Volume 4 • No. 1 • Full Moon • January 13, 2025
Mandala Estuary • 9" x 12" • Charcoal and brown recycled paper • 2021
Night Factory • 9" x 12" - Graphite • 2014
Raven's Perch • 22.5" x 37.5" • Charcoal and pastels • 2019
an excerpt from
Crosshatch & Ecology
TLDR: ecology → ecological economics/doughnut economics as opposed to growth/consumption-oriented models → turning away from those models individually and societally necessitates cultural work and care work → that’s why ecology is a crucial part of XH’s identity.
Photo Credit: Recipes For Wellbeing
This organization could be called Crosshatch Center for Art and Nature, Crosshatch Center for Art and Farming, Crosshatch Center for Art and Care, Crosshatch Center for Art and Economics, or Crosshatch Center for Art and Community.
It isn’t — none of those quite fit.
It’s Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology — ecology: a branch of scientific study focused on interactions in the natural world.
That covers a lot of ground, which is why ecology sits above plenty of sub-disciplines, like social ecology, forest ecology, agroecology, urban ecology, and fire ecology, among others. There are many specific focuses, but they’re all tied together by the same ecological lens.
That ecological lens means paying close attention to how things and beings shape other things and beings. Ecology is a natural science that naturally uplifts discernment, consideration, and trying to understand bigger pictures through the smaller relationships that comprise them.
Its breadth allows for flexibility in Crosshatch’s work — we can run with prototypes, see how those affect the whole, and pivot, if necessary, to what’s needed. At one point, the focus was offering time and space to artists at the Hill House residency. At other times, the mobile-processing “chicken coupe” might be the most needed, as well as the food preservation trailer. Cultural events like the Skill Swap or art, philosophy, and film gatherings. Maybe get-togethers with the power to shift our understanding of agriculture — ranging from the garlic auction to Twilight Tours to the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference. During the Covid pandemic, artists needed economic support, and that’s what Crosshatch offered. Sometimes, workshops on all sorts of light-industrial craft and skills are the focus, and other times, the spotlight rests on a venue for music and the arts. There are a host of forms to Crosshatch’s work, and each embodies some sort of ecological slant.
Of course, as we’ve mentioned before, this array makes explaining Crosshatch — the core of Crosshatch — tricky...
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || I haphazardly jumbled my letters as I was typing last week. I had intended to type "The Littoralist," which is the name of Nate Richardson's art portfolio online. (It's his artwork that you first saw when you opened this email.) Anyway, fingers brushed keys in some haphazard mystical way, and I don't even know what ended up in the search bar. But I do know that as I punched "enter", Preston Allen's academic thesis DIY Art and Community Activism jumped out as one of the first results.
I had to check it out. And two pages in, I found this:
The basic premise of DIY – that individuals can do things on their own instead of relying on professionals – has social and political implications. At an individual level, DIY offers self-sufficiency as an alternative to mass-consumerism, as individuals can make and repair what they need instead of having to continuously purchase more and more. DIY becomes community engagement (exemplified in the term DIT or do-it- together) when individuals organize and share knowledge and resources with one another. DIY becomes a form of activism when individuals organize to directly work on issues (e.g., social, political, environmental) instead of appealing to authority figures for solutions.
|| 2 || I love what I glanced through in the writing, and I love findings that are unearthed in unexpected ways; when what's needed arrives without planning or prediction. Sometimes, it's just the result of making a mistake but continuing to pay attention. Also, I often just love academic write-ups.
Their writers tend to have thought a lot about what they include, they generally aren't trying to sell anything, and they're usually written on angles of topics the authors find personally meaningful. Slowly sifting through one that connects to an intriguing question makes for great winter reading. Maybe just to me—who knows?
Here are a couple more gems that I came across last week—both are from the Journal of Political Ecology, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal from the University of Arizona. Both come from an edition entitled "Grassroots" that focused on "Post-Growth Food Systems for a Just Social-Ecological Transition within Planetary Boundaries."
Building solidarities and alliances between degrowth and food sovereignty movements
Knowing soils – Perspectives beyond growth in carbon farming
|| 3 || Eventually, I did manage to type "The Littoralist" and made it to Nate's website.
Here's an excerpt from his reflection on his charcoal drawing Mandala Estuary:
In the natural world pioneers serve a great purpose but their strategies (unlimited growth, sprawl, high energy consumption, taking land from others and moving on) are not sustainable. So as you can imagine we've greatly altered or destroyed many of these places and are suffering the consequences with degraded fisheries and other species decline.
Kimmerer says "when resources run short, cooperation and strategies that favor stability are favored by evolution."
But in times of anxiety and stress I find it helpful to focus my thoughts on beauty, gratitude and the eternal so when the immediate moment is too much I have an (hopefully healthy) escape. Having positive images in my mind helps make visiting these places mentally more accessible, so I try to visit beautiful places and witness beautiful acts and things often (and sometimes attempt to recreate them in artworks) to remind me that despite the pain, suffering, ugliness, sorrow and strife there is also on-going good and beauty in this world and it should be nurtured and supported.
