name is Zach Carrow. I grew up in Farmington and spent all my years in school there. My dad’s name is Mike. He works as a florist. My mom’s name is Pam, and she works at an employment office as a social worker. Right now I’m finishing up at Mineral Area College on an art scholarship, painting under Jim Wilson. His students start out with charcoal and pencil drawing, ink wash drawing and eventually move to a color theory course with gouache and acrylic paint and oil pastels. I always felt like I was able to draw and am focusing on on refining this talent.
But in paint there is color and that is why I prefer to paint. I began painting still life last July and have built a small portfolio. I’ve received a scholarship at the Kansas City Art Institute, but there is still a lot of time to paint between now and the fall. I think KCAI is going to be a good place for me to learn and to grow because I ultimately want to progress toward making a profit off of my work. Making art that people like so much that they will pay to own it, that’s I want! I also know it takes hours of practice, learning and relearning to be great at things. I am a student working toward not being a student, but an accomplished artist. I remember first wanting to be an artist in grade school when I started hearing the master painters’ names and seeing their works in art class. I cannot consider myself an artist until I have made my art my career.
So far, I have only painted still life but look forward to all kinds of subjects. I have a good time when I paint, and that is what I love about it. I plan to paint the best that I can paint and hope to be a successful artist. We will be holding an opening for Zach Carrow on Wednesday evening, April 29. Zach will have several original works on display. Come out and support the arts. Sip some wine, nibble on snacks and greet the artist. Open and free to all.
While on vacation last summer, my ten year-old son saw real ping-pong being played for the first time. Like many other homes in the U.S., we own a Wii and have been playing virtual ping-pong for some years. As my son watched real pingpong being played, he became totally fascinated and soon begged to give it a try. It was not long before he was able to keep up with me -I had played before. Soon after that, we were in a full-blown sweat in a vigorous game of ping-pong. We played for hours. It had been years since I played real ping-pong. I had forgotten what the game was really all about. It was nothing like playing on the Wii. We had to move more quickly; we had to judge both speed and spin of the ball, and had to regulate how hard or soft to hit the ball. Real ping-pong is a workout— intense on many levels—nothing at all like playing ping-pong in front of the television. We left the table sore and amazed by the amount of coordination it takes to play the game. For weeks, even months after that day, my son talked about how incredible ping-pong is. We put an end to that. We bought a table for Christmas instead of updating the Wii. Are we adults missing something here? Are our children missing something here? Do children need to bowl (or play tennis, baseball, ping-pong, canoe, skate, ride bikes), or is it okay to stand in the middle of the living room manipulating a wrist controller? Do not get me wrong: I am not old fashioned in any sense of the word. I love computers and all the modern techie stuff that hits the market. I love it all, but ping-pong has really got me thinking. Maybe we need to reintroduce some low tech back into our lives. Maybe having a green folding table in the closet, a tiny white ball, and two paddles is something we need again. Maybe we need something simple that causes us to move our bodies, use balance and speed and coordination. Something that forces our brain to analyze and quickly adjust the spin of the ball and quickly decide on a solution for return. Maybe we need things like altering trajectory and limiting an opponent’s options. Maybe we need to play against our opponents face to face and win or lose gracefully while recognizing them as real people. Maybe we need to play with a little bouncing ball again. Or maybe we don’t. I do know one thing for sure—we as adults owe it to our children to provide them with the experience of real things in real time. We need to keep our young people rooted in reality, and we need to keep ourselves experiencing reality in real time. Well, it is for you to decide.
The game of ping-pong originated in Britain during the 1880s. It was at that time commonly known as “wiff-waff� and played as an after-dinner game. A row of books was stood up along the center of the table as a net. Two more books served as rackets to continuously hit a golf-ball from one end of the table to the other.
Although some may feel that art education
is a luxury, the simple act of creativity is vitally important for kids. Drawing, painting, and working with clay will develop visual skills that are more important than ever. Making art, holding a paintbrush, or scribbling with a crayon are essential in building motor skills in young children. According to the National Institutes of Health, 33% of kids are visual learners. Kids paint, use scissors and make art way before they begin to read or write. In a world filled with computers and smart phones, art encourages kids to give more attention to the physical three-dimensional space/world that surrounds them. They need to draw, paint, smear, bend, paste. As our high schools put less and less emphasis on art, with most only offering minimum graduation requirements, one can’t help but wonder how this might affect our young people over the long-term. We say we’re preparing our young people for the workplace. We say we’re preparing them to be good citizens. Shouldn’t we also be teaching them to enjoy deeper forms of creativity and beauty? I think so. We’re happy to see events that emphasize precisely that – the arts. Recently, we worked on an ad campaign for the Southeast Missouri Arts Council—print ads and a TV spot. The concept was simple—art helps you find your inner child. The talents of our production crew were overthe-top. The costume design by Laurie Everett, the hair and make up by Vivi Meyers and Anne Huston and the models were all simply wonderful. Photographing these kids was an hysterical experience. BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT. This story is about all the cool art opportunities there are for kids in the 573 over the summer. Some are organized by local colleges and others from the local arts councils. I can guarantee my kids would not be sitting around on the Internet when there are such great art opportunities laying around. It’s time to help your kids discover passion and life in real-time. You can do it—don’t be lazy. Your kids are watching every move or NO move you make.
