Art Meets Earth

Letter From Detroit

2012-01-18T16:32:00.003-05:00

Former ISLAND Hill House writer in residence, Ingrid Norton, has a piece in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

From the essay:

On a summer night, I drove around a particularly desolate stretch of the east side. Charred foundations outnumbered houses. Grasses grew waist-high around them. On Belvidere Street, a brightly colored convenience store came into view. It had recently been refurbished: freshly painted graffiti-like letters, colorful and stylized, proclaimed it the “NEW BORN PARTY STORE,” while the other wall boasted of “A MAN with a VISION …” The words reminded me of a speech Mayor Bing gave last September. Bing’s arrival came on the heels of the felonious ex-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and many look to him for new direction; a city official introducing Bing quoted a passage from Isaiah about the restoration of Jerusalem: “[A]nd they shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.” Restoring Detroit, however, is a formidable task. Bing announced the first stages of Detroit’s strategic plan to shrink services in neighborhoods that are too far-gone to recover mid-century population levels — but those neighborhoods are not entirely empty. I wondered about the optimist who had opened the New Born Party Store. It seemed like a symbol of the stubborn, creative resilience that somehow manages to thrive in Detroit’s harshest, most decimated corners.

Read the whole article here: http://lareviewofbooks.org/post/15945286795/letter-from-detroit

Welcome New Events Assistant Mary Brower

2012-01-16T10:10:00.003-05:00

We put out a call in the fall for an Events Assistant—someone to help Events Coordinator Yvonne Stephens with the over 75 events we have planned for 2012. Over 40 people applied, and we spent weeks pouring over resumés and interviewing amazing people. There were many good folks to choose from, and we wish we could have given a half dozen of them jobs. Instead, we settled on just one: Mary Brower.

Mary Brower grew up out west, but has spent much of her life chasing geography. Her past is littered with partial careers in teaching, farming, writing, and cooking. Pleased to be setting down permanent roots in this part of the world, Mary’s favorite means of procrastination involve winter gardening, food preservation, and making supper for her husband and little boy.

We hope you will get to know Mary at one of our many events this year. We're excited to have her on Team ISLAND!

A Perfect Get-Away

2011-12-22T12:44:00.001-05:00

Terry Jenoure
November 9 – 21, 2011

I was so hungry for this time alone. So, when my plane connection was cancelled due to bad weather and I had to stay at a Detroit airport hotel for two days, I was more than a little disappointed. Two days later, my irritable self followed me to the Residency. But when I walked inside the cozy furnished log cabin I was completely transformed. The next 10 days were perfect!! It was the privacy that I loved most. After many years as a musician, professor, arts administrator, visual artist, and writer, I had decided to make some major changes in my life. It is time to focus on art making, and leave teaching and leadership projects behind….or at least at rest for awhile! This experience was offered to me at exactly the right time.

The first night was the most difficult. It wasn’t the quiet so much. It was the fact that I’m a New York City native who was settled deep in the woods alone during deer hunting season. A little note from Amanda welcomed me earlier that day upon arrival as I entered the cabin, and suggested that I wear the neon orange vest and hat if I ventured into the woods. Needless to say, there was no “venturing” and I got plenty of writing done over the next ten days!!

But, on the first night in the cabin at about 3am, I heard loud voices down the hill in the house below. A large group of people were screaming and singing and I could tell they were drunk. I then heard a noise at the door. I jumped. I sat up and listened quietly. I was alone in a strange, secluded place and I was very frightened. Had I locked the sliding door to the cabin? Did anyone know I was in the cabin? Did they know I was alone? Would anyone hear me if I screamed? Could I reach my cell phone to call someone for help? After sitting frozen for about twenty long minutes and hearing absolutely nothing but an occasional branch rustling in the wind, I realized that I had dreamed the voices and music, and that it was an animal that had been scratching (I saw it’s marks on the door the next morning).

Yes, I wrote for ten days, but I read too. June Jordan’s poetry and Charles Bukowski’s short stories fueled my ideas. I even got some work done on an interdisciplinary project I’ve been dreaming about. I meditated. I cooked (this Caribbean American woman was pleasantly surprised to find plenty cumin in the spice cabinet for my arroz con frijoles negros). But, the quiet was probably the most delicious thing I took into me.

It will definitely be hard to follow this experience with another residency.

To ISLAND

2011-12-14T15:53:00.001-05:00

To ISLAND
From Moheb
Re Hill house

December now, October then, 2011

Dear Amanda and Brad,
Bellaire, Traverse City, Petoskey,
Poor Mancelona and East Jordan, even take pity on Charlevoix,
Hello little Jordan River, Grand Traverse Bay, grand Lake Michigan, hi, reader

Quite an audience~
I do miss it there! I barely left the hill house during my stay, but the entire region is so vivid in my mind; I don't know why exactly but I'm moved to remember all the places, floating in bigger places, and how they're peopled. In part it has to do with the writing project I was working on at the residency, about the gray-green area between nature and culture especially characteristic of the Great Lakes region. So I wandered about the whole area a lot, every day in fact, even though I was practically always just roaming around the log house up the hill there from Graves Crossing, pacing down from the loft where I worked onto the back porch to the porch swing or right out into the yellow woods with house-shoes on to shuck the leaves a few minutes before drifting back in to the computer.

The area's called Northwest Lower Michigan in deference to the Upper Peninsula I believe. This past October was a beautiful time to be there - so mild but vibrant. The first nine days were perfect and identical in every sense - the light and sky looked the same, the air felt the same, the trees and brush smelled the same, the birds and road sounded the same, and my cooking tasted the exact same. Then it rained. And within a couple days a wide view appeared where before birch and maple and a couple other trees' leaves I didn't know had spent their one year aloft. It was a view to the west where I could see a long ridge, and I always imagined Lake Michigan was right over it, though in fact it was almost two hours past. But the closeness of thing is so proportional to its size I think, and Lake Michigan is felt all over northwest, lower, Michigan. I made a habit of stepping out back to watch the sun set over that ridge into the unseen lake almost every day around 5:30, before giving another hour of work a go, thinking of dinner and internet.

Really the most notable thing, the only thing about I wrote in the log book, is this other ridge, the top cliff-side of the hill that Hill House is on, about a 7 minute walk through the woods due south. You keep the place directly at your back, walk in the trees, hit a little gravel road, walk up, and there, there’s a clearing with a drop and beautiful vista that seemed almost purely metaphoric and moving in ‘perspective.’ What else is there to say?, except I even baked and slept well, and most importantly, didn’t fret when I didn’t work. The process behind creating work is volatile and needs neither pampering nor depravity, and it’s easy to err on both sides. I’m really thankful to and encouraged by ISLAND’s residency in part just for its balance of support and warmth, independence and straight-forwardness.

The challenge is really then redefined for the artist-in-residence, who’s free to be more grounded and accomplish what they want in quiet deals with themselves. I don’t know if I was extra-ordinarily ‘productive’ in my time at Hill House, but I’ve never come closer to that place where you can sustain a real creativity without a bad preoccupation with the final product – special thing; and I’ll continue to call up the place of that place and hope to get back there again.

Sincerely,
Moheb

We're hiring!

2011-10-14T11:07:00.000-04:00

Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design (ISLAND)

Position: Events Assistant

Overview: The new ISLAND Events Assistant position supports the work of the Events Coordinator. The position is responsible for a wide variety of activities related to events and workshops to support ISLAND’s mission. ISLAND hosts over 100 workshops and events each year, designed to build community and self-reliance skills and provide cultural experiences for the community. Examples include the green world (growing shiitakes, organic gardening, animal husbandry, raising bees), the real home ec (cheese making, fermenting, brewing, canning), tinkering (welding, cordwood building, carpentry), and arts and music (concerts, film series, book binding).

Time commitment: Averages 32 hours per week. Flexibility in schedule and willingness to work some evenings and weekends is a must. Position runs from January to November 2012 (the position after November 2012 is contingent on funding).

Location: The ISLAND office is located in Bellaire, Michigan. Events and workshops are held throughout northwest lower Michigan. The Events Assistant will both telecommute and work from the ISLAND office.

Salary: $10 per hour. Some benefits, like paid days off, are available after six months of employment. As much as we’d like to, we are unable to offer health benefits at this time.

Main Job Tasks & Responsibilities

Planning, managing, executing and evaluating events and workshops
Work closely with the Events Coordinator

Education & Experience

Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience
Knowledge of and passion for ISLAND’s mission
Basic knowledge of non-profit structure
Proficient in email, word processing and spreadsheet programs (i.e., Google Docs or Microsoft Office)
Prior experience working in a team environment
Prior experience organizing events

Key Competencies & Requirements

Ability to plan, organize and meet deadlines

A reliable car/method of transportation is necessary for travel to events and workshops
Must have reliable and regular access to email, a personal computer and a cell phone
Excellent attention to detail
Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
Ability to thrive in and be highly productive in a self-directed work environment

Application Instructions: Interested candidates should submit the following application materials via email to Amanda Kik, Co-Director, at amanda@artmeetsearth.org:

Cover letter
Resume
List of references

Applications materials received by November 11, 2011 will receive first review and preference for first round interviews. Position will remain open until filled by the right candidate.

For more information about ISLAND, visit www.artmeetsearth.org.

Gifts of Time: Ingrid Norton on Her Residency

2011-10-14T08:22:00.001-04:00

Gifts of Time: Ingrid Norton on Her Residency
May 18^th-June 2^nd, 2011

My third day here and already a blur of thought and reflection, the work spooling out of me, the wonderful attention of reading, the thin wispy trees and subtle changes of light, the clarity of thinking about my life, the way Detroit settles and is so deep and real to my memory.

--Journal Kept at Hill House, May 2011

The depth and yield of my days at Hill House stagger me. Hill House is where I finished the rough draft of a novel and where I printed and read through the manuscript for the first time. Each day at the residency was dense with thought and creation. Journals from my two weeks at Hill House contain obsessive notes about my own novel-in-progress, dissections of the half dozen books I read while there, descriptions of walks in the woods and of Michigan’s tumultuous spring weather, recollections of meals I cooked, and memories and ideas I reflected upon. Each day, I discovered anew the rich current of work that flows from dedicated space and time…

A huge thunderstorm broke forth after I finished drafting a dramatic scene. Doors slammed with the changing air pressure. I ran out to my car to retrieve a Sherwood Anderson novel before the downpour began. Inside, the lights flickered and then went out completely. I stood out on the deck listening to the thunder and watching long shots of lightning blaze through the blackened air. That night, I read myself to sleep by candlelight.

The next day, returning from a walk along the Jordan River, I scraped the title of my manuscript, BACK IN D, into the dirt road that leads to Hill House.

My hunger for concentration was fortified by the small, harmonious pleasures of the house itself. On another morning as I chopped ingredients for an omelet in the kitchen, the way a difficult chapter should resolve came into my mind. I jotted it down in the open notebook I’d placed on the counter and, after eating, carried my notes upstairs and began an afternoon of work.

That moment--the notebook beside the cutting board--symbolizes for me the subtle and renewing creative process that occurred at Hill House. When distractions are dispersed, each moment begins to merge with one’s work. To support that process is its own generosity and art. I remain astounded at how wonderfully Amanda and Brad Kik (and the whole ISLAND team) cultivate the residency program and labor to promote wisdom and community in northwest Michigan. Hill House resounds with creativity and love: that is true of the large principles of sustainability, local food, and attentiveness to region which animate the space and program. It also manifests itself in countless small, considerate details: the fresh local food, stack of regional maps, readied printer, extra guitar picks, and carefully chosen library of literature and cookbooks.

Most salutary to the experience is a sense of trust. To be given freedom to work is a tremendous gift. It is essential--but also extremely rare. To vouchsafe one’s energy to artistic creation--whether of literature, art, or music--is a demanding and uncertain proposition. It requires negotiation, sacrifice, and invention: Not only on the page or canvas, but in the prosaic domains of scheduling and finance; in the intricate arena of one’s relationships and mental states. There are many forces that act to circumscribe ambition, blunt imagination, and discourage risk. It can be difficult to feel one has the world’s permission to devote energy to projects of uncertain outcome. Even in the most nurturing of circumstances, an artist continually pushes against the grain to find time, space, and self-belief. By clearing the usual obstacles, the residency at Hill House creates terrain open to reflection and endeavor.

One’s great task is to carry that energy forward. As I prepare to rewrite the manuscript and take on new projects over the coming year, I am aware of needing to steel myself and gather all the support I can. I’m deeply fortunate to call on Hill House’s bounty of time and trust as I continue down that long and wending road. Equally comforting and enlivening is the knowledge that as I embark on new ventures in my own work, Hill House continues to spread its light and expand its mission.

Hog Breakdown and Charcuterie Workshop with Steven Grostick

2011-09-02T14:19:00.002-04:00

Saturday, October 1 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at Epicure Catering, 5530 N West Bayshore Drive, Omena, MI

The ultimate workshop for the foodie homesteader!

We'll will start with a hands-on hog breakdown from primal cuts of meat into cuts for charcuterie. Then, using simple cooking techniques, you will learn to preserve meat in your own home through salting, smoking and curing. This craft has been practiced for hundreds of years and is easier than you think. Some salt, a little time and you have all you need to enjoy the art of preserving. Techniques will be discussed in detail. You will get plenty of hands-on experience, as well as freshly butchered pork to take home to complete the curing process on your own.

Steven Grostick is award winning Executive Chef at Toasted Oak Grill and Marketplace of Novi with more than 15 years of experience as a progressive culinary professional. Steven studied and trained under Chef Brian Polcyn for 11 years, during which time he assisted in testing recipes for the book Charcuterie, the Art and Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing.

Cost is $195, which includes a gourmet lunch featuring pork by Epicure Catering, a copy of Charcuterie, the Art and Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, and an equal share of freshly butchered pork to take home. Each attendee will need to bring their own knife. Pre-registration required by Monday, September 26th.

To register and for more information, contact Yvonne at (231) 480-4515 or yvonne@artmeetsearth.org.

In partnership with the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference

With support from: Epicure Catering, Hillside Homestead, The May Farm, Rising Star Wellness Center, Eden Foods, and Organic Valley.

CRAFT at Windsong Farm

2011-08-16T16:41:00.003-04:00

CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) was held this past Sunday at Windsong farm in Honor. The farm has been in the same family for over 100 years and is still run by a member of that family, Cindra Moore. At the farm she focuses on her personal food supply along with herbs. Her herbs are grown both as food and can be used for medicinal purposes. Some can be heated for herbal teas, made into oils, or eaten directly with foods. There were many plants that she explained in detail, some that help with the common cold, to one more specific plant called Pleurisy that helps with the lung ailment of the same name along with other respiratory conditions.

In addition to having herbs for practical use, Cindra had an interesting take on the relationship between her farming and ritual. This sense seemed to inform how she planted her gardens spatially with the land, what she grows, and how she goes about the harvest and cultivation. We ended the afternoon with some fresh kale from her garden, and lots of other yummy dishes brought by folks who attended.

—Dulcee, ISLAND summer intern

Central Lake School Garden

2011-08-13T14:39:00.000-04:00

The Central Lake School Garden is in production!

before

after

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Fiber Arts Workshop

2011-08-12T14:25:00.002-04:00

Shanna Robinson, teacher at North Central Michigan College, and ISLAND Hill House artist in residence Katie Vota lead last weekend's Fiber Arts Workshop at the Dhaseleer Events Barn.

The indigo dyed fabrics and yarns hanging to dry

Katie helping Brad dye his overalls

We had a great time!

Yarn from Stonehedge Fiber Mill soaking in dye made from locally harvested plants

Shanna putting yarn in the pot to soak

You can read about Katie's experiences at the Hill House on her blog, A Different Space. Katie is on her way to Peru on a Fullbright Scholarship to work with local communities in fiber arts.

Fund your next project! Deadline August 12

2011-08-11T15:56:00.000-04:00

Applications are available online: http://artmeetsearth.org/sundaysoup.html

Sunday Soup: Sunday, August 21 at The Good Work Collective, 417 S. Union St., Traverse City

Welcome to Sunday Soup, an open source, community driven, micro-granting program to support the creation of new art in our region. Artists of any age, any discipline and from anywhere in the ten-county area may apply. The applications are collected and juried by ISLAND (Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design) and the best projects are selected to present to the Sunday Soup community. Once a month, folks gather at Porterhouse Productions’ new all arts gallery and community space, The Good Work Collective in Traverse City, and donate $5 to $20 for a delicious meal of local soup, salad and bread, while enjoying three to five short presentations by the selected artists. Each presentation will be a 5-minute, informative and entertaining explanation of the proposed art project. After the presentations, the community will drop their soup spoons into a voting bucket for their favorite project—and at the end of the night, the project with the most spoons takes home 100% of the cash brought in at the door. Let’s fund local artists with local money!

