Tamarack
Okay, so maybe I was a little harsh on US culture. Here’s where I make atonement…
Without a doubt, creative opportunities are endless in the American culture. The power to express oneself, in whatever medium, is great indeed. I was reminded of that as I traveled to my parents’ home in West Virginia.
Warning: Emotional Baggage from Childhood Ahead
I struggled somewhat with the fact that I was raised in West Virginia. The brunt of many a cheap-shot-joke, it’s a state that usually found itself at the bottom of any statistics list. Poverty. Lack of education. Inward focused. Rough. But if John Denver could find a sense of it being ‘almost heaven’ then I, too, needed to look deeply to find its worth. Rugged. Mountainous. Beautiful in a wild, untamed sort of way.
And in the history of the people of West Virginia, among them many a Scot or Irishman, was a creative vein—fashioning interesting and beautifully practical pieces of art and craft. As a testimony to the West Virginia artisan, a stunning showcase has been created to highlight the work of local craftspeople.
Pottery, quilt making, glass blowing, basket weaving, local cuisine and books gave a much needed balm for the soul. Over the top? Excessive? Somehow when it comes to arts and crafts, I just can’t have too much—inconsistent, I know!
Next up…what I got at Tamarack…
Criticism isn’t inherently bad, particularly when it’s not delivered out of malice. It’s quite nice to be able to look at your own culture and to see it clearly, and to want to make it better. It’s part of your optimism.
24 Jul 2007 at 6:15 am
I would have to agree with DaviMack. We do live in a culture of excess. I can see that every time I walk by a pile of garbage set out for morning pick up that contains stuff that is still usable. Why throw it out and buy a new one? How did we become a disposable society?
24 Jul 2007 at 12:53 pm
But there’s FreeCycle, and there are those who are trying to limit their impact upon the world. So, it’s about raising consciousness … which can’t be done without criticism.
24 Jul 2007 at 3:15 pm
I was just going to say in response to your last post that it may seem an excess when it’s candles and Christmas ornaments, but if it was a shop full of yarn? How many of us would have lamented the over-the-top excess then?
That’s the thing about the US- there’s so much of everything, but that means that you can always find someone catering to whatever specific niche you find yourself in. There’s probably a shop somewhere making its money from gay accordion players.
26 Jul 2007 at 11:41 am