Editors
Andrew Hull
Martell Meacham
Writers
Abdulrahman Alsuwailem
Kelley Chang
Isabela Durighello
Martin Kay
Martell Meacham
Shalynn Robinett
Designers
Leydi Perez Carrasco
Kane Finders
Photographers
Abdulrahman Alsuwailem
Isabela Durighello
Wes Jensen
Martell Meacham
Jennifer Wilhoite
Advisers
Howard Buck
Dan Ernst
Life is an adventure: It can take you to all sorts of unexpected places. And some of the most memorable adventures aren’t had in faraway lands; rather, they are experienced in our own communities and neighborhoods.
Each story contained within this magazine is a tale of opportunity, which has contributed to shaping the lives – the adventures – of thousands of people, many of whom were wholly unaware. By reading the stories here within, you, too, shall go on an adventure.
You shall witness the story behind the creation, fall, and rebirth of a community monument. Behold the Mt. Hood Community College program responsible for the career success of many hundreds of students.
Partake in the art of sculpting and firing clay. Experience the wonders and transformation of motorcycles through history.
Enjoy the heartwarming, family-ties story of an MHCC nursing administrator from years past. Gaze upon the surprising craft of lamps and lampshades and the passion of the woman who creates them.
Each of these stories is a short, and memorable adventure and we hope you can experience and enjoy them as much as we, the Mt. Hood students, enjoyed bringing them to you.
Venture Magazine is a Mt. Hood Community College student publication produced by staff members of the Advocate newspaper. The articles and materials present in Venture do not necessarily represent the views of Mt. Hood Community College. None of these materials may be reproduced without written permission from Venture.
WELDING PROGRAM LINKS STUDENTS TO PLENTIFUL JOBS
BRIGHTENING THE WORLD WITH BEAUTY
RE-LIGHTING THE KILN: CERAMIC ART ON CAMPUS
ONE MOTO: A BRIDGE BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT
SPIN TO WIN: TALENTS TAKE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
MCPHERSON BRINGS BACK FORESTRY CLUB
Sometimes, it can be nice to just go out somewhere that’s quiet and relaxing. In current times, places like that can be difficult to find, or difficult to get to.
For those who live in and around the downtown Gresham area, there’s just such a place that some residents may not know about: Tsuru Island, a small Japanese garden located at the southern end of Main City Park in downtown Gresham and adjacent to the Springwater Corridor multi-use trail entrance.
“Tsuru” is the Japanese word referring to the crane family of birds, and in Japanese folklore cranes represent long life, which certainly could be said of Tsuru Island.
The park, built on a small island that Johnson Creek slips past on either
side, has been around since about 1974 (exactly when work first began is a bit vague). The garden was built by several Japanese Americans who were part of the Japanese American Citizens League, which is one of the oldest Asian American civil rights organizations. It was estimated to have taken over 800 hours to craft the garden, the layout of which was designed by Sam Iwamoto, at the time a landscapist.
Other known individuals who assisted in its creation include Kaz Tamura and Yosh Mishima, co-chairmen of the committee that oversaw the project.
Ed Fujii, Joe Onchi, Henry Kato, Shig Nagae, George Ninomiya, Shiro Takeuchi, Mits Nakamura, and Hiram Hachiya were all volunteers in the effort to make it a reality.
The garden was crafted using over 5,000 stones and boulders brought from the riverbanks of the Clackamas River about 13 miles away, all of which were hand-picked.