The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, located in Downtown Cape Girardeau, is proud to support numerous programs focused on children’s art education. Annually, the Arts Council’s galleries play host to the Children’s Arts Festival. During this month-long juried exhibit in February, gallery walls feature nearly 300 pieces of children’s artwork from grades 3 - 8, with the top 5 pieces from each grade level included in a booklet dedicated to the event. In recent years, the Children’s Arts Festival has also incorporated a poetry component, which encourages youth to write about their artwork. To advocate for art education in Missouri schools, pieces are also selected from the Children’s Arts Festival, framed, and presented to regional legislators for display in their offices for a year. In addition to the Children’s Arts Festival, the Arts Council gallery showcases youth artwork through the Annual Congressional High School Art Competition Exhibit in May, as well as the Summer Art Academy exhibit in August. Visitors can enjoy these exhibits, and other gallery showings, during the First Friday with the Arts event each First Friday from 5 PM - 9 PM. A special pet-friendly art walk, Pet’s Night Out, is scheduled for the June First Friday on June 5th. Make it a family affair by bringing your furbabies! In collaboration with Southeast Missouri State University, the Arts Council also sponsors numerous youth arts-workshops throughout the summer and during the school year. Summer workshops take place at the University through accredited faculty and instructors during the Summer Art Academy. Classes offered range from age 6 - 18, and cover the spectrum from drawing and painting classes to ceramics, sculpture, and recycled art courses. Opportunities are also included for adults. ArtReach, an out-of-school arts education program, targets underserved youth in the Cape Girardeau area. Sites include The Bridge in South Cape, Jefferson Elementary, the Cape Public Library, and Cape Academy. Workshops take place 6 weeks each school semester, and allow students the opportunity to further explore their artistic interests.
In addition to these off-site programs, the Arts Council also makes it a priority to host child-friendly arts workshops and presentations during Saturday Socials throughout the year. In June 2015, the Saturday Social schedule will include animal related events to tie in with Wild Things, a National Juried Exhibit focused on art with an animal theme. In July, pewter specialists Tom and Pat Hooper from ASL Pewter in Ste. Genevieve will present at the Arts Council. To keep informed about when these and other programs are scheduled, please subscribe to our newsletter by visiting our website: www.capearts.org. By educating youth about the arts, the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri hopes to inspire a passion that lasts a lifetime!
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The River Campus is truly a special place. I call it the Jewel on the Mississippi. We are an arts destination. Not only do we present hundreds of productions and exhibits throughout the year, but we also have programming for people of all ages to experience and create art. There is something for everyone. Small children have the opportunity to experience art for the first time in various art academies, camps and the River Campus Summer Arts Festival. This is the place where children as young as 3 years old can begin the Suzuki String program with the Music Academy. First graders start on piano and violin, while at the same time teenagers are honing their skills with voice, organ and writing compositions. The Music Academy has close to 200 students a year in private lessons. The spring recitals in each area are always a joy to attend. I personally enjoy the energy the families bring to this campus. Once school lets out every afternoon, we have multiple children studying in all of our buildings. The Summer Art Academy offers classes in ceramics, drawing, painting, and other mediums. I am amazed at the level of work the children create for the academy. Carol Horst does a wonderful job organizing this programming and then displaying the work in galleries. Theatre and Dance offers summer workshops using popular literature to get the kids excited about acting, dancing, and singing. This summer children have the opportunity to dance to music from “Frozen” and “Newsies”, while others will study the scripts of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” and “Snow White”. Throughout the year, we also offer musical theatre experience classes on Saturdays. Over 30 young students recently studied “Cinderella” and demonstrated their work to a full house in the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre.
are committed to offering to this community opportunities to not only view art, but to also become part of the art making. That is why we are so excited about the second annual River Campus Summer Arts Festival. The festival allows everyone to participate in the various art forms and to be entertained throughout the day for free. Community members can dance in hip-hop or country line classes, have their faces painted, tryout a musical instrument, watch a stage combat demonstration, listen to a variety of music, talk to professional artists, be dazzled by magic tricks, and so much more. And lastly, I can’t say enough about this summer’s musical, Seussical. I expect this production to sell out all ten performances. It is appropriate for all ages. You don’t have to have children to enjoy. All of us have grown up reading Dr. Seuss books. This story is a combination of many of your favorite characters including The Cat in the Hat, Horton, and The Grinch. It will be colorful and imaginative.
The K-12 Art Show, which happens on April 25th is always a favorite. Last year’s show had 1,378 entries and we’re expecting a similar turnout for this year’s event. We’re always impressed by the quality of work that is exhibited at the show and love to hear about how the student artists are honored in their home districts after the show is over. Many schools will honor participants from our show at their own in-school displays and often the winning artists are recognized by their school boards. It’s always great to see the students receive recognition for their artistic endeavors!
Right now, we are hosting a contest that is open to K-12 Students in our area. It’s called “Art Blooms in Farmington.” We are partnering with the city to produce floralthemed light pole banners to be displayed in downtown Farmington during the summer of 2015. Here’s a link to the entry form for that: http://www.mineralarea.edu/ communityOutreach/mineralAreaCouncil. aspx While the schedule hasn’t officially been announced yet for summer 2015, Mineral Area College plans for arts classes for all different ages. Grade 2-3: Art Under the Sea, Creative Cuddly Creatures Grade 4-8: Wearable Art Grade 6-8: Art + Science of Kaleidoscopes, Wild and Zany Portrait Studio Grade 7-9: Upcycling Fashion”
GO TO: 573mag.com to watch the Cape Art Council TV spot -it’s funny. Special thanks for help with the TV spot: Murielle Gaither -executive producer Brian Noto -producer T. Smugala -writer/director Laurie Everett -wardorbe & props ZuZu Smugala -production assisitant Liz Coffey -production assistant Vivi Myers/Anne Hutson -hair & make up
Lemuel Cook (1759–1866), the last official veteran of the American Revolutionary War who enlisted in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, Continental Army.
Albert Henry Woolson (February 11, 1847(?) – August 2, 1956) was the last surviving member of the Union Army who served in the American Civil War. Albert enlisted as a drummer boy in Company C, 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment on October 10, 1864, becoming the company’s drummer.
