You your microphone. That would be great.
Okay. Rachel, I'm going to let you turn.
Turn it over to you and get started
Sounds good. Thanks, Gwen, alright! Good afternoon, or good morning to wherever you may be.
Zooming in from I am Rachel Messrich programs, Manager legacy and editorial for the American Craft Council and the Coordinator behind the American Craft Forum Series I'm so pleased to welcome you all to this American Craft forums program in Association with our
Quarterly publication. American Craft Magazine. I'm speaking to you today from my home in Apple Valley, Minnesota, and representing the offices of the American Craft Council in Minneapolis, which are both located on the Traditional ancestral and
Contemporary lands of the Dakota, and a Jibway people.
This place carries a complicated and layered history in the thousands of years.
The Dakota people have been in relationship and kinship land here and in the several 100 years since European settlers colonized the land, that the State of Minnesota now occupies the United States land.
Seizure was a project of destruction that denied the Dakota free and unhindered access to land that fundamentally shapes their identity and lives.
We pay tribute to the Declaration in a jibway, and invite you to consider the land on which you live, and the confluence of legacies that bring you to brings you to stand where you are particularly through critical reflection and conversation with your own community fostering conversation and community
are at the heart of Acc's mission, and American craft serves as one of the most vital contributions in service to this mission and hopefully to the field of craft in American culture.
Acc's eighty-plus year old publication contributes to the Craft conversation by shining a light.
The diversity, resilience, beauty, and impact of American craft and its makers.
In 2,023. We look at craft, the lens of 4 themes inhabit, vessel wild, and collect the editorial team is just wrapping up the spring issue, which will be hitting mailboxes in Mid February and has plans well, under way for
The summer 2,023 issue with. We encourage pitches and submissions from our community, and have more information on the rest of the 2,023 themes on our website.
Please check under writers, guidelines, and submissions for more information before I dive into the program.
In my introduction. I also just wanted to thank the Acc.
Staff, particularly our executive director, Andrespect, our uber talented editorial team, our amazing marketing team, and our senior director of programs in partnerships, Gwen Rick and Brad Smith, who is taking the behind-the-scenes tech Helm for today's
program. The American Craft Council is a national nonprofit member, based organization. As such.
I would like to get a big shout out to our donors and members who make programs like this possible.
And if very special, thank you, to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Wingate, charitable foundation for their generous support.
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We encourage you to participate in the talk via the chat feature, and drop any comments or questions there.
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In the winter issue. We explored the idea of inhabit not only how we occupy space, but how we live in it.
The objects that we surround ourselves with the furniture that we rest on the studio of our mind and imagination, that fuels our creativity.
This issue celebrates what it means to be at home in oneself, in a community in the world.
This idea is no more prevalent than in the story about a truly inspiring partnership between the furniture society, a national arts, nonprofit deserted to advancing the art of furniture, making the steam studio at unc Asheville and beloved village a
Project of the nonprofit beloved Asheville building tiny houses for those that struggle with housing and security community is stronger with craft, and this partnership is a true feat on the ground example of the handmaid making a difference in building stronger more engaged communities to
Provide a little more context and background on this partnership and to help guide us and our speakers through this conversation.
I'd like to introduce our amazing moderator, Monica Hampton, who will in turn introduce our speakers more fully.
Monica, I invite you to turn on your camera.
Now Monica is the executive director of the Furniture Society.
She has had a lifelong interest in the arts and education.
Her background is a combination of fine arts, art, history, education, and public outreach.
With an emphasis on program development for museums and organizations, especially in history, fine art, craft, and design.
In a past life. Monica has also served as the director of Education for the Society of North Americans.
Goldsmith as well as the American Craft Council, though not at the same time.
I had the pleasure of working with Monica on the Accs.
2,016 conference in Omaha, Nebraska, and I'm so pleased to have her here today. Thank you.
So much, and take it away. Monica
Thank you, Rachel. It's such a good experience to be back sharing the same screen, if not the same state with you.
So thank you for the kind introductions. I also want to thank Gwen, Rick and Brad Smith, the American Craft Council, and the editorial staff at American Craft Magazine for the opportunity to share this program with you, and I also want to thank the Board of the furniture
Society, Pam Robinson. Ardent, our Director of Education, and our program funders, the John and Robin Horn and Sarah little Turnbull foundations, and most recently the Maxwell Hanraham Foundation for their support of our programmatic vision today I'll speak briefly about the
Furniture, society, and the craft for a greater good origin story, and then we'll launch into a presentation about the evolution of craft for a greater good in Asheville and our partnership with Unca, and be loved we'll then segue into a moderated conversation ending in a. Q.
And a, and I think, Rachel, you would also message that if people have questions throughout, you can certainly populate the chat with questions, and somebody will keep tabs on those.
So a bit of background for those of you who don't know the furniture society that I hear quite a few times.
People say, there is a furniture society, but we are here, and we are thriving, and we are doing so through programs such ascraft for a greater good.
The mission of the Furniture Society is to advance the art of furniture, making, by inspiring creativity, promoting excellence, and fostering an understanding of this art form and its place in society vision is to cultivate a diverse community, and conversations around furniture in all of
its forms as an organization. Our goal is to sustain relevance for our members and the field, and we feel it's our duty and need to find ways to shape, serve and impact our community and therefore we're working to create and cultivate a diverse community with broad perspectives this will
facilitate conversations and awareness around furniture and the tenets of making, positioning craft as a tool of empowerment and we AIM to achieve this by expanding the pipeline for engagement and sharing what our field has to offer yes, we want to lead conversations, around craft but we want
to transform the fields, stimulating the advancement of new ideas.
When we want to turn those conversations into action through collaborations, partnerships, and community building, we hope that we can work to unify a fragmented field and to give back at the same time, and in this way we hope to evolve gain insights and expand our reach in this spirit we are
proud to introduce craft for a greater good. Cg, as we've beenter it about around here is an initiative to connect with and serve our annual conference cities partnerships, and the creation of impactful projects Tfs.
The furniture, society aims to engage people through the creative problem-solving process of furniture making which hopefully will position craft as a tool of empowerment and useal connection.
We also hope that Cgg will inspire young people to work with their hands, to engage in creative problems, solving and understanding the value of me, to exemplify what our field has to offer, broadening our engagement with our members, to help identify and meet a need within a community to
co-create work with lasting social benefit and impact position.
Our annual gatherings as more than just a single moment in time, but more as an ongoing platform for dialogue and action to expand our membership and to allow our membership ship members who carry a vast amount of knowledge to pass on skill sets to the next generation.
We hope that it will also allow us to amplify our collective stories, our history, our knowledge and skills, adding depth and breath to our impact.
During the 2,018 Furniture society member meeting a member received a standing ovation for the suggestion that the Furniture Society find ways to make a difference in the cities where we host our annual conferences response the craft for a greater good initiative was launched in 2,000 and
19 version one and conjunction with our conference in Milwaukee, our partners in this iteration were the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, the Milwaukee Art Museum Teen Internship Program and Victory over Violence Park, a Public Park in that
Community that had been beset by gun violence, but was, but who were seeking to change the community dynamics leading into the conference.
