Scenic Drive, Oil County Tour

BOLIVAR: On a blue-skied September day, my husband Rick and I gathered snacks and took off for “Oil Country,” one of the 6 Allegany County driving tours.

                We chose to start as suggested on Route 417 in Bolivar, traveling clockwise on the route. This meant that we drove from our home in Wellsville through Allentown where we stopped at the Allentown Antique Mart.

                It’s not necessary to name names or admit guilt but someone had the unhappy experience of breaking the lid on Grandma Bonnie’s glass candy dish so we’ve been checking flea markets and the like on the off chance that some unhappy soul broke a similar dish and set the lid out for sale.

                We found a basket full off surviving lids for candy dishes and casseroles but none were right. Rick found a vintage vise that we hope will be an appreciated Christmas gift and I found some odd jewelry pieces that will work into earrings.

                The Allentown Antique Mart is open Monday through Friday, 10-4.  Your company there would be appreciated and you might find a treasure for yourself. The entire second floor is now on sale for 50% off.

Don and Pauline King with their work.

                Then, being in Allentown, we took a second detour to the home of Don and Pauline King. Don, a wood turner, is a member of the Allegany Artisans but we had never seen his studio. When I called from the Antique Mart, they were both home.

                We thought we would find them in minutes but followed the directions from our smart phone so went an extra few miles. Don and Pauline live on White Hill Road #1, an address that baffles navigation systems (Don has stories!) so if you go to see Don’s turnings during the Studio Tour on October 17 & 18, just turn on White Hill Road #1, across from the old school, and go up the hill until you see Don’s signs on the left.   

                We were lucky to find them since they often spend afternoons on a four-wheeler trundling the over 10 miles of dirt roads on their wooded hill. They search for burls and downed trees that Don turns into bowls.

                Don started by chiseling bowls. His first bowl is a sturdy oval on the kitchen counter. The second is a large dough bowl. Both of these were laboriously chiseled one hammer blow at a time. While both are beautiful pieces, Don’s family invested in a lathe for him so his bowls are now round.

                Pauline takes what she calls Don’s wood scraps and paints them, often with roosters or with fruit or flowers.  Pauline is an interior designer who was working with Don’s daughter who worked a little match/making magic between them.  She is also a trombonist and we have played together in summer bands over the years. Music and art often mix.

                We tore ourselves away since we hadn’t yet gotten to our official starting point an hour after leaving home. Our task was to look at Allegany County rather than just speed past it so, in that sense, we were always on track.

                We arrived in Bolivar and turned left to take the tour. Fittingly, the Pioneer Oil Museum on Main Street is at the start of Oil Country. The museum was closed for us but will be open to all on October 3 & 4 (10am to 3 pm) as part of the Allegany County Museum Trail. Eighteen museums and historical societies around Allegany County are scheduled to participate in the event. Many are free.

                We passed a hearing aid shop, a bridal store, the curiously named Horse Run Road and the busy Bolivar Country Club. Directions in the brochure are to turn at the end of the Country Club onto County Route 5 but don’t be tricked. The first right turn is County Route 5C, marked with 2 easy-to-read signs. The second road, with a sign not visible until the turn is made, is County Route 5. Every turn we made revealed locations with fire wood for sale.

Snowmobile Trail at scenic overlook

                After the turn is a small park with swings, charcoal grills and a picnic table in a small pavilion. On the other side of the street is a private home with a gazebo graced with a telephone booth and rail road crossing sign.

Overlook on Daggett Hollow

                The trail map indicates a Scenic Overlook on Daggett Hollow Road. We stopped at a large, mowed parking area with a tall, white wooden cross and hiked down two trails. It might have been an overlook when the trees were small but it isn’t now.

                The trail near the cross is posted as private property but also has round snowmobile trail markers. Snowmobilers also have a blue arrow pointing left where another trail goes into the woods but it seems all woods, not overlook.

