In January 2015, I made over 100 ceramic cups that became the currency I used to exchange for stories. I was interested in how people thought and talked about the idea of home. People are naturally drawn to handmade ceramic cups; they are objects that people want to hold, touch, use, share, and bring into their homes. With these cups, we not only share drinks, but time, conversations, and ideas. A cup can be a tool for connection.

I exchanged the cups for stories and conversations with individuals in Madison, Wisconsin. After beginning with people I already knew, I reached out to various community centers and spaces in Madison to talk to people of all different ages, backgrounds, races, ethnicities, hometowns, and home countries. The ideas and definitions of home became a complex and diverse mosaic of individual stories.

My exchange of cups for stories is documented in this website: www.collectionsofhome.tumblr.com

Video: Ryan Curtin, Editor: Juliette Walker