The museum teens did site-specific interviews in the neighborhood where the benches were to be installed and they drew inspiration from their own bench designs from the work of furniture.
Maker, Tom Lozer, and engaged in object studies with Dr.
Sarah Anne Carter from the Chipstone Foundation.
To better understand the impact. Of objects on our world during the span of the conference attendees and students worked seamlessly together in the lab, and Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design to construct the benches.
Work began during the conference was continued by the teens in the Milwaukee Art Museum program, and the benches are now installed in the park with student designed engaging, signing for the victory over violence Park.
This project, which we thought was going to be a surface skim, turned out to be an incredible eye-opening experience for the Furniture Society, and at that point we knew we had a winning program combination.
The program was generously funded at that point. Thank you.
To the John and Robin Horn Foundation and the Sarah.
Let's see I'm getting a little message that I need to probably turn up my volume or speak louder.
I'm sorry about that. How's this? Can I get a thumbs up
Thank you. So we had a winning combination. The program has been generously funded at that point by the John and Robin Horn Foundation and the Sarah little Turnbull funding to continue with new support in place with a boots on the ground local Resident Fellow to really be a liaison between the
Furniture, society, the communities where we would be hosting our programming, and also and also with the community organization that we would partner in with.
And thus we began to shape our 2 point version in Asheville, North Carolina.
So, now, if your cameras aren't already on Brent and Ellie and Annie and Amy, please turn your cameras on.
Would like to now launch into a little bit of an explanation about who these incredible partners are, and a little bit about how this program has gone over the past 2 years.
So linking arms with Tfs member and Maker extraordinary.
Red skidmore, we began to talk about what a partnership might look like in Asheville.
Without hesitation Brent introduced us to Amy Cantrell, who is the founder of beloved Brent, serves as an associate professor of art and art history.
He's the director of craft studies and public arts and Humanities.
Chair at Unc. Asheville, and he is the co-founder of the steam studio, a fabrication and design lab built for interdisciplinary teams focused on collaboration and innovation.
While that Brent's background is actually in sculpture.
His primary focus has been studio furniture until he recently began making sculpture again, when not working for Unc.
Asheville in the Asheville community, or assisting with steam studio projects.
Rent is focused on mentorship and community work focused on social change through collaborative making.
He has been an educator for over 31 years at universities and craft programs around the country.
Brett. Thank you for all of your energy. Amy Cantrell is one of the co-directors of beloved Asheville.
She founded the organization in 2,019, believing that building community was a key part to transforming the struggles happening all around us, and that community is an artful beloved is a community of people putting love into action every day, bringing people from all walks of life together to create innovative solutions to some
Of the most challenging problems of our time. We housing and food, insecurity, poverty, lack of health, care, racism, and climate change, many of Beloved's project works at the intersections of community creativity and equity.
Amy was school educated at Converse College and Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, and was quote, treateducated at open door community in Atlanta, and it beloved Asheville
Beloved Asheville has a long history of delivering compassion, support, and relief to people in need.
Beloved Asheville is building a village of 12 micro homes to sow the seeds of community well bringing home their neighbors, who have struggled with housing insecurity.
Thank you, Amy, for all of your continued work. And so we began working in partnership with these 3 organizations, Unc.
Asheville and Beloved, and the Furniture Society to determine who would help us on the ground, which is, when Ellie Richards and Annie Evelyn entered the picture as in Duo, applying for the local resident fellow position
The idea with the local resident fellow was to help strengthen our relationship within the community.
Asheville, and, boy, as you will see in the coming conversation points, did they ever make a difference
Can you all still hear me? Okay, thank you. Annie. Evelyn is a furniture maker living in Bakersville, North Carolina.
She has been a resident artist at Penland. The Wind Gate, resident at multiple universities, was awarded the John D.
Minic fellowship, and exhibited nationally and international internationally.
Annie has been working to create community throughout her artistic practice, mentoring teens, teaching art and upholstery in community and youth centers as well as putting on arts based events across the country in 2,019, she co-founded crafting the future with a dedicated
Group of artists from Penland School of Craft to address the glaring lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the fields of art and craft and design.
Eleanor or Ali Richards, looks to the tradition of both woodworking and the ready-made to create eclectic assemblage, installation, and objects exploring intersections of labor and leisure.
She has traveled extensively to investigate that role, that the role that play and improvisation have on the artistic process.
Her work both furniture and sculpture have been included in exhibitions at the Mint Museum, the center for craft, creativity, and design.
So for Chicago and the Society of Contemporary Craft.
Ellie is currently a three-year resident artist at Penland.
So that is, the cast of characters
And it essence. Before we launch into our visual presentation about the work that was done in Asheville.
I just want to say that craft for a greater good has allowed us to promote the value of making and to bring it into the broader culture, where we feel that it belongs, and where we feel that others can benefit from it, our host communities as well as our members have expressed an excitement about this
program that is far exceeded our expectations. And has reinforced our belief in this program.
So without further ado, I would like to invite Ellie and Annie and our folks, Brent and Amy to join us, as we present a visual slideshow about working with craft for a greater good in Asheville on the ground
Thank you. Monica, and thanks everyone for being here. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to talk with you all, because truly craft are greater good and and all of its constituents all of its partnerships, all of the individuals who have donated their time and effort it's really a
Comprehensive situation. It's it's layered.
It's deep, and I I wish and hope that nobody ever asked me about it.
Yeah.
Sorry? Is there like? Does anyone hear that weird, honking noise?
Okay, fair enough. So I was saying, I really hope that nobody ever asked me about Cg in an elevator, because I wouldn't be able to provide an adequate response it's way too complicated.
And we are so grateful for this conversation and for the article, and the inhabit issue of American Craft Magazine.
To share this story with one of our major goals and objectives being that this is something that can be recreated is something that you can join in and participate in it's a continuum and so this isn't.
There's no start, there's no end. This is a story that we're telling, and and it's it's truly so exciting.
So to get started. I want to break it down for you next slide, Crawford.
Greater good is essentially a tripod. You have crap for a greater good, which sits under the furniture.
Society, you have it's a tripod of organizations you have steam studio, which is a part of a university.
You University of North Carolina, Ashville, and then you have be loved.
A nonprofit in Asheville. These 3 partnerships sort of are pulling together and pulling together.
Our our resources, to create the work and and accomplish our goal of turning houses into next slide
So Monica went over this, and we can continue to the next, and I want to invite Brent to give a snopsis of steam studio.
Thank you.
Yeah, it's a 12,000 square foot. Well, one thanks for having me here.
I appreciate that. And that's 12, and thanks for everyone being here.
That's a 12,000 square foot making space. And we have at the problem.
Oh, that many universities have not enough space and equipment for sculpture!
Specifically and engineering here at even C as well. And so those 2 forces combined and 6 founders of faculty and staff and 25.
And now we have a very active space it's a Jason to our campus about a mile off campus, and we host senior design there, and engineering mechanics.
We host parts of our sculpture. One class and parts of our sculpture, 2 class, and then Bfas can also do their solo show work.