You know where to look if you're curious to find more from Nate. His poem Cedar Plank Salmon, based on the Burning Head Cascade section of Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, and plenty more awaits.
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 || Alluvion Arts: ”Under Pressure: A Printmaking Exhibition”—Curated by local printmakers Brad Kik and Kat Kline, this exhibition aims to educate viewers on this unique and ancient artform by highlighting different techniques with examples of work, process and history. The exhibition is located on the first and second floors of Commongrounds and is on view until January 17th, 2025.
|| 2 || Compost (and more) Collaboration Cafe—A pop-up space for conversation and collaborative thinking at the Lively Neighborfood Market. Thursday, January 16th, 9–11 AM. Expect discussion on intersections between community materials management, farm soil health, and local food economic success. Coffee provided, tour at 10am. Please register here. Also note, details on a February collaborative cafe in Antrim County will be coming soon!
|| 3 || Farmer Sign-On: Open Letter to USDA on Agricultural Diversification. The purpose of this letter, authored by eight farmers, is to request that Secretary-nominee Rollins and the incoming USDA administration prioritize diversification of agricultural production as a key initiative. If you are a producer, please follow this link to read and sign the letter by January 15th.
|| 4 || Farmland: Food, Justice, and Sovereignty. An art exhibition at MSU's Broad Museum "centered around questions of food knowledge, production, scarcity, and consumption against the background of Michigan State University’s 170-year history of agricultural tradition." January 18th-July 27th. Find more information or get free tickets here.
|| 5 || Underground Innovations 2025—Michigan Ag Advancement. February 4th-5th, Frankenmuth, MI. Speakers on topics such as cover crops, grazing, strip-till, food grade grains, and new crop markets will share how they've come to adopt new practices, how they've gotten to this point, and where they are looking to go in the future. Network with producers from across Michigan and beyond. Find more info and register here.
|| 6 || Land-Based Projects Summit: An Invitation for Farmers, Land Stewards, Creatives and Artists. Monday, February 10th, 9am-2pm at The Alluvion. Crosshatch invites you to a day of learning, collaboration, connections, and creative thinking to explore how agriculture and creative experiences on the land can work together. Find more information and register here.
|| 7 || Michigan Organic Food & Farm Alliance's Organic Intensives 2025 is now open for registration. The one-day event (Saturday, January 18th) offers three different topic tracks to explore: Korean Natural Farming, Farming in a Changing Climate, and Innovative Marketing. Find details, maps, and registration here.
|| 8 || Author Reading and Book Signing (Wednesday, February 12th in Bellaire) and Fiction Writing Workshop (Thursday, February 13th in Alden)—John Mauk. 25 copies of John’s newest book, Where All Things Flatten, will be given to the first 25 people who register for the reading or fiction writing workshop. Click the links above for more details and to register.
|| 9 || The Expanding Agroforestry Project (EAP), a partnership effort funded by the USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative, is launching its second producer application cycle, inviting eligible producers to apply to the Expanding Agroforestry Incentive Payment Program beginning January 31st 2025. The Expanding Agroforestry Project (EAP) aims to help producers boost profitability, sequester more carbon, improve water quality, and enhance biodiversity through agroforestry. Eligible producers can apply to receive direct incentive payments to expand agroforestry plantings on their agricultural lands.
The Expanding Agroforestry Project (EAP) will host a Town Hall Meeting on January 22nd, 2025, 4 - 5pm EST. Topics to be covered include an overview of the EAP Incentive Payment Program, latest updates, and answers to frequently asked questions. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance at here. A recording of the meeting will be posted for those who cannot attend the scheduled event. You can register here.
|| 10 || Planning for Profit: Marketing & Production Budget Workshop—9am-3pm on January 24th and January 31st. An MSU Extension workshop offering tools for maximizing profit on the farm, held in Kalamazoo. Free. Please register and learn more here.
|| 11 || Winter 2024-2025 Resources for CSA Farmers. Click here for a list of resources, including events and technical support, compiled by the Michigan CSA Network.
|| 12 || Real Organic Certification—Click here for information on applying for free for Real Organic's add-on certification program, representing higher standards in soil practices, animal welfare, and worker protections.
|| 13 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: Big Fun, Community Art Night, Here:Say Storytelling: Down to the Wire, the Jeff Haas Trio featuring Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive, Joan Shelley with Nathan Salsburg, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Walk & Celebration, Laura Rain and the Caesars, Medicinal Groove, Martin Luther King Day of Service and Song, Funky Uncle, Expand Storytelling #7, Bon Appétit! An Opera About Julia Child, Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet with Elden Kelly, The Alluvion Big Band, and a screening of "Lake Leelanau, Spirit of the Lake."
Find more information at www.thealluvion.org.
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.
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