Lee magazine Jan/Feb 2015

LEE SHERI SCHUMACHER: Maker of Art and Community THE ART OF HEALING

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Editor Katie Lamar Jackson

T

here’s a “maker” movement underway these days, a resurgence of the age-old art of making beautiful, useful things. Today’s makers may work in the traditional arts and crafts — basket weaving, wood and metal working, fabric and fiber artistry and the like — or in more modern technologies — robotics, Web coding and 3-D printing to name just a few. But many modern makers are also going a step further with their work by collaborating and cooperating with one another and in their communities in ways that allow their work to benefit the greater good. In other words, “makers” don’t just make things; they also make a difference.

This issue of Lee Magazine salutes makers, among them Sheri Schumacher, the subject of our cover story, who uses her art, her knowledge and her social conscience to improve the lives of others. Leigh Hinton, our “Guest Room” columnist for this issue, is another “maker” who not only finds joy in making her art, she also works to share that joy and artistic journey by offering ideas for how all of us can harness the creative process.

And then there are the makers of the gorgeous and reaffirming Healing Quilts that hang in East Alabama Medical Center’s Cancer Center and Bethany House to provide comfort to others.

Truth is, the makers highlighted in these pages are just a few of the many makers in our community, a number of whom have been featured at Southern Makers, a festival that began in May 2013 in Montgomery to celebrate Alabama’s creativity.

Among the locals who have been invited to showcase their work at Southern Makers are artists, food and drink artisans, jewelry makers, designers, musicians and others from the Lee County area who will no doubt be invited to attend Southern Makers 2015 when it is held May 2–3 or to participate in Waverly’s 280 Boogie on April 18, Opelika’s Southern Revelry festival later this year or in many other events that will celebrate the arts and culture in our area in the coming year.

How wonderful that these talented people and groups are being celebrated! But let us not forget that we are all “makers” of some sort. Whether we build things, grow things, cook things, brew things, organize things, fix things, write things or simply build community by creatively tackling our many daily tasks, we are ultimately making the lives of people in Lee County richer and better.

With this issue, we also welcome our new Garden columnists Ralph and Carol Womer, who offer great suggestions for winter projects.

As a new year begins, we at Lee Magazine offer our thanks to all of you who make this world a better place and we look forward to seeing what we all make of 2015.

The Place to Find

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Valentine’s Getaway at The Hotel at Auburn University

Valentine’s Getaway at The Hotel at Auburn University Includes Valentine’s Dinner for Two in Ariccia, Overnight Accommodations,

of Champagne Chocolate Covered Strawberries & Two Piccolo’s Valentine’s Dinner for Two in &Ariccia, Overnight Accommodations, for Two inCovered Ariccia. Strawberries & Breakfast Piccolo’s of Champagne & Chocolate Call (334) 821-8200 for Reservations for Two in Ariccia.

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a will host a special cider dinner featuring Woodchuck’s Private Romantic e Belgian White, Barrel Select,Valentine’s Hopsation,Dinner & Chocolate Raspberry.

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For more information visit www.auhcc.com To make reservations please contact Ariccia at (334)844-5140 241 S. College Street, Auburn, AL

For more information visit www.auhcc.com @hotelatauburn LEE MAGAZINE 5

Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.

contents

January/February 2015

8 Garden There's No Time for Sitting Around

10 Health Hypothermia: Protect Yourself This Winter

12 Home Organize Your Closet With Beauty

14 Brawn Have a Few Minutes?

Get in Shape in Just a Few

Sheri Schumaker

16 Eating Disorders

24

February is Eating Disorder Awareness Month

18 Food Mmmm...Chocolate!

20 Healty Eating It is all About Preparation

22 Quilts of Comfort The Healing Quality of Art

18

24 Maker's Mark The Art of Sheri Schumacher

29 Read Between the Wines Words, Wine and Winning

30 Calendar What's Up in Lee County?

34 The Guest Room Leigh Hinton's Tips to Find Your Creativity

22

2011 - 2014 Super Lawyers

LEE MAGAZINE 7

! ary We the for t s e R Gardening Doesn’t Stop in the Winter o N

By Ralph and Carol Womer

G

ardeners are not a lazy group.