Brought to you by: The Good Work Collective, ISLAND, OASIS and Porterhouse Productions

With Support from: The Cooks' House, Oryana, Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery, Tandem Ciders, Traverse City Wine & Art Festival

Sunday Soup is on Facebook! Like us!

Sense of Place: 10 ways to connect artists to a residency program.

2011-07-30T14:44:00.007-04:00

I'm excited to see more residency programs working to connect art making with community, ecology and a sense of place. Unlike the older "retreat" model, which serves artists (often from urban areas) by allowing them to "get away" and commune with something vaguely referred to as "nature," a true sense of place helps artists comprehend that they have arrived somewhere with a rich history. This history is not just the names and stories of artists who have come before or the biography of the founder, but a complex interweaving of ecology, economy and community.

What follows are some notes toward a future document: Ten ways to connect artists to a sense of place at a residency program. This list is slanted towards ecological awareness, rural areas and the ecology of ISLAND's home in northern lower Michigan. Comments and additions are appreciated.

1.) Nature based interpretation. Used to great success in our national parks, interpretive signs, tags, displays and tours readily communicate plant and animal species, historic events, wayfinding and other basic information about the ecology and history of a place. Examples: a display illustrating what a residency looked like 500, 200, 50 and 10 years ago, and how the ecology has changed in that time. A Studio in the Woods has an environmental curator on staff!

2.) Artistic interpretation. A variation on the above, but using local artists to create the signs and referring to the creation and appreciation of art. Examples: signs directing potters to local seams of clay with notes on different types' usefulness in glazes. An outdoor installation which comments on and directs attention to the surrounding landscape.

3.) Life on the land. A residency program must have other uses and be a place of activity and work outside of the work of the artists. Examples: Madroño Ranch is a working bison ranch that offers hunting, fishing and cooking workshops to the public and sells meat, eggs and produce. Atlantic Center for the Arts keeps beehives and sells the honey to raise funds.

4.) Invite artist engagement with the above. Artists can work on the land outside of their art making. Example: morning chores in the garden, help milking the goats, trail work, volunteering at the local food pantry.

5.) Connection to the community. This is always easier said than done, and requires care in creating seclusion for working artists while still allowing them to experience the larger culture in which they work. Example: residency tours/open studio, readings or concerts in community spaces, inviting community elders to dinner at the residency.

6.) Create art supplies from the land. Use locally available natural resources to provide raw materials for art making, either as equipment or supplies. Examples: beeswax (bees), milk paints (goats), art-grade charcoal (willow), wood for carving, clay for pottery, fiber (sheep, alpaca, etc.), natural dyes and found materials.

7.) Use the land itself for art making. This can be as simple as installation art using local resources or using the land itself as gallery. Think beyond just a sculpture park. Examples: much of the work being done at A Studio in the Woods and Art Farm.

8.) Hospitality from the land. Grow food for the artists. Use native flowers as table centerpieces. Use local materials in the construction of buildings. Partner with local farms to eat food that is local and in season. Partner with local breweries, wineries, cideries, dairies, butchers, smokehouses, fermenters and other craft industries to supply as many needs as possible for the artists. Example: the Hill House comes stocked with local and seasonal produce, fish, cheese, meat and wine, along with empty growlers that can be filled at the local pub.

9.) Keep it wild. Resist the urge to over-manicure the landscape. Allow for wilder plants and fungi to populate the grounds, even if some of them are "weeds." Value the edges where the cultivated meets the wild. Create simple paths leading visitors into less manicured places. And yes, provide mosquito spray or bear mace or even a guide. Example: both the Hill House and the ISLAND property are connected to large tracts of public forest, including a canoe river. A Studio in the Woods keeps the cultivated footprint to a minimum to allow artists to engage with the bottomland forest ecology.

10.) Seek close encounters. Vistas are great, but real engagement takes place at arms length or closer. Use wild space, along with bat houses, bird feeders, butterfly gardens and meandering paths to help create dynamic, intimate encounters between artists and the wild nature. If your wild nature includes mountain lions, bears or alligators you'll want to think carefully about what to invite in and what to exclude. Example: A Studio in the Woods has a simple dock overlooking a small pond, and allows fallen trees to decay in place, creating more habitat for wild creatures.

This list is intended to be a rough beginning to a more polished document. I expect it to change drastically as more folks look at it and offer their thoughts, and I realize it is focused on my part of the world - the woods and water of rural northern lower Michigan. Your help is appreciated in tailoring it to your own ecological, economic and cultural landscapes.

—Brad

CRAFT at Common Sense Energy

2011-07-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

The most recent CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) event was held at Common Sense Energy Farm in Williamsburg. Here, Marty Dillion raises lots of different things including chickens, grapes, corn, and pigs, but his big focus currently is dairy cows. He has five cattle all at different ages, and just earlier this year the newest steer was born.

During part of the event Marty took us on a walking tour of his small rotational grazing set-up. Instead of feeding his cattle corn, he has a system of grazing pastures to feed the cattle for the majority of the year. This reduces the amount of hay he needs year-round, which makes his farming more affordable. In his descriptions of the pastures he mentioned plants that have an effect on milk production and health. Clover is one plant that is harmful when cattle each too much. It can cause bloat in the stomach, which if not treated right away can be deadly. Also what the cattle eat can have an effect on the taste of the milk.

After the pasture tour we all got to milk one of his cows by hand. When milking by hand it's best not to set the bucket on the ground, but hold it between the knees so the cow won’t kick it over. Marty told us also to lean against the cow so she knows where you are when milking her. After we all had a chance to milk, Marty let her youngster come over so he could eat too.

We ended the day with some wine tasting made from grapes and other fruit grown there at the farm.

—Dulcee, ISLAND Summer Intern

Fiber Art Workshop

2011-07-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

Sunday, August 7 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
at Dhasleer Events Barn, 15794 Paddock Road, Charlevoix, MI

Join fiber artists Shanna Robinson and Katie Vota for a hands-on workshop to learn how to dye wool, cotton, and silk from wildcrafted plants, work with alum mordant, and safely handle natural dyes. Each participant will take home swatch samples. You will also participate in an indigo vat dye, so bring along natural-fiber clothing to dye blue, including old blue jeans that need sprucing up, or clothes you are interested in altering the color of. Preregistration required by Thursday, August 4th. $20. Please bring rubber gloves, a face mask, an apron, scissors, and clothes to dye in the indigo.

To register and for more information, contact Yvonne at yvonne@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515.

Butoh Dance Workshop

2011-07-26T13:17:00.000-04:00

Sunday, July 31 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
at Dhasleer Events Barn, 15794 Paddock Road, Charlevoix, MI

Cornelia Dhaseleer will lead this exploratory dance workshop, and guide students to find and develop their own creative body language. Bring a favorite item (wearable or not), which will become your 'partner' in this body work. The workshop will consist of two hours of practice and training followed by a 45-minute break with a home grown veggie lunch. The remaining time will be used as time for students to share their works in progress with one another. All skill levels welcome.

In 1979, Cornelia Dhaseleer began studying post modern dance with Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson in London. She also pursued dance movement studies at Naropa Institute in Boulder Colorado. From 1985-1986 she went to Tokyo to study Aikido at Hombu Dojo and Butoh Dance with Tanaka Min. Recently she reimmersed herself in Butoh Dance with Minako Seki.

A partnership of ISLAND and Dhaseleer Events Barn. For teens & adults. $15, lunch included. To register and for more information, contact Yvonne at yvonne@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515.

Volunteer!

2011-07-25T07:58:00.002-04:00

Volunteering is a great way to meet people, build skills, and support ISLAND. In some cases, volunteering also gets you into workshops and events for free or reduced rates. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the opportunities below, please contact Amanda Kik at amanda@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515.

Cordwood Building
Gain cordwood building experience while helping to finish the sauna started at the recent workshop. The building is at the ISLAND property in Bellaire. Please contact us to get the schedule.

Cordwood masonry is an old building technique whereby walls are constructed of short logs (log-ends) laid up widthwise in the wall within a special mortar matrix. The wall derives excellent insulation and thermal mass characteristics from insulation sandwiched between the inner and outer mortar joints. Cordwood houses are low in cost, use indigenous materials and are easy and fun to build.

Canning Workshops
Come join in the fun of a community canning party. We need help with set up and clean up. Volunteers get a reduced rate for the workshop.
Please see the events page on our website for dates and locations of upcoming canning workshops.

Sunday Soup
Volunteer at Sunday Soup! We need servers, help with set up and clean up, and miscellaneous tasks. Volunteers enjoy free admission and dinner. The next Sunday Soup is August 21 at The Good Work Collective in Old Town Traverse City.

Sunday Soup is a community driven, micro-granting program to support the creation of new art. Artists apply; the best projects present. The community gathers and donate $5-$20 for a meal while enjoying presentations by the selected artists. After the presentations, folks drop their spoons into a voting bucket for their favorite project—the project with the most spoons takes home the door money.

Preserve the Harvest

2011-07-25T07:57:00.001-04:00

Learn safe canning techniques, join the fun of canning with friends and take home a share of the bounty!

Come learn how to can; or if you know how, come join in the fun of a community canning party. Register early as space is limited. Registration fee covers produce, canning jars and lids. Each participant will can hands-on, and will take a share of the jars home at the end of the workshop. Dates and times subject to change based on harvest fluctuations. For up-to-date information, including locations, times and cost visit www.artmeetsearth.org/events.html.

Preregistration is required. Contact Yvonne at yvonne@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515.

Apricot Canning
Thursday, August 11
12pm to 5pm
King Orchards, Central Lake

Dilly Beans and Cucumber Pickling
Thursday, August 25
12pm to 5pm
Birch Point Farm, Traverse City

Tomato Canning
Monday, September 12
12pm to 5pm
Wells Family Farm, Williamsburg

Root Storage Workshop
Thursday, September 22
5:30pm to 7:30 pm
Providence Farm, Central Lake

Charcuterie Workshop With Steven Grostick
(home meat curing)
Saturday, October 1
10am to 3pm
Epicure Catering, Omena

Applesauce Canning
Thursday, October 13
12pm to 5pm
TBA

Want to volunteer at one of these events? Contact Yvonne at yvonne@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515.

Made possible with support from Eden Foods, Rising Star Wellness Center andOrganic Valley

Triple Your Impact Today

2011-07-12T18:18:00.004-04:00

A generous donor has offered us a three to one challenge grant.Make your tax-deductable gift before midnight August 15 and your gift will be matched three to one, up to $6,000.

What People are saying About ISLAND

“One of the pleasures of talking to Brad and Amanda is that solid ideas are being fermented and tested; there's a quality to such conversations that is truly nutritive, the way a good meal can be, and it reassures one that the arts are not exclusive to a cosmopolitan life."
—Holly Wren Spaulding

“For anyone who is tired of talk and ready to just do something, ISLAND has a workshop. Those who spend a few hours or a few days at an affordable ISLAND workshop go home with the knowledge and, often, materials they need to immediately be more self- reliant. ISLAND is training a new generation of backyard beekeepers, mushroom cultivators, chicken tenders, natural builders, cheese makers and community gardeners. ISLAND focuses its work on giving people skills they can immediately put into practice to improve their household economy while reducing their need for energy-intensive industrial goods.

"I'm amazed at the impact ISLAND has achieved in its few short years. The practical, well- run workshops, along with the community-focused artistic outreach, has generated tremendous goodwill and volunteer involvement, enabling ISLAND to accomplish much more than seems possible on its small budget. I'm proud to be among the many enthusiastic fans of an organization that has emerged as one of northern Michigan's premiere resources and leaders in creating a vibrant future.” —Sharon Flesher

“Just wanted to send a shout out and a big thank you to ISLAND for a great day on Saturday. We have always wanted to grow mushrooms, but just didn't know how. We sure appreciated the great instruction. The hands-on teaching experience not only sent us home with our own logs, but gave us the tools to do it on our own next year. We couldn't be more excited and we would definitely do it again!” —Brian Beauchamp

Three easy ways to give:

Donate online
Send your check to ISLAND at 5870 Cottage Drive, Bellaire, MI 49615
Call 231-480-4515

CRAFT at DeYoung Farm

2011-07-12T08:33:00.005-04:00

Sunday afternoon's CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) was held at the DeYoung Farm just outside of Traverse City. Several years ago, the Leelanau Conservancy bought the farm in order to preserve it as an agricultural site and for its natural beauty. There were about seven people who visited to learn about the heirloom bean crops currently being grown. Two fields are growing on the property mostly filled with beans to sell at market, though some will get saved for next season's planting. These beans can be used for eating in soups, and each variety has a subtly different taste.

In addition to the beans, there are sunflowers growing in both fields. This sunflower variety has seeds particularly high in oil content. When these seeds are mature they will be black, and then pressed to harvest the oil. During the pressing process it is important not to get the seeds too warm, as this can cause a loss of nutritional value in the oil. Marty, who runs the farm, says that the sunflowers are a new adventure at the farm this year. The oil that is harvested has health benefits, and is of course useful for cooking.

After Marty showed us what is grown on the farm, we toured the other projects and machines that he uses: the irrigation system that is fed by a stream near the property, an old combine that still works, his new planting system for seeds, and a cultivator that really speeds up weeding time. All of these tools help Marty’s work to be sustainable and organic.

Marty has a strong sense of radical tradition, and an interest in passing along smart agricultural practice through his work at the DeYoung Farm. We ended the afternoon with some quiche and bread in the shade.

For more information on the CRAFT program, visit http://artmeetsearth.org/craft.html

—Dulcee Boehm, summer intern

Your Gift Tripled

2011-07-07T08:43:00.002-04:00

A generous donor has offered us a two to one challenge grant. Make your tax-deductable gift before midnight, August 15, and your gift will be matched two to one, up to $6,000.

What Your Contribution Supports

ISLAND’s current programs reflect our commitment to serving the arts, agricultural and ecological communities of northwest lower Michigan:

The Hill House Residency Program is an artist residency serving emerging musicians, writers at all stages of their career and a growing selection of non-studio artists. Awards are given to between 12 and 18 artists each year and consist of time and space—two to four weeks in a rustic log cabin near the Jordan River, stocked with local and organic food—as a way to support artists and the creation of new art. According to Caitline Strokosch, Executive Director of the Alliance of Artists Communities, “ISLAND is an emerging leader in this field, and has already begun to shape the ways we think about the interconnectedness of artists and community.”
School Garden Projects in Rapid City Elementary School and Central Lake Elementary School connect K-5 students with nature and science through hands-on work in student-driven school and community gardens.
The CRAFT Program, the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training, enhances agricultural internships through a regional network of farms. Each growing season a score of small farms take turns hosting workshops, farm tours and social potlucks as a way for interns to gain exposure to a wide range of agricultural techniques and management styles, and to build community amongst young and beginning farmers.
Workshops and Skill Swaps focus on building community self-reliance through a wide range of skills, from beekeeping and home-mushroom production to wildlife tracking, cordwood building and mead making. ISLAND has hosted nearly 100 different events over the last six years, with over 60 slated for 2011.

A generous donor has recognized ISLAND’s important work in this community. Please join her in supporting local agriculture, the arts and ecology.

Three easy ways to give:

Donate online
Send your check to ISLAND at 5870 Cottage Drive, Bellaire, MI 49615
Call 231-480-4515

PS: There are only six short summer weeks before our August 15 deadline. Your gift will be matched two to one, so please give today!

ISLAND Featured in Edible Grande Traverse

2011-07-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

Holly Wren Spaulding, former writer in residence at the ISLAND Hill House, wrote a lovely article about ISLAND for the summer issue of Edible Grande Traverse.

Check it out: The Good Earth

ISLAND was given the 2011 Local Hero Award, Non-Profit Organization Category for "outstanding contribution to the local foods movement in the Edible Grande Traverse community."

We're honored.

