Evidence of Presence, 2005
Inside the Song, 2011
Travelling Toward Evening, 2011
8" x 10" • Linoleum Cuts from A Chronicle of Images • Pati Scobey
an excerpt from
A Way In
Autumn olive! Culture! Care! Here's an essay on the invasive/native species paradigm in Northwest Michigan. It’s not a debate or list of instructions but an invitation.
Something sweet makes its way into the room. I smell vanilla. I spy the source from the window where I sit. Tousled by the wind, fragrant, in bloom — autumn olive. Now, I hear rumbling. If the low buzz continues, I’ll assume it’s pollinators clouding the shrubs outside. But if it crescendos and then disperses, it’s traffic. Eddy School Road is growing a bit busier. Months ago, the rumble meant industrial trucks — hauling logs, laying salt, picking up trash, and carrying products from place to place. This time of year the list grows to include the trucks hauling boats, campers, buggies and more. Assessing the seasonal influx is simple for some — locals, good; those from other places, bad. That idea makes its way into other contexts as well.
Most of the feedback I received from my last writing, “The Removal of Hands,” concerned invasive plants and our response to them. People care about the topic, especially now in May, amidst the uptick in native plant messaging. I bristle a bit. The framework stating that native plants are friends, while plant plants are neutral, and introduced and/or invasive plants are enemies leaves something to be desired.
First, this writing won’t offer a tidy list of recommendations. The topic is too complex for a small container like this, and it won’t be framed as a debate, either. This writing is an invitation.
And it’s not an invitation to an exclusive club. Every long-standing culture on this planet has worked within the bounds of this invitation. It’s an invitation to long cultural work, which in this instance is an invitation to move from the questions of “Is this plant good or bad?” and “How do we make this plant go away?” to the broader quandary: “How do we live in this place?”
The autumn olive’s honeyed scent drifts along haphazardly, but the plant’s presence in this area itself was a product of intention…
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || Carrying Home With You. Helen Raica-Klotz organizes the Antrim Writers Series, a writing workshop partnership in which Crosshatch is also involved. I met her for the first time at a Writers Series event this past winter, and it was lovely putting a face to the name. A year or so prior, I spoke with someone who ran a farming and 4H-supporting thrift store downstate, hours away. I couldn’t help but notice his eyes brightening when I mentioned that we lived in Bellaire. The store owner knew Helen and her husband well. Because of them, he knew this place.
There’s something about place that can be carried in people. And that’s precisely what Helen recently wrote about in Homing Instinct: Some Thoughts on Being a Writer in Residence.
|| 2 || As I glance at the archives, I’m struck by what’s come together. From that thumbnail perspective, the breadth of artwork featured in all of these Whole Field installments sticks out in particular.
I didn’t receive any responses offering ideas on marking the 50th occasion of the Whole Field (the last edition), so that’s what I did—nothing. What I should have done is what I’ll do now, offering a deep gratitude to all who’ve shared their work with all of us through these emails. Thank you so much!
|| 3 || Land management is complicated, which makes this thought-provoking Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi animation’s simplicity refreshing. It’s on litter raking, a traditional forest management technique you might not have heard of. The NIB series also includes perennial Whole Field favorites coppicing and pollarding.
Also complicated? Associations with the word “Anarchism”. That’s one of the first things paid credence to (kids melting down ATMs and stuff?) in “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” a video introduction to some of the tenets behind the book of the same name and the publisher behind it all, Lost Art Press. Lost Art is currently in the midst of fitting all of their shipping operations under one historic warehouse roof—check here for a list of the seven titles on sale as a result.
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 || Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology, Up North Pride, and MiGen Present: The Long Memory Project. The opening reception, June 15, 6pm, is free. Tickets are available for the 7pm gathering afterwards featuring a panel of artists and elders and accompanying performances. Tickets and more information are available here. Work created through the project will be on display at Commongrounds from June 8th-July 15th.
|| 2 || The Anavery Farm Store is Now Open. Find pasture-raised meats, local cheeses, pastured eggs, organic flour and more Tuesday-Saturday, 1-6pm at 6071 Secor Road, Traverse City. They’re also hiring for multiple positions ranging from web/marketing assistance to hands-on farm work. Find more on Anavery Fine Foods and contact information here.
|| 3 || Summer Ag Container Recycling—June 25th. Rinsed agricultural containers will be accepted for recycling at locations in Ellsworth, Williamsburg, Traverse City, Bear Lake, and Sutton’s Bay. Contact Lauren Shaffner, MAEAP Technician at the Grand Traverse Conservation District for more information.
|| 4 || The Eighth Annual Tip of the Mitt Fiber Fair. June 1st-2nd, Emmet County Fairgrounds in Petoskey. A celebration of Michigan’s natural fiber, farmers, processors and skilled artisans. Find more information here.
|| 5 || Nature Fest—June 8th, 11am-2pm, Elk Rapids. Music, workshops, food, crafts, storytelling, and fifty booths featuring nature oriented organizations. Find more information here.
|| 6 || Agricultura at Crooked Tree (Traverse City). Step into the heart of Northern Michigan's rich agricultural landscape with our latest visual arts exhibit, "Agricultura." Delve into the creativity of 40 talented regional artists as they capture the essence, beauty, and intricacies of agricultural life through various mediums. Exhibition closes May 25th. More info here.
|| 7 || Alluvion Arts @ 414 presents Botanic, an exhibition that takes a collective look at our intimate relationship to the plant kingdom. Plants create and regulate the air we breathe, they provide us with food, medicine, textiles and building materials. Through thought provoking conceptual work, installations, botanical paintings and prints, sculptures, wood work and a freshly installed seed library, Botanic attempts to examine and honor the gifts of our botanical friends. Free and open to the public. Find more information here.
|| 8 || Marqueetown Road Tour—the 100% Made in Michigan independent film hits the road. Portraying the fascinating history of motion pictures through one iconic screen - and featuring dozens of Michigan locations and characters—Marqueetown is a true story of chasing your dreams, redefining failure and success, and reembracing the enduring magic of cinema. Find upcoming dates and venues here, or check out the trailer here.
|| 9 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: The Jeff Haas Trio featuring Laurie Sears and Lisa Flahive, Mindful + Musical with Miriam Pico: BABY BIRD, Tip O The Mitt Songwriters Night, Earth Radio & Medicinal Groove with live visuals by Super Nuclear, TC SOUP, The Jeff Haas Trio featuring Laurie Sears, Anthony Stanco, Marion Hayden, Tariq Gardner, and Lisa Flahive, Elden Kelly featuring The Wilson Brothers, Bill Frisell Trio featuring Thomas Morgan & Rudy Royston, The Sweet Water Warblers, and Big Fun.
Find more information at www.thealluvion.org.
sponsored by:
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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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