The Seed and the Story: The Familiar is Fascinating.

Lillie Burdine with her knitting at the Boone County Fair, photo by her granddaughter, student Lacey Vanderpool.

The school semester is over and last week my students turned in their final projects and presentations for their community-based research. It was a short class, with little time to create an in depth research project. But even in this short period of time they were able to document some of the oral histories and folkways of which they were already aware—things like family traditions, community festivals, and oral histories. Some of them introduced me to things about this region I knew little or nothing about. Others addressed topics with which I was familiar, but opened my eyes to new layers, helping me understand more about these living traditions. So I thought I’d share a few of them here.

One student brought in a detailed photo album of his family’s four generations of quilting. His accompanying paper addressed how the craft allowed his family to bond, share family stories, and pass down precious heirlooms. Another student explored the folklife of Plainview, touching on the important, and often under-discussed, topic of school consolidation and the drastic changes it can bring to a community. Another student studied Culture Day at his home church in Mississippi, a tradition begun during the civil rights movement to honor African American culture in the community. Another student interviewed his family about the three generations of woodworking, noting that everyone in the family was “smart with their hands.”

And then there were the students who turned in papers about family foodways, documenting how to make generations-old banana pudding or chicken and dumplings. That might not sound like an important topic on the surface, but by documenting these tradition and making the recipes along side their family members, they began to learn more about their family’s history, stories of life during the Depression, and how recipes can help people connect with those that have long since passed from the earth.

Still others touched on college-based traditions like the culture of ATU football and basketball, highlighting the role these traditions can play in bringing teams together. And another student, who had recently begun knitting, spoke with her grandmother about how she learned to knit, discovering that when access to yarn was difficult, her grandmother would collect clumps of wool caught in the barbed wire, spinning it to make her own (see photo of her grandmother above).

The thing about folklife is that initially it can seem so obvious, so simple. What could anyone possibly learn from such everyday stuff, people often wonder. Or why do any of these old ways even matter, younger people sometimes ask. But scratch the surface of your family’s favorite recipe, or the history of, say, your grandmother’s chicken house and you’ll quickly find countless layers of stories and meaning, an intricate web that binds us together through family, community, landscape, and history. The stories we discover are sometimes heart-warming and sometimes unsettling. We learn about birth and death, success and terrible hardship, human kindness and human prejudice. Whatever we find, there is no doubt that exploring such everyday things sheds new light on who we are and can help us think about who we want to be. After all, as I rediscovered through reading these class projects, a study of one family history can illuminate everything from economics to ethnicity. A person’s garden can open up a door to discussing Native American ancestry. A study of a family farm can lead to information about the building of Arkansas Nuclear One.

In closing, since we’re still in the month of May I’d like to mention that for a few years now I’ve been documenting the tradition of Decoration Days in the area. If you or your family takes part in this tradition, I’d love to hear about it, see your photos, and learn more!

Yarnbombing in downtown Little Rock.

Mother and daughter yarn bomb together.

Yesterday as part of the Arkansas Literary Fest in Little Rock several people gathered to yarn bomb the area around the river market library and the youth section of the library itself.  Sometimes called knit graffiti, yarn bombing involves taking knitted objects and decorating typically urban landscapes, an attempt to add beauty and color to the sometimes inorganic city landscape.   (You can read the Art of the Rural post envisioning yarn bombing in rural areas by clicking here).  It’s important to also note that these activities are not wasteful, utalyzing scrap afghans and other knitted objects that were gathering dust somewhere in a back closet.  Because they’re made from natural fibers they’ll dry out and withstand the elements for some time.

We started out with a small group but pretty soon many passersby—both children and adults— joined in on the fun. By the end of the afternoon yarn poms hung from the branches alongside the spring flowers while formerly discarded knits enveloped tree limbs and park benches.

This event was held in conjunction with a talk by Gale Zucker, co-author and photographer for the book Craft Activism: People, Ideas, and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Join In.  Yarn bombing is just one of many craft activist approaches detailed in her research.   She  and co-author Joan Tapper also highlight others who might be familiar to readers including Carolyn Mazloomi and the Women of Color Quilter’s Network, Virginia Fleck and her mandalas made from recycled shopping bags, and the Red Scarf Project, which provides scarves to students who were a part of the foster care system.  The book is a compilation of ideas, crafter profiles, and patterns for those who want to join in on the action.

I had a chance to speak with Gale about her research, as well as several others who either attended the event or simply got drawn into the bombing as passers by.   I’ll be posting a radio story featuring their comments sometime this upcoming week.  Until then, here are a few photos from the day.