—Amanda

Putting Food By

2011-07-02T10:01:00.005-04:00

So far this summer, I've pickled garlic scapes, made strawberry jam and dried strawberries. If you've never dried strawberries, I recommend it. The whole house smelled like it was inside of a sundae. All day.

Want to learn more about food preservation? We have plenty of events coming up just for you:

Apricot and Peach Canning
Dilly Beans and Cucumber Pickling
Tomato Canning
Root Storage
Charcuterie

Details are available on our events page.

What are you putting by this summer?

—Amanda

Building a Cordwood Sauna

2011-06-27T07:30:00.004-04:00

Earthwood Building School's Rob and Jaki Roy were here in Bellaire last week teaching 16 students cordwood masonry construction. The Roys have authored 15 books, including The Sauna and Cordwood Building: The State of the Art.

According to Earthwood Building School,

Cordwood masonry is an old building technique whereby walls are constructed of short logs (called "log-ends") laid up widthwise in the wall within a special mortar matrix. The wall derives excellent insulation and thermal mass characteristics from insulation sandwiched between the inner and outer mortar joints. Cordwood houses are low in cost, use indigenous materials, and are easy and fun to build.

Using a home made water level on the foundation

Pointing the mortar

Trimming up the logs

Mixing the mortar

Teamwork!

Working on the shady side

Sawdust acts as insulation inside the walls

Chicks

2011-06-21T13:06:00.003-04:00

Six chicks have hatched at the Kik house this week. They are fluffy and adorable. They chirp. Loudly.

Chicks more often arrive in the mail, annoying the local postal staff with their loud cheeps and chirps until they are picked up by their excited new owners.

They are brought home and placed under a heat lamp in a ventilated but not drafty place, safe from predators, and lovingly fed and watered. Each day, their vents are inspected for pasting up—poop can cake up on their hind ends, which can be fatal. Chicks stay in the brooder like this for several weeks before they are ready for the chicken yard.

Adding chicks to an existing flock can be tricky. They need to figure out a new pecking order, and smaller chickens are usually at the bottom of this order. It can be pretty brutal.

But there is an alternative to this system—let the hens go broody. When you let hens hatch their own eggs, all you have to do is enjoy and watch the mamas tend to their fluffy little chicks. The hens raise the chicks and they are incorporated into the flock. Mama hens know what to do.

For this reason, We've been working to perpetuate our flock by broody hens instead of mail order. It has been challenging, because we've had predators cull our flock regularly (the chicken house bloodbath and the possum with the big scary teeth is a stor for another day). We have still ordered chicks each year from a hatchery, but we're hoping that this will be the last year for that.

There are reasons not to let let hens go broody. They can be "disruptive." They steal other hens' eggs to sit on, so you run low on eggs for the daily three egg omelets to which you've become accustomed. Many breeds have had the broodiness bred out of them for this reason.

This is our third year with chickens, and we're still learning. But we haven't yet gotten over the thrill of watching a chick peck its way out of an egg while mama hen fusses to make sure the young are safe.

Amanda

The fox that visits the hen house every few days

June Sunday Soup Cancelled

2011-06-21T07:33:00.000-04:00

Sorry! June's Sunday Soup has been cancelled. Please join us for the next Sunday Soup on August 21. To apply and for more details, visit www.artmeetsearth.org.

Introduction to Welding

2011-06-16T12:50:00.000-04:00

Learn welding for farm, homestead or hobby

Thursday, July 14 from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm
at The Stephens', 4067 West Eddy School Rd, Bellaire, MI

This workshop for adults will be a solid introductory course in mig welding with experienced welder, Derek Newland. Learn the basics of metal inert gas welding, including safety, equipment and operation. Derek will demontrate welding techniques.

For hands-on learning, schedule one-on-one time with Derek in the days following the course.

Class size is limited to 10 attendees. Pre-register by July 8th.

Sliding scale $50-$75 for the introductory workshop. An additional $20 for hands-on time, scheduled for a later date.

For more information and to register, contact Yvonne at yvonne@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515.

A partnership with the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference.

Hand in Hand Garden Ribbon Cutting

2011-06-08T14:29:00.004-04:00

Last week, the ribbon was cut on the Hand in Hand Garden in Rapid City.

Hand in Hand is two gardens in one. It is the Rapid City School garden, providing educational opportunities for young students, not only in nutrition and food production, but in math, science, art, writing and other school day classes. It is also a community garden, where local folks rent plots to garden and learn from each other.

Many thanks to the Begonia Family Foundation for their support of this project!

Highlights From Tractors and Chainsaws Workshop

2011-05-27T13:26:00.001-04:00

Deadline July 1 for Round 2 of the Hill House 2011/12 Season

2011-05-27T08:35:00.003-04:00

The deadline for round two of the ISLAND Hill House 2011/12 season (for residencies from September through December 2011) is July 1.

The goal of the Hill House Residency is to support talented emerging songwriters, writers at all stages of their career and non-studio artists with a two, three or four week stay in a semi-secluded log cabin near East Jordan, Michigan. It includes a well stocked kitchen, a selection of instruments and some basic recording gear, as well as opportunities for community exchange through performance, readings and workshops (only at your request, of course). The emerging musician residency also offers a small stipend to aid in your professional development.

Artists age 21 and older from anywhere in the world may apply. Solo artists as well as collaborating teams of up to four people may apply.

For more information, visit http://artmeetsearth.org/artistresidency.html

Creative Impact Michigan

2011-05-26T08:19:00.002-04:00

Artserve Michigan's new project has been launched: Creative Impact Michigan.

Astserve saw a need to tell positive stories about how art impacts the lives of Michiganders. Through this regular e-magazine, they will be featuring arts of all kinds all over the state.

Read the inaugural issue—ISLAND is one of the features!

Students Experience Life on a Small Farm

2011-05-25T12:54:00.001-04:00

Mancelona and Ellsworth 5th graders got some hands-on learning last week when they visited Raven's Roost farm in Bellaire.

The students milked goats, led a llama pack animal, gazed at cows, pet two-day-old lambs, practiced spinning yarn, learned about rotational grazing and pasture, made butter and walked the woods with a professional forester.

While some adults are intimidated by llamas, the kids were enthralled. More than once, Doug Bedell, owner of Raven's Roost Farm, heard, "Can I take this llama home with me?"

Raven's Roost Farm, located on Vandermark Road near Bellaire, raises Shetland sheep and Scottish Highland cattle. The sheep are a variety of colors and their fleece is high quality, with an average micron range of 22.9 to 34.3. The cattle is an ancient Scottish breed that is very hardy—perfect for the cold northern Michigan winters.

The farm tour was organized by the Antrim Conservation District, Antrim Michigan State University Extension (MSUE), Foraging Fibers, the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design (ISLAND), Moondog Farm, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Raven's Roost Farm.

Sunday Soup Raises Over $500 for Homeless Youth Theater Project

2011-05-24T14:55:00.000-04:00

Next Sunday Soup: June 26, applications due June 13 (applications available online)

Congratulations to the artists who presented at the first Sunday Soup! Warren Bogan, Margie Guyot, Johamy Morales, and Todd Springer had five minutes each to present their work in hopes of walking away with community donations.

More than $500 was raised at Traverse City's first Sunday Soup. Funding when to Johamy Morales' project, Voices of Now, which works with the Students in Transition Empowerment Program (STEP) to create a theatrical work about homelessness.

STEP is a free program of the Traverse City Area Public Schools that ensures the educational rights of families and youth who lack fixed, regular, and adequate housing. The goal of the program is to ensure school stability, remove barriers to full participation in education, and support academic achievement while children are in residential transition.

"Throughout my research I have become aware of the problem of homelessness that many students experience here in Traverse City. I feel that it is essential for the community to begin a dialog in order to educate one another and create social change." Johamy said.

This fall, students will spend five weeks devising and developing a theatrical work on the issue of homelessness. During this time they will learn how to work together and use theater as a free form of expression. Studets will perform their finished piece for the community.

Sunday Soup is an open source, community driven, micro-granting program to support the creation of new art in our region. Artists of any age, any discipline and from anywhere in the ten-county area may apply. The applications are collected and juried by ISLAND and the best projects are selected to present to the Sunday Soup community. Once a month, folks gather at Porterhouse Productions’ new all arts gallery and community space, The Good Work Collective in Traverse City. They donate $5 to $20 for a delicious meal of local soup, salad and bread, while enjoying three to five short presentations by the selected artists. Each presentation will be a 5-minute, informative and entertaining explanation of the proposed art project. After the presentations, the community will drop their soup spoons into a voting bucket for their favorite project—and at the end of the night, the project with the most spoons takes home 100% of the cash brought in at the door. Let’s fund local artists with local money!

Brought to you by:

With Support from: The Cooks' House, Oryana, Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery, Tandem Ciders, Traverse City Wine & Art Festival

Sunday Soup is on Facebook! Like us!

Support for Beginning Farmers

2011-05-23T12:49:00.002-04:00

Traditionally, farming is a family business. Parents pass on land and knowledge to their kids, who pass it on to their kids. But more than ever, there are folks that want to farm that do not come from farming families.

These budding farmers often opt to intern on established farms to glean what they can from experienced farmers over the course of a summer or two. But the intern experience is limited. They only learn from one farm, and they can feel cloistered.

CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) is a network of farmers of all ages and experience levels who are interested in continuing their agricultural education. CRAFT offers exposure to a diversity of farm designs and agricultural practices through potlucks, workshops and farm tours. It builds a supportive community of farmers and farmers-in-training, one farm at a time.

The first CRAFT program was founded in upstate New York in 1995. Northwest Lower Michigan CRAFT was designed in 2010 to meet the needs of farm interns or apprentices, but the program is for anyone interested in learning (or teaching) agricultural skills. ISLAND (Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design) and the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference brought the model to here to support the growing network of farmers and farmers-in-training in the region.

The Wells Family Farm will host the next CRAFT farm tour, workshop and potluck at their Elk Rapids farm on June 12. “In 28 years of farming we've never learned as much as when we have visited other sustainable farms. You can read books, magazines and watch videos, but from our experience there is something very special about meeting the farmer on her/his land and seeing their creative ways of doing things.,” says Phyllis Wells.

Anyone interested in farming—interns, beginning farmers, micro-farmers, homesteaders and gardeners—are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Amanda at ISLAND by phone at (231) 480-4515 or by email at amanda@artmeetsearth.org.

Reflections after Hill House

2011-03-23T16:53:00.007-04:00

Alice Beckett
December 1-15, 2010

I arrived at the Hill House on a snowy afternoon after a red-eye and a long layover, so I was excited but exhausted. Walking into the cozy house, I was welcomed by fresh flowers, a thoughtful note, and a warm bed, which I fell into right away. I slept away that afternoon, ate a delicious dinner, and then wrote five thousand words while snow fell gently outside. I called it quits at three in the morning, totally satisfied with my “day.” My diurnality was wrecked, but it didn’t matter.

As the “days” went by, I discovered things about the house: places to work, places to curl up and read, which one is the best blanket. Having always lived with other people, I also discovered things about myself: I don’t talk to myself; I get scared of the dark; I like being alone. Every day, I wrote for several hours, but even more I read. I read book after book, in complete, uninterrupted quiet. During those silent afternoons in the hammock, and those long nights by the fire, I focused on what makes a good, absorbing book, and I renewed my excitement for trying to make one.

From the home-raised eggs and vegetables at our potluck, the dinner conversations about cheese caves and brewing chemicals, and even the unhomogonized milk in the fridge, it was clear that the ISLAND staff care a lot about how good food, and other good things, are made to happen. They are passionate about producing the means for good living, and helping others do the same. Because of their influence, I am more conscious of my power to make the things that matter to me, including stories, and to do so on my terms.

Art, Film, Philosophy and Kickstarter

2011-01-29T12:59:00.005-05:00

One of the issues that arises for small non-profits like ourselves, working to provide interesting arts programs for small towns, is that the cost of showing films is prohibitive for the small groups we are able to attract. To restate that: many non-profits break copyright law by renting a DVD and then projecting it to the public. The alternative is to pay hundreds of dollars for a single showing. If you can get 50 people to show up and pay between $5 and $10 each, you might cover the cost of the film, but you have to pay either way, and for many of those 50 they could probably just add the movie to their Netflix queue and not pay extra for it. It's an issue for us.

Luckily we've found an incredible alternative: Kickstarter. Dubbed "a new way to fund and follow creativity," Kickstarter helps artists of all kinds, but particularly filmmakers, authors and musicians, find the money they need to finish and distribute projects. I won't go into the details of how it works, since Kickstarter is a fairly popular deal now and you can learn all you want by visiting their site.

What we love about it, though, is not readily apparent from the basic funding explanation. It's this: when we become a backer of a film, we also open a conversation with the producers and directors of that film. In many cases (not all, but plenty) either permission for public showings is given as part of the backing, or a few emails back and forth are all it takes to negotiate some basic terms. Most of these movies don't have major distributors yet, so not only can we get a great deal on them, we are also showing fresh new films from talented emerging filmmakers to our small community. Win. win. win. win.

So this year we'll be showing a few films that you probably haven't seen before and won't find on Netflix quite yet. They are:

February 16: The Vanishing of the Bees, a full-length documentary narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page, follows two commercial beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The film also features organic beekeepers Gunther Hauk, Dee Lusby, food activist and author Michael Pollan and leading scientists on the case such as Dennis van Engelsdorp. Covering the global scope of this story in America, Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and Mother Earth.

February 23: The Farmer and the Horse, a feature-length documentary film that tells the story of young farmers in New Jersey with an anachronistic passion: farming with draft horses. Follow filmmaker Jared Flesher as he follows farmers Tom, Matt, and Aubrey out of the suburbs and back to the land. Way back.

Along with this, we're already planning for next year. We hope you can help back a currently active Kickstarter project focused on Haida Gwaii, "the islands at the edge of the world." This documentary focuses on the intersections of craft, myth and ecology. Fans of Robert Bringhurst will recognize the Haida as one of the great oral literatures of the world. $30 gets you a DVD and helps bring their world to ours.

Also, there are just three days left to get the final funding for Run Across Ethiopia, a documentary about the experience of musicians and runners as they sought to raise funds for a school in the impoverished coffee growing regions of Ethiopia. Last time I checked these guys only needed about $350 to meet their goal! We hope to show both of these films next winter, but they need your support to make that happen.

Happy Kickstarting!

Time to Slow Down: Post residency with Kathy Leisen

2010-12-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

Detroit native Kathy Leisen, and her cat Gerome, received their first northern lower Michigan welcome at ISLAND's Hill House residency. Leisen spent the month of November at the residency, embracing the solitude and slower pace of life. Following are her thoughts of reflection.

"My first impressions of the Hill House were of thrill and amazement. I felt so lucky. The house and the surrounding area exceeded my expectations in terms of size, beauty, comfort, and overall creative atmosphere. There was a bottle of wine there for me with a note and chocolate chip cookies. There were several guitars and other pieces of equipment, good books on the shelf, and of course the beautiful-sounding piano. I list these things to describe my happiness.

Then I immediately dug into my work. My background is in visual arts, but in the last couple years my music pursuits have taken the lead in terms of opportunities and successes. So although I am a songwriter, I don't have formal training in music. I wanted this opportunity at the Hill House Residency to dig deeper into my processes and to reexamine my approach to melody and lyrics. Oh did I! I took advantage of the many miles of trails behind the house in the state forest. I walked and looked, and listened. This residency is unique because you are in isolation. I discovered that my eyes started to open a little wider, allowing me to notice more than I had. I slowed down. I paid attention.

All of this affected my work. I struggled with changes and rewrites. I walked away and came back, and went through so many emotions that my music draws from. I honestly think I am a better writer through this experience. I wrote one of my favorite songs the night before I left. Now that I am back in my regular life, I try and hold on to those moments."

Sound of Silence: Post Residency with Adam Waugh

2010-11-29T15:20:00.002-05:00

Emerging musician Adam Waugh spent the month of October-- this year the peak of Northern Michigan's fall-- at ISLAND's Hill House, where he dedicated days of solitude to honing his musicianship. Following are his words of reflection along with photos he made during his residency.

I arrived at the ISLAND residency after several months of travel along the east coast ready to explore all the material and ideas I had bouncing around my head.