The garden itself was envisioned and created as a lasting monument to the first generation of Japanese Americans born in the United States, and was presented as a gift to the city of Gresham. The grounds were crafted using over 5,000 stones and boulders brought from the riverbanks of the Clackamas River about 13 miles away, all of which were handpicked. Some of the stones were laid in such a way as to resemble a tortoise, another animal the Japanese feel represents longevity. Several different species of trees and shrubs were planted along pathways lined with the river stones, including weeping willows,
azaleas, and Japanese cherry trees. Some of the plants were imported from Japan. An arched wooden bridge was built in a Japanese style to connect the island to the “mainland” of City Park. The garden was built to embody peace, tranquility, and happiness, and was publicly dedicated on Sept. 2, 1975 – the 30th anniversary of the formal Japanese World War II surrender to the U.S. – with an audience of around 150. The addition stood as “an example of what people can do when they care about their city,” Mayor Al Meyers was quoted as telling the crowd that day by the Gresham Outlook newspaper.
Still, the JACL was not fully satisfied and considered the garden incomplete. Volunteers planned to add benches on which visitors could rest and a Japanese-style teahouse somewhere on the small island. However, by 1988 the once peaceful and beautiful Tsuru Island had fallen into a state of disrepair, and the further plans for the garden had not come to fruition. Vandalism across Main City Park was not uncommon, and went so far as the burning of the Japanese cherry trees planted in the garden 13 years prior. It was evidently a popular place to drink and litter.
Kaz Tamura, one of the original group who had labored to create the garden, told the Outlook “it’s going to pot.”
It would take years more before a rebirth was launched.
In July 2011, a new group of volunteers supported by the City of Gresham, the Gresham Sister City Association, and local residents and businesses began work to restore and revitalize the neglected and decaying garden. It went through a complete overhaul: The paths were redone,
many new plants were introduced, and a small shelter was added, as well as a Japanese dry garden. The bridge leading to the island was also remodeled.
One of the few elements of the garden that remains from its initial creation is the stone tortoise, now partially grown over with moss. Tsuru Island is currently maintained by The Friends of Tsuru, a volunteer organization. Once again, the garden is a beautiful, quiet place to relax. At most times of the day there may be one or two other individuals enjoying the garden, and it remains a nice place to pause and enjoy the outdoors with plenty of shade and tranquility.
One of the few elements of the garden that remains from its initial creation is the stone tortoise, now partially grown over with moss.
really enjoy writing about people and their art or their creativity... everyday people and their everyday positive accomplishments. But what I really like to write about is people, places, and things that make this world a better place.
Whenever I interview a Mt. Hood Community College staff member, an instructor, or a coach, my biggest questions always rotate around “What is it you do to help the students compete in the job or career market, or at higher level in sports, or getting into a higher, four-year learning institution?
“What are some of the things you do to help the student compete in this world?”
I always ask hard questions with the student’s future in mind. So, it’s great to get some great answers here at Mt. Hood. And it seems clear to me that Welding Technology is a great campus program that helps connect students to employers and a promising career.
The American Welding Society (AWS) estimates that about 150,000 (prepandemic) welders are retiring in the next one-to-five years. It’s been predicted there’s going to be a big vacuum soon.
Enter welding instructor Valorie Gilbert, who brings a wealth of knowledge and years of connections with large and small welding companies to Mt. Hood. She also helps students obtain a welding certificate PSI Test that would normally cost them a pretty penny to do on their own.
class ending in spring, she invites welding companies to look at her students’ work. She facilitates their interviews with such local companies as Gunderson (railcar fabricator) and Cascade Corp. (lift truck attachments). Gilbert noted that certification is not the end-all, because companies will often train new employees. She explained that the field has many options, such as factory work and production lines, as well as “mom-andpop” shops.
“Welding is a good career (choice) that has a lot of work. Even if you decide to not weld after completing the course, it’s something you can fall back on,” she said. She adds that she works hard to give each student every opportunity to succeed.
Story Kelley Chang Photos Martell MeachamGilbert has taught the last nine years at MHCC and has been responsible for many of her students going on to careers in welding and/or metallurgy. The campus programs go on for three terms and at the end of every
Students in the program learn four different welds, including stick – the most common type of arc weld, using electrical current – MIG (for metal inert gas), TIG (tungsten inert gas), and flux-core (which doesn’t use a
"Welding is a good career (choice) that has a lot of work. Even if you decide to not weld after completing the course, it’s something you can fall back on."Left: Welding Technology student Tyler Whaley works on an overhead weld. Above: Nine-year instructor Valorie Gilbert connects students with jobs.
