An Independent Paper for The Ozarks and Beyond
The Bare Hand Collective
B TChe
The
Bare Hand
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Collective
create • share • evolve
logo by Ben Blauvelt
July 2013
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The
Bare Hand
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Collective
create • share • evolve
B C The
Publisher. Editor. Layout. Graphics. Logos.
Tim Robson Amy Robson Tim Robson Ben Blauvelt Ben Blauvelt Pam Hoyt Krista Fogt Website/Tech. Simon Nogin Contributors. Andy Raine Cassandra Bergh George Elerick Krista Fogt Paul Killingsworth Peter Quinn Ruth Ribeiro Aaron Rozeboom Sam Gonçalves Seth Merritt Photography. Val Cooley Video and iPad App. Evan Pollock Lucas Eubank Simon Nogin
From the Publisher. Creativity. Craft. Culture. You and me. The BHC is an independent paper that offers an inspiring perspective which helps stimulate our society to cultivate “our” story. Create. Share. Evolve. This independent paper, and its voice, is an opportunity to begin weaving a new sort of tapestry to represent who we are. Stories will be about the beautiful things in our lives. We can learn how to become human together by gazing into the mosaic that is our collective creativity emerging from our fragmented experience. Let’s create things with our own bare hands and share them with each other. Let’s make the world a place where we celebrate each other and raise our glasses to you and to me. Let’s evolve. This is The BHC way. Our desire at The BHC is to create a space for Artist’s, Makers and Craftsmen to be presented in a unique, creative way they deserve. We also want to give these artisans a place to sell their goods and connect with other artisans for services they need. We desire to bring to the forefront all of our collective Creativity, Craft, and Culture as the essence and emerging force driving human evolution. We want to learn to be human together. We are launching a print edition, web edition (with capabilities for Andriod/Google/iPhone devices), Facebook edition, and a unique iPad App. Looking forward to getting to know you! Tim Robson
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Spoken.
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written by Andy Raine [28.9.12] ON THE STREET.
Do you see the people living on the street? Do you only want them shifted so the pavement looks more neat? Once they’re hidden from your view someone else can act like you, leave them forgotten at the bottom of the heap. Now the problems that need solved are piled up high. Has it grown too late for anyone to even care to try? Yet if all of us joined forces we could harness great resources [if they hadn’t stole the cash that we put by!] There was always the Big Issue you could buy! But it costs the time to stop, and you would rather not say ‘Hi.’ So you’d cough and say ‘Excuse me’, turn your head as you refuse me! There’s a reason that we call you passers-by! Now a person’s not a problem - it’s more difficult than that. With one problem comes another, and depression is a fact. ‘Couldn’t cope with all the pressure’, ‘almost gave up altogether’, ‘day to day’ and ‘hand to mouth’ is where we’re at. So it all boils down to money in the end? I’ve a habit to support. I didn’t mean to re-offend. But unless you know my story you’ll continue to ignore me. My behaviour isn’t easy to defend. Does it bother you that random people die? Do you hurry past? or stop to wonder why? Would you step over my carcus on the way to Marks and Sparks’s? or complain I should be careful where I lie?!
Photo. Val Cooley If I say I need your help what will you do? treat me as an interruption? say, ‘Just shift, and let me through!’ ? You’ll only care that I am hurting when you see me as a person. The downtrodden and forgotten are like you! Would it really bother you if I cried? would you still avoid eye-contact and just crumple up inside? Is it really all that scary to imagine yourself caring? - it might happen if you’d look me in the eyes. P’raps that’s why it’s so disturbing when I cry? that’s why you turn away embarrassed, never ask the reason why? You could shout and go ballistic - in the end we’re a statistic! both of us just humans being, side by side. * * * * * * * My own nephew has been living on the street, though hopefully he’s doing well in re-hab as we speak. All that pain means so much more when it’s at your own front door. And it isn’t the Recession, or the struggle with depression, but the pressure to be better that’s the flavour of defeat.
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by Pam Hoyt
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Toast.
The Virtues of an Honest Wine: Aaron Rozeboom, CSW As a wine guy I am often asked, “What makes a good wine?” It is a more complicated question than it seems. The current response in the wine world is to dilute the answer by including any wine a person happens to like. The motive for this is a noble one born out of the current trend to rebrand wine as fashionable, hip and no longer the domain of erudite snobs. While I am excited that wine is becoming more accessible to everyday Americans (like me) and I agree that it is probably even more important that a consumer like a wine than the wine actually be good, I do not think one’s affinity for a wine solely determines its virtue. So what then makes a good wine? For me, the most important feature of a wine is its authenticity. I most respect and enjoy a wine that is honest. Pliny the Elder wrote that“in vino veritas”—“in wine (there is) truth.” And while he was no doubt referring to the frankness that results when wine flows, I often think about what the phrase has to say to wine evaluation. What I’m getting at is really wine’s equivalent to the farmto-table concept in the current foodie movement. Some of the best food available is that which has been handled and manipulated the least—whether it’s planted with non GMO seeds, grown without chemicals, or packed and shipped without preservatives. The idea is that the closer you can get to the ground, the better the food is. It is the same way for wine. With modern technology, a winemaker can take nearly any grape juice and make it taste however he or she wants within reasonable limits. If it’s a little flat, add some acidity; if it’s too strong, water down the must or run it through a reverse osmosis; can’t afford oak barrels, just add some oak chip; not enough tannic structure from the grapes, just dash in some tannin powder; can’t get it to start fermenting on its own, add some cultured yeast, etc. The result is a wine with all the character of a TV dinner. And the irony is that many winemakers are churning out some very expensive TV dinners. But no amount of Wonder Bread© and instant mashed potatoes will ever come close to the real thing, no matter how soft and fluffy they are.