Besides the great conversations we had with Gayle, it was wonderful to see how many passersby soon began to join in, picking up scrap knitting squares and sewing them onto the trees, park benches, and shrubs. As intended, a yarn bomb sparks conversation between strangers, leads to discussions about the nature of handmade, and helps us all notice our surroundings.  I even found a home for one of my fingerless glove prototypes, which now graces the trunk of a tree.  And my twin boys got their stroller yarn bombed, for sure one of the highlights of their day!

Were you at the yarn bombing or want to get involved in Little Rock yarn bombing?  Let’s discuss and get together with others who want to do the same.

Poms hanging from the trees

Passersby join in and help.

Partice, one of the main organizers, bombs a tree trunk.

Donated yarn pieces for the bombing.

A truly intergenerational activity.

Bombing the park bench.

The young ladies made this wonderful collection. Gale Zucker in the background.

You know you love granny squares!

The yarn blended in with the flowers for a magical look.

One of the youth library workers joins in to help with the sewing on of the flowers.

Mother and daughter.

Michael Vinson Williams and Gale Zucker at the Arkansas Literary Festival

The Arkansas Literary Festival is in full swing now, and if you’ve had a chance to look at the schedule you know that’s it jammed packed with options.  We won’t even begin to touch on all the offerings, but make sure you check out the Arkansas Times this week and read, “Arkansas Liteary Festival slate piles it on,” by Leslie Newell Peacock.  She helps break down the dizzying array of options.

We’re super excited about the opportunity to interview two of this years participants whose work touches on many of the themes covered in this blog.  Stay tuned for upcoming posts and radio interviews with these two great authors.  Better yet, check them out in person tomorrow.  Do you have a question you’d like to ask Dr. Williams or Gale Zucker?  Leave a comment below or send an email and I’ll try and include it!

From the Arkansas Literary Festival.

According to the Arkansas Literary Festival, “Michael Vinson Williams earned his PhD in history from the University of Mississippi. His research focuses on sociopolitical resistance movements, black intellectual radicalism, and Civil Rights struggles. He is currently an Assistant Professor of History and African American studies at Mississippi State University and the author of Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr.”  He’ll be speaking at 1:00 at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center at 1:00.

Gale Zucker, a photographer and co-author of the book  Craft Activism: People, Ideas, and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How you Can Join In, will be speaking tomorrow at 11:00 in the Main Library, third floor.  After that she’ll be hosting a yarnbombing in downtown Little Rock at noon. Regardless of your skill level, this should be an amazing event!

According the the Festival’s information, “Zucker is also the photographer/co-author of Shear Spirit: Ten Farms, Twenty Projects and a dozen other books, including a series of children’s picture books about manufacturing in America,Made in the USA.”  You can visit the Craft Activism blog here.  

Friday Video: Granny Peace Brigade Knit-In for Peace

From the Granny Peace Brigade webpage.

Here in Arkansas it’s getting cooler, and I know many of us are breaking out the yarn and knitting needles.  Knitting, and other needles arts, have long been associated with concepts of community, healing, mending, and persevering.

So this week’s Friday video features an example of women knitting not only for warmth, but also to honor soldiers and call for peace.  To learn more about the The Granny Peace Brigade click on the link and check out their webpage.

The organization is also active at Occupy Wall Street.  The camera angle is a bit off at times, but it’s a decent interview:

“Knit One” on Ozarks at Large

Last week my radio piece about Knit Night at Knit 2 Together Yarn Store in downtown Russellville aired on the Ozarks at Large program on KUAF 91.3 FM Public Radio. This piece serves as a companion piece to the written story published in The Courier and  features the voices of many area knitters discussing how they learned their craft, why they enjoy it, and the importance of knitting together. I am so thankful to these knitters for allowing me to listen to their stories and share them with you.

If you want to listen to the entire Ozarks at Large Program for Friday February 4th click here. The knitting story airs toward the end of the show.

If you want to just hear the knitting piece then click here.  Because this story marks the first time I’ve done a radio piece in quite some time, per the request of my boss, I wrote and recorded an introduction explaining where I’ve been, what I’ve been up to, and how I came to begin writing radio pieces about central Arkansas.

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“A Knit Culture,” article in Courier.

Knitters at the Knit Night in Russellville, Arkansas

I’m a bit late in posting this, but here is a link to the story on Knit Night at Knit 2 Together Yarn Shop in Russellville, Arkansas. A radio piece featuring interviews from the evening is in the works and should be done by (crossing fingers) next week. It will be my first foray into radio production in several years, so I am excited about its completion.

For a little behind the scenes information on the store see my previous post, which also includes a few photos.

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Knit Night at Knit 2 Together

Knitting and Visiting

Last week I had the opportunity to visit with the knitters at the weekly Knit Night, a Tuesday evening knitting circle that meets at Knit 2 Together Yarn Shop in downtown Russellville, Arkansas. I heard wonderful stories about how they all learned to knit, discussions of their love for both the tactile and calming elements of the craft, and the importance of their evenings spent together. Continue reading »