“shielding” gas). They move on to advanced metallurgy and plasma welds/cuts, which are computerassisted.
“Welding is what we call in the business ‘time under the hood.’ In this course we build confidence and skill,” said Gilbert, emphasizing that welding is “for everyone.” Having overcome dyslexia herself, she expressed confidence Mt. Hood’s program has room for just about any type of student.
Indeed, the Saints’ program is a melting pot of students of different backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and ages with different skill levels.
Gilbert estimates that three or four out of her class of 25 students started welding in high school; a small portion welded at home or in their back yard; but at least half entered the program with no experience at all.
For example, take Michael Ray Bixel, well-liked by his classmates and a veteran with a combat tour served in Iraq. He was diagnosed with severe PTSD while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom but was awarded multiple medals while stationed at Al Asad with the Oregon National Guard out of Hillsboro.
Bixel is currently enrolled in Welding
Technology but plans on a degree in integrated metals, using his GI Bill. Asked why he chose Welding Technology as a major at Mt. Hood, he said, “It’s fun and it keeps me busy. I can be around people again” and it “bring(s) me back to the world again. There’s a lot of work in this field.”
Then there’s Tyler Whaley, 17 years old and a senior in high school, earning early college credits while pursuing his welding certication and his Eagle Scout award. He plans to work as a welder “until I can get into an electrician apprenticeship program,” he said.
“That’s what I really want to do. I see welding as a steppingstone.”
Whatever the goal, it’s personal motivation that is the key to success in her program, Gilbert said.
“A lot of students struggle with the basics in the beginning, but if the student is willing I will make time for them and most succeed,” she said. “It’s the repetition of doing the same thing over and over (making weld beads) to the point where most students get it over time.
“The only way to not being able to weld at the end of this class is if an individual never enters the shop, or never tries.”
"Welding is what we call in the business ‘time under the hood.’ In this course we build confidence and skill."Whaley gets feedback from an instructor.
Things we often take for granted – such as standard plates and other dishes bought from our local supermarket – take a lot of passion and labor when done manually.
Clay is something that’s inanimate but is also highly shapeable and at times has a mind and/or life of its own. Tricks and techniques are key to manipulating the clay to shape and mold to one’s liking.
This creative artistry is alive at Mt. Hood Community College, where after being sidelined by the COVID pandemic, the Clay Club is back in full swing again.
Headed by Mt. Hood’s ceramics director, John Hasegawa, club members boast collective pottery experience of 50 years or more. The goods they make all year, including those for fundraising sales that support visiting artists and expert workshops on campus open to all, are top-notch.
The Clay Club is student-run, noted Hasegawa, who has led the program for five years and taught the craft at least 17 years.
“Everyone is welcomed to participate in what we do,” he said.
The sales help bring visiting expert artists to teach their craft to newer members. An example is Martha Grover, a Massachusetts artist who sells intricately created porcelain pieces.
Funds also go toward new and updated equipment for the final process of producing students’ finished pieces, such as purchasing wood for their woodfueled kiln.
There are three key steps to finished ceramics products: The shaping, or what club members call “throwing”; the drying, painting or glazing stage; and finally, the kiln or “firing” stage.
Story Kelley Chang
Photos Jennifer Wilhoite
Club member Donna Dish explained the three kiln types: electric, gas, and wood.
Electric kilns are most commonly used (fired by oxidation, where oxygen is present, which produces a consistent product). In gas kilns, there’s no oxidation and an inconsistent product might result. Then there are wood-burning kilns, a technique used for thousands of years and that have a certain effect from their smoke that makes each piece of pottery unique.
“What goes in is mud and what comes out is vitrified glass,” Dish said. “You can’t control everything in the kiln; you have to let things unfold on its own. That’s where the magic happens.”