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The French refer to this as terroir, which roughly means earth or ground. In the wine world, the concept involves the extent to which a wine reflects the site on which it was grown. By extension this notioncan include the influence of the climate, characteristics of the vintage, and to a lesser extent, local winemaking tradition. In Italy, the idea comes across not so much as terrior as a respect for local winemaking traditions. The result is the same, namely, a wine with soul—a wine that transcends the category of mere beverage and becomes art. And the great thing is that these wines are available for under $15 a bottle! These are the wines that really resonate with me. Whether it’s a hands-off Barbera from Piedmont, a mineral-infused Chardonnay from Burgundy, or an earthy Tempranillo from Rioja, these terroir-driven wines do not draw attention to themselves so much as they point to the ground that produced them and the leathery hands that nurtured them up. They are made in the vineyard rather than the winery as we like to say. They change from vintage to vintage because no growing season is the same. They have the same kind of class that you notice from a person who is very comfortable in his or her own skin. They have nothing to prove. There is an honesty about them that nourishes the body and refreshes the soul. But lest this turn into a glass house rant against modern winemaking and bottles, that are more about money and status than they are about the wine, let’s see what this looks like from a consumer standpoint. You do not have to be a wine snob or dedicate your life to researching the world’s wine growing regions to enjoy a great glass of wine. Good wines are made all over the world and can be found on nearly every shelf where wine is sold. The key is to look for wines that are less about a brand and more about family, tradition and ownership in the project. Look for wines that are a bit lower in alcohol, a little lighter in color and body, and place a higher premium on the balance provided by acidity and tannin than they do on heavily extracted fruit and a silky texture. Incidentally, these are the wines that will marry best with your favorite dishes. The earthiness and balance of an honest wine is much less likely to overpower your dinner (or lunch!) than a wine that begs to be the star of the show with its alcoholic strength and fruit-bomb feel.
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But to end were we began, drinking what you like is still the most important consideration. And if you don’t like wine, that’s okay too. The same principles apply to beer, spirits and soft drinks for that matter! There has to be a balance between objective standards and subjective experience. I really enjoy the occasional drive-through burger and 47 ingredient fast food French fry. But that doesn’t necessarily make it “good food.” Wine is no different. Developing a correlation between quality and enjoyment is where the fun begins. Socrates was famous for stating that the unexamined life was not worth living. That might be overstating the case when it comes to something as simple as wine. But he might be onto something. by Aaron Rozeboom
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Perspective. THE REVOLUTION IS WAITING: CRAFTERS UNITE! Art is not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.� -Michelle Obama In the 1880's, during the inception of mass-production, a band of unassuming revolutionaries began to craft something unique. They were starting a movement and didn't even know it.Their creativity was ignited by the fact that mass-production had consumed the art and purity of craft. Their aim was to reform art at every level and this in turn would reenvision a new kind of society. Essentially, they were attempting to restore art not as some marginalized as some object of aestheticism, but to claim something that the Victorians forgot, that: art had a use. This new angle on craft utility transformed how crafters were seen, in fact, it is because of this movement that we now have interior designers today. It is in the antagonism of the Victorian era that we encounter something hidden for quite some time; that a lot of the social inequality toward crafters erupted from the medieval context. In Medieval history, crafters, although taken seriously in their social circles, were still mostly peasants and their work was treated as thus. However, one feature of the Arts and Crafts movement was to restore the joy each crafter had in their work, rather becoming just a another cog in a perverse machine. There was no movement like this up to this point, it literally changed the landscape of craft and the crafter. Author and Historian Elizabeth Frolet explains the atmospheric demeanor of the crafters in the medieval era: "the Middle Ages was a period of greatness in the art of the common people. ... The treasures in our museums now are only the common utensils used in households of that age, when hundreds of medieval churches - each one a masterpiece - were built by unsophisticated peasants" (SOURCE:Mingei: The Living Tradition in Japanese Arts, Japan Folk Crafts Museum/Glasgow Museums). Is there any validity to this movement today? Should their words and actions inspire us to action? My claim is most assuredly: Yes! - We need the voices of the past to speak with us into the future. When we speak of crafters uniting, we cannot simply assume we are doing it alone. That those before us paved the way for us. Their paradigms and revolutionary acts are the arms and feet of the movement, that is much more needed today in the violent heights of narcisstic capitalism. It is to our benefit that we have no other choice but to listen to the voices before us so we can usher in a new era where craft is taken seriously.