There also
Generously funded by Wind Gate Chair Foundation. And now in a Duke Energy Grant in the very beginning, actually, that came in through engineering
So we wrote, we run a current selection of classes that support university students.
Obviously is, is built for faculty student and staff, and then one of the expansions of steam studio this year, and specifically the last 3 years has been our community programming, which is called skill Set.
All this can be found on our website. Sara Sanders is the director of steam Studio there, and we have 2 full-time other 2 other full-time employees, Amanda Simmons and Lesi Rosenberg, who Amanda works with skill, set and Amanda works I'm sorry Leslie
As a shop technician and a man that works with skill set. Well, then, you can go on through. I think Ellie can control the paste to. If you want
I can't hear anything anymore. Oh, you read it? Yeah.
Essentially steam studio, for our project was a major resource for us.
With equipment and materials and instructors, so Leslie Rosenberg was a key person in this project who was lending her knowledge and skills as an educator.
Okay.
So without that, that's space. So much of our work.
And the students involved wouldn't, wouldn't have come to the table.
So, yeah.
I guess one thing, one thing to add to would be that we had planned.
They have a conference there. The first number of times.
Actually, we plan 3 times
That is true. A little thing
So, Amy, we're going to invite you to speak about.
Be loved.
Hmm.
Sure it's my honor to be here today, and for all the organizations and all of you out there tuning in to this really special program.
Wanted to thank the American Craft Council and the Furniture Society and Steam Studio are partners here Vlans is a really special organization.
We focus on home health, equity, and opportunity for all here in our community.
And we do that through. I heard the word earlier in power months.
It's about building community and empowering each other to share our gifts.
And through that we've created a number of really powerful projects, including a huge response the COVID-19 pandemic community gardens and backyard barns and neighborhoods as well as free farmers, markets sharing over 5 million pounds of food in the last 2 years
Here in our community, we have the first homeless and formerly homeless street medic team in the nation, and we do a lot of organizing around in systemic racism and really honoring culture, and we heard a lot about that today with indigenous communities.
There, and Minnesota, which is really powerful, really grateful to be wanted.
A new that can be initiative to the food truck that will be sharing healthy meals and deserts, but also teaching kids and use food ways from African American, Appalachian.
And my next cultures, and as well as our indigenous culture here in Western North Carolina, so we're so excited to to be a part of this group, and of course, one of our most powerful ongoing initiatives is the beloved village where we're building deeply affordable
Homes for people in our community and doing that through the power of community and the gift of of turning these houses into homes to the power of crack.
So can't wait to sort of dig into that more as we go on
Thank you, Amy.
Thank you. Thanks, Amy, for the continued inspiration
Thanks, Amy.
And, Gwen, if you wouldn't mind moving to this slide here.
And Amy, would you? If it's W. Would you feel comfortable, sharing, kind of how be loved?
First sort of coagulated or became, you know, a group of people working together
Absolutely, so so really be left started building community with people that had been pushed to the margins for for various different reasons, whether it's through racism or through poverty or homelessness.
And so what we believed was that we were better to together.
And so we began to form community with queer and transgender people.
People from all different backgrounds and ways of life, and we found home with each other, which is very powerful.
So this picture is very poignant, and it's sort of the origin story of the beloved village project.
We had a knock on the door, in our community house right downtown, be loved, and the police were there, and I answered the door, and they asked me if I could identify body for them, and so I look at this picture that they showed me a woman lying in her red sleeping bag with
Our head lifted to the sky. She had been a dande for 5 days, to 56.
We knew her as our friend and Jones, and so our community held a public funeral for her. And this is the the picture.
From that that funeral, but that wasn't the end of it.
We knew that we wanted to sound the alarm and say that this housing crisis was called in people to die too soon, and so, beyond that we had a a group of people living through the housing prices that met weekly, and they loved, and we sat in the circle.
When we talked about what could we do to change things? And so when Janet died, indeed, basically, her death was really taken to into the heart of that circle, and people began to really feel a clear end call to rise up and and change things, and so I remember one person turn into everybody else, in the
Circle and saying, What are we gonna do about this? And through that?
Our street medic team was formed 4 months after, Janet still, and then we went beyond that to to have a very substantive conversation, where people said, We can't afford affordable housing, and the kind of housing that is created is not the kind of housing we want people people are often
And spaces that we're not very habitable and didn't feel like home and so out of that we began to dream a very bold vision of creating a new way home, which became the be loved to live project creating deeply affordable homes cause our people couldn't afford affordable
housing the and built, and to really begin to say what is what makes a house a home and we'll dig into that.
In this conversation, because that is really where this partnership birth.
I was thinking about, how do we do that, and what we?
What we began to say is energetically. You turn a house into a home through craft, this is the architectural drawings of our beloved village and project, and I'm sitting right now in the Blue House, which is our model home and here in the kitchen, and so it's
A very inviting space and there you see, the outside having been built right now, we have literally behind me.
We have houses going up. We have volunteers here now, and your sales were in, and hammers pounding back there, and so it's a really wonderful place to be homing with activity, and we can't wait to bring many people home here.
To the village
Thank you, Amy. Right now we're looking at a are we?
Looking at a picture of stacked plywood that was salvaged from the city of Asheville.
After some of the black lives matters, protests so it'll then be used back into various construction projects.
So next slide, I wanna give you a sort of short tour of the inside of the home.
So, as Amy said she was, you are sitting in the pilot home, and it's one of I always forget 11 or 12 homes.
Well.
12. Okay, that are being constructed currently on a piece of land that is adjacent to a church, and that church donated the land.
To this this project. Is that right
Yes.
So the first pilot home was so important because it gave people really sort of it.
It painted the real life picture of what was to become.
And so in that house next slide it was furnished with one.
Oh!
Hated, actually already had some really great furniture in it.
Stuff that is sort of multi-use and sort of foldable and movable and stackable.
Next slide.
It was really, a it it is really a beautiful space. And so when we came in, we wondered, oh, it's already furnished, you know. What?
What can we do, or what are there? What are the additional needs and of course there are 11 more houses being built, and so we set out to, you know, create objects that would fill those future homes as well as the pilot home because a lot of this stuff.
Was purchased in store, and our idea here is to, you know, make these objects, and in view, as much care and love into them as possible, and so some of the things in here still stay.
But we kind of outfitted and furnished the home, so that there's more yeah sort of natural materials and craft based techniques being used to create functional objects.
One of the things first things we did when we when we Annie and I, as the resident fellows we're working with, be loved, was to sit down with next slide.
Some of the community members. So these are people from this street medic team next slide it.
It was really important for us to spend a lot of time in the home in the beginning, just to understand the layout and understand the needs.
So anyways, we were sitting with street medics and other community members and volunteers, asking sort of questions about what to what to them would make a house into, into a home, and what we heard back as one of our sort of key feed points of feedback was that having items that were multi-use was
really important, having items that had custom, customability. So you could.
The the the future resident could pick and choose color scale, you know, just different sizes, shapes, and things.
So we designed our projects to sort of accommodate that that need, and that was a really, you know, fun challenge for us was, how can we, you know, call forward this type of work from our volunteers.