A retired firefighter, Dish has been making pottery since age 17. Among the veteran throwers in the current MHCC ceramics class, she’s happy to share her knowledge with others. She chose to study at Mt. Hood program because of its notable instructors and people surrounding it.
“It’s prestigious and an honor to be a part of this,” she said.
America amazes us with its unique cultural diversity that combines innovation and originality. Many local and international cultural and entertainment events are held that attract tourists from around the world, trying to get to know American society closely. The hobby of motorcycle riding is highly popular and finds many audiences for it, part of the culture of American society that is emerging today and that attracts lovers of this vehicle from all over.
A motorcycle, whether a two- or three-wheeled vehicle, is driven by a gasoline engine installed midway between the front and rear wheels. It has a more sturdy chassis than that of a regular bicycle, which itself is an evolution. The first real motorcycle was
invented in 1885 by German engineer Gottlieb Daimler, who installed an engine on a regular bike.
People in different countries of the world use a motorcycle for transportation, or for entertainment and sports. They are also used by policemen in pursuit, and in organizing traffic, for easier movement between vehicles. Some fire departments use them to transport medical personnel to accident sites. And in large cities, the couriers use them to deliver documents and small parcels.
In most countries, traffic rules apply to motorcycles the same as cars and other four-wheeled vehicles. Almost all countries require their own driver licenses, and the holder needs to pass a special test to ensure that they have the necessary skill to use one. He or
she may be required to wear a safety helmet and goggles to safeguard against the sun and dust. In many countries, many people rely on motorcycles to go to work or school, especially in France, Germany, Britain and Italy. But many drivers use them mainly for fun and sports.
And this is what we were able to see at the One Motorcycle Show, held in late April in Portland at the historic Zidell Barge building in the South Waterfront district. I went with a friend to the event sponsored by One Moto, which specializes in organizing such festivals. The displays and organization were professional, attracting many photographers and visitors from different ages. It was a great feeling.
Near the headquarters there was a special booth selling clothes for motorcyclists and a special place for getting haircuts, for those who want
Abdulrahman Alsuwailem
to keep their styles up with their bodies. Also, there was a booth selling personal effects.
In general, I came to find that in their private lives and way of living, the motorcycle hobbyists have their own uniform and a special body. In fact, they are more like a private society.
I entered a huge bazaar that displays all kinds of old-style bikes, dating to more than 80 years ago. As we finished with viewing the latest new models, I realized I had thought that the design of the bike was in one form, until it became clear after discussion with one of the organizers that over the ages its manufacture passed through gradual stages, like many other inventions, where each stage takes a new trend in its time. We also had the opportunity to see some collectible classic cars – the old models that express the way cars originated and how they evolved into what they are now are – of course, now very expensive due to their rarity.
It is worth mentioning that the exhibition consisted of three periods of time: We saw the past and the present, and we can predict the future, based on the first two. Holding events like this is something that deserves attention because it highlights cultures and encourages joining them and getting to know them – and is also supporting learning the tributaries of the country from the social, cultural and economic aspect. We saw in the Portland festival the investor, the tourist, and the hobbyist all in one place that unites them with one common denominator, which is the motorcycle hobby.
The first real motorcycle was invented in 1885 by German engineer Gottlieb Daimler, who installed an engine on a regular bike.
Although it may seem empty at times, the Mt. Hood Community College campus in Gresham is blessed with a robust history of diversity and community that is there to help one another.
The strongest impression was actually made by his mother, Diana Dean, who left a rich legacy all during her toobrief life and career. But the campus left its mark, too.
Story Isabela DurighelloThat feeling was rekindled by a recent visit to the campus by a father-daughter duo that motivated us to start digging into our Advocate student newspaper archives and asking more questions to learn more. Donald Dean, of Los Angeles, and his adult daughter, Dondei, walked around the college last autumn. He wanted to show off where he grew up and spent much of his youth, and where lasting memories were made.