But what is craft? What do we mean here?
Craft is the creation of something [not simply for its aestheticism] out of the skills and tools of the craft-maker as a gift given back to society to make it a better place for all to experience. Mass-production was just the opposite; it negated creativity by promoting homogeneity. Convenience became the very philosophy that undercut the gift of pure craftsmanship because it relied upon an uncritical approach toward creative utility. Craft today can materialize itself in many forms: cooking, tattooing, concrete artists, the new farming movement; this is not just some domestic past-time. Crafters are everywhere.
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If the craft is created on an assembly line, not only is creativity itself marginalized, but so is the person and their artistic ability. Creativity then becomes an amorphous capitalistic nightmare whereby the machine takes over as the creative producer and the the artist disappears. In this sense, craft is still quite revolutionary in today's social context where reality has been infinitely consumed by homogeneity. Let's use the voice as an example of someone's 'craft'. The voice is an instrument, when employed in a specific context, it can bring someone to tears or can even save someone's life. With a program like X Factor where an individual can attempt to use their craft to 'get a record deal' what we have is not that far from similar to what occurred in the Arts in Craft Movement. The assembly line here is not in the hands of the judges or the producers, but rather the viewers. We get to make the final decisions [or so we are led to believe] on someone's future. The illusion is that the individual is made to believe that they can use the stage to showcase their individuality all the while being forced to go through the same exact process as everyone else and also being shaped by the very same program that promises their individual creativity. Of course, the more direct irony being that, by the end of the show the individual creativity has both been shaped by the public and comments from the judges. In this instance, talent is a commodity. Is this not also the same with craft? That it too has had to to give up its revolutionary origins and become part of the social machinery? Craft used to be a form of currency in the ancient world. However, not the exact same idea of currency as we now understand it. It was given to people as gifts. It was used as part of a barter system. People could use these wonderful creations. Either as food (i.e., cooking is a craft), clothing, decoration, reminiscing and so on. Craft had a use, mostly to inspire and change.
Let's be clear here, there is a war happening between craft and mass-production today, this is not simple a Victorian war. The frontline of a such a struggle exists in choice. Once one is given the opportunity to 'sell out' the rigormortis of creativity sets in. One current movement has chosen not to allow this to occur, its entitled the 'Slow Movement', a simple definition of this revolutionary underground band of anti-consumerists is: "Slow takes as its starting point the issues emerging from the Slow food movement which has developed as a critique of the consequences of our unsustainable consumerist culture and its increasingly fast lifestyles. ‘The slow movement is a cultural shift towards slowing down life’s pace. It is not organized and controlled by a singular organization." ( http://makingaslowrevolution.wordpress.com/about/opportunities/). As you can see this movement has ignited a spirit of resistance against the blind zombie-like spirit of consumer capitalism. These movements never exist just for themselves but for the emancipation of others. Is this not the hope in Craft, so others may experience the aesthetic and utilitarian value of an object, so much so that it would inspire them to change the world for better? This brings up an interesting question about whether mass-production and craft can happily co-exist? On the surface one might easily respond: Yes! and in one sense, they would be right, because they already do. But I wonder if that question sidelines the very spirit of anarchy embedded within craft itself? Would it be, in a general sense, if craft lived peacefully with mass-production craft was 'selling out'? Is this not what that phrase signifies? A loss of distinction. Where art is subsumed by the creature comforts of repetitive money-making?
I think this is a question we must wrestle with, because if the answer is ‘no’ then the implications are quite society altering and would require a revolution. What is in need of our culture today is more revolutionary acts of crafting, a stand-in, a sit-in, a band of willing crafters to resist the allure of the cultural drive toward sameness. Our culture is riddled with homogeneity. From fast-food to beauty products, from reality television shows to vehicles, the craft is becoming a part of the backdrop. Art is simply being defined as the picture you might see when you visit your local dentist. Craft is and can be revived as a revolutionary contributor to society. Those that do craft now are participating in social vertigo, attempting to turn the world on its head, to think differently not only about mass production, but also of creativity, the thing that exists inside of us all. The movement is awaiting more crafters, care to join? George Elerick - Author & Speaker
Make.
THE BHC JULY 2013 PAGE 11 Gathering Stones: an exploration in sorrow and memory I had never let it come through my art like that. Never created from that old pain inside my soul; opened up for critical minds to probe and ponder. It started with a copper plate, an etching based on the late-medieval allegorical genre: the dance of death; reminding us of the fragility of human life. I crafted the etching with lines telling a tale of breast cancer the horrific story of my own mother's last days. And then I put it away, covered up that piece and the sorrowful anger it held. Only to pick it up several months later; this time I would make new over the old. Something written over those grooves and notches. I cut that same copper sheet into pieces; re-worked and re-etched with wax and resin and acid. Hands outstretched drawn over each one and a stone---gathering stones. This time, my prints were a monument---my own sort of cairn. Inked and hand-pulled, each one pressed under great pressure, each one painted with dripping clay; the dust of the earth.