A model of Main Street inside
Sloppy Joe's Deli

                We brushed off mud and seeds and got back in the car to get to Sloppy Joe’s Deli, soon to celebrate its 24^th birthday.  Sloppy Joe’s hosts live music on Tuesday nights and every morning there are folks who have crossed from customers to friends to family, all drinking coffee and talking.

Barn Sale

                The barn out back is open daily. If you need a pink accordion, this is your place. There is also a beautiful, little English sewing machine from about 1890 and a Larkin desk in addition to the more ordinary glass, china, books, decorations, and what-nots. Again, their candy dish lids weren’t a fit for us.  

                We missed the right turn onto Route 1 but came back to it shortly and then did a detour to Mt. Irenaeus, part of the St. Bonaventure ministry. Mt. Irenaeus is a Contemplative Center not open to the public except for their Sunday morning service.

                Roman Catholic Mass is held in the Chapel at 11 am and followed by a dish to pass brunch. Attendance can be large in spring and summer but sparse in winter though Brother Lewis said that the Town of Wirt is super about keeping the unpaved road plowed for them.

Mt Irenaeus Lodge

                Brother Lewis sat with us on the porch of the main house and we talked about the Pope’s Philadelphia visit, the perils of gardening among voracious deer and the enormous appetites of the St. Bonaventure Women’s Swim Team.

                Back on Route 1, we found “Times Square” and “Fifth Avenue” in the town of Wirt and then returned to our starting point in Bolivar after 3 hours and 42 miles, an extra 20 miles of exploration.

                The Allegany County Office of Tourism and Culture offers the Scenic Drives brochure in addition to those focused on History, Hunting and Fishing, Outdoor Sports, Artisans, and Events. All of these can help you appreciate hidden pockets of Allegany County. Call 1-800-836-1869 or find information at DiscoverAlleganyCounty.com.

Our map - 1 is where we walked around a bit, 2 is
the side trip to Mt. Ireneaus and 3 is our wrong
turn.

  

                                     The Concrete Castle

            He bought a tiny farmhouse on sixty acres of land in his hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, hired ten men and a horse named Lucy and set out to prove that contemporary architects were wrong. 

He encased the original structure in concrete, then added, decorated and furnished another 42 rooms. The resulting mansion, the house/sculpture of Fonthill, now a National Historic Landmark created by Harvard-educated Henry Chapman Mercer, founder of the Moravian Tile Works, has amazed visitors from around the world for over a century.

            Henry Mercer (1856-1930) studied archeology, art, law, architecture and virtually every other topic he happened upon before deciding on a career as a ceramic artist. Lurking at the edge of all his study was the desire to design safer buildings. As a teen he had watched an uncle’s residence, stocked with art treasures from around the world, burn to the ground and vowed that one day he would build a flameproof home.

In his twenties, while touring Europe, he had been impressed with fire resistant, medieval stone castles but found them cold, dark, damp and uninviting abodes. Ever the scholar and artist, he closely studied the old buildings and created hundreds of sketches that he later incorporated into the design of his Doylestown castle.

His approach to concrete broke with convention in 1900 when most builders relegated concrete to sidewalk construction, nothing more. Mercer had a higher opinion of the stuff, considering it to be cheap, strong, flameproof, and a perfect backing for the art of his Moravian Tile Works

Ignoring the warnings and ridicule of other architects, Mercer’s home became one of the first freestanding concrete structures. It was custom molded around such modern conveniences as indoor plumbing, central heating and an early Otis elevator - innovative features for any dwelling in 1908. While critics waited for his home to tumble in on itself, he relaxed on summer nights before a roaring fire on the roof of Fonthill, an eccentric act conducted to demonstrate the strength and safety of his home.  

            Mercer, a man of inherited wealth, lived for learning and discovery and considered all tasks and topics with great interest. His motto was “plus ultra,” more beyond. He believed that there is always more to consider in any design, problem or thought. Placed on the front of a stair or tucked into the corner of a fireplace, ceramic tiles with “plus ultra” chant Mercer’s motto throughout Fonthill.

