Bay Willow • Dana Falconberry • 18″ x 24″ • Acrylic and Chainstitch Embroidery on Canvas • 2023

In This Issue: The End of the Year: A Video from Hatchquarters, 2023

The End of the Year: A Video from Hatchquarters, 2023

Wondering what’s going on at the future site of Hatchquarters? Click below to find out and experience a bit of a look forward, as well as a look back at Crosshatch’s doings this past year, all in three minutes. Thanks so much for all of your support. Enjoy!

Click Here To Support Crosshatch’s Continued Work

The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration

|| 1 || I first encountered the term “Hatchquarters” in The Practice of Delight In the Repair of the World, an early draft of a strategic plan for Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology aimed at 2021 to 2023.

“Hatchquarters is the eventual ‘center’ of Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology: an ecological farmstead, maker space, artists residency, and community space.” (PART IV: ASPIRATION: HATCHQUARTERS)

In other words, it’s a happening spot with a big vision, a large part of the 185-year plan referenced here.

My copy of The Practice of Delight quickly grew ragged and marked up in my care, not because I thought it deserved haphazard handling, but because there was so much in it I thought worth reflecting on, grappling with, and returning to. And I still feel that way. I’m thankful to be involved in the long-term initiatives geared towards building “new alternatives, here and now, starting with what is at hand, together.”

|| 2 || I’ve been practicing delight in the repair of a ‘94 Laurentis SME/1N. It’s a neglected beauty of a single-group espresso machine that was passed along to me for free years ago. Diving in to tear it apart has been a joy. The rebuilding, well, reminds me of my limits. I didn’t write the service manual I’ll be returning to again and again. I won’t be fabricating a new fill-level sight glass to replace the one that’s shattered. And I’ll rely on insights and cautions shared by others who’ve taken on similar endeavors. When the Laurentis is back in steamy service, it won’t be because of me but because of a network I’m indebted to.

It’d likely be a smoother venture if we had a repair cafe in town. These regular gatherings aim to create a hospitable space for the overlap of community and skills helpful for prolonging the functional lives of household objects in need of tinkering. Waste, rampant in a throwaway world, goes down. And our relations with our neighbors take on more sense. The ways we can depend on others around us for what we need are real. Repair cafes make that visible. In the words of the matriarch in Sam Ewell’s story, “Everyone needs something to do and someone to do it with.” The settings capable of fostering those interactions are crucial.

Hatchquarters, the vision, can become Hatchquarters, the model. It’ll take long-term collaboration. This same collaboration sustains all the pieces of Crosshatch’s work. We ask that you consider it. That doesn’t just mean financially. While this season’s focus caters to giving money, there are a thousand valid support paths. Whatever your role, your participation is deeply appreciated.

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 || Applications are open for the 2024 Food & Farming Microloans.

Supported by Oryana Community Co-op, Grain Train Natural Foods Market, and the Kalkaska Economic Development Corporation, these loans support new and developing food and farming businesses, helping our region’s food system become more vibrant and resilient. These zero-interest loans are available in quantities from $500 to $10,000, and can be utilized for land, livestock, equipment, distribution, marketing, certification, and so much more.

Applications are due on February 7th, and are open to farmers and food producers in Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Otsego, and Wexford counties. It is free to apply. More info available here.

|| 2 || MOFFA Organic Intensives: Saturday, January 6th, 2024 at the MSU Campus Plant and Soil Sciences Building (East Lansing, MI.) Three topic areas: Innovative Ecological Farming and Growing, Building a Just and Equitable Seed Community, and Locally Sourced and Manufactured Fibers: An Important Part of Sustainable Living. Find more information and register here.

|| 3 || Last chance! A Separate Shining: Selections from the Tusen Takk Foundation Collection.

”The Tusen Takk Foundation and the Dennos Museum are pleased to present A Separate Shining, an exhibition of selected works from the Tusen Takk Foundation’s collection representing artists who have participated in its artist-in-residence program to date. Taking its title from the poem “Joy” by Hilda Conkling, the exhibition surveys the artists’ exploration of the intangible–the unseen qualities of joy, beauty, and hope.”

Find more on the exhibition winding down on January 7th, including the full “Joy” text, here.

|| 4 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: Jeff Haas Trio feat. Laurie Sears, Anthony Stanco, Marion Hayden, Chris Glassman, Tariq Gardner, Lisa Flahive, and Rob Smith, MashUp Rock & Roll Musical, Mindful + Musical Kids Class with Miriam Pico, and Funky Uncle.

Find more information at www.thealluvion.org.

|| 5 || 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.