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You might not be able to see at first glance what is behind these small, almost fragile etchings. But in them, I found a place to open myself. One way to talk about memories! and losing someone I loved. I found one way to articulate things that really matter with ink and paper and clay. I hope that they will allow you to think for a moment. And maybe find beauty and solace amidst broken places.
Krista Brand Fogt is an artist, a student of grace, a lover of the simple and the small. She lives with her husband and small son in the forests of northern Idaho, and creates when she can.
More at
www.behance.net/kristafogt
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www.barehandcollective.com
by Krista Fogt
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Read all The Rumors. New Quinny E. P. http://quinnysmerch.bigcartel. Quinny in the USA Read All The Rumours EP out now Tues July 2 - The Precinct, Somerville, MA Wed July 3 - Johnny D's, Somerville, MA Sun July 7 - The Haven, Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA Tues July 9 - The Basement, Nashville, TN Fri July 12 - Hotel Indigo, Nashville, TN Wed July 17 - Foam Beer & Coffee, St. Louis, MO Wed July 24 - Cafe Acoustic, St. Joseph, MO Thurs July 25 - Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA Fri July 26 - Pay What You Can Festival (VENUE TBC), Worcester, MA
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Looking at the big business of music and wine
Uniek.
Pop music is big business. Literally. And this is an article on wine. Seriously. I know it’s hard to grasp the full extent, but do you realize the major corporations that own big brand clothing stores, magazines, movie production studios… own record labels, and even some of the huge liquor and wine companies as well? Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but honestly, for an artist to get major spins on a ClearChannel radio station, their management team has to rake out the bucks... Thousands of dollars, literally. There’s a bonus as well if they can get a celeb to make a “featuring” on their single. Long gone are the days that you could ring up your local DJ (on the rotary phone, by the way) and request a cool new song your friends are talking about, or a band you just heard over the weekend. Now it’s a machine… Bruno mars, Bruno mars, Maroon 5, FUN, P!nk, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Bruno Mars, Bruno Mars... it gets nauseating. Now don’t hear what I’m not saying; I’ve had my moments of driving to the beach with friends, and jamming out to some of the above (actually Bruno Mars has a killer drummer (side note)). But it seems the more people are brainwashed by this insincere, homogenous, manipulated nonsense, the more bang the big boys can get out of their buck. Your buck. You buy the music. You buy the clothes. You sell it to your friends. Repeat. (Wasn’t there something like this on the movie Fight Club?) Anyway, the cheap, bottom-of-the-shelf wine you find in the grocery stores, is the same thing. All the Kendal Jackson, Sutter Home, Beringer, Woodbridge, Barefoot, Yellow Tail etc. etc. etc.… the list can go on forever… is being fed to us just like turning on the radio. I’m being very serious when I say, these “wineries” (if you want to call them that), or production warehouses, manipulate very generic and non-organic grapes with chemicals that homogenize the final product to taste the same year after year. I wonder, why do they even bother to put a vintage showing when the grapes were grown? It’s ridiculous and absurd. Oh, and here’s another thing… did you know to be able to harvest such a huge crop, they have these tractors that straddle the rows, whacking the vines with their mechanical arms, until the grapes, and bugs, and sometimes rotten fruit, fall off. Talk about quality control. Look, I’m not some wine snob trying to get you to spend your hard earned money on a bottle of wine… but honestly, people spend their money the way they want, right? How much does a trip to the movie theatre cost these days? I’m guessing for two people to see a new release, and concessions, it’s going to run around the 40-50 dollar mark. People do this all the time. So why is it that some people freak out about “splurging” for a $20 bottle? $30? I know quite a lot of people that would rather stay home and share a $50 bottle around a firepit and good conversation. I guess what I’m getting at is this: quality. Creativity. Responsible agriculture – because that’s what growing grapes in a vineyard is really - farming. There are a ton of producers out there that practice sustainable and organic farming, hand pick the grapes in cool of the night to retain the freshness in the juice, and don’t manipulate the wine in the winery with excessive chemicals. Here you go, ask your local wine merchant to find you some wine from “Banshee”. It’s some killer wine made by young, passionate people, who really care about quality… not quantity.