            His involvement in tile making evolved from his interest in collecting hand tools. The turn of the century was, like today, a period of rapid technological change. Then, machine-made goods were replacing the handcrafted, one-of-a-kind; work was moving from shops and cottages to factories, and both the hand tools and the skills needed to use them were rapidly being lost. Mercer used his archeological training to collect, catalog and preserve every old tool he could find. 

            Driven by curiosity, he studied them all, but became enthralled with clay when he studied potters’ tools. He began to develop artistically, first creating wheel-thrown pottery and then designing and carving ceramic tiles. He would later employ thousands of these on the floors, walls and ceilings of Fonthill. 

            Although concrete was the chief material used in his castle, Mercer softened the overall effect of it by adding wood in an eccentric way. For example, recycled multi-paneled doors were used as forms for concrete walls and then left in place, making elegant wood wainscoting in several rooms. All functional doors were recycled wooden doors rescued from other buildings, framed in concrete, and like the windows, of a variety of sizes and shapes. Mercer found his doors and windows at penny lot sales, the rummage sale of his time. 

            Each room in Fonthill has a different size, shape and theme. Like a sculpture, it invites the eye from every doorway and delights with unexpected contours and colors. Mercer didn’t tear down the original house but built around it. He removed the low kitchen ceiling, opening it to what was the second floor.  When he did this, what had been the second floor fireplace was then located high on the kitchen wall, the practical unit then becoming unexpected whimsy, architectural humor. Mercer coated the tall kitchen walls in concrete, to flameproof them, but left the floating fireplace mantle exposed for its decorative, and curious, effect - an arched eyebrow above the kitchen stove. 

            On the first floor, a special, tiled niche was created to house Mercer’s bicycle, his only mode of transportation around Doylestown. In bedrooms, recycled wood flooring was laid near the bed, but away from the fireplace, and tapestries were hung from the walls, in part for color and coziness, in part to mimic the décor of European castles. 

            In many of the rooms, Mercer cast bookshelves and even window seats in concrete, decorating the material with handmade tiles. Tile also was employed to adorn the walls, along with over 900 framed prints by artists such as Albrecht Durer and William Hogarth – part of a collection Mercer assembled from around the world and across the centuries.  

Beginning in 1908, Mercer spent two years and what was considered a fortune – more than $30,000 - building his castle, and two more years decorating every surface with tiles, prints and recycled architectural items. During the twenty years that he lived in Fonthill, Mercer wrote pamphlets and articles about concrete construction techniques. He also published books including Ancient Carpenter Tools, an illustrated reference book printed in 1929, and November Night Tales, a collection of short stories written in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. 

He worked in his favorite study where he placed four desks, one at each window, so that he could read or write wherever the light was best during the day. He read voraciously – his personal collection included more than 6,000 volumes in English, German, French, Greek, Latin, and Spanish, nearly all with margin notes in his own hand. If a book lacked an index or a glossary, the ever-tidy Mercer created one.

Subjects covered by his library include art, shipwrecks, supernatural events, landscaping, ghost stories, architecture, history, religion, travel and much more. His favorite novel was Dickens’s “The Pickwick Papers” and works like “The Arabian Nights” can be found in many languages, as can the Bible and the Quran.

Innovative designs, quirky furnishings and inspired ornamentation annually bring about 30,000 visitors to Fonthill where enthusiastic guides relate the stories and details that make it a vibrant museum. In 1975, The National Park Service declared Fonthill, the Mercer Museum (housing Mercer’s extensive tool collection) and the Moravian Tile Works (Mercer’s ceramic tile factory) to be National Historic Landmarks. The designation honors Mercer’s work in concrete construction techniques, as an archivist of antique tools and as a leader in the Arts and Crafts Movement in American ceramics. 