Diana was likely the first female, and definitely the first African American, nursing program director at MHCC. Working here from the mid-1960s until 1974, she was a trailblazer of sorts, constantly innovating and changing the way we know and learn about health today. She pushed the boundaries for woman and minorities alike, and was phenomenally successful in influencing every community in which she was a part. For instance, an Advocate story
published in April 1973 tells how Diana had recently been involved in consulting with a children’s educational television workshop. A second article, headlined “Career women to gather for Eugene Conference,” explained her contribution at the second annual Lebanon, Oregon, Business and Professional Womens Club conference, helping lead a timely discussion titled “The Changing community and Women’s Role.” This was the second conference for the working woman that Diana had attended as part of a panel.
As a powerful woman, it was not always easy for her, Donald told the Advocate in an interview.
“I recall her having a rough time, because she was a woman in the program and she challenged not only folks involved in the nursing administration and the doctors and such (but also others), being an advocate for much larger and important roles for nurses in that program,” he said.
Mt. Hood has always been a home to influential and strong-minded people and also a haven for those who were not always treated so favorably elsewhere – a critical value for all community colleges since their formative years in the 1960s and ’70s.
Donald, Diana’s youngest son, recalls spending many hours on campus as a safe place to stay as other local public schools had rejected or mistreated him and his brother, Darryck, numerous times for reasons owing to overt racism. At his Sandy middle school, Donald and his brother, as the only Black students there, were made to role-play as slaves during a class exercise and would suffer verbal and physical harassment, he said.
When Diana then transferred the pair into the Gresham school district, waffling a bit on their home address as had other Mt. Hood employees at the time, administrators blocked them.
The school district “decided they had their quota on Black students, and they recognized that we were using the address of other colleagues of my mother’s,” Donald said. “They threatened to expel the other people’s kids, too, if they did not get rid of us.”
That’s when MHCC became the two boys’ second home.
“We had nowhere to go, so when my mother was teaching, she would bring us to campus, and we would spend every day in the library stacks reading,” said Donald.
Feeling welcome and safe on the campus, the brothers learned as much as they could while their mother worked. On the lighter side, Donald said he remembers running through the college’s concrete corridors and sneaking junk food from the cafeteria when his mom was not looking.
Sadly, Diana would suffer uterine cancer and died quite young.
“We ended up at Catlin Gabel (a private Southwest Portland academy) in middle and high school,” said Donald. “My mother passed before I finished high school, so I finished down here in California while my brother stayed with an aunt, out in West Linn.”
Diana’s wonderful legacy includes life and learning success throughout the Dean family tree. Donald is a technology consultant, while Darryck works for the federal Department of Justice in Boston. Donald’s daughter, Dondei Diana Dean, who joined
his nostalgic visit, has entered a master’s program in social justice at USC, and her sister, Darynn, is studying jazz at UCLA.
Ultimately, Diana and her two young sons received a great amount of respect and acceptance from MHCC when other parts of our community were not so loving.
Today, we often overlook our campus for all that it really is – not just a maze of cement pillars and malls, but a blooming ground of opportunity and hope for those in our community who need a place to grow. And one can feel a sense of welcoming to all communities, from the Student Union being always open for anything and everyone, to the Multicultural & Diversity Resource Center, all the way to the open stacks in the Library. Our campus will always be a wonderful place to grow and learn.
(Diana) pushed the boundaries for woman and minorities alike, and was phenomenally successful in influencing every community in which she was a part.Left: Donald Dean, right, and his brother, Darryck, spent many hours at MHCC with their mother Diana. Right: Donald with his two daughters, Dondei and Darynn.
Polly Malby has lived a remarkable journey in the U.S. and beyond, working as a midwife and teaching midwifery to the next generation with a balance of science, art, and faith weaved into her story.
Now she channels her passion to create into unique custom lampshades and light fixtures. Her art pieces are displayed at the Red Trillium Gallery in downtown Troutdale and additional locations.