Find them at: www.bansheewines.com
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So, back to the music analogy. Have you ever heard of Sucre? It’s a side project from the lead singer of the band Eisley, Stacy King, her husband Darren King (drummer for Mutemath), and produced by Springfield, MO local, Jeremy Larson. It’s so fresh and simple, yet elegantly intricate. It’s daydreamy meets a caffinee buzz. Alternative meets polished. Sexy meets innocent. It’s little things like - they didn’t settle for washed-over synth strings, but recorded REAL instruments. Imagine that. Here’s their link: sucreofficial.com
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The thing is, big business (in these two arena’s especially) doesn’t want you to know anything else is out there, and wants you to stay perfectly happy consuming the garbage. I guess the fact that you’re reading this article is proof that you aren’t content with the status quo. Continue to be adventuresome and explore the unknown, becoming even more educated and aware. I heard a wise man once say this: “Wine was not created to get you drunk; it was created to be appreciated.” So, if you’ve only got 4 or 5 bucks to spare, please opt for a Keystone but if you have a fireplace that is calling for intimate conversation and bottled poetry then grab a friend and a bottle of Banshee 2011 Pinot Noir, put some Sucre on the record player and have a soak! by Paul Killingsworth
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Links. The Part of The BHC where you send us cool links to interesting, cool, and inspiring stuff about Craft, Creativity, and Culture... or just something that others have to see! Then we put it out there for everyone else to see! A Quiet Place http://aquietplace.bandcamp.com/ 50 Tips On How To Make The World Suck Less www.youtube.com An Unlikely Ride: Binary Bike Stop Motion Video http://youtu.be/G8YfqsMJ9K0 Craftsmanship http://www.esomogyi.com/handart1.html
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We Can’t All Be Turtles
Change.
There’s something interesting happening in the Ozarks. Since 2000, our Hispanic population has nearly doubled. Our Asian population has increased by 80% and our African American population has increased by 50%. This interesting turn of events has been particularly fascinating to two people; namely, Dr. Mike Stout, a professor of Sociology at Missouri State University, and me, Mike’s former student and sometimes research partner. Last year, as we were thinking of ideas for a paper to submit to a conference in Chicago (cause who wouldn’t want to go to Chicago??), we were talking about how homogenous the area is and so we looked up stats and found that, while it is very, very white, the area is rapidly growing and rapidly diversifying. And doing both of these things at a rate that more than doubles that of the US as a whole. To Mike and me, that’s really cool. Over the long term, having a diverse population is a really great thing because, in general, creativity seems to be enhanced by diversity. Further, increased diversity and immigration are generally associated with more rapid economic growth. In advanced countries and regions (like the Ozarks) with aging populations, immigration and diversity are important to help offset the impending fiscal effects of the retirement of the baby-boom generation, which is already happening around us. So this sounds, like I said, “really cool.”
But there’s a lurking problem; nation wide, when areas that aren’t very diverse go through rapid diversification, some of the locals don’t tend to like it very much, especially at first. According to Robert Putnam, some people go through a process called “hunkering” where they do a few different types of weird, potentially bad, things. Often, they are less likely to work on community projects. They have a lower likelihood of giving to charity or volunteering, have fewer close friends and confidants, and say that they have less happiness and a lower perceived quality of life over all. Oddly, they also spend more time watching television and they stay in doors more often. This is a breakdown of what sociologists call civic engagement. Civic engagement is made up of individual and collective actions designed to address issues of public concern. But more importantly, civic engagement is the backbone of democracy. Democracy just doesn’t work when nobody has any friends and nobody helps anybody else out because they’re sitting inside all day watching TV.
Most of the people reading this newspaper will know a good deal about the Ozarks region, but for those of you that don’t, the Ozarks region is really, really white, but is changing and growing. Politically, our area is one of the most conservative in the nation, with more than 58 percent identifying as conservative or very conservative. Nationwide, Democrats outnumber Republicans; not so here, as 50 percent of people in our sample identified as Republicans (compared to 15 percent identifying themselves as Democrats). The Ozarks is also very religious, and particularly conservatively religious. 45 percent of the people in our survey belonged to congregations that fall under the umbrella of evangelical Protestantism. Evangelicals are typically, though not always, more socially and politically conservative than other types of Christians.
So it was with all of this information that Mike and I dutifully asked ourselves, ‘How do we make sure that our area, and in particular Springfield, doesn’t hunker down and hole up in our homes like turtles in an attempt to get away from people who aren’t just like us?’ We came up with a project focused on this area called “Religiosity, Political Orientation, and Value for Diversity in the Ozarks”. This projects’ main focus is to help Springfield and the Ozarks on their way to becoming truly multicultural and diverse. We did a whole bunch of statistics driven research that is really boring to write about, and found out some exciting things about the Ozarks. We found that in the ten county region of the Ozarks in our sample, people who identify as conservative are less likely to value diversity in their neighborhood than moderates do. Liberals value it more. But here’s the really fascinating part: Religious conservatives value diversity in their neighborhood more than conservative people who aren’t religious do. So what does that mean??? Well, for Mike and me, it means that to create value for diversity in the Ozarks, and to avoid the hunkering that the Putnam guy talks about, we have to utilize the churches. The churches of the Ozarks have a lot of pull in their communities, and if we can get them to stress the value of diversity from the pulpit, or create groups focusing on interethnic ties and reciprocity, it could help our region segway into its bright future as a multicultural area. Now, luckily, that’s already happening. Phil Snider is the head pastor at Brentwood Christian Church and a founding member of the Center for Diversity and Reconciliation. I caught up with Phil the other day via phone and we talked about this exciting group. Among other things, the Center offers a group meeting called “If I Were You” that attempts to help people understand small facets of what it is to live the life of someone from a different ethnicity. The meetings tackle socio-economic and structural forces that, from an individualistic viewpoint, are pretty hard to pin down. The Center also sponsors a group called Straights for Equality, in which heterosexual individuals assist LGBTQ individuals in certain capacities individually and in the community. The purpose of the group is to help foster an appreciation for diversity, to reconcile differences across ethnic lines, and to combat heterosexism in all its forms. Further, the group strives to become a place for learning that nurtures respect for differences, excites curiosity and embodies civility, and to be a leader in the community by providing opportunities to learn and connect with people of varying backgrounds. When I asked Phil if other pastors in the area were excited about what the Center for Diversity and Reconciliation is doing, he said that, “Lots of pastors seem very excited to try to combat and overcome racism and to have conversations between people of various backgrounds,” but that “very few are on board with anything having to do with LGBTQ individuals.” When I asked what types of churches back LGBTQ equality, he said that, “Most of those pastors are from mainline congregations, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran(ELCA), and Disciples of Christ.” Importantly, Phil said, “some of the pastors are from evangelical congregations, but they can’t openly support it…Yet.” All of this interest in promoting diversity is really exciting for me. It makes it seem like when Mike and I do a survey again in 2020, maybe “value for diversity” won’t break down so neatly on political and religious lines on our boring, statistics-laden graphs. Perhaps the churches around Brentwood, in communities all over the Ozarks will take the Center for Diversity and Reconciliation as a model and try to integrate our burgeoning community from their pulpits. Maybe when we look out over the increasingly integrated and rapidly growing Springfield, we won’t see a bunch of people with their heads hunkered down like turtles, but instead, many different people helping make this area a better place.
by Seth Merritt
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Photo. Val Cooley
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by Peter Quinn Okay, so I’m finally making it happen. I’m writing my article for the first edition of BHC. And it’s taken me til the deadline because I have nothing to write about. I have PLENTY to write about. I just couldn’t find the time. Though today, despite being the “dedicated BHC” day, I still came home from work and decided to watch some Always Sunny, then tried to learn to play Pinball Wizard on the organ (doing bass notes with your feet is a bit of a wee bitch..). And right now I’m watching Desperado. But yes. It’s happening. Right. Now. Unsure of how to do this, I’m gonna experiment a little. This time I’m doing sections. If it works, I’ll give up experimenting. Oh also, I want to make this all inclusive to arts, but I bet right now it will mostly be about music… We will see how it goes..
Musak.
goNORTH Scotland’s pretty full of sweet, untainted, unsigned music. Some of it’s actually pretty good too. Ha! But yes, on Wednesday and Thursday of this week (5th and 6th June to all you guys reading this in the future) a load of this talent will be hanging about, getting showcased in Inverness at the creative industries festival “goNORTH”. There’s loads of really cool talks from some really important and influential people, but right now I’d like to focus on the music, so I’m gonna say a teeny bit about my favourites who’ll be there. Three Blind Wolves Kinda indie/americana, but with lots of gain and crunchy guitarballs. Ross’ songs and voice really are something special too. http://www.threeblindwolves.com Pronto Mama Hard to categorise these guys... Sorta indie/math/pop. If that’s a real thing. Regardless, there’s plenty of clever guitar work, melodies, harmonies, horns and breakdownish things to be enjoyed by muzos and recreational listeners alike. Also, if you’re a sucker for the Scottish accent, you’ll be a sucker for these guys. https://www.facebook.com/prontomama
Miniature Dinosaurs Straight up indie/pop (I realise I’m using the “indie” tag a lot here... forgive me). If you fancy hearing a more Talking Heads-style We Are Scientists then I bet you’d like Miniature Dinosaurs. Don’t hold me to that though.. http://www.miniaturedinosaurs.co.uk
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So Many Animal Calls These guys deserve a mention if not for their music then simply because I always give their bassist my terrible drunk chat when he’s working at Bar Bloc and all my friends have gone home. Scottish Emo. Pure. Better songs than Twin Atlantic though. http://www.somanyanimalcalls.com The OK Social Club Bit of a throwback to the indie boom (yes I said indie again) of the early 2000s. Still really fun though. If you like The Strokes then I can’t see why you shouldn’t give these guys a try. http://www.theoksocialclub.com Bear Arms Alternative. Progressive. Loud. They fall somewhere between Thrice and alexisonfire. All good in the hood. And the drummer, Dean, is hilarious with an admirable beard. https://www.facebook.com/beararmsuk Carnivores These guys are from my hometown! Seriously one of the best bands I’ve seen live. Especially in the teeniest of venues. They once played a gig on a stairwell. So I mean, they’re kinda like a really loud Fugazi with a bit of Dillinger Escape Plan and (I don’t know how much they’ll appreciate this, as I’m sure most Scottish bands hear this all the time) some of the early Biffy Clyro stuff. In fact, I hear a lot of the pre-Puzzle in Carnivores. But I love that stuff... so that’s not a bad thing right? https://www.facebook.com/carnivoresuk Woodenbox So if I say folk/rock, I don’t want you to think of what you think of when you think of folk/rock. I just want you to listen to them and agree that they make a mighty fine band. http://www.wdnbx.com Casual Sex Pretty hard to find amongst all the other non-music related casual sex stuff online. Definitely a good excuse if you’re mum still checks your internet history though. Maybe.. David Bowie mashed up with Fujiya & Miyagi and Pixies. They class their genre as “sleaze”. I hope that makes it slightly clearer for you. https://www.facebook.com/casualsexmusic