Frank Buckles was the last living U.S. World War I veteran. He was 110. Buckles, who served as a U.S. Army ambulance driver in Europe during what was then known as the “Great War,” rose to the rank of corporal before the war ended. His assignments included that of an escort for German prisoners of war. Little did he know he would someday become a prisoner of war during World War II.
I met Ray through my mother, Ellen Meyers, who got to know him over the holidays this year. She saw that the Farmington VFW was collecting Christmas items for veterans and was inspired to take it a step further. She wanted her contribution to be a bit more involved, more personal. The VFW directed her to Ray: a lively and interesting World War II veteran in Camelot Nursing Home. He had recently celebrated his 90th birthday and, with his family no longer local, might enjoy having a new friend around. She got swept up in his stories while he reminisced about his life from growing up on a farm, to fighting the war, and to life afterward. These stories are from a time that the majority of people today have not experienced, or even know much about. We felt it was important that Ray’s direct perspective help remind everyone of our country’s history, especially since there are so few now to tell us about it firsthand. Would you believe that of the 16 million Americans who served in WWII, less than 900,000 are still living today? And only 18,000 live in Missouri, meaning very few reside within our own county. Well, our new friend is one of these few! So without further ado, here is the story of Ray. Ray Callanan was born on July 25, 1924, and raised on a Minnesota farm during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. As you may recall, both of these events represented an era of struggle and survival. The Great Depression is fairly well-known. The latter was a drought period of the 1930’s which was so bad that the crops and animals being raised in the plains suffered greater than ever before; not only due to the lack of rain, but also to the loss of so much dry topsoil from over 100 million acres of farmland. The topsoil would rise into such detrimental dust storms that this time period was finally deemed The Dust Bowl, and attributed to Black Sunday, April 14, 1935, when 60 mph winds incurred the largest and by far the worst dust cloud that ever did hit. This was not his best childhood memory. He tells, “You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face!”
Ray was drafted by the Army at age 19. During his six months of basic training in Iowa, he became qualified for the Shooting Nationals. They named him an expert shot with a Browning bar rifle, a .45 revolver, and the most used combat weapon, the M1. He then spent eight months working with the K-9 Unit. Of all the dogs he worked with, he said his two favorites were a 100-pound boxer (that he really did box with!) and a schnauzer that, “bit me every day!” He trained these dogs to help him guard over 1000 prisoners in Neosho before transferring to the frontlines. Ray was quickly deployed to Europe to fight the front lines of the 65th Infantry (aka the “battle axe”) at the Battle of the Bulge, which carried on from December 1944 to January 1945. The Ardennes winter during this battle was so harsh that the soldiers had to learn how to survive not only the fighting, but the weather as well. The sad truth is, many did not; almost one third of the casualties during this time were due to trench foot and frostbite. When asked how their troops managed, Ray said that they used mink oil on their boots to keep them as warm and dry as possible. It also helped that he and several others in his troop were, as he said, “farm boys,” so they could endure the unforgiving circumstances better than many. They knew how to handle their guns with care, hunt and cook what animals were available to them, and learned to sleep on the cold ground with nothing but a tarp to cover with. That is, what little time they did use to sleep; it was surprising to learn that they sometimes had to stay up through the nights as they headed to and broke through the Siegfried Line, a 390 mile stretch of fortifications on the western border of Germany. They accomplished the challenging route of traveling 650 miles on foot in only 50 days! Of the entire 14 years that he proudly served as a PFC (or private first class) in the Guard, while quickly earning rank of E7, this march was one of Ray’s most memorable events. Here’s something else to keep in mind: they didn’t have a way to bathe for more than two weeks at a time! As Ray wryly said, “We all stunk. But the Germans stunk too, so at least we always knew where they were!”
Ray described many highlights of his European adventures during the war like on Easter Sunday of 1945 when Patton was so mad that he gave orders to head south for the Russians. This brought his division to fight a mere 10 miles from Berlin! Then in Austria, his quarters were only half a block away from headquarters. Ray also fought under General Reinhart, who he greatly admired as a commander. The military later sent him straight from Germany to paratrooper training in the U.S. He was prepared to use this training in Japan once Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, but was never called in. During his years of service he was awarded two Battle Stars, a Combat Infantry Badge, and—along with other men leading the front line across Germany—a Bronze Star. But the award Ray is most proud of he received for saving the life of a Jewish Holocaust survivor. As the division was traveling through Ohrdruf and the concentration camps, they passed one of the many horrific scenes of dead bodies piled near the road. One of the soldiers noticed that the person on top of this pile blinked his eyes. The men rushed him to the hospital where he was able to be saved. Several years later, the troops found out that this man was a Rabbi and father to Miriam Griver-Meisels, the female President of Hadassah, Israel. For this amazing act, Israel’s government recognized them with an honorable medal and certificate, along with their sincere gratitude. This story is also a good example to prove the reality of the Holocaust. Since this piece of history has been recently debated, it’s very important to Mr. Callanan that people know it did in fact happen. The vastness of what he has witnessed is beyond doubt or question that the awful happenings from our history books are true.