Story Shalynn RobinettPhotos Wes Jensen
The Fairview resident says love for the arts has always been a part of her life, even while teaching nearly
two decades at the Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland.
“I have always had a sense of creativity and desire to make things beautiful and fun,” she said.
“When I did midterms and final exams for my students, I made them like screenplays, and the students had to figure things out – not just regurgitate information, but show they had critical thinking skills. I had former students come up to me many years later at conventions and say they still had those exams.”
Regularly she made special gifts for students, such as hollowed-out eggs on
which she inked an image of a baby in the womb, or a young child with a mother. She made a golden speculum award for one fellow faculty member. “Then, of course, my daughters were getting older, and they needed prom dresses, wedding dresses, and wedding cakes,” which she was glad to craft, she said.
Bringing amazing new items, and living beings, into the world has long been Polly’s gift.
The daughter of a U.S. Marine whose duty shuttled the family to Hawaii and many other stops, she dove into handdelivering several piglets during a difficult farm birth – solo, and without training – and then into her career of nursing and birthing.
After nurse training in southern Oregon, she and her husband, Greg, would join the Baha’i religious community. Founded in the 19th century, the Baha’i faith teaches the worth of all the world’s religions and unity of all people, and one of its central tenets is to be of service. For four years, the couple served as a nurse and carpenter, respectively in the remote Falkland Islands – a tiny U.K. territory off the tip of South America, about 250 miles from Argentina and nearly as close to the edge of Antarctica.
“A windy, cold place. Very, very British,” Polly said. “And I got to work with British midwives. They were these tall, bossy women, and I thought, ‘By golly, I want to be one of those.’ ” Intrigued, she pursued formal midwifery training, even as her family grew by two. She completed her training at the University of Mississippi medical school and began work in one of three state-run charity hospitals there. The staff of five certified nurse midwives and three physicians achieved the highest infant and maternal survival rate of any hospital in the state at the time. They cared for thousands of impoverished and underserved families whose access to good nutrition and housing was minimal.
“(W)ithout modern equipment and backup... your learning curve goes sky-high when you’re thrown into the trenches,” said Polly. “What you had
were your skills, hands, and heart. It was an incredible experience for me as a brand-new midwife.”
The family returned to Oregon in the early 1980s. She worked in a small birth center in Gold Beach a year, then in Crescent City, California. She owned a private practice and did home births there for five years. Then it was off to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland to complete graduate work and begin teaching midwifery to others. Finally, she was hired at OHSU as an assistant professor faculty midwife, serving there 18 years before retiring.
By 2015 Greg had taken a secondary job at Hippo Hardware in Portland, which sells antique hardware and salvaged goods. One day he brought home a broken lampshade and asked
her if she could do something with it. She quickly replied, “Are you kidding? Silk, ribbons, colors, beads... Yeah!” And since that moment, her custom lampshades and fixtures have come to brighten many lives and earn renown.
Besides at the Red Trillium Gallery, Polly’s works are displayed at the Café Delirium in Gresham and Pendleton House Historic Inn. Her work can be seen at several McMenamins properties, such as Edgefield in Troutdale, the White Eagle Saloon & Hotel in Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood, and the Blue Moon Tavern & Grill in northwest Portland. Two of her lamps were purchased to be featured in a hotel scene for the television show “Billions.”
Polly says she draws inspiration from artists William Morris, Maxfield Parish, and Duffy Sheridan, as well as the Art Nouveau and Craftsman eras.
Clearly, her favorite type of lampshade project is creating heirloom and memorial lampshades, as well as shades to commemorate special events such as weddings or anniversaries.
An example: She had an opportunity to create a shade in remembrance of a child who died in a tragic accident. The mother had taken many years to unpack the boxes or get rid of anything that belonged to the victim. Finally, the mother gave her some clothing and charms that had belonged to the child and a newspaper clipping with a poem on it that the mother read at the funeral.
