting us know what's great about your hometown!
STORY BY JONATHAN GRANT
PHOTOS BY MAE STIER
For the past few months, Culture Keeper's founder and creative director has been full of so much enthusiasm about all the good things that are happening in his hometown. We decided it was time for him to spread that love beyond Facebook. So here in a special two-part article are some of the vibrant things happening in an Indiana town that doesn't make the headlines all too often. Culture Keeper readers, read on and then think of letting us know what's great about your hometown!
When Paris was just beginning to get chilly, Culture Keeper assembled a rad little team of creatives for this video project. Juan Studios loaned us an amazing wardrobe, that gave off sunny, California vibes. As the sun set we skated and created mischief through the midcentury structures of the Beaugrenelle.
A folk duo, The Bergamot, played a show in Paris at Break Art Mix for the featuring of their most recent album, “Tones”. After the show, we conversed and they expressed their need for new photos and videos. I admired their vibrant personalities as well as their harmony and so we decided to collaborate. The very next day we set out to do what we (individually) do best.
Because I am always traveling I have to be specific with my possessions. A simpler lifestyle has helped me hone my style in a very minimal, versatile direction. This also makes each piece all the more precious. I don't really purchase new items without a lot of consideration and planning.
When I was in Chicago recently, my little black backpack fell apart.
Each Summer I make sure to get back to my hometown- a magical place, full of magical, dear, creative people. Lately, many of my friends are moving back from all over the world. It is grand to have them gathering in one place. South Bend / Mishawaka is finally becoming the dynamic place we all dreamed it could be.
I have long been inspired by French New Wave films. They portray an aesthetic to which I feel very connected. When I met Capucine Fachot we decided that we needed to make something together, and discovered that we shared the same taste in film... so this project was born.