So next slide next 2 slides, so that led us Annie and I, to a huge brainstorming session of designing the craft for greater good programming.
So our first project was the next slide community workshops and keep going.
Nobody needs to see the boring text. So we have.
We sort of kicked it off with these 2 community based workshops which were hosted at the beloved village in the church community space.
And so these flyers went out to. They were just regional.
So we posted up in coffee shops in Asheville.
It went out on Facebook, through Beloves Network, and we had a wonderful response.
Our classes were filled to the Max, and even more, and our 2 sort of concepts where we're gonna have have a skill sharing, you know, workshops.
So people are coming, and learning is a a skill, and then they're also making furniture for the homes we wanted these classes to be.
We wanted a couple of different ways for people to participate. Number one.
We wanted to. Is this to be free? If if we wanted one option to be free.
So we developed a sort of interesting pay payout structure in which you could take the class for free.
You'd learn the skill we would provide a chair and the material, but then you'd donate that that chair back to be loved.
The second option was that you could take the class and a poster one of our provided chairs, and but if you wanted to purchase the chair at the end, you could, and that money would go back to our project, and then the other option was you could bring your own share and then like pay 50
Dollars for the experience. So we felt like this. How could you say?
No, we we wanted to really give all of the options, all of the ends to to take these classes, and if you can scan through some of the next flip through some of the next pictures, you'll see Annie and instructing a class on slipsey recovering or
Slip street, slip, seat, upholstery next slide, or some of our before and afters
So this sort of set the stage of taking sort of what was what was being tossed away and refurbishing it.
Re, you know, refinishing, rem moisturizing we like gave these shares a lot of love and a lot of life took them down to their bones and built them back up with fresh materials, and they really sort of we we were shocked it.
What what the makeovers that were possible. And so at the end of the day next slide we had a group of, you know, 15 or so people with these chairs that we're gonna be left for the future homes at beloved village and a lot of people who are now aware you know of
What's going on. And these this was our first like sort of community building workshop.
And and it was a huge success. Next slide we followed that with a seat weaving workshop, same sort of thing providing the chairs, and I taught basic Shaker tape seat weaving.
So we took the chair frames next slide sort of flip through these, Gwen.
Thank you.
Took these old apple latch and slap back chairs, refinish them, and gave them, gave the student the knowledge of this very simple way to make a seat, and that's Leslie.
It's Leslie getting into it, and
That's Lynn, the steam studio intern, and there, that's like a repeat picture, I guess
One of the fun moments from this project was having the chance to sneak in little messages into these chairs for the future residents which it's sort of one of our main one of the main core values of the of the project was that you know, as we're making these things
We're thinking about and thinking towards with, you know, thinking, thinking towards the future residence, and sending, you know, messages of positivity and hope into their future and into the future of of these objects, and we sort of believed that this would be sensed, and that this would be felt in the house that would
Then become better a home. So the next sort of background of our programming there we are.
Hooray! And all of this is being stored by be loved, and we're thankful for for that safe storage space while the other homes were being built.
So as I was saying, the next faction of our programming was the Unca steam studio classes.
So next slide and I'm gonna let Brent speak about this.
But just to give you a quick run down steam studio already has a wonderful network of students and their outreach is incredible.
So we were able to tap into that, and Brent also designed several semester long courses that directly related to Crawford greater good, and produced work for the house.
So, Brent, this first few images are of us, Annie and I, coming in as sort of visiting artists for one of those classes
Yeah, this was an introduction to a crew that had a class title.
It was an arts. 3, 10 course. All of our students have to take an arts, 310 course.
Here at least one. It's a place for me to engage with.
Non Art majors specifically in community builds. And that's how I just align it.
And of course we had a great title for the class because we could call this one craft for a greater good.
But they started out after Annie and La had come in.
They did a small bands, all project, and mostly students, had never made made anything like this.
So you can keep going there. And one of the awesome things that came out of that cl, that class, is that we built a sign on the shop BoT.
And then the students helped carve that and and do digital files and then painted it.
And then we've been back since with another group to recode it with clear.
And then we made an attempt at some nice donation signs that we did a few different versions of those given.
The paint that was used one day, and so there's some donation signs, because at the church be loved, actually had a consistent program there where you could bring donations in for for the community, and that's part of the sign, so I think we got it in top I think we got it. In time.
For the the 2020 parade of homes, if I remember right.
So it added some some identity there, this is one of the days that we, that same class, did, some thinking about what we could add to the class, as far as the build in. And so one specific thing we added, when you first come in the door, we added a organizational system on the right hand, side, in the
Living room, and then you go further into the kitchen area.
We had an another organization there and then. These are the students on the installation Bay, and then we went back and painted those added some doors.
And this is the well true that worked on that. That then it's Leslie.
There in my! I don't know if I'm left to write where that end, but she's a she's she was really instrumental in the programming and the teaching of this class, for sure. And then there's the some of the finished items that we put inside the house.
So our ideals that we would once we get the other houses up and rolling that will.
I'll teach some more classes, and we can engage more groups.
These you end up being pretty meanful, meaningful moments for students that are involved.
You can keep rolling to Gwyn because they're doing things that they don't usually do in other academic courses. This one we can slow down a little bit and a shout out to my brothers and sisters at Pinland, and wherever Ellie came up with this
wood, which I actually ended up loving. But another iteration of this, because we were dealing with the pandemic, and we're trying to schedule a conference.
And it wasn't happening so instead of just dying in that frustration, we just well, let's do you know, version, what's the next version that we're gonna do?
So we did a fair amount of There's Amy actually on the screen talking to a group of kids that we worked with on a weekend project when we were building picnic tables for below, Asashville.
We also did a picnic tables inside of another class.
That was a first year seminar class. This is still the children on that one day, and this was this was an awesome day, and then we went back another day, and painting them together.
There's Leslie again. That's the crew, and Ethan is there with us.
To Lynn, who we saw earlier in Ethan. They're postpoc fellows, and in Ethan.
Ol was there on the painting day also. So we went back and then.
Now they're out there and I go back to that church actually, once a week, for another group that I'm in and it's awesome to actually to roll in. See?
All the tables were under the tent this this year. When the church did.
Summer camps that led into the probably one of the most successful things that we, or at least the thing that really felt deep in the the are you community really saw us is that we did a quad build program to where you could sign up.
And come in and build picnic tables with this one day, which is really hugely successful.
Be love is there. Amy spoke, and it was actually now we're being asked.
Can you do that every year? And of course we know the answers.
Okay. And that's Bodhi on the table. By the way, the shop dog at steam Plonchio in the middle there, who is always taking.
If you see one photo and it stands out, is like, Wow colors. Right?
Composition is awesome, that he he likely took that. So.
Thanks for that, Ellie.
Thank you, Brent. We had some amazing just work days together, and we they didn't feel like work at all.
There was laughter, and I mean we we planned through, you know, stacks and stacks of 2 by fours together, and it was probably one of my favorite days of the year.
That was, that was a that was a system we had that day.
Yeah.