It was an amazing time of year to be nestled in the woods of northern Michigan with the leaves changing color and the weather sunny and warm. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to witness the transformation of summer into fall. Towards the end of my first week of stay at the Hill House I was given the opportunity to play a show at Short’s Brewery. Short’s is one of my favorite breweries so I felt very honored to be able to play a show there. It was nice to come out of the woods and perform for a live audience. The experience gave me a chance to try out some new material and to reflect on what it is I want to express in performing live music. Thanks to the Short’s crew for allowing me the opportunity!

A good amount of time during my residency was spent reflecting on musicians, writers, and albums that have inspired and influenced me over the years. I kept returning to the many ways in which culture and current events influence art. It is hard to escape such influences in this age of information. Being alone in the woods is one way to do so and it was interesting to observe how my music and my experience of sound changed over the course of my residency.

I am constantly exploring sound in its myriad forms and originations. It has always been fascinating to me how environment and surroundings influence the songs I write. The beauty of being alone in the woods lies to some extent in being able to control the forms and the amount of media and noise you are consuming. At the Hill House I was able to step away from the news of the day and all the background noise our society generates. Having lived in New York City all summer I had been inundated with sound, noise, and culture at its most extreme and diverse. To go from that environment to a space of silence, retreat, and solitude was quite an intense and welcome transition!

Once I settled in to a daily rhythm at the Hill House I found my senses opening to and absorbing all the sounds and patterns of the woods and my surrounding environment. Even in this space away from the noise of society I found the sound of my own system to be deafening at times. Anyone who has spent an extended amount of time in solitude knows how much noise one’s own mind can generate in such a space. I recalled an interview with the composer John Cage. In 1951, Cage visited the anechoic chamber at Harvard University. An anechoic chamber is a room designed in such a way that the walls, ceiling and floor absorb all sounds made in the room, rather than reflecting them as echoes. Such a chamber is also externally sound-proofed. Cage entered the chamber expecting to hear silence, but he wrote later, "I heard two sounds, one high and one low. When I described them to the engineer in charge, he informed me that the high one was my nervous system in operation, the low one my blood in circulation." Cage had gone to a place where he expected total silence, and yet heard sound. Cage was inspired to compose the piece 4’ 33” from this experience. In this piece Cage sits at his piano in silence and allows the sounds around him to come to the attention of the audience and in essence form the piece of music. My experience at the ISLAND Residency was similar to Cage’s experience in that, as time passed I found my mind moving deeper into silence and my ability to listen expanding. In what most would consider to be a silent space I was beginning to hear a symphony of sounds. The sounds of the forest began to influence my music. My music became an extension of the natural rhythms I was enmeshed in every day.

Silence is relative to our state of mind. Even in what we consider to be absolute silence we are faced with the sound of our own system and our inner dialog which in turn has a profound influence on our relationship to the world around us. I came to meditate on the fact that we are always engulfed in soundscapes and very few of us are aware of our relationship to these sounds and to the noise we are creating and the ways in which this noise, or lack thereof affects those around us and our immediate environment. Being in solitude for an extended time focused solely on sound. I became acutely aware of the affect sound has on my mood and overall state of mind. Sound is essentially vibration and it influences and permeates us on all levels. Exploring these aspects of sound has deeply affected the way in which I create and perform music. I have become subtlety aware of the influence sound has in our culture and the power Music and Sound has in affecting human beings and environment.

All of these meditations have had a profound affect on my music, my relationship to sound, and the ways in which I approach songwriting. My time at the Hill House afforded me the space and solitude I needed to fully engulf myself in my music and songwriting.

Powered by amazing Local produce and delicious local beer and aided by the amazing group of people that compose ISLAND (Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design); I embarked on a deep exploration of music, sound, and the space we find ourselves in this age of abundant information and over stimulation. To be afforded the opportunity to step away from society and to reflect on my life, my art, and this culture I live in was such an amazing blessing for which I am forever grateful to everyone at ISLAND.

2010-10-12T16:07:00.015-04:00

Sunshine, Honey Mushrooms, and Homemade Soup

Sunday, October 10th--Mushroom hunters from as far as Mount Pleasant, Ann Arbor, Cadillac and Traverse City combed the woods of Antrim County together on Sunday, collecting over 22 species of fungal finds. Among these were the choice edibles: king bolete, chanterelle, aborted entoloma, and honey mushrooms.

ISLAND, Grass River Natural Area and the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club partnered to hold this month's Northwestern Michigan Mushroom Foray. Guests from MMHC included their President, Phil Tedeschi, and Secretary Sister Marie Kopin, who shared their expert identification skills with

us all. Phil, an avid cook, prepared a delicious wild mushroom potato leek soup featuring hen of the woods and oyster mushrooms. Yum! Thank you Phil, Sister Marie, and MMHC for joining ISLAND and GRNA for one of our monthly mushroom forays.

To learn more about the Northwest Michigan Mushroom Forays, contact Franny Bluhm at GRNA at info@grna.org or 231-533-8314 or Yvonne at ISLAND yvonne@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515 for more information.

The Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club (MMHC) is a social and educational organization dedicated to collecting, identifying, and enjoying wild mushrooms found throughout the state of Michigan.To learn more about the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club, you can visit their website.

Rootin' Around

2010-10-12T14:06:00.000-04:00

The wooden barn at Providence Farm, located on M-88 just outside of Eastport, was the platform for storytelling at ISLAND's root storage workshop, September 30. Attendees from as near as down the road and as far as Traverse City and Fife Lake filled the barn to share their experiences with storing root veggies.

The root storage workshop was the last in ISLAND's 2010 series of home food preservation workshops, which also included apricot, dilly bean, cucumber and tomato canning. Providence Farm, founded in 2002 and owned and operated by Ryan and Andrea Romeyn, is a CSA farm serving over 150 shares in the region. Their season runs 18 weeks, beginning in June, and offers over 70 in season vegetables as well as pasture-raised pork and chicken. A big thanks to Andrea and Ryan for their partnership and sharing their space! For more information about Providence Farm click here.

During the workshop, ISLAND events coordinator Yvonne Stephens demonstrated two storage methods. The first method using sand and a food-grade bucket. Participants alternated layers of sand and carrots in the bucket, which would then be stored in a cool place either in a house, garage or barn. The second method alternates layers of vegetables, such as potatoes, with newspaper in a cardboard box. Stephens suggests placing a screen inside the box walls to prevent creatures from tampering with the vegetables.

Throughout the evening people shared their personal experiences, offering stories of what has and hasn't worked; metal Coleman coolers, plastic coolers with a layer of insulation inside, basement bathtubs (no longer used for bathing in, of course), metal garbage cans buried in the earth, and the list goes on. Some told stories of root cellars they recalled from their childhood.

As we continue to relearn the skills of food preservation, these exchanges of ideas and open conversations become increasingly important in the handing down of techniques and information. So, as this winter approaches, experiment with root veggie storage. Research, read and try different methods. And we'll see you next year at the root storage workshop, armed with ideas to share!

A handout depicting construction of a basement storage room.

Layering sand and carrots in a food-grade bucket.

Musician resident Adam Waugh brings musical talents to Short's Brewery

2010-10-11T11:34:00.001-04:00

Saturday night October 2, after a victorious Michigan State University football game against Wisconsin, Adam Waugh, ISLAND Hill House musician in residence, took to the stage at Short's Brewing Company to share his musical explorations. Adam arrived at the Hill House September 29 and will stay through October 27 as the emerging musician resident.

Waugh was born and raised in Cedar, Michigan. He has traveled and lived extensively throughout the United States, including Montana, Colorado and New York, as well as in Europe and South America. Adam is a strong believer of immersing himself in and absorbing the culture, lifestyles, and music of the diverse areas through which he has traveled and lived. He is a musical expeditionary, always exploring new sounds and music, and the means with which to record and share these findings. His music is a rich blend of Indie Folk, Americana, and old Country infused with intrepid vocals and emotion.

During his performance, Waugh invited friend and fellow musician Eric Chamberlin, to join him onstage, adding harmonica and vocals to Waugh's original pieces.

Along with performing to a full-house at Short's Brewery, Waugh had the honor of being the second live concert for the newest member of the Kik family, Ily Magdalena, who, rumor has it, is a tough music critic. Rumor also has it, she thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Post Residency: A Letter of Reflection by Esteban del Valle

2010-10-04T13:22:00.001-04:00

In more ways than one, I arrived at ISLAND at the perfect time. I had just wrapped up a large project, the weather was phenomenal, and I was ready to get some new ideas off the ground. Upon arriving to the Hill House, I immediately felt welcomed. Being without a car, I was fortunate enough to not find any excuses to leave the general area. I say fortunate because the solitude I experienced in such a beautiful environment helped me discover new things about my work and myself. When I am in the midst of the hustling and bustling world, I seldom get the chance to create my own schedule. I was actually surprised at how naturally it came. I always figured that when I had unlimited “free” time and zero obligations, I would run wild like a British school boy from Lord of the Flies. But it was the opposite. I craved routine because it provided a rhythm for the day.

As soon as I woke up, after sleeping in of course, I threw some coffee on, grabbed a book, put something on the record player from the Hill House collection, and went out to the porch where I would spend the next two hours reading in the hammock. Listening to a great collection of classical records, I spent the time taking notes and doing some inspired writing. My work has largely been influenced by the research I do through books, theater, and film. While in the midst of city dwelling, I rarely have the opportunity to critically approach each aspect of my research. An idea has to quickly be evaluated as worthy or not worthy of extra time. If deemed unworthy, it is tossed out with all the other things I can never remember, such as where I left my wallet, birthdays, and grabbing my glasses before I leave the house. But while I was at ISLAND I noticed something I had never experienced before. By the third day my thoughts became louder. I realized that my mind, not having anyone around to speak with, began to act like another conversational presence. I was finally able to slow the process in my head and truly listen to what was going on. It may sound like a simple event, but for me it was profound. I was finally able to comprehend both the ridiculousness and the validity of certain points. I often asked myself, “Why is it that you think that?” One of the most sincere questions I have ever grappled with.

With the positive changes in environment and self-awareness, my time at the Hill House quickly turned into the perfect opportunity to begin work on a play/film I had been developing. I felt confident that I would be able to solidify the foundations of this project, something that may have been impossible to do while in Chicago. The project will eventually take the form of a reproducible performance, a video piece, and an installation. But the project revolves around the central theme of the relationship between a political speech and a theatrical monologue. Being in a space that allowed for clarity and freedom of thought resulted in an increase in the amount of daily ideas, both new and old. Needless to say, being immersed in a quiet environment was a fruitful experience.

My work sessions were sprinkled with delicious food and plenty of time to cook! The locally grown organic vegetables, which were the best I had ever tasted, inspired me to change the way I eat. I was also fortunate to have the time and space to get in a 3-4 mile run every other day, which further allowed me to take in my surroundings and meditate on the thoughts of the day. The river a mile away from the Hill House became a point of reference and a friend to visit. I would later go on to complete my very first kayaking trip, a two-hour solo adventure that took me down the Jordan River in the company of a blue jay. After a late night dinner I often watched interesting films with the goal of learning more about iconic directors and actors. I mainly focused on the dialogue and how the scenes were filmed, which helped me visualize how to solve certain problems in my own work.

That being said, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the awesome amazingness of the entire ISLAND staff. These warm and generous individuals proved truly inspiring. Their efforts to welcome me to the program consisted of a canoe trip, a wonderful potluck dinner, and a night at one of best microbreweries I have ever been to. They also arranged for me to give a visiting artist talk complete with a screening of my film. Each time I met with the staff we had engaging conversations in which I learned a lot about the program and the surrounding areas of Michigan. I was so excited to learn more about ISLAND’s philosophy of embracing the arts as a positive social tool, making the program all the more amazing. I truly hope that more artists begin to look at the ISLAND program both as a resource and as an inspiration. As for myself I am happy to report that another application is in the future!

Through their photos: Gifts or Creatures at the Hill House

2010-09-06T15:16:00.001-04:00

Gifts or Creatures is the musical pursuit of husband and wife duo Brandon John and Bethany Foote. The two share the patience of old world principle, with new world delivery and grace. Brandon and Bethany were residents at the Hill House in early June. Following are some images they captured of their residency experience. The couple recently released their debut album Pilot House, which was recorded in Ann Arbor. Congratulations and we look forward to more great music from this talented duo!

Breakfast on the porch; local eggs, bread & fresh veggies.

A space to create with: the living room turned studio.

The fuel behind the creativity.

Bringing Back Chaplin: Hill House artist in resident presents silent film project

2010-08-25T15:14:00.005-04:00

Monday night August 23, Esteban del Valle, ISLAND Hill House artist in residence, took viewers back in time to the Charlie Chaplin era during a short film screening at the Jordan River Arts Council. Del Valle presented his A Preemptive Collapse of an Arduous Revolt Against Lunar Aspirations or "That revolt gives life its value" which he wrote, directed and performed the main role, immersing himself as both creator and character.

Presenting slides of mural work throughout the US.

Deeply inspired by Chaplinesque silent movie conventions and Chaplin's work during the Great Depression, Esteban used the film to take a comical approach to evaluating the role of the political artist in the pursuit of social change. The piece follows the rise and fall of one man's attempt to start a revolution against the moon.

Esteban spent three weeks at the Hill House residency researching for and beginning to write his next short film. Next month Esteban will be heading to Woodside, California to continue his work at the Djerassi Resident Artist Program.

Self-portrait that aims to reflect on his role as an artist in the
fight for justice and equality.

Serving it up FRESH!

2010-08-16T09:22:00.002-04:00

By Pepper Bromelmeier, District Conservationist

What would our society do without food pantries, when people are in need? They provide our communities with a much needed service; food for those without. Unfortunately, due to storage or other issues, they are often stocked with pre-prepackaged, heavily processed, pretty unhealthy stuff! Well, this summer, thanks to the Fresh Food Partnership, that has changed! Recently, the US Secretary of Agriculture called upon the local USDA staff (NRCS-Natural Resources Conservation Service; and FSA-Farm Service Agency) to gather up our communities to donate FRESH food to our local food pantries. Especially in summer, when children don’t have access to the school’s reduced lunch program, families may be relying on food pantries to get by. Having access to fresh fruits and veggies is a welcome change! As we started talking to our partners in local fresh food, (such as ISLAND-the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art and Natural Design; MSU extension staff, and Providence Farm) we found out that there is a group already doing the “fresh food to pantries” idea, and doing it well! The “Fresh Food Partnership” pays local farmers for their produce, and donates it to the local pantries. Nice! Not only do the pantries get delicious, nutritious fresh food, the small, local farmer gets paid for the produce. Good all around for our communities.

Our local donation to the Fresh Food Partnership came at a time that enabled them to expand to the Mancelona pantry, in addition to the Ellsworth and Bellaire pantries that were already on their Antrim County list! The Fresh Food Partnership donates food to 40 pantries in NW Lower Michigan. If you’d like to participate either as a farmer wishing to be a part of the selling end, or want to donate money to further the cause, you can contact Diane Navarro at the Fresh Food Partnership at (231) 929-3696.

Pictured below are representatives from local USDA agencies (NRCS and FSA), MSU Extension, ISLAND, the Bellaire Food Pantry, Fresh Food Partnership, and Providence Farm (one of the local farmers participating in the Fresh Food Partnership)

Living Life Aware: Residency a Time to Explore Self

2010-08-10T11:50:00.002-04:00

Upon returning home to Colorado after several weeks at the Hill House residency, writer-in-residence, Beth Nelson, reflected on her experience through a series of interview questions asked by friend and poet Lee Rossi. Rossi has published interviews with many notable authors including Ed Hirsch, Robert Pinsky, Tony Hoagland, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Ted Kooser, and Kim Addonizio. His collection of poems, Wheelchair Samurai, is due out in 2011. Following are a series of excerpts from Beth’s responses.

At the Hill House, I learned to trust my instincts in a new way, a stronger way. Though some days I spent hours on one paragraph or a single sentence, in general, words flowed from me. For the most part, I didn’t continually edit myself, but instead, kept moving forward. There’s plenty of time once the kernel of the story exists to go back and rewrite. I wanted the Hill House to be a place where I did not judge myself or my writing. I accomplished this, and I found this trust to be crucial in my creative process.

In journaling about my writing, I learned a lot about myself and what makes me tick as a writer. I’d find myself writing about what I‘d done and why I’d done it, or what I thought about certain techniques in writing, and I’d learn—through the journal—things about my process I was not conscious of before. Once conscious of those things, I could deliberately employ them, or if the “unconsciousness” of the idea was what was crucial, I could let things flow that perhaps I might have edited out in the past.