Behold, the Old Bear! I played a gig with these guys recently. So impressive. It’s like a 5-piece stripped down to 3 people, only with about 10 more instruments. Great to watch and have a great sound. Kinda Arcade Fire meets Antlers, which is pretty up my musical street. Completely up my street actually. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beholdthe-Old-Bear/144478815569930 Campfires In Winter Played a show with these guys recently too. They’re like an original Scottish indie cocktail of Frightened Rabbit and Idlewild. I’d buy that for a dollar… http://www.campfiresinwinter.com/ Jo Mango JO MANGO. So good. Such sweet, well written songs... I wish I’d thought of them first. Her album, produced by Adem (who played a mind blowing set at Jo’s Album launch), is incredible. The universe should be grateful it exists. She also gave me a really great piece of songwriting advice one time. She said that when writing songs we should try to “show, not tell” which, if it doesn’t make sense to you now, will definitely make much more sense after listening to tunes like “The Moth and the Moon”. It definitely helped me. I hope it helps you too! https://www.facebook.com/JoMangoOfficial For more on goNORTH, check out http://www.gonorthfestival.co.uk/
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The Craft that Makes us We live in a world where we are taught to mindlessly consume, rather than to thoughtfully make. We feel the pressure or desire to be new, fresh, something different. Everything around us tells us that life is quickly moving forward, ever changing, and that we need to keep up. In all of this movement towards progress, there seems to be very little knowledge in the materials that we have to work with. Is this wise? We rarely stop to think about the materials that make up our world, much less appreciate them. So many of us thoughtlessly consume: our beliefs, our food, our relationships, even our art.
Make.
Let me try to explain it in crafting terms. Back in the day, if you wanted to be a painter, you needed to be able to draw. You could not even think about picking up a paint brush until you had mastered drawing from life. You needed to know the foundations before you could move on. If you are a maker of any type (and face it, most of us are) you can relate. You need to know your materials if you want to make something well. If you want to execute something beautiful and effortless, you need to know the material and have a foundation. The feeling of your materials need to be second nature in your being. The textures, sounds and feels need to be in your eyes, muscles, finger tips... to know the limitations of your materials and your limitations with them... to know how to listen to the material.
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This may seem impossible. It will not be easy. It is not something that happens over night. You cannot order it online, go to a seminar, or just listen to a podcast. The journey to truly knowing your material involves listening. Listening to: the rhythm of the sewing machine, the bubbling of the pot, the screech of the screen, the crackle of the ink. Take in your moments in your making. Know the sounds, textures and taste of your world. Train yourself in this and it will spread to your day outside the studio, kitchen and workshop. You will train your body and mind to listen to what your world is made of. As makers, what if we did this? Never taking our craft lightly, always respecting the journey and process, but took it on with a light heart. Would one see it in our work? Maybe even in our lives? You may already do this listening, playing. Keep it up and share it!
When this is achieved or attempted at... Then, you can play! And in that playing, you can make something amazing. If you don’t believe me, try it. It seems so many of us long for this but seem overwhelmed by this journey. We expect to be masters even before we know what we are working with. But what if we stopped wanting to be masters, and were just makers? What if we made things that connected us to the material where we were? Something that reminds us that we are makers; that being a maker is a messy thing and that it will be a long time until we know all. It’s like the old craftsmen say:
The lyf so short The Craft so long to learne’ So why not stop trying to make the next masterpiece? Instead, slow down and learn. Be in the moment with a material, and know it. When we can sit with a material; be with it, play with it, listen to it, and be truly be inspired by it, that is when we can start the journey to making something.
Let us as printers, potters, brewers etc. become examples of this process, and our resulting work as artifacts. Let's practice this by sharing with those around us, those we know and those we do not. It may not be much. We may not be masters at our work, it may not change the world. But it may be somethin, a moment. A moment of something amazing. by Ruth Ribeiro
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Those Bare Handers.
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Paul Killingsworth is a father, son,
Aaron Rozeboom is a Certified Specialist of Wine working at the Brown Derby Wine Center where he specializes in Old World wines and food pairing. aaronr@brownderby.com
Cassandra Bergh is an aspiring photographer
and writer who's hopes for life are to capture moments that people often miss. Whether it be through words or a snap of a shutter; she loves to surprise people with a different perspective. When Cassandra isn't at work or church you can find her pounding out poems on the keyboard or pondering the mysteries of life while humming to herself happily. In pursuit of finding different perspectives her travels have taken her to Mexico, Guatemala, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. Currently she is working her way towards saving tuition for a Bachelor of Design Degree, majoring in photography in Canada where she lives. You can find Cassandra online at www.miss--perception.tumblr.com.