Mercer respected common laborers and their ordinary tools and materials saying that both the skill and the product comprised an anonymous history of the country, a people’s history deserving of respect. Faithful to those feelings, Mercer chose to die in The Spring Bedroom, a room decorated with tiles of workers.   

After spending time in his home, listening to knowledgeable guides delineate his accomplishments and looking at his collections, one easily develops admiration for Mercer and his work. Fonthill exists as a unique dwelling; the Mercer Museum is an irreplaceable preserve of tools; and the Moravian Tile works offers inspiration for ceramists. Henry Chapman Mercer was an exceptional individual with a sensibility in command of vast stores of knowledge, awareness, creativity and vision. 

  

                                      

IF YOU GO…

Doylestown, Pa, is approximately 400 miles from Buffalo, with most of the driving on limited access highways.  Take Route I-90 East toward Syracuse.  Exit on I-690 and take the I-81 South exit toward Binghamton.  Take exit 194 toward Allentown and then travel on I-476 South.  Take the Mid-County Interchange exit and go 9 miles.  Take exit 343 towards Doyelstown.  Fonthill and the Moravian Tile Works are at East Court Street and Route 313 and the Mercer Museum is at 84 South Pine Street. Daily hours are subject to change, guides accompany all visitors, reservations suggested. Seasonal theme parties are year round.  For information call the Bucks County Historical Society at 215-348-9461, or visit the www.mercermueum.org website. Lodging suggestions at Bucks County Visitors Bureau, www.buckscountycvb.org or 215-639-0300. Admission charge. Onsite parking is free.

 

Moravian Tile Works 

Resembling a Spanish mission, the factory, like Fonthill itself, is constructed of concrete. The building surrounds a courtyard where work can be performed outdoors in good weather. The factory produces Mercer’s original tile designs using tools and techniques developed by him.  Moravian tiles are found throughout the country, including at the Boston Gardner Museum, the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, and the John D. Rockefeller Estate in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. 

 

The Mercer Museum

This museum contains Henry Mercer’s collection of tools and every day objects grouped by trade: for example, woodworking, metalwork, agriculture, and textiles. The constantly growing collection currently contains more than 50,000 tools and artifacts illustrating themes of early American social and economic history.

 WELLSBORO, PA:  The sizzle-crack of cinders grinding under bike tires rolls my mind back to a childhood of riding winding cinder roads in Delaware Park in Buffalo. That same sound is ready to be released by the cinders of Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Rail Trail, a public treasure about an hour from Wellsville. You can bike, walk, ride a covered wagon, post on your horse or wait for winter to cross country. It’s well designed and maintained and it’s free.

                Rick and I have carted our bikes to Pine Creek on several occasions to ride the popular trail. We drive over Route 6 in Pennsylvania to access the trail. Route 6 was once a destination itself and, while during the last 2 years many businesses have disappeared, there are a few interesting places along the road. If you like watching kids feed deer or “mine for gems” or if you enjoy an afternoon of antiquing, Route 6 is still worth a drive. On warmer Saturdays, there’s a large flea market with a Mennonite bake stand that generally catches Rick’s eye.

                Just after turning south from Route 6 onto Route 362 (the road to Wellsboro), you’ll see the Darling Run Access Area. While the parking areas seem large, they are often nearly full on weekend afternoons. It’s a nice staging area with composting toilets and some shady parking spots.

                The rules of the area are posted. From Darling Run to Tiadaghton Campground, horses are welcome on the gravel road while bikes are given the cinder path. Horses tend to put the odd obstacle in the way of bikers so it’s lovely that there are 2 paths following Pine Creek on the century old rail bed.

                Other than that, one might sum up the rules as, be nice. No drinking.  Ride single file on the right but listen out for people calling “On your left” when they want to pass you.

                The herds of teenagers we saw needed no additional warning sounds to announce their arrival. We knew they were behind us the way we know to watch a gaggle of geese ski onto the creek.  