Following the war, Ray worked at a pipe fitting factory in Minnesota while going to night school to become an electrician. Then he worked as a lineman. He came to our beautiful state of Missouri in 1968 to pursue a different life. He held a job at Hudwalker Engineering and later became a bail bondsman covering over 60 counties before retiring in 1985. He has since taught at Mineral Area College and organized several recognition ceremonies for veterans of multiple wars. He remained in the National Guard for years and is currently busy keeping the staff at Camelot Skilled Nursing Home in Farmington on their toes! “We were taught to be killers. We were rough, tough, and mean,” he says. This poignantly sums up why he, along with many of the veterans we are so proud of, have difficulty speaking about their time overseas. No matter what war they fight in, certain sights cannot be unseen and lives cannot be unchanged. We have no idea what our troops go through to secure our freedom and provide safety for others. This article is meant to provide said insight not only into Ray’s extraordinary life experiences, but also the examples of similar ones of those who have served over many generations to this day. Let us not forget what these men and women go through for us and what wisdom and personal experiences they have to pass on.
ecently, I met a family living a more simple life. Not by necessity, but by choice. He is an artist and she is an herbalist and homeschooling mother. The couple, along with their three young children, live in a tworoom 19th Century schoolhouse. They have wood burning stoves for heat, no indoor plumbing, and outside of an Internet connection, very few signs of modern life. They spend their days maintaining their existence—gathering wood and food from the forest, collecting water from the spring-fed creek, homeschooling the children, making foods and creating fine art pottery. The day I visited, I was welcomed into their home and hearts. I was given hot, freshfrom-the-oven flat bread. It was rich and full of life, just like the family who baked it. The family also make their own beer, canned foods, breads... Meet the Smiths living a simple life somewhere out there inbetween Belgrade and Sullivan, Missouri.
name is Colleen Zane Smith. The two room schoolhouse we live in is owned by my grandma, Minnie Turnbough. She is an active 90-year-old who still mows her own grass. She attributes her good health to growing up in the Ozark Hills Country. She takes pride in being from Courtois, Missouri. She and my grandfather went to school here at Pleasant Point Schoolhouse when it was just one room. The first addition (room) was built in the 1890’s and the second one was built in the 1930’s. My grandfather bought the old, rundown schoolhouse at a community auction in the ‘60’s. I grew up visiting my grandparents in Courtois from St. Louis County. I never wanted to leave at the end of a great, adventurous weekend. I told my grandfather that I wanted to move “down there” after college. He said I couldn’t move there by myself. Well, I am not by myself anymore. My husband and I made the move in 2009 and slowly have been doing work on the building since. Some of the flowers my grandfather planted still bloom every spring. When people say, “Go to your happy spot,” I come here. Why not just live in your happy spot? I can still remember being in the garden with my grandpa. He told stories of growing up in The Ozarks. He had a way of making it all seem magical. He taught me how to pick “poke greens.” When those greens came up, folks where happy to have them on the table in those days. Grandpa grew up during the Great Depression and didn’t even know he was considered poor. Because of my grandpa’s encouragement and my love of plants, I went to Meramec Community College and earned a degree in Horticulture. When Jamie and I first met we had instant chemistry. We talked about our love of The Ozark Woods that night. I noticed our shoes were equally as dirty. We both loved the outdoors, art, music and mud. Jamie asked me to marry him less than a year later in Mexican Hat, Utah, during a road trip west. We moved to Silver City, New Mexico, two weeks later. Jamie studied ceramics at Western New Mexico University and I apprenticed with natural healers at Bear Creek Herbs. I also underwent a field study course called “Voyage Botanica.” Two years later our first daughter was born. We had her at home and Jamie caught her! After Jamie got his BFA, we moved to Wyandotte, Oklahoma, for an apprenticeship with his uncle. This experience changed Jamie’s career. After a year in Oklahoma, we moved to the schoolhouse and had plans to build on my grandmother’s land. That winter we had our second daughter, Violet Song-Bird, by the roaring fire. Jamie caught her as well! We started giving the schoolhouse a face lift and moving stuff around. In our third year, we took a sabbatical from Ozark living and moved up to Godfrey, Illinois, to work with our best friends on an organic CSA farm. The year was grand and we learned a lot about growing, processing and marketing food. We started missing the rocks and tranquility of the creek bank, so we moved back that winter. Our third daughter, Leonora Hazel, was born the following summer, right before our birthdays. Jamie didn’t catch her; he was holding my hand.
We have always strived to live a simple life and stay debt free. Part of the reason why comes from knowing “stuff” like money doesn’t equal happiness. We’ve always had this theory: if we don’t owe anyone any money, we are free to do what we want with our lives. The schoolhouse doesn’t have running water. We have been working on rain water catchment systems for the past two years. Before that, we were hauling all of our wash water from the creek and our drinking water from a neighbor’s well. Hauling water seems to slow down the pace of life a bit. It isn’t always a bowl of cherries. Now we have a hand pump from the rainwater tank going up to our sink. My daughter calls it “crawling” water. We use significantly less water than most Americans. Taking a kettle bath can be humbling and more work but you still get clean. We also have a composting toilet. I love it! We have two, great big potbelly wood stoves that heat the building in the winter. Jamie cuts and splits all of the wood by hand. It takes a mountain of wood to pull us through the winter. We do have electricity and high speed Internet. Jamie uses this for his work. Without it, it would be difficult to be a studio artist in the middle of nowhere. We enjoy watching a good movie on our laptop during cold winter nights. I actually really love my kitchen “power tools” (electronic appliances). Jamie has this joke: “When she’s got her bra on and her power tools working, watch out!” Our children are our lives. We live and breathe kids all day, every day. We homeschool and love having our meals together. We think it’s good for our children to see us in our work and know they are a part of it. We are hoping to make an impression on our children and that they will learn family values and what it means to be truly happy in real life. We don’t have to wonder what happened in our children’s lives, because we were there. Life can be crazy with or without kids. They are our biggest teachers when it comes to patience, compassion, and love. They sing a lot and entertain us, even when we are being crabby adults. I’ve nursed all of the girls until they were two years old without using a bottle or pumping. I’ve been a full-time momma for eight and a half years now. I am thankful for their presence. I am also very thankful for my husband who puts his family first always. Every year we grow a big garden and try to can and/or freeze as much as possible. I also make most of our medicine from local plants. With a growing family, we struggle to truly be sustainable with our food. We are networking with other farmers and local families as much as possible. We love doing work trades or pottery trades with our neighbors. We feel we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to sustainability. How can we achieve bliss and take responsibility for sustainable earth stewardship? How can we live most simply yet be a part of today’s society? How can we grow/wild craft more food for seasons to come? These are all questions we are trying to answer and grow with. It is our time to understand what it means to be human. I have a desire to promote wild food and medicine of The Ozark region. I also want people to have a sense of pride and gratitude for where they come from. I have been doing plant walks and medicine making workshops for local people. This year I am starting my business called Ozark Schoolhouse Herbs and More. I will be selling specialty tea blends, natural body care products and art work. I will also offer plant walks for all ages during the growing season and private land owner consultations. All this will start off slowly, as my main priority will always be to be there for my family. As I homeschool my children, they inspire me to keep learning and researching what I love. I am digging in the earth and planting seeds this spring. I am at peace with life. I am in awe with the woodland forest that surrounds us. Each year I feel more connected and in tune with the changing of the seasons.