So I wanna check in our yeah. It was it was I wanna check in with our moderator, Monica, and make sure we're how we're how we are in time
We're really short on time because we want to be able to chat with you all about the experiences.
So do you want to just flip through some of the contributions from our school partnerships?
Okay.
Yeah, these next 2 sort of programs that we designed, oh, or
I said, shout out.
Shout out to Karen, nerds right there in the middle
Yup, yeah. So this is where we were connecting with universities all over the country.
This was at University of Edinburgh, with Karen Ernst.
This was one of our major collaborations with California College of the Arts, where they were using locally sourced wood to design products for beloved and ship.
Those all the way over. We connected with North House Folk School and John C.
Campbell folks school and worked with some really talented crafts people, and received so many, so many.
And this is where this is, where the project really sort of started to break out, because we were contacting craft schools.
And so it it became more about and became less about.
You know, furniture and and more about furnishings and different materials were invited in, and we got sort of a lot more diverse with with our donations and this is Chelsea whit a furniture society member who had her class make small plant stands so next slide
Is describing is going to describe our program called all the Small things which was a call out to individuals.
And this is sort of the call to everyone in this video that still exists where you know this was for artists and crafts, people who maybe have prototypes, who maybe have pieces that hadn't sold and needed a home.
This is an opportunity to give those pieces a chance to be appreciated in loved, and we got lots of donations.
Next, candlesticks, wood, block prints, wood, turnings, Cnced spoons, woven stools, and this is again.
This was put out to our furniture, society, membership, and through Instagram, and we just got a a really huge response.
Some glass blowers, you know. Donate it all this wonderful glass.
Where next slide. And I'm gonna hand it back to you, Monica.
Thank you.
Thanks for speeding through that. And it's great to see the pictures.
We did have one question. We're ceramics.
Included. That was just a quick question. And yes, I think almost every facet of craft and materials were included in some way, shape or form.
Right metals, glass, ramics, textiles. You name it
Alright. Well, now we're gonna go. We're gonna segue to actually having a conversation around some of these these things.
So.
Ritual. Do you need to say anything
I don't think so, Monica, but thank you.
Okay. Sorry. I keep looking over to make sure that we're doing all the right things here.
So thank you for your patience. Attendees, as we deal with the technical glitches.
So craft for greater good, as you've heard, is an initiative to connect with and serve our annual conference cities through partnerships and the creation of impactful projects.
And it is also a way for us to promote the value of making and to bring it into the broader culture wanted to hear from our group of partners what their thoughts are on.
How does craft make a difference in this partnership and work?
And what is so powerful and impactful about the acts of making and creative problem solving.
I know, Amy, you talk very eloquently about this, and I wonder maybe we could start with Amy, since her organization was the recipient of a lot of this effort.
Sure I just think it changes literally everything. And I'll tell story that to sort of illustrate that I had a friend on the street.
Larry literally lived on a sidewalk bench love pizza.
We used to bring in pizza. So one of the things that we would do it be love is just meet people and connect with them, and began to to offer friendship and community, and then we lift each other, and so we had developed this great friendship with Larry who was quite a
Comedian and we all enjoyed visiting him, and so we we we're finally able to see him move into a new place in public housing.
Even hit account down to his move. So every day, and finally he said, today, and so I'll never forget going to visit him.
So often when we saw people move off the streets into housing, we would take a welcome home gift and visit.
And so we went to to Larry's place, and as I walked in I saw a plastic rap mattress on the floor, and he opened all these into cabinets, and that was one box of mismatch can goods I don't think you could make a full meal.
Really out of what was there, and I thought, How do you make a home out of this?
And we literally went and bought him sort of all the the makings for home, but that really got us thinking as we began to build homes, that it was very significant that we looked to artists and crafts folks to to.
Really help us move houses into homes energetically.
That was so important. The things that surrounded people and allowed them to feel like they've belong and could rest and enjoy life and create, put down roots and create home.
And so we were looking for each other sort of at the same time. And it just first something so beautiful
And for the students who, you know most of all, probably all experience a much different way of living.
Just the com, not just the conversation that we had around.
The idea of what is the home struck a chord, and let them let them on fire like a lot of other students, are not sometimes lit on fire as far as making things
And I think from a you know, perspective as an as an artist who's making, you know very often the people who are able to afford the items that we have, you know, are, you know, kind of in the smaller percentile of earners.
And it just, you know, we all have that feeling. We have that one nice thing when we use it, it feels so good.
And to just be like, okay, I'm gonna devote my time today.
And I'm gonna give it to somebody who doesn't normally get that opportunity to, you know, have that, you know, specially made object.
And you know, even though the individuals haven't moved into the houses yet, you know and it might not be like, you know.
It is for them, you know, for the that person is moving in there so that feels really good
Ellie, do you want to add, or you
Then, when people start to ask, I was, gonna say, when people start to ask about the details of the project and it's development, keep in mind that like there was a there was a many points within this where Amy could say as a director of this, so we're not ready but there was never an option, that
was never an option to the team either, so that it can keep continue.
It continues to go on. And it's so deeply felt when you experience you so for me it was makers.
I didn't know but it's an extremely thoughtful addition to the house, like oh, who made the coat racks that look like I want them, you know, and the others are you know.
So it's just a the beautiful, the beauty. It's just pure, purely about the beauty that was added to this basically blank canvas
Sorry, Ellen.
I think someone needs to unmute Ellie
There!
She was in control now. She's not
There you go! Oh, no, it keeps going back and forth
Nope. Sorry, everybody. She's
We we can go back to it, I guess.
Yes.
The only thing I wanted to add was that all of these things are such conversations, starters, and it gets us talking with each other and with one another about big ideas.
Small ideas, and just like creates a lot of momentum and connection
Loved, also how making could make a difference? So it changed the conversation.
At least, Marm membership from around marketplace, which is primarily what we often talk about as a membership organization.
Thinking about how you can make a difference in your community, but use your power, your skill set for good.
So I'm wondering, can we talk a little bit about knowledge sharing so from a
That's the Radical. That's the radical.
Shift, Monica. That's the radical shift, I mean.
And it's your organization that you know. Push that forward.
At that one moment, but I could feel that in Milwaukee it was like, Oh, people are starting to think, what can I do when I go back home?
Yeah.
You know. And this is just one town, one place. This can be duplicated a 1 million ways.
Smaller parts of it can be pulled out, you know.
So, yeah, that's the that is the shift
So like from a maker's standpoint. Why do you think it's it's critical to share your knowledge and to pass skill sets on
Oh, is somebody!
I mean not only to share them, but in a in a equitable, you know way where everybody has opportunity, I mean, that's you know why we were so like.
We have to make these classes like a free option, so that this isn't, you know, keeping anybody out.
And you know so
I mean, we're we're all so much better if we all share the information.
And then you know somebody takes something off. What you taught them, and they do something else, and then you do that, you know, and then it, you know.
Yeah, butter or not butterflies out. I don't know what that kind of thing
Are playing out.
I like butterfly
I know when we were working in Milwaukee with the teens.
One of the things it was really empowering for the youth to feel that they had agency to make a difference in their communities.