A writer’s work is multifaceted: she must read, write, and most importantly, live life aware. Living life aware requires many things. One of the requirements is that of taking what one experiences and ultimately understanding its meaning. As Wordsworth says: “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.”

The abundant tranquility of the Hill House permitted me to become more aware of who I am: who I am as a writer, a woman, and a human being.

The more in touch I became with my own deeper Self, the more in touch I became with the inner worlds of my characters. As I came to understand my own actions, I came to understand the actions of my characters and was able to convey this in my stories. My stream of consciousness thrived in the unbroken concentration this solitude allowed. How can one not be inspired by an isolated wilderness cabin with a deck overlooking the woods? There is magic in solitude. --Beth Nelson

Preserving the Harvest: ISLAND Apricot Canning Workshop

2010-08-10T09:34:00.003-04:00

In the dead of a Northern Michigan winter, few things warm the soul like opening the panty or cellar to an array of colorful jars, each one packed full of a piece of the Earth’s bounty. It may be hard work, but few labors provide you with year-round sustenance, like the diligent canner. To eat good in the winter months requires these labors of love during hot, humid and beautiful summer days that stretch on forever.

Thursday August 5 at King Orchards was once such summer day. ISLAND, in partnership with King Orchards and Grand Traverse MSU Extension, began their canning workshop series, elbows deep in fresh-picked apricots. King’s kitchen sparkled with stainless steel pots and bowls, clinked with mason jars, and smelled like you were standing in the middle of the orchard, nose-to-fruit with vibrant orange apricots. Decked out in aprons and name tags and armed with knifes, the participants, ten in total, sliced and cored the fleshly fruit, creating orange mounds in bowls on each table. Jennifer Berkey of MSU Extension, perused around the room, answering questions and lending advice on the best practices of canning, while ISLAND’s own canning guru, Yvonne Stephens, led the group through a step-by-step process, ensuring the tastiest apricots around.

Outside, under a white-puffy-cloud blue sky, burners heated up; red and orange flames licking the stainless steel pots full of sugar water to be mixed with the fresh fruit, steam rising off the top as the liquid neared boiling. The sights and sounds of canning were in full force. Throughout the evening, people mingled, shared stories about their lives and even exchanged contact information upon a discovery of something they had in common.

For some, it was the first time ever canning or at least the first time
canning apricots. For others it was a chance to spend time with friends, meet new people or learn a few tricks of the trade. Regardless of the reason, it was a community. A community putting to use their sustainable living skills, learning about and from one another, and continuing a tradition that has helped many generations survive long winter months. Thanks again to King Orchards for their generosity and help in making the canning workshop such a success!

Come join the canning fun! ISLAND will hold a dilly bean and cucumber canning workshop August 12 at Birch Point Farms in Leelanau County and a tomato canning party September 8 at Dhaseleer Events Barn in Charlevoix. For more information visit www.ARTmeetsEARTH.org or call Yvonne Stephens at 231-480-4515.

Writer in Residence Shares Work With Community

2010-07-21T14:16:00.001-04:00

Hill House writer in residence Beth Nelson, read from her essay “Family Tree” during a luncheon at the Bellaire Senior Center Tuesday, July 20. Born in St. Louis, Beth has been a writer for 35 years. Raised in Minnesota and wandering the Ozarks of Missouri, travel and life experiences have always contributed to Beth’s mantra of “writing is living life aware.” During her life she has worked at Yellowstone, fostered an emotionally ill child, lost a niece to leukemia, lived as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia and owned and curated her own art gallery. She has been published in the American Literary Review and Camera Arts Magazine and has worked at the Arts and Humanities Council in Tulsa. Most recently in her work she has put a microscope against life’s daily routines, connecting readers to her stories in personal ways. She currently resides in Centennial, CO with her husband and their four dogs, one of which traveled with her to Michigan. Following is an excerpt from “Family Tree.”

Papa was Serbian. He stood six feet six inches tall, but when he was released from the prison camp after the Second World War, he weighed only ninety-eight pounds. Papa had served on the allied side as an underground guerrilla. He rarely spoke of those days. To ease the pain from nights on cold, wet soil, Papa constructed a wooden box and filled it with sand. My grandfather’s sandbox was too much like a casket, built to fit his size. Most mornings, he’d prop open the lid, and allow sun to heat the sand. He’d walk from the house, a lemon slice balanced on the edge of his glass, the day’s Globe Democrat tucked under one arm. He’d slowly lower his body onto hot sand then tilt an umbrella to soften the glare. This is how he healed, nearly naked in the sun.

Papa used to say to my grandmother, “Jena, sing that song for me. Sing the one I like.”

And my grandmother would say, “Oh, Alex, it’s just a silly commercial.” But she would sing it anyway. She would sing:

Halo, everybody, Halo.

Halo is the shampoo that glorifies your hair,

Well, Halo, everybody, Halo,

Halo Shampoo, Halo!

Then Papa would grin and clap and tell my grandmother how pretty she was. “Jena, my Jena,” he would say, and he’d cup her face in his large hands and kiss her mouth.

Papa taught me to play chess when I was seven. With few words of English but many nods, grins, frowns and some head shaking, Papa guided me through the game. Sometimes he would let me win. The days my family visited my grandparents, Papa and I usually managed to fit in a game before dinner.

Once the meal was laid out on the table, Nana would stand in the dining room doorway and announce the meal by yodeling. She was famous for her yodel. I would get up and help Papa to his feet and we would walk to the table together. Everybody would wait quietly until all the family was standing, heads bowed, hands folded. Then Papa would recite a prayer nobody understood, and cross himself. The rest of us were Baptists, but we followed Papa’s lead. My mother’s fist would ball up in a knot, but she did it for Nana.

In the summer, Papa and I took long walks after dinner. We must’ve been a sight, he and I, walking down the street past all the brownstones. I was skinny and small for my age, brown-skinned from the sun. I had to half-run to keep up with Papa’s long gait. Even in the heat, he wore a beret he’d picked up in France after the war. Papa spoke more French than English, and that day he was trying to teach me a little French folk song:

Sur le pont, D’Avignon,

L’on y danse, L’on y danse.

He lifted his walking cane and used it like a baton. It made me laugh to watch this giant directing music in the city streets. We sang loud, in off-key harmony, wanting to be heard over the traffic and pigeons.

The heat and humidity brought an unexpected thunderstorm. When we heard the first clap of thunder, we were walking across the highway overpass about a quarter-mile from the house. Papa pulled me against him and began to push the pace. My half-run became a gallop, and Papa used his stick to push off from the sidewalk like a ski pole. My left leg and the stick collided, and the two of us tumbled to the ground. Rain started to fall, first in gentle pellets, then like a curtain around us. The walking stick, a keepsake from Papa’s visits to Switzerland when he was a young man, lay broken in the street. I stood up. “Jena, Jena,” Papa said, confused. He sat up and replaced the beret on his head. It was soaked and hung down over his eyes like a bad hairpiece.

Post Residency: A Letter of Reflection

2010-07-19T14:04:00.001-04:00

Dear ISLAND,

In the first days, we were in a dream-like state of wonderment. The visuals of the house and of the forest, and the reverberation of the landscape drugged us. We rejoiced in liberty. We looked each other in the eye and joined in creation.

We wrote a lot in the first several days. We carried our notebooks throughout the house and experienced each room. Sometimes we did freewriting, and allowed poems and incomplete thoughts to fill our individual pages. Melissa took a lot of our freewriting through the songwriting practices that she diligently studies and practices with her professors and music students. With Melissa and I, what one is an expert in the other is (at the least) an expert in the philosophy of. In this way, we crafted the songs together line by line. We were (for the first time) in a space wholly focused on applying the lessons of poetry and music that we have found so far.

We entered our northern Michigan stay with 12 incomplete grooves. Our intention was for these grooves to serve as backbones around which we could flesh out complete songs. And it worked well that way. Our breaks from creating included amazing in-season, local and organic foods. Conversation largely centered around newly emerging reflections on the experience we were sharing.

We commented on the feelings. We played with shared definitions. We smiled and hugged (a lot). We celebrated the way that creativity and love are affected when given time. And space.

One of the times we ventured out into the surrounding communities (we didn’t explore extensively but we went to East Jordan, Ellsworth and Bellaire), I reflected that the experience was as if

We were painters who had canvas and brushes at home.

We even had most of the paint that we needed.

Only no red.

And no yellow.

Melissa and I work hard. We often work nonstop for extended periods of time. We have agreed that it is valuable to practice balance and our nightly music making is part of how we found we can best do that. We have the tools we need to create. We have many of the elements that we need to create. We were struggling with space and time. ISLAND and the Hill House gave us these, our red and our yellow.

It was like someone said,

“Come we’ve made a place,

We invite you to use it

Bring your paints (or just use ours)

We have red.

We have yellow.”

We are now reflecting on what we have brought home. Tonight, we played a song that we wrote in those first days about those first days. It felt wonderful.

We are continuing to experience amazed admiration of the vision and dedication Amanda and Brad Kik offer the art community. We are thankful for the time we got to spend with Elly. We thoroughly enjoyed the potluck with ISLAND staff and board members. We are thankful for all who make ISLAND live, including the National Alliance of Artist Communities. We were interested to learn of the tremendous resource this national organization has been for ISLAND.

We would like to help support the residency model (in general) and the Hill House Residency (in particular). We believe that residencies are ridiculously valuable.

Sincerely,

marcus sigh

Time & Space to Collaborate: Marcus & Melissa Sigh

2010-07-14T13:40:00.002-04:00

“That was one of the best times I’ve ever had anywhere doing anything.” -Marcus Sigh

Emerging musicians Marcus and Melissa Sigh completed their two-week residency at the ISLAND Hill House on July 12 where they collaborated on pieces for their new group, Small Enough to Win.

Joined in life almost six years ago, the Sighs met through their music, but have not had the opportunity to fully collaborate musically until this year. Marcus is a hip-hop artist and bassist who has performed in Lansing area schools, churches, and community centers. He is also an accomplished audio engineer, videographer, video editor, and graphic design artist. He has successfully woven these skills together on multiple music projects. Melissa is a vocalist, keyboardist, and (beginning) guitarist and has held solo performances at several venues in the Lansing area, including coffee shops, art galleries, and festivals. For the past five years Melissa has taught music in Michigan’s public schools where she collaborated with her students to create and release 9 albums of original music.

Small Enough to Win combines soulful sounds of keyboard and bass guitar with sound engineered drumbeats and rhythms that give the pieces a worldly edge. They also plan to add another dimension to their music through the use of multimedia in performances. “Our approach to music making thus far has been to freely pursue small grooves or musical concepts that can serve as a backbone to be fleshed out.”

During their two-week stay at the Hill House, Marcus and Melissa, accompanied by their dog Sadie, wrote nine songs, which they performed for the ISLAND Board, staff and friends during a potluck at the Hill House. They return to Lansing with the prospect of a slower summer and the potential for continued collaboration. We wish success to the Sigh’s and renewed energy for their coming work.

Follow-up to the ISLAND/GRNA Northwest Michigan Mushroom Foray

2010-06-28T23:31:00.014-04:00

We had a great turnout of for Saturday's foray! All 23 of us enjoyed a hike in the woods on the ISLAND property, and found several species of mushrooms. The pictures on this page illustrate a few. Chanterelles were out in abundance--the reason they are not pictured here is because we cooked them all up and everyone had a taste. Yum!

Northwest Michigan Mushroom Foray

2010-06-22T13:24:00.004-04:00

June 26th

Saturday from 9:30am until noon

A partnership of Grass River Natural Area and ISLAND

On the ISLAND Property, Orchard Hill Road Bellaire

Come take a walk and learn how to hunt the choice edible chanterelles that grow in our region, as well as other wild mushrooms and fungi. Meeting monthly in the woods of Antrim and Kalkaska counties. Contact GRNA at info@grna.org or 231-533-8314 or Yvonne at ISLAND at 231-480-4515 or yvonne@artmeetsearth.org for more information. $5

ISLAND Announces 2010-2011 Hill House Residency

2010-04-30T13:55:00.001-04:00

After five years of planning, ISLAND is proud to announce the Hill House Artist Residency. The Hill House Residency works to support two fields: emerging songwriters and writers at all stages of their career. Residents receive the gift of a two, three or four week stay in a semi-secluded log cabin near East Jordan, Michigan. It includes a well stocked kitchen, a selection of instruments and some basic recording gear. The musician residency also offers performance opportunities and a small stipend to aid in your professional development.

There are two application periods for the 2010/11 residency season. Round 1 applications are due June 1; residencies for this season run June 5, 2010 to October 30, 2010. Round 2 applications are due September 15; residencies for this season run November 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011.

For more information about ISLAND Hill House residencies, including applications, visit www.ARTmeetsEARTH.org or contact Amanda Kik at amanda@artmeetsearth.org or 231-480-4515.

What is a Residency?
Artists’ residencies (also called artists’ communities, colonies, retreats, workspaces, and studio collectives) provide dedicated time and space for creative work. Beyond this core value, these creative communities are a diverse group, and provide artists of all disciplines with many different styles and models of support.

Residencies can be found in urban or rural areas, serving one artist at a time or fifty. Some support one artistic genre while many are interdisciplinary, welcoming visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, scholars and other creative individuals. There are programs that are active centers for public programs and others that offer solitude and retreat. Many provide room and board as a home-away-from-home; others offer not a place to live, but a community for local artists in which to work and be supported in the creation of new art.

Selection Criteria
Applications will be juried by a rotating panel selected by ISLAND. Residency awards are merit driven, based primarily on the quality of existing work, using the following criteria, in order of priority:

the creativity and integrity of the work
the strength of the artist’s statement and the perceived fit with the Hill House residency
the availability of the artist in the dates still open for residents

For an excellent overview of artist residency programs, including hints on the application process, visit the Alliance of Artists Communities website.

Interested in applying for the ISLAND Hill House Residency? We are happy to help you with this process! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Amanda Kik at (231) 480-4515 or amanda@artmeetsearth‌.org

The 2010/2011 Emerging Musician Residency Program is supported by a generous grant from the Begonia Charitable Foundation

Support for Farm Interns Coming This Season

2010-02-05T06:47:00.001-05:00

Training our next generation of organic, biodynamic, and sustainable farmers

CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) is a supportive network of farmers and farmers-in-training. Prospective farmers gain exposure to and experience with a diversity of farm/garden designs and agricultural practices. Northwest Lower Michigan CRAFT is a new program, designed to support farms who have existing internship/apprentice programs.
 
CRAFT provides emerging farmers a vital experience--a community they can learn from. Interns gain a deep understanding of their resident farm, and CRAFT complements that learning by connecting them to the entire network of member farms. Through farm tours and workshops, interns gain exposure to a wide variety of farm types, production methods and management styles. Regular potlucks help ease the isolation an intern can feel while cloistered on a single farm. The connections made through CRAFT can last far beyond a growing season, and can offer support for the beginning years of starting a business.  

Farmer members of CRAFT are required to allow their intern(s) the day off 1-2 times a month to attend the CRAFT workshops. Farmers are also encouraged to attend. Each farm hosts one workshop/farm tour/potluck in the 2010 growing season.   Individuals that are interested in farming but are not farm interns may join CRAFT as an opportunity for to work with other Northwest Lower Michigan farmers. The program works to establish a peer group for all of us!

Individuals who are not interning on farms can still attend workshops and farm tours for a donation of $10 each.  

The CRAFT program is funded by ISLAND. As a non-profit educational center, we receive support from private donors, and private and public funding agencies. If you would like to support ISLAND, your donation is fully tax deductible and can be earmarked to finance the Northwest Lower Michigan CRAFT program.

How can I learn more?
Visit www.artmeetsearth.org/craft.html or contact Brad Kik at ISLAND: (231) 480-4515 or brad@artmeetsearth.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Why Holly ♥s Residencies

2009-12-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

I am thick into the world around me. By vocation I listen, I go where my curiosities take me, I embed all over the place. Yet so much of the work and life of a writer is solitary—a beautiful aloneness—and one which at its best breeds both a secret life, and words that serve the needs and desires of readers. Just as important to the process is the occasional company of others who are similarly engaged. It is at the intersection of these values—amidst the quiet and the conviviality—that I am most able to recognize what I have to say and how I will say it. For me, it is not an overstatement to insist that an artist residency is a sort of Shangri-La—one which I can get to from here.