Meet Ocarina, the big eight-year-old. We are different, I know. We live without running water, we homeschool, and my dad works from home. I don’t even call him Dad. I call him Pop or Poppa. We all sleep in the same room. This life for me is just simple. What I feel about my family…? I just love ‘em. But anyway, I’m similar to other kids. I do learn stuff, and we have a lot of toys. Well, that’s it.
Meet Jamie Zane Smith, the pop. I am a Wyandot Potter. I am a descendent of the Wyandot Indians, a creative tribe still here today. Wyandot Pottery is made of small hand rolled natural clay which I quarry myself. I stack the coils as my ancestors did in prehistoric times and then paint and fire the piece. Some of my pots take on an appearance of woven baskets until you look more closely and realize you are holding a clay pot. The most important thing about my work is retaining a sense of form inspired by ancients, yet the piece must still speak to today’s world. I try to use the same ancient aesthetics that reflect my indigenous roots. The way my family and I live, and the way my art is created is from a time when there was no dualism between people and nature.
I have vivid childhood memories of my uncle, Richard Zane Smith, making traditional Wyandot pottery in his studio outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I always dreamed of working in the craft like him. I grew up helping my father with the family concrete business. It was there that I learned to appreciate the beauty of form. I also grew up going to the family farm outside of Fredericktown. To me, this provided a balance—a contrast to my innercity home in St. Louis. I am interested in symbolism that helps to tell our story and connect us to our origins. The ceramic vessel forms reference ancient culinary utensils. The big pots represent kettles and storage jars that would feed multiple families living in close community. The kettles of ancient times helped provide cultural nourishment by outputting an abundance of food and enhancing the environment. My process includes collecting native clays and carving wooden stamps from local hardwoods. The clay forms the vessels and is used as the base for the fired-on slip paints. The carvings on the stamps contain imagery that is impressed in a serial fashion on the surface of the pots. Each individual stamp detail is the result of a vertical block printing in clay. The action involved in the transfer of the design from the stamp to the clay corrugates the surface. It also increases the strength and expands the form of the vessel. The paint on the surface enhances the visual effect by sorting the elements embedded in the stamp and relating them to the whole. The resulting is fine art pottery symbolic of a people, a culture, and a tradition.
We are never really alone! There are tiny, living organisms floating around in the water, in the air, and entering our body. These life forms include yeast, bacteria, fungi and viruses. These living things are causing change one way or another. Some are beneficial to our very survival and some can be the death of us. These strains of living “floaties” have been around since the beginning of time and can adapt to change better than most other life on this planet. These microbes also can lay dormant for hundreds of years. Nowadays, better understanding of these life forms is all the craze. Folks are spending a fortune on the latest pro-biotic for better digestion, better hair, and better LIFE. The studies are out there. We need these good bacteria and yeast. Without them, the bad guys take over. It is true. We could have our own microbial sci-fi movie in our intestines.
Cultures all over the world knew the benefits of raw, fermented, and living foods before the word “scientist” ever existed. People have been using fermented food and drinks in their daily life for generations. Ceremonies were created just to bring the good guys into the food. In this day and age, everything is pasteurized, sterilized and packaged in poly with anti-bacterial lotion oozing everywhere. Remember: we have to eat life to be life. Life is not sterile and it never will be. When will we stop this war on bacteria and respect what it has to offer? I would like to invite you to my kitchen where I have a gallon of sauerkraut fermenting. This is my cheap ticket to beneficial bacteria. (It contains simply cabbage and salt, less than $4.00 on sale.) After four weeks, this condiment can be eaten. Sauerkraut can contain up to ten different strains of Lactobacillus, the healthy type of bacteria. Raw cabbage is great but when turned into sauerkraut, the nutritional value increases tri-fold. If sauerkraut is canned and heated, all the bacteria and enzymes are killed. When canned, sauerkraut still contains vitamins and nutrients, but it is not the super food that it was before heating.
Eating a tablespoon of kraut daily can rebuild healthy gut flora, improve digestion and bloating, and cleanse toxins out of our system. This magic spoon full-Olife can also aid in weight loss, control cravings, boost immunity, and increase energy. Vitamins C, B, and U (which is actually not a vitamin but an enzyme known as S methylmethionine), and omega 3s multiply with age in raw sauerkraut. Taking vitamins in this form makes it easy for the body to absorb and use. Substances called isothiocyanates are produced by this fermentation. This material can prohibit cancerous growth. The glucosinolates in sauerkraut also activate the body’s natural antioxidant enzymes. Studies have shown that this natural process can help heal artery walls from oxidation damage. That’s a lot of good stuff going on.