And I wonder Annie and Ellie, while you were working in the Asheville community, and from you, Amy, did you feel any of that energy of like?
Oh, I actually can help something that's right in my own backyard with my own hands, with my own efforts
I definitely found that on the uncivil quad I mean, I love the way.
So the craft was disruptive of shared some more public space that we came out of buildings, and we're we're building, right out in the open, and anybody could come up and jump in and learn a skill.
And say when they laugh like I I left something. I made something that will last, you know, decades, and is gonna change the life of somebody else.
And I think that that is just fundamentally radical.
When we think about the power of craft, you know, I think about this project would be love. You know.
People automatically thought, Well, oh, we need, you know, engineers and architects and and people that can use power tools.
And nobody thought about. You know crafts, people and artists, and and that was something very innate to be love is that we we need to call on.
You know the people in that really the creatives that can really do some very special work with all.
And I was so moved by all these objects that were created.
They're very special, and you know, working with people that are often unseen or dehumanized, rendered invisible or treated malign.
You know, in the community to have some something that has come from somebody's heart and hands.
What that says to somebody. It it can literally change lives in terms of people's trauma around that to have somebody say, I see you through this object.
I, I took the time to make this very special thing for you.
I can't wait to see the stories of of when these viewings meet their people and these phones
When we were first
You give me good stuff every time you talk, Amy. Every side
Every time she talks we get the goosebumps
I've heard the Jane story I don't know how many times, and I had to turn my camera off because I was moved to get
One of the things we spoke about in our plans for this idea of craft, for a greater good was when we were going to our annual conference cities.
We were like the circus train pulling in and out a lot of energy and effort would go into shaping a three-day event for a very specific group and small group of people to come to a city.
And so now, what we're trying to do is to make a different impact and to leave some kind of a legacy that really helps somebody in a community.
So, Amy, I want to ask you, what and we wanted to do this in partnership with you.
So I want to shift the conversation a little bit to talking about why, partnerships are so important to this program, like at its success.
And in turn, what do you think the legacy of this partnership might be now that we're about to move on to a different community
I think it's just so significant. What what has happened with this partnership?
And I lifted up in so many different ways when I talk about partnership with our organization, community is really at the heart, like I said, of everything we do, and and that's what I thought was done.
So well with this is that we were building community throughout this partnership and really building it to last which I I didn't see a lot of in my work.
I've I've worked, you know. I'm 50 years old in community where and typically I'll say what I call dropbox partners.
You know, it's a it's an event. It's a one time thing.
It's a, you know, a couple of hours here and there, and what you all signed up for was was much deeper, and I have to say, you know, in the face of the pandemic which raw, you know some horrific things in our world, the pandemic sort of slowed
Us down and and made us really safer. This partnership even more, and brought out if I'm in the kitchen so I'm gonna talk about that cooking a little bit, you know, when you create this powerful rendering when you brand or something down and find all that's amazing.
Flavors. This is what happened with us. Is that we've got to really allow this partnership to simmer and to look at it from lots of different angles, and say, Oh, it could do this, and it could do this, and and so I just you know here in you shared all the different
Aspects of it, and it just keeps growing. We're not finished yet.
And so it's it's so exciting. And we're also connecting, you know, to the partnerships happening in Minnesota, and New Orleans.
And I love that too, and then not that I just want to uplift this in such a beautiful way.
As a model. What partnership can really look like
By the way, the chat is blowing up. And I appreciate all your generosity specifically.
Sarah and Jennifer
Questions in there, too. If somebody wants to pull those out
No, we're gonna go for questions in a little bit, but I'd still wanna get you all to talk a little bit about some of the things I feel like.
Amy, you do such a great job in holding this up, and I think another idea around this is to really make the threads of connection between former iterations of this project.
The current ongoings. And just so, people know that we will be well, we're not leaving Asheville because we that was the intention to always have a legacy and a relationship.
The next iteration of this project will be in New Orleans, with a community-based organization.
They're called Yahya, that Annie actually has a wonderful experience in background with.
It's a youth-based organization. And so we are just in our early phases of launching the next iteration of this project in New Orleans with the Yahoo.
Youth and we'll see what that has to bring, and every iteration of this project will be very different, and I think that is really what made working with makers possible is that you all are absolute creative problem solvers.
And so watching Ellie and Annie, and Rent put their minds together.
When the pandemic came down on us and really changed the terrain of what we were able to do, they just rolled up their sleeves and put their thinking caps on, because that's what we do as makers.
We shift, and we pivot, hate that word. But we shift, and we try to make sure that we can use our skill sets for good Ellie, do you have any?
And I feel like this. I'm sorry
Or Amy.
Go ahead! Annie!
Well, I was just gonna say, okay, I was just gonna say, you know, when when we talked about artists sharing their their knowledge.
And and these grants is, with their particular crafts and sharing that it's like the same thing with the organization. You know.
There's, you know, in New Orleans. They're trying to do the same thing.
It's like we're all trying to do the same thing let's do.
List everybody up and make everybody safe, and, you know, provide opportunities, and you know, so there's so much to be learned when we when we go check out, whatever everybody else is doing in other areas and bring those, you know that knowledge back with us.
And so it's exciting to expand. Fan those connections
Monica, one of the most powerful spaces that I go, and I know everyone.
It was Jason to this and that specifically, if you were there, we're working with the kids I mean, you look a middle schooler in the eye.
You talked, and they've been. They've been introduced to the project they've been introduced to the project through.
Right.
Amy can trail. So there also in their hometown, you hand them, you know you should handle a makita cordless real by the way, but just love product placement there.
But and you look them in the eye and tell them what we're gonna do, you know, and just get out of the way, because the the tenacity and the connectivity that they have to. The meaning of this whole thing is is raw, and real, you know, and get it.
Absolutely. I was. This is actually a good segue for the one of our next to last points, which is that the enthusiasm for craft, for a greater good has gone so far as to inspire people who felt that they didn't really have a place within this organization to become involved and to either join
Us, or to rejoin us. Amy and Ellie.
This program really seemed to be something about Clarion call for younger sets of makers or for people, as I mentioned, who might have felt marginalized.
Can you speak to that? And why do you think this is an important component in the arc of a maker?
Great question.
I mean, I'll just sort of I don't know. Position.
My comments as a coming, as a as an artist and a maker, and you know the very sort of origin of of my interest in this project came at a time when everything else was sort of shut down.
And I had just arrived in a studio space that I was supposed to develop into this very self-sufficient.
You know, artist made artists run in space as an individual, and I was excited to do that.
But I was also really overwhelmed, and it was.
It was my reaction to to reach outward and to want to just ask for help, because it just felt so so big.
And then also, like I was supposed to do all this work.
And then, just like, be alone and like not like, be able to share that, and and also such a what I'm doing right now is just it's has a lot of resources connected to it.
And I just felt like, yeah, what a what a shame if I'm the only one you know in here!
So as an artist and a maker, you kind of get yourself into this space where you know there's an expectation to kind of do it all on your own, but you're making work for an audience, a target audience, and it's it's a conundrum, because you both
There's a sort of myth that exists because that you're supposed to be in your studio alone working.