Even in winter there are many projects that get us outside and energized. The following are some things you may consider.

Pruning While many gardeners say the best time to prune is anytime the shears are in your pocket, late fall and winter are traditionally the best times to get rid of unwanted growth. Most plants that are dormant (and many that aren’t) can be cut back and shaped in the winter.

The crepe myrtle is a great example.

As you probably already know, there are two schools of thought in the South concerning the pruning of this beautiful tree; the dominant for many years being that they should be cut back each year. This creates a nub on top of each trunk from which new growth shoots up creating what they consider to be a fountain of blooms. This practice began a quarter of a century ago when diseaseresistant species were introduced to the South. Unfortunately, most nurserymen didn’t know how large they would grow.

Many 15-foot trees became 20-, 30- and even 40-foot trees. This became a problem when they were planted too close to houses and other structures and required drastic pruning just to keep them in check.

8 LEE MAGAZINE

Most Master Gardeners, however, refer to this process as “crepe murder,” and the end product as a “witch’s broom.” They believe that you should only shape them.

If you want a smaller, bush-like plant, then buy a smaller species of crepe myrtle.

They come in semi-dwarf and dwarf sizes.

Most plant centers either have or can get them for you. A couple of semi-dwarfs in the Southern Living Plant Collection, are the Delta Jazz and the Early Bird series.

The Centennial and the Pocomoke are two examples of the dwarfs.

If you are worried about what to do with the oversized one you already have, just jerk it out of the ground and relocate it or give it to someone with more room.

Don’t worry, you won’t kill it. In fact you may be fighting the remaining roots and suckers for some time to come.

For an excellent example of large crepe myrtles, check out the trees lining the parking lot at the Grove Hill Clubhouse on Grove Hill Road in Auburn. They are beautifully shaped and have white blooms each spring through summer.

Whatever tree or shrub you have, there are many on-line sources you can consult for specific instructions for the plants which you are pruning, but as a general rule of thumb, cut out dead wood, remove crossing branches and get rid of those suckers that appear at the base

of many trees and shrubs, especially the crepe myrtles.

Leaf Removal This time of the year, you will see mountains of plastic bags full of leaves waiting beside the curb for the city to pick up. Pollution regulations have taken away that nostalgic smell of burning leaves that once signaled fall, and we are left with what to do with all those leaves.

We would suggest that both leaves in the fall and winter and grass clippings in the summer are a great source of mulch for those dormant plants and of material for the compost bin. If you do not have a leaf mulcher, a large plastic garbage can works well for collection. Then use a gas or electric string cutter to pulverize the leaves inside the can. These can then be applied under trees and shrubs to help retain moisture and retard weed growth. They can also be added to your compost pile.

Composting Many people shy away from composting during the winter for fear that it will generate an unpleasant odor. A well maintained compost pile that is well layered and turned regularly will continue to work in the winter, just at a slower pace than it does in the summer. Layer shredded leaves and grass on top of your vegetable kitchen waste. Be sure not

G A R D E N to add any animal products or oil. Periodically turn the pile to allow good aeration. There are several tools designed for this purpose, which you can find at your local garden shop or online.

Tree Planting Fall and winter are ideal times to plant trees and shrubs. While planting instructions may vary — depending on whether the tree is bare rooted, containerized or balled and burlapped — several instructions are common to all: •always dig the hole two-to-three times the size of the root system •don’t disturb the soil under the root ball and be sure that the crown of the trunk is above ground level; pack the soil around the roots to remove any air pockets •build a water-holding basin around the trunk about the size of the hole

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•water well and let soak in •mulch with three-to-four inches of mulch, being careful to keep the mulch four inches away from the trunk.

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Winter Gardens While late August through October are usually the planting dates for your winter gardens, January and February are great times to plant beets, cabbage, cauliflower, most lettuces, onions and Irish potatoes. If you get those garden peas planted in February, you will be eating them in April. If you decide not to plant a fall garden next year, you might consider planting a cover crop, such as winter rye, and then tilling it under as “green manure” early next spring.