Regaining faith in beneficial bacteria could make a difference in our overall health and wellness. Eating live foods can even help with brain function!! Let’s lose the fear of the unseen and make some kraut! Sauerkraut 1 head of cabbage, cored and shredded 5-7 tablespoons of sea salt 1 Large Mason jar Layer shredded cabbage and salt; pound with a wooden spoon until juices come to the top. The cabbage needs to be at least one inch below the juices. Keep pounding!!! Optional- Add some olive oil to the top to keep oxygen from entering. I use a food processor for the shredding process. Some believe it has got to be done by hand shredding. Experiment to find your preference. Cover with cloth and let sit. After four weeks, it is ready to eat. I usually take the very top layer out. The sauerkraut will mature in flavor for 6 months. Keep in cool storage. Clue in! Never eat mold, slime or things that turn a funky color. Throw it in the compost and start over.
Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85%-99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and sometimes, less commonly today, lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. Silver is also sometimes used. Martha Stewart calls it, “18th Century Tupperware,” emblematic of the emerging middle class. Thomas and Patricia Hooper own and operate ASL Pewter in Ste. Genevieve. ASL produces fine pewter products. The shop is very cool. You can actually watch the couple as they craft their products. Thomas and Patricia have long been fascinated with history and are proud to be keeping a traditional craft alive. They use a variety of techniques including casting, metal spinning, soldering and hammering. They also have a large selection of antique and vintage molds, some dating back to 1650.
Thomas and Patricia use 92% tin, 2% copper, and 6% antimony to form their alloy. That is the same alloy the London Pewterer’s Guild certified as “Fine Pewter” since 1635. Fine Pewter never has lead or other impurities in it. “We have been working with pewter for over 20 years and have received much recognition for our work. We have been honored to have created ornaments for the White House Christmas tree and for the Missouri Governor’s Mansion. We made all the pewter for the John Adams mini-series that was on HBO. We have done custom work for Disney, Universal Studios, Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington’s Gristmill, Historic St. Mary’s City, the United States Supreme Court, and George Mason’s home, Gunston Hall. We have been shown in arts related programs on television in the St. Louis area and on Illinois Stories. We have done arts and traditional arts shows in over 20 states. We started playing with pewter to make accessories for fragrance products like incense burners, perfume oil bottles and potpourri holders. Then the pewter took on a life of its own, and here we are today, focusing on Early American reproductions. By the way, George is a sugar glider, a tiny marsupial native to Australia. He is our pocket pet and sales associate. He is a nocturnal, omnivorous, arboreal marsupial. We moved to Ste. Gen for the history, the friendliness of the people and the progressiveness we’ve seen in the community.”
Charles Darwin made one of the first attempts to map out the evolution of smiles. In his book, The Expression of Emotions in Men and Animals, he suggests the human smile originates from man mimicking the behavior of animals baring their teeth. As more and more tribes began to use the expression as a simple greeting, it gradually lost its aggressive meaning. OK, that theory may require a leap of faith, but Darwin certainly understood the importance that an everyday smile can possess. To most people, smiling happens without much thought, much like a sneeze or a cough. When you see something silly or embarrassing, you give a smile. When you hear a good joke, you give a smiley giggle. When you hit the lottery, you smile like a deranged circus clown. Smiling is a natural response that spontaneously shares our happiness with others. And, did you know that smiling can make you happy even when you’re not? It turns out that the simple act of smiling sends a message to your brain that you’re happy. And when you’re happy, your body pumps out all kinds of feel-good endorphins. In 1989, a psychologist named Robert Zajonc published one of the most significant studies on the emotional effect of producing a smile. In this study, Zajonc’s subjects repeated vowel sounds that mimic some of the characteristics of a smile. They made the long “e” sound, which stretches the corners of the mouth outward. Other vowel sounds were also tested, including the long “u,” which forces the mouth into a pouty expression. Subjects reported feeling good after making the long “e” sound, and feeling bad after the long “u.”
Abbi 14 Why do we smile? We smile to show expressions. To show that we are happy. We smile for the things we love. We even smile for a picture. Some believe a smile is a social tool used to achieve goals. Some say smiling can help us cope or understand things. This is why we smile!
This reaction has been proven a number of times. When people mimic different emotional expressions, their bodies produce physiological changes that reflect the emotion, too, such as changes in heart and breathing rate. Another study found that people felt happy just by holding a small pen clenched in their teeth, imitating a smile. So the next time you feel sad or upset, force yourself to smile. It just might make your body—and therefore you—feel better.
Addy 10 A smile is more than just teeth. It’s an attitude,an expression of true emotion. A smile isn’t just something you wear. It’s a day changer. You could just smile at a stranger and light their entire day. That is a true smile,only a true smile can truly light up someone else’s day and maybe even yours. Things that make me smile: A babies laugh, a gentle breeze, a cat’s purr, the flap of a butterfly’s wing, a flower, a puppy, walking barefoot on a beach in the evening.
Luxie 3 Luxie has a big smile. She smiles for candy and her mommy. Kaytli 5 Kaytli is a big smiler. She loves to smile and her puppy, a blue heeler, makes her smile most of all.