                We rode a total of 25 miles from Darling Creek past Tiadaghton and back last Thursday afternoon, passing about 107 distinct riders, mostly couples. Sometimes we passed people heading north while we were going south and then found them again when we both returned so we tried not to double count people. Often it’s easy to remember outfits (a couple in black shorts, yellow shirts and orange helmets or a multi-generational Mennonite family) or bikes but some people may have been counted twice. 

                That same day we saw 9 walkers, most with dogs, and passed both the morning and afternoon covered wagon ride.

                This week we went again but arrived late on a Tuesday and rode only a few miles after setting up our camp. There were a few bikers and some afternoon picnickers with kids playing in the water but they all left by dusk when the bullfrogs began their ruckus.

                We shared the Tiadaghton Campsite with 2 other tent parties. Both of them camped with what they carried on bikes while we had arrived by car. Cars are not allowed to park in the forest overnight so had to drive to a public road. Saying that we parked on a road may cause an elevated image of what is available. It was a steep, pitted, gravel path suitable for people who tent camp. The road, chiseled out of a hill, was made with no thought of future paving, Glamping or RV travel.  

                In the morning, we started riding south, passing nobody for half an hour. The sun skipped on the creek where deer waded but the shady trail stayed pleasantly cool. We steered around the huge Narceus americanus centipedes struggling across the path and stopped to photograph a rattlesnake as it glided and sidled in the weeds.

                We rode, rested, ate, drank and watched as we covered about 16 miles before finding the wisdom to head back. On that ride we saw about 115 bike riders, several in groups of 8 or more. Serious bikers sped, Amish families laughed, groups of teens raced, fishermen and campers trundled their kits but only 2 walkers were out.

                Some bike riders rented rooms or cabins or camped in RVs. One couple hadn’t ridden the trail for 15 years and remarked that more of the rail bed had been developed so that it is now 63 miles long instead of just a short ride. They also said that shade trees had grown nicely and that the businesses along the way are new.  

               One of those businesses is Ole Covered Wagon Tours that offers both waterfall rides and covered wagon rides.  We found some interesting little stores. At Blackwell the main draw may be ice cream. Their weekend was so busy that they were still out of some favorite flavors but they had other snacks and offered house, cabin, room and inner tube rentals near the hotel. They also sold water, campfire wood and hand woven work.

                Further south at the Cedar Run Access Area are other accommodations including a bed and breakfast, a hotel, restaurants and a charming store with ice cream, drinks, lunches and the most unusual round ice box just inside the front door. A sign stated that public restrooms were 3 miles away on the trail but their shady porch and bike racks could be used.

                Signs for rafting businesses and accommodations are sprinkled along the trail as are signs regarding private property. Even though much of the surrounding land is private, Pine Creek Rail Trail is a wonderfully manicured area open to anyone.

NOTES:      Pennsylvania State Forests campsites are free but require permits from the appropriate office. Explore the website for details. Camp areas have tables and food poles (for hanging food bags off the ground). These tent-only camp grounds are smooth, flat, nicely-mowed fields.  There are water pumps where a minute of vigorous work will reward with a few minutes of water flow but the water is not tested and not deemed potable. There are composting toilets with hand sanitizer. Areas are carry in/carry out with no trash receptacles.

                Bugs may be wildly numerous and active while cell phone service is nil. A GPS bike map app will work. There is no electricity, no lights. After noon the trail is sunny and warm. If you park at Darling Run and ride south, the closest place to buy food or water will be 16 miles south (slightly downhill) in Blackwell.

                http://www.visittiogapa.com/railtrailmap.pdf  or search www.visitpa.com

ice box  - The ice goes in the top segment.

Model Town Reflects Childhood

WELLSVILLE: Sometimes people can’t wait to retire. Their bucket list gets out of control. Sometimes people amble around for a while, looking for a focus, something to dedicate their days to and sometimes, if that retired person is married their spouse comes home with an idea that clicks them into a joint project.

