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Amy Gahran
Had OregonLive.com run a photo with their art story, I could show it to you. |
Yesterday
I mentioned the
Christian Science Monitor's excellent online multimedia package about Jill Carroll. Today, for contrast, Poynter Online's
Larry Larsen points me toward a classic "D'Oh!" moment in online media.
On July 31, OregonLive.com (online home of the Portland Oregonian), ran this story: Barista's mediums: coffee and chalk. It's a profile of Chelsea Cassady, "a part-time barista and chalkboard artist at the Oak Grove [OR] Starbucks."
This rather fun, engaging and -- dare I say it? -- colorful profile sports one conspicuous omission: PHOTOS! Not a one. What a missed opportunity!
The story includes plenty of visual references, such as: "Cassady got her creative break after entering an annual companywide art show that displays employees' work -- both inside and outside the store. Her chalkboard take on Van Gogh's Vase With Five Sunflowers earned her a center easel at the show and acclaim that led to her selection as the main artist on the massive chalkboard menu for the busy Waterfront Blues Festival stand during the Fourth of July weekend event in Portland."
...Reading a paragraph like that makes me thirsty for imagery. But I guess I'll have to go to a local Starbucks to quench that thirst.
You've undoubtedly seen the elaborate chalkboard menus that adorn any Starbucks. According to the article, "each store has at least one person assigned to decorate the boards." That's a lot of chalkboard art. So much art, in fact, that Starbucks sponsors "Avant Grande" exhibitions of employee artwork (chalk and otherwise) at various venues around the country.
Why, then, when I search Starbucks' official site, do I come up with no search results for the terms chalk, chalkboard, and even art? Another missed opportunity!
Hmmm, maybe I can't fault OregonLive for not running at least one photo with that story, if Starbucks doesn't even mention employee artwork on its own site.
...Nah, of course I can! D'Oh!