George Elerick
Author & Speaker Website: www.crosscultureconsultancy.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/lovechanges Twitter: www.twitter.com/atravelersnote Buy My Book: Jesus Bootlegged
My name is Seth Merritt. I graduated from Missouri State University in May of 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in religious studies. I’m interested in writing about sociology, which is to say, nearly everything. I’m excited to start work on my Master’s this fall at UMKC. After I receive my Master’s, my intention is to continue on to get my Ph.D. …somewhere else. I have a long time girlfriend and two dogs that mean a whole lot to me and will venture with me to Kansas City. And I’m really excited to be involved in the BHC.
Krista Brand Fogt is an artist,
a student of grace, a lover of the simple and the small. She lives with her husband and small son in the forests of northern Idaho, and creates when she can. More at www.behance.net/kristafogt
lover, friend, chocolate fiend, coffee addict, foodie, and a certified wine sommelier who lives in the Houston suburb, Sugar Land, TX. After working up the restaurant chain from bagel boy to fine dining to wine director, he currently is working for a Texas distributor who specializes in family owned vineyards and wineries. He hates snobs (other than coffee), and hopes to help people have "ah ha!" moments with "wow" wine.
Ruth Ribeiro is a bit of a wanderer,
living in contingent habitation between America and the British Isles. Brazilian and Dutch in genes, American bred with a British heart. A fine artist by trade, seeking to craft heirloom artifacts ‘about life’. Having worked on numerous collaborative projects and shows all over the world, using a variety mediums engaging both in art and community. She seeks to explore the intersection of life and art through spaces, moments, and cherished objects. Preferred mediums are printing, ceramics and sewing. When not making, she can be found biking, homemaking, and discussing practical philology over good food and drink. http://atravellersnotes.tumblr.com/ Raised in mid Missouri, Val Cooley, is the owner and photographer of Val Cooley Photography. She became a professional photographer 6 years ago. Her passion began with nature / landscape photography. She lives for the opportunity to head south to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas any time she gets the chance. Val and her trusty dog Hunter usually begin their hikes long before the sun comes up - flashlight in hand, so they can be ready for that perfect sunrise or waterfall shot. The day continues with many trips down unknown roads in search of beautiful scenery, and usually ends with the perfect sunset shot at the end of the day. Her work has been featured twice as cover photos for The Ozarks Mountaineer Magazine, (winning the 2010 Cover Photo Of The Year), The Louisiana Hiking Club newsletter, the Springfield News-Leader, 417 Magazine, and her work can also be found in the halls of the Boone County Hospital in Columbia, MO. Val’s passion for photography recently took her to the Middle East with a visit to Beirut, Lebanon. The entire country of Lebanon is a photographer’s paradise. She photographed the beautiful ancient Roman Ruins, castles in Byblos and Siada, along with the war damage still left from the civil war. Val is now reaching her goal of becoming a journalistic photographer by working for the BHC.
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Coming Soon...
Markit. A space for Artist/Musicians/Craftsman/ Gardeners/Writers/Etc. to sell their goods. $10 for 3 items. 5 for $15. $10 discount for 6 months. $20 discount for a year (can add new items as others sell) Pay up front. We also can run individual Facebook ads for $5 more per month. $10 discount for 6 months. $20 discount for a year.
Name: Peter "Quinny" Quinn DOB: 25/07/1989 City: Glasgow, Scotland Likes: Being right. All the time. Dislikes: Lots of things, but I cant remember any. Or maybe I just don't hold grudges. I forget. Favourite smell: Girls who work in Lush (a really nice smelling soap shop for those who don't know..). I'm not sexist. I've sniffed Lush's men too, I just don't think guys wear the smell as nice.. Least favourite year: 2015, because it's so soon and will be a pure disappointment thanks to Back To The Future. Hopes to: Find a form of sustainable income that won't give me anything to moan about. Hopes not to: Drop his phone and crack the screen ever, ever again.
Evan Pollock, of Pollock Pictures, is an Electronic Arts-Video Studies major at Missouri State University and has had over six years of experience in cinematography. From 2010-2011, his film experience led him to the scenic capitol of the world, New Zealand. During his year there, he managed to work on the set of "The Hobbit" trilogy for a short amount of time.
(Basic profile and connections, photo and price. Artist is responsible for putting this together and getting it to us)
Worm Holes The Part of The BHC that is a networking space for creative people/small business. $10 to put your contact info, logo/photo and links in. $100 for a year. $50 for 6 months.
H
e B ThC
Publisher...Tim Robson 1.417.616.1477
barehandcollective@gmail.com www.facebook.com/TheBareHandCollective www.barehandcollective.com
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Sponsors Companies can pay a flat rate of $30 to sponsor an article. At the bottom of the article there will be a small logo, short promo and a link. Companies can be the inside front page sponsor for $100. Companies can be listed next to last page for $50 . Companies can sponsor special promo like a Fiction story contest for $100. Clients that buy advertising with us can be a sponsor at half price.