                Diane Fosberg was shopping for Christmas gifts a few years ago when she saw a model train set for sale in a mall. Her husband Alan had grown up in a house near the train depot in Knoxville PA and liked trains and, since he was newly retired, he needed a hobby.

                Diane noticed that the price was reduced by 20% but she brushed the idea away since Alan hadn’t ever talked about having a model train. While she shopped, workers changed the sign so that when she passed the train again it 50% off.  Well, maybe this was worth another thought. She considered the train for its hobby-potential, scooped it up and started what turned into a decade of tinkering in her basement.

                That house that Alan grew up in was the center of play in Knoxville. Twice a day trains would come through and the kids would and could climb up into the engine to say hello and check out the view. If the train was late, the station agent would call to the next town and ask why and the answer would be, “Tell the kids we’ll be along in another half hour.”

                Bothering the station agent, seeing the trains, climbing on them and checking things out were all mainstays of life for a kid in 1950s Knoxville PA when the Wellsville – Addison – Galeton line chugged and pulled through the area.

                When the model train was presented to him, Alan proposed to recreate the entire WAG train line but that would have meant taking over the basement and even wending the tracks around the stairs, an idea not warmly embraced. Eventually the plan became to recreate Alan’s hometown so for 10 years that’s what’s been growing in the Fosberg basement.

                The Fosbergs took many photos of the town as it was when they started their plan. They also called people asking for details such as house colors in the 50s. They map the town out on a grid of roads made of tarpaper.

                They started with building kits but decided early on that kits wouldn’t do. They wanted the model to reflect the houses that all the kids rode past on their bikes. They wanted the actual shape of the old post office and bank and even the greenhouse so they used photos they took or found, sketched the houses on graph paper, made cardboard patterns, checked that they looked right and constructed the houses using materials they purchased from Judy Cornelius at the Dyke Street Depot in Wellsville.

                The 50s era fire truck was a challenge. It started out as a match box car but was cut and restructured over a period of 3 weeks to be transformed into the shiny red vehicle parked outside the model fire hall.

                In 1950, the town had 70 structures but 18 no longer stand and others have additions or are different colors. In the 50s there were 900 people but now the population is 600. The old bank became an ice cream store and the old Post Office burned. From time to time someone gives a try at running a restaurant but the gas stations and grocery stores are long gone. The town does have a bank, a Post Office and an Agway.

                The model is a day in May with the elder Mrs. Fosberg hanging wash on the line, a pile of kids’ bikes on the lawn, someone working in the greenhouse, kids running out of the school and a woman talking in the old phone booth. The baseball field is ready for the Knoxville Merchants to play against another town team and, sitting in his office/home, is the town constable waiting for anyone to call with a problem.

                In the belief that the project is finished and it’s time to move, the Fosbergs are donating the entire development to the Knoxville Library where it will be on permanent display. This will make it easier for residents and visitors to Knoxville to stroll the tiny streets and visit their own memories from the 50s.

                               

Mother's Day in Scio NY

SCIO: As a child it always seemed to me that the best reason for my new Easter outfit was to ensure I’d be well-dressed on Mother's Day because Mother’s Day meant Grandma Anna Day – a drive out of the city to bring flowers and hand-drawn cards to the silver-haired, smiling, bundle of love at the center of our family.

Mother’s Day holds many such personalized meanings, meanings with an almost unimaginable range of activities and emotions since it is celebrated through much of the world. In Panama, Mother’s Day is on December 8 and also honors the Virgin Mary while in Thailand it is in August, on the birthday of Queen Sirikit who has reigned as long as Queen Elizabeth.

In Britain, on the fourth Sunday of Lent, families travel to their main cathedral for family reunions on Mothering Sunday.

Mother’s Day impact on the economy is huge. The average American spent $162.94 on Mother’s Day gifts in 2013.

A group of local crafts people and artisans would like you to know that you can spend less on a one-of-a-kind gift, carefully made by hand in Allegany County, much of it made with mothers in mind, by mothers.

