7 minute read
A HANDS ON EXPERIENCE
from June 8, 2022
by Ithaca Times
Handwork welcomes seven new artists to its cooperative
By Laura Ilioaei
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The Handwork is an artisan cooperative where participating artisan members can sell their cra s. ese works include woodwork, glasswork, photography, jewlery, prints and leather goods. e Handwork is owned, operated and sta ed by its artist members. e last two years have a ected Handwork’s sta ng and operations, however.
“COVID brought a myriad of changes to Handwork and to the members of our coop at the time. During this time of change, we said goodbye to some members who moved on to other priorities and pathways, some choosing to keep their work in our shop on consignment but were not able to sta the store. Since facing changes with COVID, opening our brand new online store and having some membership turnover, we decided to put out a Call for Artists in July 2021,” Jill Ho man, marketing and interim operations manager, said.
Following this Call For Artists, several new members have joined Handwork. ey all come from a variety of artistic disciplines, bringing in new perspectives and refreshing the space:
■ Anna Pausch is a print maker. Growing up in the Finger Lakes, she fostered a love of hiking from a young age. is connection to her environment re ects itself in her prints, which o en feature natural elements such as butter ies inked onto bandanas or chanterelles on paper.
Pausch is also an educator who hosts painting classes. She makes jewlery, such as woodblock earrings, too.
■ Betsy
Gram is a ceramic artist. When she was in high school, she discovered clay ceramics and proceeded to earn a BFA in Ceramics from Penn State University in 1999. Her plates, bowls and mugs o en feature scallop waves and other intricate geometric patterns in a mix of neutral and primary colors.
Gram is also an instructor at the Clay School of Ithaca, a community pottery studio. You might also nd her at artisan markets throughout the Finger Lakes. ■ Katherine Solomon is a photographer. She had worked as a fashion and portrait photographer in NYC, but did animal portraiture since high school. Last year she moved into a farm in Spencer, NY, enabling her to return to her passion. Her portraits are o en up-close images of her subjects and the resulting images are so lush that they look like paintings. Solomon takes interest in photographing any animal. She is also available for booking any personal portraits.
■ Kari Zelson Robert-
son is a ceramic artist. She enjoys the medium’s ability to serve as functional art that can serve as an enhancer when sharing food with others, or when decorating a space. Her ceramics are o en of charcuterie boards, platters, cups, serving bowls of all sizes, appetizer trays, vases and bottles.
Robertson continuously gains artistic inspiration from water. is inspiration manifests into the asymmetric lines and touches of blue in many of her pieces. ■ Lisa Gillis is a painter and polymer clay artist. Gillis takes familiar natural elements, such as mushrooms, snails, bugs, and leaves, and injects them with renewed vibrancy. Her painting prints are eye-catching, featuring natural designs of abstract still life in ourescent layers of gouache paint.
Gillis’ polymer clay pieces are o en of utensils with designed handles. ese handles, too, mimic the bright imaginative designs of her paintings, such as a ladybug on a blue polymer clay knife. ■ Mark Tucker is a found object artist. He primarily collects stones, but also uses bones, shells and wood to compose his artworks. He had began making found object art in 1997, when he had went to Cayuga Lake’s Long Point State Park with a group of friends and came home with stones he had collected.
Tucker’s artwork at the Handwork features human pro les made out of stone. ey are playful, evocative of childhood nostalgia. ■ Renee Baum is a leather maker. Together with her husband Joe Chicone, they founded Uncle Joe’s Saddlery and Forge. eir partnership combines Chicone’s saddle-making skill with Baum’s aptitude for textiles and pattern making. e resulting goods are of ne-quality, carefully pieced leather. e leather goods that they sell in the Handwork include leather handbags, wallets, accessories and drink cozys. Many of
The ceramic “Olive and Black Lunchplate” by Betsy Gram. (Photo: Provided) these goods are also vibrantly coloured in a variety of distinctive solid shades.
A framed stone work by Mark Tucker called “Mi Familia Extendito.” (Photo: Provided) A giclée print by Lisa Gillis called “Into the Forest.” (Photo: Provided) Handwork accepts membership applications throughout the year, from January to September. Local and regional artists are welcome to apply and if accepted, are required to work two full days of shi time at the shop. While on sta , they have the opportunity to connect with customers and other artisans at the store. To learn more about membership at Handwork Co-op, people can visit the website at www.handwork.coop/pages/apply.
A leather green and blue wallet by Renee Baum. (Photo:Provided)
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played lacrosse at Cornell — have said many times that there is no doubt who taught them how to be leaders.
Retired NFL lawyer and Cornell Law professor Buck Briggs has known Richie for well over 50 years. Buck was there last weekend, and when asked in 2016 to say a few words in Richie's book, he referenced the Reader’s Digest feature entitled “My Most Unforgettable Character,” pointing to the iconic coach as his most unforgettable character.
Local media mogul Mark Goldberg was also asked to share some observations in the book, and he — having known Richie since his (Mark's) childhood — said, “Some people enable you to forget your troubles by just being around them.”
Goldberg's former boss and retired Cornell Sports Information Director Dave Wohlhueter was there, and he has gone on record as saying that of the hundreds of coaches with whom he interacted over the course of his long career, Moran stood head and shoulders above them all.
Dick Pepper and Larry Carroll — who were instrumental in working with Richie to get the Irish Lacrosse Foundation o the ground in 2001 — made the trip, as did John Tillman, the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins, Richie's alma mater and the 2022 undefeated national champions. Tillman played for Richie at Cornell 30 years ago, and he told me a er making the six-hour drive, “I wasn't that good a player (that's being modest, he played some pro lacrosse) but I learned so much about the game from being around Coach Moran.”
As the co-author of Richie's autobiography and an invited eulogist, it was my honor to share the pulpit with Father Tim Murphy, who ew in from Mississippi to lead the service. Tim's father, John Murphy, was a dear friend of mine — and of Richie's — and when he passed in January we knew we would miss him a lot. John was three months shy of his 100th birthday. On behalf of the church, Father Tim put forth the contention that it would be appreciated if I could keep my segment around 10 minutes. We looked at one another, simultaneously thought about the likelihood of my ability to encapsulate a 40-year friendship and the highlights of a 350-page book into a 10-minute eulogy, and we laughed and laughed...
Visit Ithaca.com to read Moran’s full eulogy.
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