During my first residency a few years ago—at California’s Mesa Refuge—I discovered how profound uninterrupted time in a place designed for artists is for people like me. I thrived in my little wooden shed where I wrote all day and late into the night. At mealtime, I was enlarged by the companionship of my fellow residents with whom I shared conversations, works in progress and the sort of big ideas that percolate in places like that. This was a poignant, watershed experience for me; one that dignified my purpose and fortified my resolve at an important stage in my young writing career. I see now how some writers will write whole books over the course of an extended residency.

After much creative isolation, it is heartening to be engaged in the work of creating—side by side with others—especially at a time when our ilk are pushed further and deeper into the cultural and economic margins of society. In so doing we are also more able to contribute to a larger conversation, one that very often aspires to inclusivity and big-heartedness and which amounts to creating a world where art, ideas, and literature continue to be made.

I hope you too see the value in creating communities that support working artists. ISLAND has a long term vision to create precisely this sort of creative space for people like me and perhaps even for someone like you. Please give what you can so that Northern Michigan will have just such a place for its own and other emerging and established artists and writers.

—Holly Wren Spaulding

Holly Wren Spaulding is a writer, educator, community activist and a seasonal farm worker at Meadowlark Farm CSA in Leelanau County. She was a co-founding member of Sweetwater Alliance, a direct action organization formed to challeng the mining of Michigan groundwater by Nestle Corporation. Holly has traveled extensively to learn about and document social movements in Chiapas, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. Her writing has appeared in The Ecologist, Clamor, Earth First! Journal, Z Magazine, The New Internationalist, and in the book We Are Everywhere: The Irresistible Rise of Global Anti-Capitalism (Verso Press, 2003). She worked on and also appears in the feature documentary FLOW: For Love of Water (Dir. Irena Salina), which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. Her first collection of poems is due out in April from Michigan Cooperative Press. She is currently at work on a book about grassroots movements to defend the global water commons for AK Press. She teaches creative writing at Northwestern Michigan College.

Wanted: School garden instructor for after school programs in Central Lake

2009-09-23T15:11:00.001-04:00

We're hiring again! If you can work well with K-5 students, have a green thumb, and want to earn a little part time cash, this is for you. Please consider this exciting new job!

ISLAND is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), MSU Extension and Central Lake Elementary to start a school garden and run after school programs for Central Lake Elementary students.

Here's the basic info:

Phase one of this project involves a 6-8 week session, 3-4 days a week from about 3:15 to 6:15 pm. You will create and implement a simple but exciting hands-on curriculum for between 5 and 20 kids in grades K-5. The goal: to set up a brand new school garden, plant a fall cover crop, garlic and other plants, and run sustainable gardening classes at the school. You will also work with teen or adult volunteers and school staff.

ISLAND wants to hire you as the instructor/program leader. You will have complete control over the program (within the bounds of the project goals) and would check in with ISLAND staff for an hour per week in person and regularly by email.

The position pays $12/hour for between 10 and 20 hours a week (to be determined). Work hours are from about 3:15 to 6:15 on 3-4 weekdays as well as prep time hours on your own schedule. Some additional funds are available for materials and other project costs. No benefits, sorry.

This position will hopefully expand to include more projects and additional hours. The position starts October 5th (yes, that soon!) and will run through late November/early December. We may plan additional winter programming (maple syrup?), and then the regular program will start again in March and run through May.

Please email Brad Kik at brad@artmeetsearth.org if you're interested, or call (231) 480-4515.

Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird

2009-09-21T13:50:00.004-04:00

Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird
This Friday, September 25th, at 7pm

Left Foot Charley in the Grand Traverse Commons, Traverse City

Sliding scale admission $5-15

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to ISLAND

This is a rare opportunity to see Dan Kahn and the Painted Bird, (their full band, together and here in Michigan) since several of the band members live out of country.

Many were blown away by Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird's performance at Harvest Gathering this past weekend.

They have been described as musical theater, and are a mix of punk cabaret + radical yiddish song + gothic american folk + klezmer danse macabre.

"Kahn writes like the rainy ghost of Woody Guthrie hitched a ride with Tom Waits to New Orleans" — Detroit Metro Times.

ISLAND's First Annual Community Canning Party

2009-09-21T13:42:00.006-04:00

On Tuesday September 15th ISLAND hosted its First Annual Community Canning Party. We canned six half bushels of tomatoes and one half bushel of dilly beans. All the veggies were grown by local farmers. The equipment was borrowed from several sources, including from the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center. It was a great success and lots of fun! We will have more canning events in the future, so check back if you are interested.

Fungi and Fermentation Skill Swap

2009-09-21T11:48:00.007-04:00

The Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design (ISLAND) and the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center are proud to partner for the upcoming Fungi and Fermentation Skill Swap.

The skill swap will take place Sunday, October 4th from 1 pm to 5 pm at the Wagbo Farm, located three miles south of East Jordan at 5745 North M-66.

Join us as we explore the wide world of fungi and fermentation. Anyone with an interest in local foods; wild-crafting; food preservation; or tasty, healthful meals will greatly benefit from the workshops offered here. There will also be local vendors selling fungal and fermented goods.

Experienced instructors will lead workshops about fungi and fermentation, including:

Mushroom cultivation with Jim Ruster of Mitchell Hill Farm
Paper-making with polypores taught by Franny Bluhm
Fall mushroom hunting led by Michigan Mushroom Hunter's Club Vice President Jim Provci
Dyeing wool with mushrooms taught by fiber artist Julie Hurd of the Lake Charlevoix Weavers Guild
Cheese making taught by Amanda Kik of ISLAND
Sauerkraut preparation by Mark Maier
Composting with Mike and Monika Fiebing of Bella Terra Farms
Kombucha with Pepper Bromelmeir
Mead making with Nels Veliquette, beekeeper and fourth generation farmer in Northern MI
Wine making with Brian Hosmer
Live ginger beer and kefir with Nirinjan Singh and Kimberly Dante of Anahata Balance
Whole Grain Home Brew with Jerome Grskovic, BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) beer judge

Sponsored by Eden Foods, and support from the following: Field and Forest Products, and Pleasanton Bakery, Tandem Ciders, Leelanau Cultured Veggies, Black Star Farms, Mushroom the Journal.

Cost is $20 for pre-registration by Friday, October 2nd, or $25 at the door.

For a complete list of workshops and vendors, or to register, please visit http://www.ARTmeetsEARTH.org or contact Yvonne at ISLAND 231-480-4515 or info@ARTmeetsEARTH.org.

Thanks Josh!

2009-08-06T16:50:00.002-04:00

Woah. If I'm ever walking around with my fly open or I have mustard in my beard, please let me know! We just got a phone message from Josh, letting us know he was checking out our website, and apparently one of our links had changed.

We quote from the Sustainable Living Network and then link to them: www.sustainableliving.org - except that now, for one reason or another, that website has been re-inhabited by Dow Chemical. Because Dow is sustainable now, yay! Right?

Thanks to Josh's heads up, we've removed the link. Instead, we invite you to visit this link instead : the art of Paul Phare relating to Dow and it's blatant greenwashing.

The Art of Tracking

2009-07-21T12:06:00.005-04:00

Date-- Saturday, August 29th to Sunday, August 30th
Time-- Saturday: Check-in starts at 1 pm; Classes go from 2 pm to 9pm
Sunday: Breakfast starts at 8 am. Classes go from 9 am to 5 pm
Cost-- $30 for three meals and camping, $25 for two meals without camping (breakfast excluded.) Registration is limited! Reserve a space today!

The Institute for Sustainable Living, Art, and Natural Design, (ISLAND) and the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center are partnering to bring you a valuable resource in outdoor education—tracking knowledge. The Art of Tracking will be held at the Wagbo Farm just south of East Jordan at 5745 North M-66. Activities will be lead by Paul Raphael, an experienced tracker who has worked with celebrated outdoorsmen such as Jon Young and Paul Rezendes, and has taught tracking classes across the United States and Europe.

At The Art of Tracking, you will learn how to fully engage your senses so that animal trails and sign can be readily observed, how to understand the meanings of bird calls, and how to interpret animal behavior through tracks and gaits. Snacks, drinks, and three meals (dinner Saturday, breakfast and lunch Sunday) are included. Overnight camping is available at the Wagbo Farm—please call Wagbo at 231-536-0333 or email wagbo@torchlake.com for more details.

This event is limited to just 15 participants, so please register by Monday, August 24th by following this link or calling ISLAND Directors Brad and Amanda Kik at 231-480-4515. Supervised older children are welcome. Please note that your registration is not complete until we have received your payment.

For further general information, visit the ISLAND events page. Or contact Intern Maria Wesserle at 231-480-4515.

Wish List

2009-07-14T15:58:00.002-04:00

Do you have this stuff cluttering up your pole barn? Have these skills to share? Can you help? Here's what we're hankering for:

yurt and/or yurt parts
black planter/buckets, 5 gallon size, for the tree nursery
50 gallon food grade plastic drums
building materials
free or discounted accounting
new or gently used Mac for our staff
new or gently used solar panels

Beehive Basics

2009-07-13T15:10:00.002-04:00

Workshop on beekeeping basics and preparing for your first hive(s) next spring!

August 5, 5–7 PM, at the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Design, Bellaire

For more details and directions to the property contact Yvonne at ISLAND

231-480-4515
ArtMeetsEarth.org

Patch Design

2009-07-03T15:24:00.004-04:00

You ask, we answer! Lindy wanted to know what we meant by "initial patch design." The short answer is that our design process follows the permaculture principle of "design from patterns to details," which means that while we've done lots of large scale work on the property plan, such as choosing where to put buildings and gardens, we haven't done much small scale, plant-specific design. Now that we're actually beginning to plant trees, that has to change. The process we're using is called "patch design." Read on if you want the nuts and bolts.

A "patch" is essentially a garden plot, though it may not always look like a standard raised bed or have paths running along side it. Every plant in a patch, if it's well designed, will follow one or two important rules. These rules apply no matter the shape size or style of the patch.

Rule #1 is pretty much a golden rule - no two (or more) species should be forced to compete with each other. The permaculture name for this is a "resource partitioning guild," and it means that to design a patch we need to look at root structures, sunlight, nutrient needs, water needs and the ways that the plants reproduce. Some of this is obvious to any gardener - you wouldn't likely put your tomatoes in the shade or mixed in with raspberries. The tomato plants might survive, but they would hardly flourish.

There are some exceptions - the classic forestry exception is to closely space trees so that the competition drives them directly and rapidly up, toward the available light, making for straight, high quality timber logs. Another is to put pressure on a expansive plant to control it's ability to spread.

At the same time, though, many gardeners, in an effort to keep competition to a minimum, space plants far apart in bare soil, which just creates opportunities for nature to fill those niches - mostly with weeds, right? So we're always fighting nature's opportunists, who are just trying to do their job. With a permaculture patch, we're doing our best to design with a wide variety of plants (a polyculture) so that all of those niches are filled with plants WE want. So we minimize competition within the patch but fill all the spaces that nature could exploit. No more weeding!

Rule #2 is optional, but a big bonus - plants within a patch should support each other and the larger environment. This is often known as a "mutual support guild" and is what really starts to make a permaculture plot shine. Many folks will recognize the three sisters planting (corn, beans, squash) as a mutual support guild which has the added advantage of providing food for us. Imagine different sets of "three sisters" (or five sisters, or twenty sisters) plantings to benefit butterflies, or hummingbirds, or soil quality. That's what we're working on.

In this specific case, we're building a patch that has two interlocking support guilds inside of it. We have a red pine plantation which we will slowly remove, leaving acidic soil in it's place. Our patch design is focused on building soil, using lots of big leafy nitrogen fixers and dynamic accumulators (who bring up phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, etc. from deep in the soil and release it as they shed their leaves or other herbaceous mass). It's also focused on supporting our new beehives buy providing lots of pollen and nectar sources. All of these plants, shrubs and trees need to flourish in acid soil and in the partial shade created by the pines that aren't removed yet. They also need to minimize competition and support each other, as well as build healthy soil (which should slowly begin to rebalance towards neutral pH) and support lots of bees, spiders and birds.

We spend a lot of time looking at plant databases and catalogs. Each plant is a puzzle piece which may or may not fit into the big picture! Dave Jacke's Edible Forest Gardens Vol II has been a constant companion.

Hope that helps! We'll have more details about our specific plant choices soon!

Trees!

2009-06-28T10:04:00.013-04:00

Over the last two months, over 100 trees and shrubs have been donated to ISLAND.

From the Conservation Resource Alliance, we received gray dogwood, American hazelnut, chokecherry, American bittersweet, northern hackberry, flowering dogwood and paper birch.

Greg Safronoff, who is starting a tree nursery in Traverse City, offered up black walnut, English walnut, heartnut, and Chinese chestnut hybrid.

Our pall Bill Palladino of Krios Consulting delivered the last batch by bike--about 80 miles round trip. Thanks, Bill!

Maria, one of ISLAND's summer interns, has been constructing a nursery to help the seedlings survive the animals and the weather.

Brad and Maria have been working together on the initial patch design for the plants that will keep the trees company and enrich the soil.

Deadline July 6 for Rooting Deep Branching Out

2009-06-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

What do we know about place? How do we understand place through art?

ISLAND is proud to work alongside The Jordan River Arts Council (JRAC) to present a collaborative art exhibition about place. Help to craft a vision of what it means to live in Northwest Lower Michigan—particularly in our relationships to the specific geographies, economies, cultural communities and ecologies of the many small places that make up the north. We invite you to create, collaborate on or host works that allow viewers to move beyond the romantic and often facile answers to the question: “What does it mean to live up north?”

A Call to Artists

Artists have a unique capacity to tell us stories about ourselves – stories that help us to view our community and our world through new eyes. Artists of all disciplines help contribute to this important creative process.

We invite you to submit new or existing work that you feel helps our community to understand more about where we live. Work can be as simple and straightforward, or as complex and conceptual as you like.

For more information, visit http://artmeetsearth.org/rooting.html

Smokehouse Design

2009-05-29T13:02:00.003-04:00

Here is the model for the smokehouse we'll be building over the next few weeks. Quite a beauty, huh? Ours will be built almost entirely from reclaimed materials and will have a simple timber frame. We'll also run the siding vertically.

This photo and design from http://wedlinydomowe.com/smokehouse-construction.htm

We're using the book Meat Smoking and Smokehouse Design by Stanley, Adam & Robert Marianski as a guide and starting point.

The first session is on June 25th before the Jen Sygit show at the Black Cat Concert series. Just $5 but come ready to work!

Build a Smokehouse

2009-05-22T07:52:00.001-04:00

June 25th — Build a Smokehouse (Part 1 of 3) from 2 to 6 pm, in partnership with Black Cat Concerts, 15794 Paddock Road, Charlevoix. Come ready to work, then stick around for an evening concert in the barn with Jen Sygit and Spare Change. $5 (concert extra)

July 2nd — Build a Smokehouse (Part 2 of 3) from 2 to 6 pm, in partnership with Black Cat Concerts, 15794 Paddock Road, Charlevoix. Come ready to work, then stick around for an evening concert in the barn with Michael Beauchamp and the Barn Roughs. $5 (concert extra)

July 16th — Build a Smokehouse (Part 3 of 3) from 2 to 6 pm, in partnership with Black Cat Concerts, 15794 Paddock Road, Charlevoix. Come ready to work, then stick around for an evening concert in the barn with Chris Bathgate. $5 (concert extra)

Find us on Facebook

2009-05-13T17:45:00.001-04:00

ISLAND is now a cause on Facebook! Join the cause and become a fan to receive special announcements and updates.

Fiber Arts Skill Share

2009-05-05T15:48:00.000-04:00

Date and Time: Saturday, May 16th, 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Cost: $20 per person for the whole day
Space is limited! Please register by Wednesday, May 13th.

The Institute for Sustainable Living, Art, and Natural Design (ISLAND) and the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center are teaming up to bring you this exciting fiber arts field day! If you enjoy working with wool, if you've ever thought about raising your own sheep for wool, or if you’re just curious about how wool is taken off the sheep and transformed into textiles, then this event is for you. Experienced instructors will take you through the process from raw wool to finished product. Four approximately one-hour workshops/ demos will teach shearing; skirting, cleaning, and carding the wool; natural and chemical dyeing techniques; spinning yarn on a drop spindle; and felting. One price covers all workshops as well as snacks and refreshments. Everyone will go home with their own hand-made yarn and felted piece!