On May 2, 3 and 9, from 9-4 at 4402 River Street near the traffic light in Scio (The old Mr. Frosty’s) four local studios will offer their work.

While some see wool as a winter only fabric, many know that quality wool is for year-round wear. Kellogg's Alpacas will have lightweight scarves, nuno felted scarves, fingerless gloves, felted flowers and hats, as well as flowery headbands for moms. 

For kids they’ve made teddy bears, crocheted animals, lightweight booties and spring hats. Work is made with hand dyed yarns and their natural colors. Some yarns are blended with silk; some with bamboo. They also offer soft woven rugs and rug yarn to make your own.

            American Heritage Artisans will have Infinity Scarves for mom as well as new items, Ruanas and Cocoon Wraps. These items are great for cool spring and summer weather and easily dress outfits up or down.

They will also have a great assortment of cutting boards, prints mounted in hand-crafted picture frames, home décor items such as mirrors with storage drawers and what-not shelves and gorgeous gardening baskets.  All of the home items, including a bench that was once a crib,  are upcycled wood, hand-crafted in Scio.

            Feel free to come hungry because the Torrey Family Jams and Bakery will be ready for you with homemade jams and jellies along with an assortment of mouth-watering baked goods. Come early because baked goods sell out quickly.

            Need a Mommy Vase? Maybe a Grandma Vase or a Sister Vase? That’s a handmade item with a story and gift wrap for $5. StoneFlowerPottery has been making Mommy Vases and more for decades. There will be mugs, bowls and spoon holders – all food safe and handmade.

            You might find some earrings to go with that new scarf. All the ear wires are high quality, nickel free from which will dangle objects that other people might never notice are beautiful in color or shape. Mostly one of a kind – colorful, pretty, interesting and surprising,.

            President Woodrow Wilson officially set aside the second Sunday in May in 1914 for the celebration of Mother’s Day in 1914 making this the 101^st Mother’s Day in our county. The person most responsible for the holiday is Anna Jarvis who hoped that it would be a day of quite visiting between mothers and children.

If you choose to shop for Mother’s Day, for yourself or for any of the mothers in your life, consider stopping for a visit with your neighbors and shopping for handmade work. Bring your mother or your children and look at the enormous variety of locally made gifts. Open between 9-4 on Saturday May 2 and 9 and Sunday May 3.

Call 585-610-6769 or go to Facebook and search out StoneFlowerPottery or Handmade Holiday Shop for more information.

 

Alfred University Senior Thesis Shows 2015

ALFRED:  An art show can be exciting and thought provoking. A person’s work can make other people see ideas and materials in new ways and the memory of that experience can hide in a mind ready to pop out at any time and demand attention.

        Art shows in Alfred generally draw large crowds of people ready to look, listen and reflect as they swarm through galleries. A great opportunity to experience the work of about 90 graduates is set for Saturday May 9 from 3 till 6 pm.

        All 90 students are about to graduate with Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. They will be on hand, often offering refreshments, sometimes introducing their parents and always ready to engage in conversation. Three such students are Ryana Lawson, Drew Schenck and Brooke Tillotson.

        Ryana came to Alfred from Rochester to pursue a BFA with a concentration in ceramics. Her show will be in the Painting Studio, 2^nd floor of Harder Hall.

        AU’s reputation in ceramics drew her to the university. She was concerned about attending a small school in a rural community but looks back now on the experience as a good fit.

        “A college is all about community and my community here has been fantastic,” she said. “I worked intensely here and feel satisfied.”

        Ryana will show plates, cups and cake plates of terra cotta clay, covered with white slip and embellished with brightly colored plants and animals.

        “The sweetness of the drawings attracts people,” Ryana said pointing out plates that vibrated cuteness. The shiny white slip looks like melted marshmallow with sweet birds and other creatures but when one looks closer other thoughts creep in. Some of the animals are dead and the mushrooms may be tasty or poisonous. Are they safe?    