But it's the narrative that we're sort of rewriting is that if you reach outward, if you sort of connect with other organizations and partner with people who have skills and knowledge that you don't have that really powerful things can happen and and again, just it just creates
Energy. And I think that energy alone is one of the.
It's just so palpable when you're in the studio, if you have it, or if you don't, and it's elusive, it comes and goes.
It's hard to harness, and when you have other people, when you're connected to other people and organizations, it comes that much easier and good things come when you' good energy.
And so I think that's sort of where I stand with the question.
Monica Post, which you might want to repeat, because it kind of went up track.
But yeah.
Well, it was just around the idea of how, when we launched this program as a membership organization, we were off and relegated to professional development programs all things that have a place.
But focus a lot on marketplace. And so for us to shift this it became a clarion call for younger makers, or for people who had previously felt marginalized on the outskirts of this of this community.
I mean
Suddenly they felt that there was an open call and an entry point for getting engaged in or back in to this community of makers, because they felt that they could be, and somehow
I'm not I'm not that young, but I'm one of those people who re because of craft.
For the greater good. You know. I went to my first furniture Society Conference when it was in San Francisco, and you know I kind of was like, yeah, I don't know if I'm gonna come back to this.
And then you guys, said Came, you know, the next year with the graph for the greater good.
And I was like, Okay, well, you know I will. It's kind of you know.
We put out like little. I was like, if they're gonna do this, I'm gonna come, and I would put my money where my mouth is and support this organization that is going to make an effort to be.
You know, a better member of society as an organization, you know, which is, yeah.
But we should all be trying to do
Yeah. And I am I? Yeah. And I am old. So I can say, as a founding member of an organization that started in 1987, the first just assigning this was the this was by far the most alive.
I felt as I'm as you know, adjacent to the membership, and what the what in the shift of the organization, in the and the focus of the organization.
And so really appreciate your leadership on all that, Monica, as we, as we moved into that space.
And it. You know it. It it totally like jump started me again like, Oh, this is how this is, how I can connect now to the work.
I'm I'm already doing, you know.
Well, thank you for all of that, you know again, this is all about partnerships and connections, and the goal being to broaden the pipeline for engagement, and it is a two-way street.
We won't have a field if we don't broaden our engagement with other people and share our stories out, and in turn it's a way for us to tell the stories of people in communities just like Asheville and with organizations just like Amy's They're all over
the country, and we as a community of makers, can make a difference.
We truly can
There is only one Amy can trail, though, by the way.
There's the money. There's only one enemy that's true.
I'm gonna turn over to some of the questions this is where I'm really glitchy.
But Rachel is gonna feed me some questions, and I'm gonna pitch them out to our panel here from Diane.
Are any of the homes. This is, I guess, to Amy. Are any of the homes occupied now? And for how long and what feedback do you get from the residents about living with the beautiful bird
Oh, thank you for that question. So we're we're right now building the full village, which has been really fun I ended up getting my general contractors license, which is really a shock to me.
And so here we are, full-on construction right now is going on behind me and we've framed up 3 houses.
We're getting ready to put in footers for 3 more, and we'll be able to welcome resin.
And we believe in the fall of this year, which would be really beautiful.
And one of my thoughts for the ongoing legacy of this is, I want to tell not only the story of the artism that that crafted this beautiful object, but then the story I want when it meets this person, and what that means I have gotten to tell the story however, a lot because a lot of people
visit, this model home people who are struggling through the housing crisis, and we were also the parade of homes this year, and so this is one of my favorite stories to tell, because people are in all these beautiful things in this home.
They get really sets this village apart, because it says something about how we feel and view the people that are coming to live here because these are people that we love, and have been in relationship with and so I think it really shows and and the surroundings here.
And the beauty, because everybody deserves beauty, and everybody deserves craft, and they're live because it gives them something really special and we think that that's gonna then ripple out.
I think that we're gonna have a community of makers living here at because they're gonna see all these objects. And they're gonna be like, oh, I wanna make things that are beautiful and and share that and share that with the community residency.
Here we'll get to create their own call, which is really exciting.
So we have Lance set aside, and a budget for that. And I have a feeling there are a lot of makers in the future of of that part of this as well, and some partnerships being birth
Thank you, Amy. I'm gonna switch gears a little bit.
There was a question from Joyce. Are there plans to take this concept?
And this is now where Rachel and Gwen can can jump in.
Here? Are there plans to take this concept to the American craft markets to hopefully introduce the craftspeople in rethinking their marketing to the small percentage of buyers who purchased their work?
And how can craft lift up the larger community
You got the easy question
You just thought I'd hunt an easy question to you and go
Yup, always
The the easy question that you punched to us right, hey, Rachel?
Hi! You know that's it is a really great question, and I think it is.
Is definitely, one worth exploring. I know that, like I mean, we're going into strategic planning and and the shows in the marketplace is one of the big big topics of conversation about how we bring those back and how we you know.
Yeah, I would see it. Please.
So.
Add in an element of of you know this idea of craft creating a greater good right and and how we can kind of refocus our marketplaces a little bit around around those concepts and and bring those into the fold a little bit more that's that's me of course speaking
speaking personally as well, because, you know, the the organization is, the whole is going through some transitions to so
Well as for
I mean it could be so cool to have a one of those things where you donate a piece, and that gets you a little discount off your booth or something.
Yes.
I mean, there's so many possibilities of, you know.
Oh, yeah, I think that's that's such a great suggestion.
Yeah, fun.
And we'll we'll definitely add that to our. We have kind of like a parking lot of ideas that we're going to be kind of exploring and looking at a little bit more closely as we go through the strategic planning process so
Well, we were hoping that this model that you know, was gonna joke with you and say, Well, I don't think that's so much of the question.
But as a challenge to the Acc. But we really wanted this program to look like a pilot to get people to think in their own respects.
And one of the reasons that we decided to try to have each program take on a very different format and feel and flavor is that, first of all, we shouldn't walk into a community and tell them what they need, it should really come from the community.
And therefore it has more meaning in those communities and craft is in all these different communities, for every agency and furniture society.
There's other craft organizations, and we were hoping that maybe we would inspire different organizations and a power of in a position of power to start making change like this.
Are there other questions that you think that we should be?
I'm trying to scroll, but I'm a little blind about looking at this tiny, fine
We had one do the do home occupants transition into different long term housing.
Thank you.
So May. That's a where Amy could take a stab at her vision on that.
And can they select an object? I love this to take as a positive memory, just supporting them.
Passing this forward, then we have no shortage of objects still coming to be loved. I like this
Yeah.
Yes, I love that. Yeah. So to answer those questions, one of the things that that we really wanted to do is develop a model of home that was not in our community.
And we, we also thought was really a gap in a lot of communities across America.
You know one of the things that that I'll just lift up is that every community America is in a housing crisis, and and so we need to take this seriously throughout our communities.