Spring makes me feel so optimistic. Everything’s better. Business seems better…people are nicer…the birds are singing…flowers are blooming! I’m much more energized and full of big dreams. I am getting more exercise and I’m feeling better across the board. Something about the effect all this sun has on our brain chemistry makes everything seem colorful and new. Aww, the smells, the colors! Grasses, puppies, flowers, foals, birds in nests… life is replenished and the new take their place in our world.
with spring also comes new opportunities...so much to look forward to. No more being cooped up inside. The weather is getting better; the days are getting longer, and summer is just around the corner. I can’t wait! Festivals, hiking, eating outdoors, the Fourth of July, vacations!!! And soon the shops will be filled with spring fashions: shorts, skirts and sundresses—the latest trends, newest colors and hip styles. We decided we needed to capture some of this spring fever so we grabbed a few cameras, a few models and some dresses from Ophelia’s. We threw in some wellplanned props that included an old tractor, a newborn foal, hay, and my favorite, a reconditioned vintage Polaroid camera. I just happen to have some of the last Polaroid Type 64 on the planet. I could sell it on Ebay or have a great time with it. Yup—went for the good time. In the 1960’s almost half of all households had a Polaroid camera. At the time, the Polaroid Land Camera was state of the art. The idea that you could snap a pic and then see it fully developed and ready to frame in just 60 seconds was quite a trip for the hippy era photographer. In the old days, in a time that is all but forgotten, (before digital cameras) professional photographers used Polaroids to check their exposure and lighting before taking more costly snaps. Polaroid pics are now considered more of a ‘folk art’ with the insurgence of digital media.
I am a junior at Southeast Missouri State University, majoring in Public Relations. I am a member and Vice President of Public Relations for my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta Gamma Nu. I love spending time with friends and family, going to church, watching movies, golfing, reading fashion magazines, and shopping. I love spring because of simple things the season brings like the smell of fresh cut grass and brilliant sunshine on any given day. And with summer right around the corner, spring signals that it is time to do the things I love most like travel, explore, and rekindle friendships with old friends whom I haven’t gotten to see throughout the school year. I loved the vintage Polaroid camera! I’ve only seen it in movies, and it was fun to watch the photographer work his magic and snap an “imperfect” perfect image of the horses. The imperfections of the photos are what I find attractive because they are abstract and nothing like the photo you’d get from a modern digital camera that cranks out a perfect image every time. I was asked to tell what my future holds. As far as that goes, you know as much as I do of what is in store for me. I seize opportunities as they are given to me; my future is in God’s hands.
I’m a junior at Farmington High School. I love to dance! I dance at Ballet Art Center, and I am on Knightline school dance team. Dancing has been my passion since I was six years old. It’s a beautiful way to express feelings that come from your soul. I love spring colors, spring fashion and the wonderful sounds frogs make at night. I love watching the trees come to life from their winter gray to their colorful blossoms. More daylight also puts me in a great mood...makes me want to dance even more. The Polaroid camera was very cool. It is weird to think that technology has come so far so fast. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era. I think I would have enjoyed a more relaxed lifestyle without being connected 24/7. That old Polaroid camera is certainly a good representation of the past.
Paige is stunning with a blue and white medallion print scarf in her hair, Lenny and Eva hexagon necklace with added bar sentiment and a gorgeous sage dress with cream embroidered crest on the bodice. Emma has taken a simple mocha tank with lace trim tunic and made it her own fashion by adding a braided belt, charcoal capri leggings and the Gypsy necklace by Lenny and Eva for the traveler feel.
Special thanks to our models and Ophelia’s Clothing Boutique. Both the Farmington and Cape Girardeau locations of Ophelia’s offer fashion forward designs while keeping every type of woman in mind. Ophelia's provides a fine assortment of women’s clothing, shoes, accessories and gifts that make it a perfect place for the woman on the go. Hair and make up by Vivi Myers Wardrobe and styling by Noelle Wagner Horses and location provided by laura Florals provided by Butterfield Florist
Kenneth L. Stilson is best known as the author of the classic text, Acting Is Believing, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th editions, with Larry D. Clark and the late Charles McGaw, which has been adopted by more than 150 universities and colleges around the world. Professor of Acting, Directing and Musical Theatre and Chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance in The Earl & Margie Holland School of Visual & Performing Arts at Southeast Missouri State University, Kenn played an instrumental role in building the professional training programs in theatre and dance at Southeast, which recently received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).
A Seussical meeting with Michelle Contrino, Instructor of Dance at the new River Campus Dance Studio.
573: You must get great pleasure from working with young people. Can you tell us a little about your job? Quite simply, I have the greatest job in the world, because it’s not really a job. It’s just what I would do—whether I was paid for it or not. It’s what I dream about, and it’s what makes me the most happy. I get to explore my imagination every day. I get to create stories and people living in imaginary worlds. I get to investigate the depths of the human experience and, in the process, live vicariously through these people. As a storyteller, I get to travel to distant lands and have wonderful adventures. Time travel? Not a problem in my world. I’ve been involved with shows set anywhere from ancient Greece to the Renaissance to contemporary societies to futuristic worlds that exist only in the imagination. How cool is that? Don’t get me wrong. It’s a lot of hard work—and I put in long hours seven days a week—but I love it. I don’t know how to do anything else, and I don’t want to know. As I said, this is who I am, and I get paid for it. Pretty awesome. My job also has the added bonus of getting to work with smart, talented, beautiful, and highly motivated young professionals. Everything I describe about my job involves a teachable technique. That’s what I do in the classroom. I teach technique. I do the same thing as a director. We create an imaginary world—in this musical it’s the world of Dr. Seuss—and I get to help these actors create characters—from Whos, to elephants, monkeys and birds to Grinches—who must act and behave truthfully given the circumstances. Some worlds are very close to our own, where people are similar to you and me. In other worlds, however, the laws of physics are different. People can fly. Animals can talk. Magic is real. Ghosts exist and can influence the human world. In Seussical, an entire world that is no larger than the head of a pin exists, and it is up to Horton the Elephant to save that world from destruction. At the same time, Horton must protect an egg and help give birth to an elephant bird. It’s fantastic stuff.
