Dawson Moore • Chairs and Work from a Single Ash Sourced North of Harbor Springs • 2022
In This Issue: The Essential Land-Based Project, and more
I was away from July through September. During that time, Brad penned a five-part series revolving around work, land use, culture, institutions and stories. I learned first-hand what a delight it is to receive these writings, but I also struggled to give them the time they deserved. I’d quickly read through each one as it arrived, enjoying the loose associations and insights, assuring myself that I’d be back for a more careful, intentional study. And each time, I’d find that second look pushed further down the line as more pressing concerns manifested. Tetris, level 15, meet modern life.
I’ll say now that the series is indeed worth revisiting. I’m carving out some time and brain space to work with what Brad put together, and this is the first of a handful of responses. Here’s some feedback on the first essay, Holding the Center: Building an Institute for Art and Ecology (and other land-based projects).
The Essential Land-Based Project: Why Home Matters Matter
“And this may be the most important element to understand — that what we practice at the small scale sets the patterns for the whole system.” -adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy, p. 63
I want to nudge the focus of Brad’s land-based project template askew, even if just by a hair. If we’re serious about shifting our culture toward ecological ways of being in the world (the byline of the series), I want to make sure we’re not glossing over what might play the crucial role in that trajectory.
But first, it’s been a while, so some background from Holding the Center: Building an Institute for Art and Ecology should be helpful.
“Outdoor music festivals, folk schools, nature centers, eco-villages, community gardens, retreat centers, camps, and farmer training programs.” Those examples are emblematic of land-based projects, “projects that take place on the land, that are integrated into the surrounding ecological and social environment, that are run by communities, smallholdings, farms, organizations, or businesses, and that often encompass more than a single building or service.”
By Brad’s admission, this working definition benefits from flexibility so in one sense my upcoming quibble is just one of semantics — it’s arbitrary. On the other hand, I’m only writing this because it matters.
So, back one step — why do land-based projects matter?
Brad’s words:
“…They hold the values of a community, but in a setting more immersive and dynamic than institutional “concrete block” community centers, and they might expand their notion of community to include the non-human members of a place.”
They also “perform a host of key functions that we can’t live well without. To name a few: ecological education, creating safe space for gatherings of all kinds, creating abundant opportunities for people to connect to the natural world, often in life-altering ways.”
Here’s my squabble. The home is the most powerful venue for this transformative work, the spot where those crucial and rooted functions happen most naturally. That, and on the land beneath it, your house’s home. I don’t think work in the home is excluded from the Holding the Center vision, per se, but it got lost a bit amongst the other models. It’s a bummer. The education, relationships, development and systems that flow out of households, amongst family and friends, and in work that isn’t tied to a paycheck or organizational ethos, but simply flows from values held without formal organizing frameworks have to be given weight and uplifted…
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || Here’s a short yet poignant account of a climate researcher losing his job. It’s also a story of giving up personal conveniences out of consideration for others. The gist—a researcher studying the social impacts of climate change on an island near Papua New Guinea is asked to return on short notice (within five days) to the main offices in Germany. He’s objected to flying if there are better alternatives for ten years, preferring slow cargo travel. Considering the conundrum, he’s decided to arrive back in Europe… in forty-five days. Why?
-It’s an attempt to be consistent with his morals, considering the CO2 emissions of flights as opposed to the much lower emissions of traveling by ship, train, bus, bike, foot, etc. As the article points out, the difference between the carbon emission of the flight and the cargo trip (4.9 tonnes of CO2) is about the same as the total emissions of the average person worldwide for a year. Gianluca doesn’t consider it worth it to get there faster.
-White men on the island he’s been working on have a reputation for being liars. He had told 1,800 participants in his climate research work that he was committed to slow travel and wanted to keep his word rather than be another negative example.
-He has hope that his decision will put “a little crack in the wall of ‘selfishness, greed and apathy’” some consider to be “the main hindrance to stopping runaway climate change.”
Maybe Grimaldi’s professional background will soften the blow of job loss, or press coverage will lead to other opportunities. Others might not have as strong of safety nets and can’t afford to take such stances if it means losing their jobs. But there are numberless examples every single day of people making decisions like this—decisions of care and intention towards others, at a cost to self—that we never hear the names of. I’d guess there are plenty we’ll never hear of because of adherence to principles like this. The “radical, extraordinary action” mentioned in the article can be quiet.
“I am not the type of person who likes telling others what to do. But I would like to invite people to shift the boundaries of what is considered normal within their own sphere of action.”
|| 2 || Formative Geography. Economic Extractions and Representation of the Cultural Other. Empathy and Humanizing. What about “Empathizing with People who hold Racist, Sexist, and Homophobic Ideas?” The Appalachian Diaspora. These themes are all raised in this essay, “Hillbillies in Higher Ed—Confronting Anti-Rural Bias in Academia.”