1:00 pm
Shearing, Skirting, and Cleaning: So you have the sheep... now how do you get the wool off of her? Zack Shaltz of Shaltz Farm will demonstrate how to accomplish that using both hand shears and electrical shears. The tags and vegetable matter will then be pulled off, and skirting will be demonstrated. We will also talk about different ways to clean the fleece once it's taken off.

2:10 pm
Dyeing Wool: Wagbo intern Maria Wesserle will show you how to take washed, undyed wool and transform it into a colorful work of art! She will demonstrate natural dyeing with madder root, and acid dyeing using food coloring. (Don't worry--the 'acid' mentioned here is only vinegar!) Learn everything you need to know to dye your own fiber at home. Also, carding will be demonstrated during this workshop, and we will have a couple hand carders available for folks to try out.

3:20 pm and 4:30 pm
Spinning Wool and Felting: At this point we will split into two groups to make teaching more manageable for the instructors. One group will start out with spinning at 3:20, the other will start felting, and then the groups will switch at 4:30 so that everyone gets a turn! The participants will get hands-on in these two workshops and go home with their own hand-made yarn and felted piece! Michelle Ferrarese will be teaching the felting workshop, in which students will choose from colorful merino roving to create their own felted article. Yarn, wool, and textile scraps will also be available to work into the piece. Maria Wesserle will teach spinning. Everyone will receive 2 ounces of wool to make their own yarn on a drop spindle. Spindles are often considered a 'primitive' device, but they have gained popularity due to their simple design, portable nature, and ability to create fantastic yarn in a surprisingly timely manner.

The event will be held at the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center, 5745 North M-66—at the intersection with Kidder Rd. just three miles south of East Jordan! For more information or to register, please go to http://www.artmeetsearth.org/fiber; email brad@artmeetsearth.org; or call ISLAND at 231-480-4515. You can contact Wagbo at 231-536-0333 or wagbo@torchlake.com.

ISLAND is Hiring!

2009-04-20T18:53:00.002-04:00

The Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design (ISLAND) is seeking self-directed and contagiously curious interns for the summer of 2009. Interns will work in and around the Village of Bellaire in Northwest Lower Michigan (50 miles NE of Traverse City) for 8 to 12 weeks during the summer of 2009.

ISLAND is a non-profit arts and ecology center dedicated to connecting people with nature, art and community. ISLAND helps people become native to place by:

supporting artists – visionaries, conceptual explorers and compelling communicators – with dedicated time, space and resources to create new work;
connecting people to the skills and traditions of community self-reliance;
creating and sharing a broad collection of tools for ecological living.

Download the description and application. Deadline for submission is May 8, 2009.

ISLAND Third Annual Benefit Concert

2009-04-10T17:50:00.002-04:00

ISLAND benefit 2009

The third annual ISLAND benefit is coming to Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire on Friday, April 17th and Saturday, April 18th.

Friday, April 17th from 9pm until 2am

Robin Lee Berry
FunDubMentals
Boyne River Remedy
Tricky and the Fro Tones
DJ Martoosh

Saturday, April 18th from 6pm until 2am

Breathe Owl Breathe
May Erlewine
Samuel Seth Bernard
Jen Sygit
Sam Corbin
J. Quentin
Pinky Lee
Chris Dorman
Brandon Foote
Michael Beauchamp
Chris Hamilton
Susan Fawcett
Dede Alderman

Where

Short's Brewing Company

121 North Bridge Street

Bellaire, MI 49615

www.shortsbrewing.com

Information

The Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design (ISLAND) has announced the line-up for their third annual benefit concert at Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire. So many musicians wanted to play that the event has overflowed into two days--Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18. Proceeds from this event will help ISLAND move closer to its goal of hosting an artists residency program in Bellaire, MI and support summer internships.

Cost is $10 for one night or $18 for both nights, and are available at the door.

Raffle tickets on sale for a host of prizes, including a season pass to Shanty/Schuss, a custom, private tour of Short's Brewing Company and more. This event is also the Bellaire CD release party for Welcome Home, the new CD by Samuel Seth Bernard and May Erlewine. See you there!

Bus from Traverse City

The fine folks at Higher Grounds Trading Company are organizing a party bus from Traverse to Bellaire and back on Saturday, April 18th. Call 877.825.2262 for details and to reserve your spot!

Changing Landscapes: A Dialogue Between Art and the Environment

2009-04-06T11:38:00.001-04:00

A Studio in the Woods, an artist residency program in Louisiana, has announced a call for artists for Changing Landscapes: A Dialogue Between Art and the Environment

Changing Landscapes is a 6-week residency based on the premise that Southern Louisiana can be seen as a microcosm of the global environment, manifesting both the challenges and possibilities inherent in human interaction with the natural world. We ask artists to describe in detail how the region will affect their work, to propose a public component to their residency and to suggest ways in which they will engage with the local community. Recipients will be given $3000 as a stipend and $1000 towards materials.

For more information, visit their website, www.astudiointhewoods.org.

The Alliance of Artists Communities Announces Visions from the New California Award

2009-03-22T09:29:00.004-04:00

What does California look like to its artists?

Visions from the New California recognizes outstanding, under-recognized, visual artists from California. Six artists are selected each year, and are awarded a one-month residency at one of six California artists’ residency programs, and a $4,000 stipend. Application deadline is June 1, 2009.

The Alliance of Artists Communities are seeking a diverse group of artists from across the state of California and in a variety of visual art disciplines. Now in its 5th year, this award has transformed the lives and careers of the awarded artists.

For more information, see http://www.visionsfromthenewcalifornia.org

Learn about maple syrup

2009-02-20T07:11:00.003-05:00

Brad Kik, ISLAND's Co-Director, has been volunteering many winter hours in the Wagbo sugar bush. He has been spending days checking lines to ensure a smooth flow of sap once the spring thaw begins. View this video for a glimpse of his hard work, along with Doug Bedell and James Manning:

Song by Seth Bernard--Go Within from his newest album, This Here

Wagbo recently announced its educational programs around the sugar bush. Visit the Wagbo Blog for details on the following workshops: Sugaring Folklore and Tradition, Bring it to a Boil: Evaporator Training, Maple Ecology, and Making Maple Syrup.

And don't miss the 7th Annual Maple Syrup Festival on Saturday, March 28th!

Support Art in Michigan

2009-02-15T08:40:00.002-05:00

The Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs is at risk. Governor Grandholm is making budget cuts, and MCACA is on the chopping block.

If you are a Michigan resident, please take a moment to tell the Governor that the arts are important to you. They are important to our communities. And it's just good business--the arts create jobs and encourage tourism.

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/mi/issues/alert/?alertid=1267338

Inagural poem by Elizabeth Alexander

2009-01-21T10:52:00.002-05:00

Did you listen to that lovely poem by Elizabeth Alexander at President Obama's inauguration? It was one of four such poems written and read at an inauguration. The others were at John Kennedy's (Robert Frost), Bill Clinton's (Maya Angelou, 1993, and Miller Williams, 1997).

We hope that this is a demonstration of support for the arts in this nation. She was not asked to submit the poem for review prior to the event. When the nation heard the poem, it was the first time for all of us, including our new president.

Oh, and Elizabeth Alexander has benefited from an artists residency at Yaddo (though did not write this particular poem while in residence as far as I know). Residencies support artists by providing them with the time and space to create new work.

Listen to an NPR interview with Alexander.

Amanda

Northern Michigan Permaculture Guild

2009-01-19T14:38:00.003-05:00

About
The Northern Michigan Permaculture Guild was conceived and started as a result of ISLAND's Edible Forest Gardening workshop series held in the late summer of 2008, in partnership with Little Artshram, Eco Learning Center and The Green Man. The guild is an informal collection of students and practitioners of Permaculture. You do not need to be certified as a student or teacher of Permaculture - all skill levels are welcome, including absolute beginners!

The Project
The plan is simple. We've created a Google listserv for the group. This listserv will act as a venue for announcements and online discussion. There are no required meetings, no dues and no stress. We'll occasionally arrange potlucks, property tours, workshops and work bees. All members are welcome to do the same.

The work bees are opportunities to trade your labor for learning, good company and usually some great food! Work bees last anywhere from a couple of hours to a weekend and can include fruit tree planting, sheet mulching, building projects or other "many hands=light work" jobs.

Get Involved!
It's easy. Click through to the Google Permaculture Guild page and click on "Join this group." If you already have a Google mail account or have signed up for other Google services, this will just take a couple of clicks. If you haven't opened a free Google account yet you will need to register. You do not need to sign up for Google mail to get an account. Questions? Problems? Email Amanda Kik at amanda@artmeetsearth.org.

Black Star Farms Donating 10% of Wine Sales to ISLAND

2009-01-14T10:45:00.000-05:00

Coming this weekend, January 17th and 18th! The Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula are celebrating the season with a Winter Warm Up featuring a souvenir mug, mulled wine, appetizers, desserts, discounts on wine and art demonstrations. Letterpress printmaker Chad Pastotnik of Deep Wood Press will be demonstrating his craft at Black Star Farms on Old Mission, who will offer you the choice of either a 20% discount or a 10% discount and a 10% donation to ISLAND. This Saturday and Sunday, January 17th and 18th from 12 to 5 pm. Download a flier here.

Little Norway's WinterFest at Wagbo Peace Center

2009-01-13T20:53:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite local organizations is hosting Little Norway's WinterFest!

January 16 & 17

Wagbo Peace Center
5745 North M-66, East Jordan, Michigan
231-536-0333
wagbo@torchlake.com
You may need to call or write if you plan on attending workshops

A Celebration of Winter in the Scandinavian Tradition
Sled! Ski! Snowshoe! Workshops! Food!

Workshops include: Weaving birch bark, brewing Finnish ale, fingerweaving a traditional sash, and hiking with vikings

For more information: http://wagbopeacecenter.blogspot.com/2008/12/winter-fest.html

New year brings growth

2009-01-11T08:44:00.004-05:00

I received a jarring email just after the first of the year. It brought news of a friend who stepped in front of a train. An artist and gardener, she had long struggled with depression, and it finally took her down.

This event has been hard for me to get my head around. It is the kind of thing that makes you hug your friends a little longer and a little tighter. The other day, I parked the car in the driveway and a single large snowflake landed on the windshield. I sat there with the engine off for a couple of minutes, wondering about how this perfect object could exist in the same world as such deep sorrow.

The email that I received was a mass email, and all week, friends have been replying to the whole bunch with remembrances. It's been cathartic. I learned from one of the recent emai's that the "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth" by designer Bruce Mau long hung in my friend's kitchen. The first tenant:

1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.

My friend's death will change me, though I'm waiting to see exactly how. It has certainly strengthened my resolve to deeply value my friends, to support the arts by supporting artists, to champion those that work the earth to produce sustenance, and to enjoy this hard work.

The remaining statements of the manifesto are ones that ISLAND strives toward as we work to support artists, farmers, homesteaders, and this small place. I recommend reading the complete list, but here are some highlights struck me as particularly ISLAND-like:

3. Process is more important than outcome.When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.

7. Study. A studio is a place of study. Use the necessity of production as an excuse to study. Everyone will benefit.

13. Slow down. Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.

16. Collaborate. The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.

40. Avoid fields. Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. They are often understandable efforts to order what are manifold, complex, evolutionary processes. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.

43. Power to the people. Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We can't be free agents if we’re not free.

I'll miss you, friend.

Amanda

ISLAND welcomes new board member, Aaron Allen

2009-01-04T12:13:00.002-05:00

We are honored to welcome Aaron Allen to the ISLAND Board of Directors!

Aaron has a background in social activism and community organizing. He holds a B.A. in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, as well as a Juris Doctor from Michigan State University College of Law. He is currently employed full time as a public interest attorney, and has volunteered for organizations including Refugee Services, Lansing Voters Matter, Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, the American Civil Liberties Union, and others. In the little free time that he has, Aaron enjoys acting, songwriting, camping and travel. Aaron lives in Traverse City with his beautiful wife Joanna and their cats, Milton and Xap.

Work to be done

2008-12-23T08:55:00.002-05:00

"I know that one revived rural community would be more convincing and more encouraging than all the government and university programs of the last fifty years, and I think it would be the beginning of the renewal of our country, for the renewal of rural communities ultimately implies the renewal of urban ones."

— Wendell Berry, from The Work of Local Culture

Next time you see me, I’ll be uplifting. Yes, I will give you hope. I am learning as I go to shine on.
-- May Erlewine, from Shine On

Our winter support letter went out last week and you should receive it soon. If you just can't wait, you can read a digital version here. (.pdf) In it, we argue that artists have been instrumental in facing down hard times; May Erlewine helps make that case with lyrics from her song Shine On.

Have you heard the song? Do you agree? Did you know you can donate online too?

Work Being Done
We're proud to be working with the Alliance of Artists Communities on a new project to create more ecologically minded cultural institutions. Contact Brad if you'd like more information on how you can get involved!

Work Done in the Community
have you seen the links page on our website? We've got scores of links to arts organizations, community self-reliance sites, environmental and social justice organizations, natural design sites, favorite blogs, permaculture resources and local businesses. It's worth a look! Are we missing one? Maybe yours? Send us an email!

ISLAND's Event Partners

Looking Forward: The best of the old and a whole lot of new coming in 2009

2008-12-21T08:53:00.001-05:00

The arts are taking a big step forward in ISLAND's programming for 2009, but we haven't forgotten to include the workshops and events you've loved in the past. Take a look, or check our events page for more information.

Winter
Art, Film, Philosophy
Our friends at Parkside Arts Council have agreed to pick up where we left off last year and offer another series of mind-grabbing presentations and discussions on art, ecology and philosophy! Specific details on speakers, dates, times and location coming soon.

Spring
Third Annual ISLAND Benefit Concert
Coming this spring at Shorts Brewing Company! Hear the best in local music and drink the best of local beer! Dates and lineup announced soon.

Arts and Advocacy
An ambitious project to build and support connections between advocacy-minded artists and advocacy organizations. Do you create art in order to make meaning around advocacy issues? Do you represent a gallery or arts organization that would like to host that kind of work? Do you represent an advocacy organization that is looking for new ways to think and talk about your issues? Contact us and get involved!

Summer
Black Cat Concert Series
Another collaboration with the fine Black Cat folks in Charlevoix! More information coming soon!

Rooting Deep, Branching Out
Another collaboration, this time with the Jordan River Arts Council and area artists. We're also interested in working with other cultural organizations and area non-profits. This is an August gallery show that will also move beyond the gallery walls. The name of the show comes from an invitation to area artists to consider the question "What does it mean to live Up North?"

Internships and Volunteer Work
Lots of opportunities to lend a hand and learn a new skill! This summer we'll be putting in the first of the residency and support buildings on the property, as well as needing volunteers to help with the library, media and developing programs! Contact us if you're interested!

Fall
Artist Residency Program
If all goes well, fall of 2009 will see the birth of the ISLAND residency program, supporting artists with the time and space to create new work, as well as hosting interns and visiting instructors. Lend a hand to make this program a reality!

What else?
Skill Swap III? Farmer training? Other workshops or events? There's still some room to play; let us know what you'd like to see!

Donate online
Is that donation envelope just sitting on your desk? Save yourself a stamp and give online.

For more information about ISLAND's programs, please visit www.ARTmeetsEARTH.org.

Water Festival comes to Traverse City

2008-12-03T11:50:00.002-05:00

Just as the world is seeking the most innovative ways to address the most urgent crises, Traverse City is earning its spot on the global stage when it comes to water, often called “the new oil of the 21st century.”

Big questions are looming for the world’s water supplies, from equitable access to keeping it clean for billions. But water is also something to celebrate: life and beauty, and the deep blue seen from space that defines the planet from all others.

That’s why nationally leading musicians and water luminaries are converging here for the Traverse City Water Festival December 12, 13 and 14 for a water-focused celebration of ideas, music, community and art.

“We’re assembling some of the nation’s leading thinkers and performers to share the most creative ways of telling stories about water, and talking about water,” said Seth Bernard, a musician who has appeared on Prairie Home Companion and who co-founded the event with his performing partner Daisy May and musicians of Earthwork Music. “Water runs through everything we care about, especially here in the Great Lakes,” he said. “It’s so important that we’re combining the best of education and information with fun, family-oriented entertainment.”