And so we really wanted to to make sure that we were creating homes that were deeply affordable, so that for us is for folks at the 30 to 40% area Median income, or what HUD calls exchange poverty and one of these homes to to be community oriented to be
Sustainable, and for folks to be able to have equity attached to that, they can look themselves out of poverty.
And so we what we need in our community is more permanent housing the person was saying.
You know what what happens when they have to move on? Well, they they don't have to move on, because in our community if you're in a transitional housing program, you can't get out of it.
Because we don't have enough permanent housing so these are meant to be permanent homes, and and we have a homeownership program.
And then we have a rent equity program for folks that can't get a home mortgage or if there's a piece of land that can't be bought and sold on the public market so there's there's some things around land development even your sewer.
And gravity have to do with that. And so we wanted to make sure that no matter what people could be building equity, because that's what it helps with people out of poverty.
Most people in our community are housed into poverty forever.
If they're living on a low income. And so we wanted to change that and break that home.
And so people will be able to turn equity if they, if they decide to move, for whatever reason they get to take all of that equity with them.
If they stay long term they can borrow off that equity just like you, Fisher, home equity to move forward and live, purchase reliable vehicle, go back to school, start a small business, and one of the things that we we decided about these beautiful objects is we would let
People kind of select them, so they'll be able to go in and see them all and pick which one really resonates with them.
Different different things. So we have, for example, 12 chairs for 12 phones that are the Shaker tape, leaving.
So people get to select which colors they like, and things like that I think it'd be wonderful for folks that they're transitioning to take something special with them, and to keep the story a lot.
Little partner.
And one of the things I really love. For these notes, we that that you got to say that we put inside the chairs and lots of bakers different notes and things.
I think it's very special for people to know that they were thought of when people were making these beautiful items for the homes. And I think that's where Crafty really takes on a power that is greater
I'm looking at Annie, and Ellie, and I'm just thinking this project sang because of U. 2.
Yes.
It was. You can see the trickle down effect, and really, like you can feel the hand, to the hand of the hand of the hand.
And so I want to thank this team for all of their efforts.
And I want to again thank the Furniture Society for being willing to take this leap into territory that is not very typical for a membership organization such as ours, and know that we've talked briefly, I think what I'd like to end on is sending people away with some I some basic
Brainstorm ideas on. If somebody is interested in getting involved, what can they do?
So of course you can always tap the furniture society.
We have a website where you can learn about craft for a greater good.
We have lists of organizations around the country where you can glom on together with like-minded makers.
I'm fairly sure the American Craft Council has similar resources available to help like. Bring yourself geographically closer to like minded makers. And but I want to ask Annie and Ellie what your thoughts are and like what could people do as individuals to to try their hand at making a difference
For me, you know, so Kraft brings you back to the basics, you know there's always a starting point, and the very starting point of be loved, even was just a group of people, you know, sitting in a room just casually talking about how to start something up and the same thing happened again, when you know
You and Brent were in a room, and me and Amy, me and Annie were trying to design these these workshops in a it's just. It's all very.
There's always a starting point, and it usually involves a friend.
And you know, and and making for us in this, in this crowd.
And so, and my message is pretty simple. Bring the things that you make to your friends, and then bring those items to other networks, and let it let it grow from there.
Hmm.
And mine would be specifically to the makers in the audience is to.
This is how I do it, as I connect to the meaning that
Is in my gut when I get to make things, and when I get to experience myself in that space, and then further expansion is that, how can I connect my heart to another heart and essentially it's through that space?
And it's through that knowing it's the thing that we don't doubt we're in our in our group. It's the thing that's the that's where the power is.
It's not a new power. It's not a different thing.
It's like this. It's the super power we've had the whole time.
But when it gets multiplied as Ellie just said, and you know you're Jason to someone else doing it.
We all know the power of collaboration, and that's the word that goes with it.
But Sunday, the thing that seems to be hesitant is the people to think it's something new and different and it's not.
It's not something new and different. It's the power that's everything of every moment. We've all had.
That's transformed. Each one of us as makers to have materials in our hands, move through processes and make an object
And that can go my thoughts on it, or you know, I was touched on this little bit earlier, but, like gone, or the day where the ideal is the artist boiling away alone in their studios, you know you do not make in an isolated you know, environment, isolated world and you know the world's not gonna get
better as well, and it needs, you know, all of us to kind of work on that, and that does mean looking outside of yourself and not always putting yourself first.
And you will be amazed if you haven't done it before that when you put.
Don't put yourself first. It actually does. Put you first cause it's so good.
And it's just like, you know, it's it's a it's a great, you know.
It just feels good to just feel like, okay. You know, I'm not gonna think about myself and my petty problems for today.
Something about somebody else's problem
I have say that by design craft for a greater good is encouraging our field, and I see that very broadly to look beyond itself, which provides a mission and constructive goals for the things that we need, and craft for a greater good or something like it has been missing in the field and everything
Monica, I was gonna say, when you talked earlier, it's like you wrote these grants, you know, to get the money that started this that you know, paper L. And I to come in and get to spend our time doing this, and you know, to pay for materials and it's like you could have been like
I'm gonna write a grant for my. The my job is to put on a furniture society conference, and you chose.
Okay, I'm gonna take a risk here. And and you know, see what everybody says.
But I'm gonna write the grant for this and that.
We just need more people to take that leap and and and not think about that.
I agree.
Sure.
That's a perfect segue, is something I haven't said.
Okay, go ahead.
If you want to get involved, and you wanted to change. Think of an organization such as be loved!
That's right.
Hmm.
Asheville, I'm sure I'm sure Amy has room for support for anything in their coffers to support this project, and then there's one in your local community that you could support, with lots of lots of sweat labor, too.
But I would also challenge us all to think about what financially and our monetary gain that we could shift to these projects, because without that we don't, we don't have what anyone's talking
That's right. And I think that if we what really happens here is that it it creates community, and it draws on community, and it creates a very diverse community because it speaks to people in ways that marketplace or other facets of what we do as membership organizations do so
with that I want to thank the American Craft Council for allowing us to tell the story.
Yes.
It's such an honor to be able to share this experience.
And I want to thank Annie and Ellie and Brent and Amy.
Yeah kam.
Of course, and Leslie and Pam Roinson for all of their hard boots on the ground, work over 2 years, and this work, as I said, will continue in New Orleans.
I want to thank our funders, the Horn Foundation, the ser little Turnbull Foundation, the maximum Hanrahan Foundation, and the individuals who supported this program through donations and words of support, and with that I'm going to turn it back over to Rachel.
And we hope to see you all at some of our future.
Upcoming events, and we hope to just see you engaged.
Hmm.
Thank you so much
Thank you. Everyone.
Yes. Thanks. Yeah. Thanks. Everybody. And I'll just hop in to say a big thanks to everybody who attacked apologies for any of the snappoos and trying to join the Zoom room.
And but the this is being recorded, it will be available.
We're gonna send it out to everybody who registered, and it will be on our website as well.
So you can come back to this conversation again and again, however, many times you need to be completely and utterly inspired by everybody here.
So thank you so much to all of you for joining us.
We really appreciate it, and and please go out and live inspired lives around making
Yes.
Thank you. American Craft Council
Thank you.