573: Can you give us a basic overview on what a theater student’s life is like at River Campus. For theatre and dance majors, the River Campus is a conservatory. They live here. They eat here. They learn here. It’s all under the same roof. They wake up. They go workout in the River Campus gym. They go back to their dorms and shower and get dressed. They take the elevator down to the St. Vincent’s Commons café, which overlooks a beautiful park and the Mississippi River, and have breakfast. Then, they go to class—whether it be acting or dancing or stage combat or designing or construction or singing—it’s all here. They also have classes on the main campus, and they take a shuttle back and forth between campuses. But most of their time here at Southeast is spent at the River Campus. 573: How many productions do you and the students hold each year? We produce 7 major productions each year—3 musicals, 2 plays, and 2 dance concerts. Then, we produce a host of additional second stage plays, dance concerts, cabarets, showcases, and so on. We also produce a student-directed short film festival each year. We also bring in quite a few outside guest artists to work with the students, and we take our students each year to New York for a showcase in the middle of the theatre district, just off Times Square. It’s a busy place. We have one of the top professional training programs for undergraduate theatre and dance majors in the Midwest, and I’m very proud of the work they produce. I am always amazed at their creativity and execution. 573: Tell us about Seussical. Seussical is a wonderful original musical that combines several of Dr. Seuss’ most popular books: Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches an Egg, and The Cat in the Hat. It also has some characters from numerous other books, but it focuses on those three. It’s the perfect summer musical for us, as it will appeal to children of all ages. Kids will love it, but adults will love it for different reasons. People started buying tickets for it as soon as they heard we were producing it, and that was all just word of mouth. It will most definitely sell out every performance, so get your tickets early. 573: With so many aspects to worry about, how do you decide on which battle to fight and which to compromise? There’s no one answer to this question. Every show is different, and each one has its own battles and compromises. With Seussical, the biggest issue is space. There are 30 actors—including children—in this cast, and we’re doing this show in the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre, which is a relatively small space. Yikes. What to do with all those people, who are often onstage at the same time, is a major problem. But I’m working through this with Jeff Luetkenhaus, the set designer. In this play, the characters are also larger than life, and I want the costumes to be somewhat exaggerated. Again, back to space, I’m working with Matt Buttrey, our costume designer, to create costumes that work with the world of the play and physically fit within the walls of the theatre. It’s all about creating a vision, and then compromising that vision to fit the physical and financial structure of the theatre and producing organization—the River Campus Summer Arts Festival. I can guarantee audiences will love this musical, and they will need to get their tickets early. Every performance will be SRO.
Along with spring also comes new opportunities...so much to look forward to. No more being cooped up inside. The weather is getting better; the days are getting longer, and summer is just around the corner. I can’t wait! Festivals, hiking, eating outdoors, the Fourth of July, vacations!!! And soon the shops will be filled with spring fashions: shorts, skirts and sundresses—the latest trends, newest colors and hip styles. We decided we needed to capture some of this spring fever so we grabbed a few cameras, a few models and some dresses from Philanthropy. We threw in some well-planned props, The OLD CLOCK, and my favorite, a reconditioned vintage Polaroid camera. I just happen to have some of the last Polaroid Type 64 on the planet. I could sell it on Ebay or have a great time with it. Yup—went for the good time.
1960’s almost half of all households had a Polaroid camera. At the time, the Polaroid Land Camera was state of the art. The idea that you could snap a pic and then see it fully developed and ready to frame in just 60 seconds was quite a trip for the hippy era photographer. In the old days, in a time that is all but forgotten, (before digital cameras) professional photographers used Polaroids to check their exposure and lighting before taking more costly snaps.
I’m married to a great guy named Josh. Our faith is what makes our marriage and the rest of our lives work. We always hear, “You’re too young to be married,” but we are proving everyone with that opinion wrong. We’re not saying marriage isn’t hard. Being young and in love is probably one of the most difficult things for our generation. It’s really tough being in college because our school and work schedules hardly ever coincide. That’s not to mention the financial struggles we have while living on a college student’s income. However, we try not to wish ourselves out of where we are because we know that this time is making us a stronger couple, ready to face hard times if they come again. We’re a funny couple because we didn’t start with a whole lot of shared interests. Josh loves to spend time at the gym, reads for fun, and would love to be in school for the rest of his life (hint: he’s going to be an English teacher). I, on the other hand, would much rather listen to music than read and prefer crafting to school. Since being married, we have learned to enjoy each other’s activities together. I occasionally make the sacrifice of waking up early to go to the gym with Josh, although I never work out as hard as he does. In return, Josh and I have found our common ground when it comes to musical preference and will jam out in the car together when we make a long drive. For us, it doesn’t really matter what activity we’re doing, as long as we’re together. We love to be outside, especially out in the wide open air enjoying the beautiful scenery of Southeast Missouri. The other day, we took a drive around the back roads of Cape just to enjoy the warm weather and gentle breeze. We can’t wait to have a weekend to camp, fish, canoe, and whatever else we can do outside. This experience was so much fun for us! Going into today, Josh didn’t know how much he would like it, but he was “doing it for me” since he knew I would have a blast. He ended up loving it just as much as I did. The Polaroids were Josh’s favorite part. They don’t make cameras like they used to, and it’s so much fun to snap a shot and have the picture develop right in front if you within a few minutes. I thought the idea of pictures of him taking pictures of me was really adorable, and I loved how comfortable it made me having Josh right there. I’m not in front of the camera very often, but it was so fun! Thank you so much for this awesome opportunity! I want to thank Philanthropy. Bridgett and Megan styled me for an hour and a half. They were so awesome! They let me try on like half the store to make sure I was in something that was “me.” I had never been in their store before, but I’m definitely going back! They have amazing clothes and jewelry, AND they give a portion of their profits to charity. There’s nothing NOT to love about Philanthropy.