        Ryana wants that atmosphere of uncertainty to be there. She is interested in the cycle of life and death and enjoys seeing the variety of reactions from people who take time to look deeply at her drawings.

        After graduation, Ryana will spend some time at Haystack as a Teaching Assistant. She has applied for some post-bachelor programs and apprenticeships but she’s not certain of her next long-term position.

        Drew Schenck’s thesis show doesn’t have a shred of cute in it though he does have carefully shredded clothing. Drew was drawn from his home in New Orleans to Alfred for the ceramics program but his BFA will have a concentration in sculpture.

        “I came for ceramics but stopped being loyal to one material and started exploring sculptural works,” said Drew.

        Like Ryana, Drew was concerned about feeling isolated in a small town but said that the close relationships he has formed with faculty and students here made Alfred great.

        Drew’s work will be on the 4^th floor in Binns-Merril Hall. When we talked he was still working on his statement but the elements he willdraw together surrounded him.

        He used parts of a mannequin to form molds to make a series of body parts. He had a number of body segments lined up on a cart, some smooth, some written on, others with texture. He also had some clothing parts. What was once a shirt was only the collar, the button placket and enough of the side seams to hold it together and give one the sense of a shirt, the shadow of a shirt.

        Why parts of a body or parts of clothing? Drew believes that our memories are in bits and parts, often more of an impression than a detailed full story. Sometimes memories are about scent or touch - senses he feels are more personal than the visual.

        Drew’s sculptural works will be hidden inside of frosted Plexiglas boxes. Holes in the boxes will allow his guests to reach inside to explore the work and try to gain a sense of it through touch. There will also be waxed posters scented with essential oils ready for fingertip exploration.

        The work is a vehicle for conversations and he’s looking forward to watching and listening to the reactions to his work. After graduation Drew hopes to find an internship or residency for summer and beyond.

        Brooke Tilloston went to high school in Canadigua where her guidance counselor, an alumna of AU, suggested that Brooke might be happy in Alfred. After a campus visit, Brooke declared Alfred to be a “golden nugget” and decided not to apply to any other schools.

        She will graduate with a BFA with a concentration in graphic design. “Alfred forces people to experiment in new media. That’s the purpose of foundations class. Everyone does everything. The first week we made a puppet show and then we made cardboard coral reefs. We all worked on our own projects but worked near everyone else so we all talked, learned, thought and taught together.”

        Brook hopes that Alfred will find a way to increase the faculty in the graphic design department. Last year there was one faculty member and one adjunct but now there is just one person. This limits the experience brought to students and spreads that one faculty member stress-fully thin.

        Brook’s thesis show will be on the second floor of Harder Hall. The focus of Brook’s show is “a charming story book with nostalgic text and images.” The main character is Annabel Lee, a nod to a character created by Edgar Allen Poe.

        Brooke has long loved the works of Poe and views them as not frightening stories but as wispy dreams. She blended Poe’s stories into her own dream experience, illustrated them and created a young adult book. Her book will be available for order at the show for the Blurb price of $30.

        There will also be broadsides for each of the main stories: Fairyland, The Raven, Sleeper, Black Cat and Annabel Lee.

        Those familiar with senior thesis shows will notice a change in the placement of shows. Instead of having two students share a small space, groups of 4-7 will display in a large area. Shows are set for Harder Hall, Binns-Merrill Hall and the Cohen Center (behind the Cohen Gallery on Main Street). The goal is to allow for a better traffic flow within in the buildings and fewer hidden, out-of-the-way spaces.

        All shows are open to the public with students on hand from 3-6 pm on Saturday, May 9. Parking is always limited so expect to walk.

        Harder Hall is the building near the traffic light in Alfred and that’s a good place to start. There may be maps of gallery areas posted but it always works to blend into the crowd and flow through the spaces with everyone else. Some work is offered for sale and all is offered for discussion so feel free to talk with everyone you see.