“I designed the lampshade thinking this mother would never be able to attend that child’s wedding, to see them graduate, or welcome that child’s children,” said Polly. “I used strips of a blue dress to create a pocket for the mother to tuck in her child’s student body card and display that treasure, if she wished. The child’s soccer number was 2, so I included number 2 charms with the others along the trim. I printed the
poem from the newspaper clipping on a ribbon and incorporated it at the base of the shade just above the trim. “And it was very subtle, but you could see the beautiful words from this poem as they ran around the shade. It was a very special project for me because I knew I was being helpful to that family.”
Polly loves to create shades that incorporate a bride’s colors, flowers she picked out, the style of the wedding invitation, or the type of lace on her dress.
“People having a wedding spend a lot of time and money shopping for the right flowers, the right atmosphere and theme. And then the event is over, and all the tablecloths get returned, the flowers wilt, and everything gets thrown out. If I make a lampshade that incorporates all those beautiful elements, it helps to preserve the memory in a beautifully unique way.”
Always there is a story attached to how she comes about her lampmaking supplies, how each piece
"Why does a hummingbird look for a red flower? Why do we like butterflies? It’s the color and vibrancy and marveling at the incredible creative energy in the world and trying to reflect that harmony, beauty, and joy..."
comes together. While visiting the Oregon Coast she encountered a woman moving her own antique shop, and in the stash was a Chinese gentleman’s wedding skirt from which a large square had been cut from the middle. To most people, the garment would be considered ruined and unusable, but not to her.
“It was made of this crispy, gold silk with perfect pleats and gorgeous hand embroidery throughout, and I’ve used it in several projects,” she said.
She loves repurposing old neckties because they come in beautiful colors and silks. She has a collection of Czech glass buttons that she uses in the shades as a little “window” to great effect.
“I’m always looking for antique crystal and glass beads. They are so brilliant when the light shines through them it excites me, and I think it excites the people who appreciate my art.”
Polly said her Baha’i faith plays directly into her appreciation for beauty and possibility within objects large or small. “One of my favorite things is using pen and ink to decorate eggs and using alcohol inks in vivid colors. Why does a hummingbird look for a red flower? Why do we like butterflies? It’s the color and vibrancy and marveling at the incredible creative energy in the world and trying to reflect that harmony, beauty, and joy because the world is full of darkness and sadness.
“Creating helps me feel whole, healthy, and connected to the community.”
Recently she was asked to join a study group researching the importance of the arts on a spiritual level, and became one of three facilitators in the U.S. for this program. Among the first topics covered was that art is a gift from the divine.
“We are looking at the role of art in society. When we have a body of knowledge, whether it’s midwifery, education, or business, and we study
it, it is just a body of knowledge; but when you put that knowledge into practice, it becomes art,” she said. “It’s not just about how we use our knowledge but also about brightening the world with beauty and creating harmony.”
“Art takes your mind to these meditative spaces, and you become more open to the divine light we’re all capable of accessing. If more people did art, I imagine that society wouldn’t be so crabby with each other, and we would find other things to do with our time other than hurt each other.”
For years, Polly has sponsored a monthly ladies’ tea meeting at the Corbett Grange. She brings an expert to teach the group an art form such as improv, cooking, quilting, painting, or even estate and financial planning. She currently has two lampmaking apprentices whom she meets with weekly and may add a third (readers here are invited to inquire). A YouTube channel that includes instructional videos may be in the works.
“My apprentices are young in spirit, mind, and energy. They are skilled and talented, and it thrills me to pass these skills along,” she said. She advises students looking to enrich their lives through art to do it, and keep doing it: Grab a piece of paper, start doodling without expectation, and see what shows up. If you hit a creative block, you should put their work down, take a walk, and return to it again in the morning.
“See everything as art. See it as a way to express not just what you know, but what you love about it. You never know who or what may bring you inspiration.”
