Fair way to kick-start holiday shopping
IT'S been more than ten years since artists and educators Christine Wellman and Mary Tatem decided to hold a pre-Christmas fair selling locally-made crafts. The Home Grown Alternatives fair has expanded over the years and has now become an annual festive tradition, a chance for people to get a jump-start on their Christmas shopping.
Reporter GARETH FINIGHAN met with the two craft experts to discuss how the event has blossomed in the past decade, and also to discuss the future of crafts in Bermuda.
Q: How did Home Grown Alternatives come about?
MT: <$>HGA came about as a result of my seed of an idea that it would be an interesting concept to actually continue the "cottage industry" format and Harbour Nights venue a bit further as an extension of the summer venues many of us participated in at some local hotels. We were invited to come set up displays for visiting guests on certain evenings in places such as Sonesta Beach, Elbow Beach and Castle Harbour.
My idea was to use the list of craftspeople and artists and develop a larger one time event in which many of them would participate. I became rather friendly with Christine while we both participated in some of the cottage industry evenings and asked her if she would be interested in working on such an event.
She thought it was an idea worth exploring and we put our heads together, roped her husband in to assist with the graphic organisation and computer needs.
Our first event took place at Admiralty House in Spanish Point and was a huge success. It was a cold, windy, rainy day and Christine and I had prepared soup and sandwiches for our fellow vendors, had the coffee machine going and we ended up supplying customers with coffee or tea to warm them up.Q: And what were your aims?
MT:<$> The aims of HGA are to offer the public the pre-Christmas opportunity of purchasing unique, locally created items, a final opportunity of the year to buy from favourite vendors they won't necessarily be able to purchase items from until the next summer season. It also provides the opportunity for craftspeople and artists to get their creative juices flowing and to come up with something new and different for that time of year.Q: Who are the participants?
MT: The crafts people / artists come from a broad spectrum of talents and within the arts and crafts world of Bermuda. We have people who work with pottery and ceramics, jewellery, sea glass and hand-made paper collage, hand-made cards, local authors, locally famous rum cakes, blown and fused glassware, etched glass, stained glass creations and cedar work. The Boys' Brigade, under the tutelage of David and Sheila Semos, bring the talent of local youth to the forefront. We have artists / craftspeople who regularly have items on display in Dockyard at both the Arts Centre and the Craftmarket (currently closed for massive renovations), creators of banana dolls, angels and other flora designs. Really the list is endless.Q: What's the appeal of it?
MT: I believe the appeal of HGA is the festive extravaganza feeling — it's a special one-time event that is attractively and professionally displayed, with the added touches of hand-made, hand-picked botanicals that make our Christmas tree and other decorations a special addition to the event, complete with local musical talent.
CW: But from the craftperson's point of view, the appeal is that they have an opportunity to extend their income earning capabilities and to know that the event is a serious shopping one and that the artists are not just being sold tables with the organisers making a profit. It's a serious event and artists turn over serious amounts of inventory between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.The artists now continue working, specifically getting work ready for HGA. Most of the participating artists showcase new work at HGA to jump-start the upcoming season.
It's also a good opportunity for us to see, appreciate, talk and purchase work from one another. Our customers are among the members of our community who are aesthetically discerning and have high tastes and an appreciation for things hand-made.
We transform the church hall with festive decorations and a funky Christmas tree and customers talk constantly about the HGA ambience — it's a great jump start to the Christmas shopping season and our customers look forward to receiving their personal invitations every year.
We've had situations when some flyers were not received and people were upset about that. Our HGA Annual Lucky Draw is also a big draw. In the past we've had prizes sponsored by local hotels, salons, jewellers, artists and restaurants.Q: Do you think that crafts are looked down upon by the 'fine' arts?
CW: That's my pet peeve — that 'art' in Bermuda is often seen only to be painting, photography and sculpture. Recognition of basketry (fibrearts) and pottery in Bermuda leaves lots to be desired. Many local people don't view the potter as an artist — that's what I've experienced. Craft is definitely not enjoying the same esteemed recognition as painting and sculpture.Q: Why do you think that is?
CW: Maybe it has a lot to do with craftspeople and their accepted standards. Some of us tend to concentrate on crafts that demand no learning curve whatsoever — just a little something to do to "make money" rather than to learn about the materials, to challenge the materials, to find a voice through the materials. When we follow a formula slavishly we have craft. However, when we take that formula and put it aside to find our own artistic expression and voice, we transcend simple craft into finecraft.