They’re also topics explored more at length in the 2019 flick Hillbilly. You can catch the trailer here or watch the whole thing for free here.
|| 3 || Seth and the gang made it. The last edition’s Weft mentioned that Seth Gernot and company would be attempting a three-hundred-mile tandem ride in twenty-four hours to raise money for Northern Michigan bike trails. Sure enough, they did. You can find a recap of the September 30th ride from Seth at the Top of Michigan Trails Council Facebook page.
I’m impressed by the feat and the concept—doing something that seems outlandish to help build a future that can’t yet be seen.
Here’s a handful of quick cycling resources to support alternative transportation futures. (Note: this isn’t comprehensive, and there’s a lot of overlap. But it should be a good start, even if just for dreaming.)
Adrenaline-Mode: Iceman Cometh (Northern-Lower Michigan). Coast to Coast Gravel Grinder (Lower Michigan). Marji Gesick (Upper Peninsula).
Commuting-Mode: TART Trails. Top of Michigan Trails Council.
Travel-Mode: League of Michigan Bicyclists (on-road). US Bicycle Route System. Bikepacking.com (off-road).
Recreation-Mode: Glacial Hills (Bellaire). VASA Pathway (Williamsburg). Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association.
Youth-Mode: Norte.
Inspired? If you act fast, you can make the inaugural Little Bit Adventure Poker Ride at Glacial Hills today. 52.5 miles, some paved, some dirt, some single-track, some sand, etc.—find more details here.
The Weft — News and Events
We’re heartened by a wide-range of expressions of resilient communities and gatherings. Here’s a smattering of regional events and happenings that reflect that diversity, collected for your consideration. Choose your own adventure!
|| 1 || Architecture, Design and Community Influence. Tuesday, October 17, 7-9pm—featuring Traverse City architects Ken Richmond, Michael Fitzhugh, Peter Smith, Suzannah Tobin and Ray Kendra. The discussion will be moderated by Traversecityist podcast host Gretchen Carr, and will focus on elevating awareness for enduring design, and the importance of community involvement. A reception will follow. This event is sponsored by Boomerang Catapult and Tusen Takk Foundation.
The discussion is free and open to the public. Reserved seating is recommended. Seats can be reserved at traversecityist.ticketleap.com
|| 2 || The LC Collective presents Harvest “Wild Places”—A celebration of local art and music on October 14th from 3-6pm at the DeYoung Farmhouse. Featuring artwork from Amanda Acker, Roger Amundsen, Nik Burkhart, Dana Falconberry, Lindsay Gardner, Jamie John, Alyssa Smith, Matt Voight and Rachel Winslow, and music from Pete Farmer. Find more here.
|| 3 || Saturday, October 21st, 1-4pm, “Join us for the Fall Barter Fair! We'll be gathering at Green Lake Township Memorial Park in Interlochen for an afternoon of swapping, trading and upcycling. You could trade clothes you're no longer wearing, plants you don't have room for, puzzles you've finished, rusty or trusted tools, carefully crafted treats — anything goes. Meet the person whose trash is your treasure and make a trade. The only rule: Money won't get you anything. Hosted by LEAP: Local Education & Action Partnerships.”
|| 4 || The Traverse City Film Festival began anew on October 3rd. The new iteration of the annual festival features a curated film every Tuesday of the year, along with Q/A sessions with filmmakers, $2 popcorn, and more. Find details here.
|| 5 || More October Happenings at The Alluvion: Dixon’s Violin, Trillium Groove, Super Nuclear, Funky Uncle, Miriam Pico, Omara Portuondo, the NMC Jazz Big Band, Hail Your Highness, Antlerhead, Rebekah Jon, The Chris Glassman Quintet, Bill Sears, Jason Anderson, The Shouting Bones, Big Fun, the NMC Jazz Lab Band, and Flocktoberfest.
Find more information on any of these that might catch your fancy at www.thealluvion.org.
|| 6 || The Fresh Coast Film Festival, a documentary film festival celebrating the outdoor lifestyle, water-rich environment and resilient spirit of the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, returns for 2023 in Marquette. October 19-22.
|| 7 || The new Antrim County Writers’ Project is bringing the poet Keith Taylor, to Bellaire and Elk Rapids for two events.
October 24 @ 7 pm — Keith Taylor’s Reading and Book Discussion of The Bird-while
October 25 @ 2:30 pm — Keith Taylor Poetry Writing Workshop
|| 8 || “Is your organization who focuses on clean energy or climate work interested in engaging on agriculture work or understanding the interconnections of agriculture and climate? We've got an opportunity for you!” The RE-AMP Network is putting on the 2023 Midwest Climate and Agriculture Summit in Nebraska City, Nebraska, November 15-17. Click here to see the agenda, and/or register to save a spot.
sponsored by:
Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors is a mission-driven, fee-only wealth management company with a simple purpose: to generate exceptional value for the individuals, families, small business owners, and non-profit organizations they serve. Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors believe in and adhere to triple-bottom-line analysis for portfolio investments, ensuring that they review how a company’s environmental and social values impact its long-term resilience and, consequently, value.
Many thanks to the Michigan Arts & Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts for their support of this work.
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