Quite a treat on Monday. Teresa Z (friend and author extraordinaire) stopped in to talk shop and print some shirts for her zine. The best I can explain it, Say Yes! is a celebration of the simple and surreal aspects of life and art making…a lo-fi Wolphin in paperback form. You really have to get your hands one to understand. Hopefully she’ll be swinging by The Collective sometime to share her mag-making skills. What do you think TZ?
November 16-22 was National Homelessness Awareness Week. A 2008 survey put forth by the Ottawa Area Housing Coalition found that of the 388 homeless individuals in Ottawa County, 189 are children (that is 48.7% of the total). Ambrose teamed up with the OAHC, Holland Area Arts Council, local schools and artists to raise awareness and solidarity for those who call something different home by coordinating an honest conversation about the places we call home. Over 200 homes were collected; each made of found objects, metal, clay, cloth, lights and glass.
Many thanks to the teachers and staff of West Ottawa HS, Holland Christian HS, Coopersville HS, Black River HS, Boys and Girls Club and Holland Rescue Mission. Your guidance and support made it a great show.
In the spirit of resolutions we’ve got a lot of good things planned for 2009. Starting today we officially have a functional store! Now, it may not seem like a big deal to you, but to us it’s glorious and ripe with potential as over the next few months it will be populated with all kinds of goodies. Hand pulled tee’s, bags, shoes, various stitchery and other desirables made by the hands of friends and family.
Another thing we’re looking forward to is the next phase of The Collective. Starting in January (a whopping 14 days away) they will draw, spray, scan, burn and print a monthly shirt while learning the in’s and out’s of screen printery and entrepreneurship. Profits made from this line will be fed back into the group kitty where they’ll collectively decide what to do next; print more tees or blow it on coffee (we prefer the former). It’s part of the new schedule mixing all the things we love (studio time, field trips, community and practice) into one after school program. We’re quite excited about it.
Made from 42% recyclable materials.
95% recyclable after its lifetime.
Produced in a Herman Miller facility that runs on 100% renewable energy and generates an average of 77lbs of landfill in a month (enough to fill a large trash can).
Beautiful. I hope they make enough off it to rethink laying off 400 people in our community.
This Friday millions of Americans people will spend money they don’t have to buy presents for people that don’t need them. This year don’t give into it. Does your older sister really need another velvety black light poster? Or your mom a new toaster? Nay. Our society has long fallen prey to the disease of mindless consumerism and this year we’ve decided to give (and recieve) different gifts. I find it ironic that after the American holiday of Thanksgiving we shuffle into malls and warehouses to purchase cheaply made goods that will mostly go unused after unwrapping them.
That’s why this Black Friday we’ll officially be buying nothing and giving it to all of our friends. Buy Nothing Day was started by Ted Dave and has since been promoted by Adbusters, one of my favorite magazines. BND was first organized in Vancouver in 1992 as “a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption.” In 1997, it was moved to Black Friday, one of the top 10 busiest shopping days in the US.
Now, I am not saying to scrap the whole gift-giving tradition. Much good has come from the giving and receiving of gifts throughout history…I mean, how would Mary and Joseph spice up their cave without the magi’s gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh? What I am saying is to take the extra step of figuring out what the implications of your purchase are. Know where your gifts are coming from, who made them, and ask the age old Amish question, “Is this good for my community?” And not just your community’s economy, but it’s natural resources or un-human neighbors (squirrels, deer, cows, rivers, trees, etc.)
What’s definitely good for your community is working that creative magic of yours by hand crafting something for a loved one. Nothing burns off pumpkin-pie-with-extra-whip-cream-calories like pounding nails into a Tetris shelf built with wood bought from your neighborhood hardware store! If you’re into that kind of stuff then check out Instructables, a great website to find DIY presents that your siblings are bound to enjoy.
If you’re too lazy (or don’t own a hammer) and would rather pay someone else to make things then check out the Handmade Pledge and then Etsy. It’s a great way to give something one of a kind and avoid that silly little thing called “walking” that happens when you move from your parked car to the mall entrance where you can pick up one of those nice electric scooters.
Buy Handmade Video from Etsy on Vimeo.
LISA WALCOTT
CHUCK ANDERSON
OurThreeThirty is an open exploration of the monotony and magic that happens mid-afternoon. Take a photo everyday at 3:30pm and post it here.