We as craftspeople need to raise the standard in order to be recognised in a serious way by the community that we work in. There's no unifying body coming together to rally for the recognition that the crafts deserve. Everyone is talking about fine art but people look down their noses at crafts because that's just handwork whereas painting is academic. You have to study painting. There's always been this war. But I don't fight that war, I see myself as a bridge between the two.Q: Would you say there's a greater appreciation of crafts overseas?
CW:<$> Barbados went through a cultural / artistic renaissance in the 1980s with the establishment of the Barbados National Cultural Foundation — a body endowed with the responsibility of raising the national awareness of the visual and performing arts. The NCF is a government body which also provided funding for the arts.Here in Bermuda we see several private entities sponsoring this and sponsoring that — PartnerRe's Dr. Wheelock Rembrandt lectures for senior school students, ACE's gallery space for exhibitions, BSoA's interest in an education programme, BNG's progressive exhibitions, student programmes, The Bermuda Art Centre in Dockyard's workshops, The Masterworks Foundation's ongoing art classes for children and adults coupled with the grand initiative of a new gallery and extensive collection.
However, all of these initiatives are privately funded. We have the Bermuda Arts Council which will assist if and when we apply but it is not an advocate for the arts.
Most countries own a national collection of art which is tightly knitted to the cultural lens. Is there a governmental body which owns or collects a body of art work created by local artists and craftspeople here in Bermuda?
The same way that private businesses support the arts and bring some element of seriousness to what we do, by putting forward funding, is the same way that the community will begin to recognise the serious input of its artists when serious funding begins to support us, to strengthen and encourage what we do.Q: Why isn't BAC an advocate?
CW: You can go to them and ask them for financial assistance and in most cases they honour that. But that's it. They're not proactive in any way. When I first heard about them I was, 'What is that?' To me, they should be telling everybody that they exist. They should be more active in the community They're very low key."
Q: Is there a crafts curriculum in schools or do you think the arts are being sidelined?
CW: Actually the programmes are not just about painting and drawing, they're very diverse involving a whole range of media.Passion is contagious. Teachers who are passionate about what they teach, generally pass this on to their students. It is the students who need to take what they've learned to the next level.
I see it as my duty to help educate the community because if we don't have an educated population what can we do? When I first started working I wanted to hold on to my work but now I feel that the piece has to go and live another life so if I'm going to release them, they have to go to people who have an appreciation of them. Part of our job as artists and craftspeople is to help groom that appreciation.Q: So if we're educating children why isn't that being followed through in the wider community?
CW:<$> I have a cousin whose family didn't agree when she decided to study art. I'm married to a man who, when he decided that after his first degree in business he realised that he didn't want to be a chartered accountant and became a designer, his family didn't agree. Some people might like the arts in terms of visual arts but you have to stand strong against the values that other members of society see as being more important. I think art is sometimes seen as superfluous.
Actually, sincerely, when you look at society perhaps it is. In times of war people aren't thinking about art or craft. Art is the first thing to go when it comes to survival.
But you also have to think that living in a world without any form of art would be pretty bleak. Art helps to enrich our lives, to beautify it. But I understand that for some people it's not seen as necessary.
However, all too often the society that we are expected to thrive in, does not recognise the significance of the arts to the human existence and tends to root importance in academics alone.
Is there a stigma attached when somebody tells you that, "You seem to like working with your hands?" — a comment which completely dispels the fact that artistic types tend to depend more on the right hemisphere of the brain.Q: So do you think local craftspeople are struggling? What outlets do they have to sell off their wares?
A: There aren't any real quality fairs here in Bermuda — HGA is about the only one around. Overseas artists have opportunities to attend so much more and after all, the artistic community is vast. My friend in South Dakota travels extensively nearly every fortnight, to attend quality craft fairs. It is important to realise also that these events are not organised like HGA — everybody behind and in front of the HGA scene works as a volunteer and the only income we earn is selling at our table at the event.
Fairs overseas have paid event planners who do not participate in the fairs. HGA is a one-time annual event which takes a lot of time and effort to plan and organise. Even though we have a committee, a great deal of responsibility for getting things done still rests with Mary and me.