The Water Festival is a celebration of community and is designed to engage the public in active stewardship of the Great Lakes and to foster cultivation of a vibrant and sustainable community. It is an, all ages, family-oriented, community-centered event that offers the freshest local music, the freshest local food, and local performing and visual artists.

Earthwork Music has organized highly successful water festivals in Mackinaw City and Grand Rapids, where thousands attended.

Fill Out Your Grand Vision Scorecard On-Line!

2008-10-16T12:32:00.002-04:00

The Grand Vision Decision is underway! Everyone who lives in Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Leelanau and Wexford Counties is being asked to offer their opinion about how our region manages future growth.

I was able to complete the 12 multiple choice questions on the Scorecard online at www.thegrandvision.org/scorecard in just a few minutes. It's a very exciting and important project that needs your input to help retain the scenic beauty and small town character of this region as more people move here.

You'll find background information, including computer animations, charts and videos, available on The Grand Vision website to help you understand the four different growth scenarios. But the questions are straightforward about public investment priorities and basic growth patterns and are easy to understand.

Please take a few minutes to go to thegrandivision.org/scorecard and fill out a Scorecard. You will be glad you did. Thanks!

Growth Happens

2008-10-07T07:30:00.002-04:00

Vote today!

The folks at the Michigan Land Use Institute spend much of their time thinking about growth in the Grand Traverse region. It's coming--how do we deal with it? According to www.thegrandvision.org, "Our region has experienced an explosive 26% growth in the last decade, and it is anticipated that we will double today's population within 40 years - making this the fastest growing region in the entire Midwest."

What should this place look like in 40 years?

You have an opportunity to be part of the discussion. For the past two years, the Grand Vision initiative has been hearing from locals. These voices have been collected into a few possible scenarios for you to vote on.

If you live in Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Grand Traverse or Wexford counties, visit www.thegrandvision.org and vote!

Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council Benefit Concert

2008-10-06T12:55:00.003-04:00

If you're anywhere nears the middle part of the fine state of Michigan, help out our pals at the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council and enjoy some fine music.

2nd Annual Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council Benefit Concert
Friday, November 7, 2008
Featuring Earthwork Artists:
Josh Davis, Jen Sygit and Drew Howard
Central United Methodist Church, corner of Capitol and Ottawa in Downtown Lansing
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., show starts at 7:00 p.m.
General admission is $20, students and Mid-MEAC Members $15
Presale tickets at: www.midmeac.org or day of starting at 6:00 p.m.

Individuals can also sponsor the show at $500 (Grand River), $250 (Red Cedar), and $100 (Rain Garden). If you would like to provide a special sponsorship for the show, contact Jessica Yorko at yorko446@cs.com or 517-214-5684.

Ecological Gardening in the Grand Traverse Herald

2008-09-17T10:00:00.003-04:00

Carol South gets it right! The Grand Traverse Herald published a short article this morning about our upcoming Ecological Gardening workshops. Usually when the mainstream press reports on sustainable living and permaculture they get it half-right, with a healthy dose of unwarranted skepticism. And then Carol South writes this:

An edible forest may sound like wild foods proponent Euell Gibbons is back, but the concept is more about using the forest as a metaphor for design -- gardening like the forest, not necessarily in the forest. This means creating a garden that is self maintaining and self fertilizing that could include berries, fruit trees, perennial vegetables, wild edibles, flowers, ground cover and mushrooms, among other things.

Nailed it. Did her homework. Paid attention in interviews. Thanks Carol!

There are still open spaces for the workshops; you can learn more about the specifics and register at our website.

Cob Oven at Dhaseleer Event Barn

2008-09-14T17:31:00.003-04:00

Cob oven workshop at the Dhaseleer Events Barn

Part I: Timber framing the base of the oven, led by Mark Maier from Tiller's International

Part II: Forming the cob oven

Part III: Firing the oven and making pizza!

First Annual Parkside Arts Festival, September 13, 2008

2008-09-03T10:35:00.001-04:00

The 2008 Parkside Fine Arts Festival presented by Parkside Arts Council, will be held Sept. 13, from 10 – 4 pm at Murphy’s Lamplight Inn in Central Lake, MI. The outdoor arts event showcases a juried exhibition of outstanding fine art by local and regional artists including jewelry, mixed media, watercolors, and photography.

The mission of the Parkside Arts Council is to encourage cultural enrichment in Antrim and Kalkaska Counties by promoting awareness, education and appreciation of the arts, and supporting those who do creative work.

For additional information on the Parkside Fine Arts Festival, visit www.parksidearts.org or contact Rachel Krino at (231) 676-3299 or Mary Ellen Murphy at (231) 357-1543.

TC-350: A Rally for Local Solutions to Global Climate Change

2008-08-27T10:27:00.003-04:00

There’s big news about global warming, and it’s heating up Traverse City.

The godfather of global warming awareness is coming to town on Sept. 7—and I do not mean Al Gore.

But I do mean Bill McKibbon, the noted author and speaker, who has been warning us about climate change for more than 30 years. These days, Mr. McKibben has a very positive message about the problem, and many of the actions he suggests are right in line with what we’ve been saying for years at the Institute.

As he explains in this video about his new book, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, eating more local foods, living in more vibrant urban communities, investing locally instead of in Wall Street, and enjoying our own area’s entertainment and culture can be a big part of stopping global warming.

Mr. McKibben points out that these simple things are not only good for the planet, they will make us happier by improving our quality of life each and every day.

The Institute’s Taste the Local Difference campaign is just that kind of thing: It not only promotes eating local and delicious food, it’s also good for the planet. McKibben’s book has countless other examples, several of them paralleling projects we work on—better public transportation, more walkable neighborhoods, smartly designed communities that are far more friendly to building a local economy in all sorts of ways.

The Institute partnered with a number of area organizations to bring Bill to town, and we’ve dubbed the event “TC-350.” That plays on McKibben’s own new campaign, called www.350.org. That number refers to how much carbon dioxide there is in the atmosphere, and the fact that we all must do our part, and quickly, to bring that number down.

The Institute is proud to join with so many partners and sponsor organizations—non-profits, schools, business leaders, local governments and more—to bring Bill McKibben to our community. It says a lot about the Grand Traverse region that so many different kinds of groups are working on this together. Fortunately, it is exactly the kind of collaboration that will help us meet the incredible challenge that is coming right at us.

(this blog post taken from the MLUI blog, and any references to "The Institute" refer to MLUI, not ISLAND!)

Final Cob Oven Workshop August 28th 2 to 5 pm

2008-08-27T10:20:00.003-04:00

Join us Thursday, August 28th from 2 to 5 pm at the Black Cat Concert series (Dhaseleer Barn) in Charlevoix for the third and final cob oven workshop. We'll review the steps taken to build the timber frame base and oven, answer questions, and most importantly fire and bake in the oven. We'll cook pizza, bread, potatoes, pie and more! $5 cover.

Even better, plan to stay and enjoy the May Erlewine and Seth Bernard show from 7 to 10 pm. $12 for workshop participants.

Hope to see you there!

Only five days left for early bird registration!

2008-08-25T09:01:00.000-04:00

Ecological Gardening: Workshops for Beginners and Experts

Register today to receive the early bird discount for the upcoming Ecological Gardening Workshop.

There are just 3 VIP spots left! Your VIP pass enables you to attend all the workshops, receive both volumes of Edible Forest Gardens, walk along on the ISLAND consulting tour and have dinner with Dave Jacke! This is a unique educational opportunity.

Dave Jacke is a permaculture instructor and award winning author of the comprehensive two-volume set Edible Forest Gardens. We partnering some of our favorite local organizations to bring you this opportunity: Little Artshram, the Eco-Learning Center and The GreenMan (aka landscaper Bruce Holland-Moritz) to bring you our most comprehensive workshop series yet!

The full week of September 22 to 27 is filled with workshops, talks, field trips and networking opportunities throughout the Traverse City region. Please join us — for a single class or for the full week — if you're a beginner or an expert there's something here for you.

Talks and workshops include: Beyond Sustainability, Ecological Design, Urban Permaculture, Home Mushroom Production, Design Guilds and Polycultures, Water in Permaculture, Animals in Permaculture and Forest Gardens I & II.

Register now! Space is limited in the workshops, for which registration is required. Talks are by donation; registraion is not required for these lectures.

See www.ARTmeetsEARTH.org for registration and pricing information.

Parkside Fine Arts Festival Now Accepting Artists Applications for Jury Selection

2008-08-21T12:53:00.001-04:00

The 2008 Parkside Fine Arts Festival presented by Parkside Arts Council is now accepting artists’ applications for the Sept. 13th Festival. Applications are available online at www.parksidearts.org or www.tributariesart.com.

Applications are being accepted in eleven fine art categories including Ceramic, Drawing/Graphics/Printing, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Watercolor and Wood.. Entries are reviewed by a panel of regional jurors.

Deadline for artists to apply online is Saturday, August, 23, 2008. Artists can email tributaries@charter.net or call (231) 676-3299 for more information.

The 2008 Parkside Fine Arts Festival presented by Parkside Arts Council, will be held Sept. 13, from 10 – 4 pm at Murphy’s Lamplight Inn in Central Lake, MI. The outdoor arts event showcases a juried exhibition of outstanding fine art by local and regional artists.

The mission of the Parkside Arts Council is to encourage cultural enrichment in Antrim and Kalkaska Counties by promoting awareness, education and appreciation of the arts, and supporting those who do creative work.

For additional information on the Parkside Fine Arts Festival, visit www.parksidearts.org or contact Rachel Krino at (231) 676-3299 or Mary Ellen Murphy at (231) 357-1543.

The Alliance of Artists Communities has a new website

2008-08-20T12:51:00.000-04:00

ArtistCommunities.org is your one-stop guide to artists' residencies for visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, scholars, filmmakers, community artists, architects, and more.

Subscribe now for just $25/year for premium residency information, upcoming application deadlines, and the latest job opportunities.

Hundreds of residency programs, endless possibilities!

Alliance of Artists Communities
www.artistcommunities.org

News and Announcements

2008-08-19T11:19:00.004-04:00

Some things y'all may be interested in knowing about...

1) We're excited to hear about the new "Stitch & Sip" taking place at Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire. They welcome knitters and crocheters of any level, including those who are interested in learning how to do either one. It takes place the first and third Tuesday of each month at 5 pm. For more information contact Alison Hendry at alison.hendry@gmail.com or 231.533.6828.

2) There are just 10 days left for the discounted early bird pricing on the upcoming Ecological Gardening workshops! Your registration must be postmarked by August 29th to qualify.

3) There are just 3 VIP spots left! Your VIP pass enables you to attend all the workshops, receive both volumes of Edible Forest Gardens, walk along on the ISLAND consulting tour and have dinner with Dave Jacke! This is a unique educational opportunity.

Ecological Gardening: Workshops for beginners and experts

2008-08-14T14:27:00.002-04:00

ISLAND is proud to welcome back Dave Jacke, permaculture instructor and award winning author of the comprehensive two-volume set Edible Forest Gardens. We're also proud to partner with some of our favorite local organizations: Little Artshram , the Eco-Learning Center and The GreenMan (aka landscaper Bruce Holland-Moritz) to bring you our most comprehensive workshop series yet!

The full week of September 22 to 27 is filled with workshops, talks, field trips and networking opportunities throughout the Traverse City region. Please join us — for a single class or for the full week — if you're a beginner or an expert there's something here for you.

Talks and workshops include: Beyond Sustainability, Ecological Design, Urban Permaculture, Home Mushroom Production, Design Guilds and Polycultures, Water in Permaculture, Animals in Permaculture and Forest Gardens I & II.

Register now! Space is limited in the workshops, for which registration is required. Talks are by donation; registration is not required for these lectures.

See www.ARTmeetsEARTH.org for registration and pricing information.

Where You At? (Part 2)

2008-08-11T16:42:00.007-04:00

This is part of a series answering questions from the "Where You At" quiz published in CoEvolution Quarterly. The version we are using was revised by Kevin Kelly, and is available as a .pdf here or on his original site here.

3.) Trace the water you drink from rainfall to your tap.
Rain falls into the many lakes and rivers and percolates down through the earth. We sit atop the Chain of Lakes Watershed, which is a piece of the larger Grand Traverse Watershed. Our well taps into this water at 260 feet. On the ISLAND property, that's the end of it. By the end of the season, we will have a solar powered pump that will suck water into a cistern when the sun is out, where it is stored until use.

4) When you flush, where do the solids go? What happens to the waste water?
The ISLAND property does not yet have a flusher, but at the Kik home, we have a septic system. Everything is flushed into a tank, with an overflow into an underground field of rocks and blocks that purifies the water and deposits it clean back into the ground.

Next post:
5) How many feet above sea level are you?
6) What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom here?

Where You At? (Part 1)

2008-08-04T17:24:00.002-04:00

Lots of you are now the proud recipients (right?) of our latest fundraising letter (.pdf), which references the "Where You At" quiz written by the fine folks at the CoEvolution Quarterly. The version we included with the letter was improved by Kevin Kelly, and is available as a .pdf here or on his original site here.

The quiz is excellently designed to test your knowledge of place. Some answers are rooted in historical or indigenous knowledge. Others change from day to day. Some can easily be googled; others will require more work. I know just a few people around here who could likely ace this thing on first try (without google or a reference library); I'd be curious to know if there's anyone who can whose answers are also the same as mine (meaning they would live very close to us).

So, in the interest in building and sharing knowledge, we're going to answer each of these questions for ourselves and share our process for finding answers. If we need to cheat we'll use the web for answers (and will say so). We'll also let you know our first guesses and how right we were. We'd love to see your own answers posted to the comments. Include your process and your problems in learning about your own place on this Earth.

For additional resources, check out Kevin Kelly's version, which includes loads of comments on how others have found answers to these questions.

We'll tackle 2 questions per blog entry, starting with:

1.) Point north

Well, I'm facing north right now, which I know because I'm on the opposite side of the house from our sun drenched patio. I can also find Polaris at night, if I can find the big dipper first. But how exactly north am I?

I know from past internet searches and from confirming with a friend that the magnetic declination in our area is currently just a hair over 6 degrees. So with a compass I can get spot on to both magnetic and solar north.

2.) What time is sunset today?

Boy. This is a no-brainer for a google search. I even have the page bookmarked. But let's figure out some other options first. My first guess is 9:15 tonight (August 4th), based on spending the weekend shooting photos at the Sleeping Bear Dunegrass festival and remembering which acts suddenly pulled out the big light shows. Some papers publish this information; however, I don't see it in the Antrim County News even though they sport a great fishing column. I could also just stand outside and wait, but I'd like to get this published before dinner and we live at the base of a tall forested hill that hides the actual sunset from us.

And of course, there's sunset, nautical sunset, astronomical sunset, end of light, etc. The point is not to be technically exact here, but to have a good general sense. I'm sticking with 9:15, and going to check Weather Underground for confirmation. Actual time there is listed as 9:02 pm, though I'll take some (very small) comfort from knowing that Saturday night was a full 3 minutes later and I wasn't wearing a watch.

Next post:
3.) Trace the water you drink from rainfall to your tap.
4) When you flush, where do the solids go? What happens to the waste water?

Mythology and Sustainability

2008-07-17T10:06:00.003-04:00

Important piece over at The Archdruid Report on the definition of "myth," the way our brains want to envision possible future collapse (whether Y2K or peak oil or robot war) and how damaging that is to making good community-building decisions.

The piece is here (about 1800 words/15 paragraphs): Dreams of a Better World

I particularly like this essay because it speaks to the role of art and artists in helping us define what we want our communities to look like. Artists act as cultural navigators. As the author John Michael Greer says:

the predicament we are facing demands something subtler. Rather than swapping one narrative for its mirror image, it may be time to step back and look at our mythic narratives as narratives, rather than imposing them by force on the world around us.

If we can regain a certain degree of mythic literacy, and apply it to the myths that shape our public life, we might even be able to stop thinking of modern industrial society as either the best or the worst of human cultures, and recognize it as the ramshackle product of a long process of evolution, containing much that is worth saving alongside much that belongs in history’s compost bin.

This is a role that artists have played for a long time. It's a role that ISLAND is integrating directly into our work of creating a durable future.