For a full version of this story with more on Polly’s amazing life, visit https://www.advocate-online.net/ artist-births-lampshades-with-creativepassion/
For more about her designs and work, visit https://shadestoremember. com/
Right: Ink-pen drawings on hollowed eggs are among Polly’s favorite crafts.
As everything else is slowing down for the holidays –people are visiting with friends and family, and eating a few extra desserts – a unique group of athletes is preparing for their annual world championship, where they will use complex dance routines, gymnastics, and a variety of signature moves designed to fascinate and command the attention of passersby. In January, more than 100 professional sign spinners, who have previously qualified from a group of over 2,000, will compete at the World Sign Spinning Championship at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas. It’s an intense three-day tournament to find out who is the best sign spinner in the world.
With more than 25 individual markets throughout the country represented, plus several international markets in Germany, Korea, Australia, Mexico, Panama, and Peru, there is no telling what spectators will see: backflips, costumes, elaborate choreographed dance routines, and sometimes even magic tricks.
Throughout the year, the employees of AArrow Sign Spinners are logging in thousands of practices, performing moves they learn through group clinics and videos they share on an app that they all use to clock in/out of work, track their pay, and sign up for shifts. They even have their own secret Facebook groups where they often have spinner battles, like a
deleted scene in one of the “Bring it On” movies.
The event itself is a celebration for everyone, but a few performers will be highlighted on the final stage in Vegas where they can win thousands of dollars in prize money and some other rewards that come with being the best in the world.
Former champions have earned the opportunity to appear in national
commercial campaigns, on television shows, and even in a few movies.
Notable spinners this year include Davis Davis, general manager for AArrow in California; Evan Vaughan, formerly a Portland spinner now located in Tennessee; four-time champion Kadeem Johnson, spinning out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; former champion Jacob Mitchell from Denver; Tyler Cartwright from Atlanta; and Alex Kleible, who is traveling from Germany.
Spinners from Portland and Seattle markets that may be competing include TJ Sims, Chance Jordan, and Tylor Gwin.
All competitors mentioned have either won the competition outright or placed in the top ten spaces consistently over the last five years competing in the World Sign Spinning Championship.
Look for more amazing moves as this competition and art form continues to evolve.
Story Martin Kay
...performers will be highlighted on the final stage in Vegas where they can win thousands of dollars in prize money.
The only way out is up”: a powerful and simple quote I was able to grab from the undeniably outstanding Jill McPherson. She’s the Forestry Club president at Mt. Hood Community College and among the awesome students here on campus.
Jill is a second-year student at Mount Hood working in the Natural Resources Technology program. A transplant from Las Vegas, she only moved to the PNW a couple of years ago. She says she was in a sausage shop in Portland when a “serendipitous man” struck up a conversation about nature and told her all about MHCC’s NRT program.
Ultimately, Jill plans to graduate with a four-year degree in forestry and in ecology, hoping to get into a career that combines nature and the world we live in today and how people interact with the ecosystems around them – claiming that one of the best things about this Mt. Hood program is the diversity in opportunities that it creates.
She then explained how “nothing exists in a vacuum; it is all connected.” In this way, Natural Resources students can learn about nature as part of a full spectrum and really focus on it for holistic and educational purposes.
What’s more, the Forestry Club at MHCC is the perfect way to dip one’s toes into the ecological world with weekly meetings full of outdoor activities. Jill was the student to revitalize the club after it had been wiped out by COVID. She says her main goals of re-establishing the group is to “create a space for a community to gather and learn,” adding the only reason she is in charge is because she had the dream and the ambition and gumption to pull it off.
Not only is this busy bee a full-time student, running the Forestry Club and hosting weekly events, she is also a part of a new MHCC community garden project that is being planned.
If you are interested in the great outdoors or connecting with the Natural Resources Technology program, visit https://www.mhcc.edu/NRT/
Parting Shot Martell Meacham
Back Cover Martell Meacham