As you can see there are plenty of things to do in the yard and garden during the winter. In fact, we can hardly wait for spring, just so we can set up the hammock and relax.

Ralph and Carol Womer are both Master Gardeners and members of the Lee County Master Gardener program.

CONCRETE NEVER LOOKED THIS GOOD!

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Brrrrr!

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

By Lee Sharma, M.D.

W

hile heavy snow and extreme cold are not typically part of winters in the South, we learned last year that we can have debilitating snowfall and frigid temperatures with short notice. Being stranded in your car overnight on the highway in a snowstorm or even staying in your home without heat after a power outage can quickly create a life-threatening situation. Hypothermia, which is defined as the drop in the body’s core temperature to levels which affect function, can occur in even mild cold weather. Prevention in colder months is very important. Recognizing the risk factors, conditions and symptoms can help with treatment of hypothermia.

Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can generate it. Typical conditions that can predispose you to hypothermia include prolonged exposure to cold environments or cold water, which cause the body to lose heat very quickly.

Any long exposure to temperatures colder than our core body temperature can cause hypothermia, however. Wearing wet clothes or clothes not warm enough for the climate, inadequate heating or too much air conditioning for the elderly or for infants may also produce symptoms of hypothermia.

Hypothermia can be classified as mild or severe. Mild hypothermia is defined as a body temperature lower than 95 degrees Fahrenheit — that’s 3.5 degrees lower than our normal body temperature of 98.5 degrees. Severe hypothermia occurs when the core body temperature is 86 degrees or lower.

Risk factors for hypothermia include very young or very old age,, alcohol or drug use, and certain medical illnesses. Infants and the elderly are not able to physically respond to cold temperatures easily. Alcohol use impairs the body’s ability to use its natural defenses, such as shivering, to protect from the cold. Shivering is a reflex in which our muscles make very small movements, creating heat. Hypothyroidism, stroke, anorexia, and malnutrition can all affect the body’s ability to sense and respond to colder conditions.

Symptoms of mild hypothermia typically include shivering, hunger, dizziness or rapid breathing. As hypothermia worsens, shivering may be replaced by confusion and clumsiness. A very slow heart rate and difficulty remaining conscious are symptoms 10 LEE MAGAZINE

of severe hypothermia. Infants with hypothermia will have bright red but very cold skin, as well as a weak cry.

Individuals with hypothermia are treated by gradually increasing their core temperatures gradually. Rapid exposure to high heat sources can cause abrupt changes in heart rhythm, which could be fatal. Removing any wet clothing and replacing them with dry blankets or coats, and placing a person with hypothermia who may be on the ground on blankets or a warm surface can raise temperature. Using warm compresses applied to the neck, chest and groin are helpful. Applying compresses to arms and legs should be avoided, as this can draw warmer blood away from vital organs, such as the heart and lungs, and lower core temperature further. For mild hypothermia, offering a warm, sweet, noncaffeinated beverage is helpful. It is also very important to move individuals with suspected hypothermia very gently, as rapid and rough movements may also product irregular heart rhythms.

Preventing hypothermia can be as simple as dressing in layers of clothing, and using wool or synthetic materials to provide warmth in wet or dry conditions. In cold weather, infants should be dressed in one more layer than adults. Mittens provide more warmth for hands than gloves, as shared heat keeps all fingers warmer. Infants lose more heat from their heads and so require head covering to prevent this. Homebound people should be checked on periodically to ensure they have adequate heating sources available. In winter months, keep blankets and disposable hand warmers in vehicles in the event of being stranded due to weather conditions. If one is stranded, running the car for 10 minutes every hour can maintain minimal heat while conserving resources.

While hypothermia is not as likely for us in the South, it is well advised to be prepared and to be able to recognize the symptoms of cold exposure.

Lee Sharma, M.D. is a board-certified gynecologist in private practice.

Trained at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, she lives in Opelika with her husband Shash, children Sam and Rachel, and her puppy Ryker.

ADVERTISEMENT mental health can influence your physical health, both positively and negatively, and certainly your physical health can influence your mental well-being. I’m biased, of course, but I think everyone should have a psychologist!”

Dr.Amber is a military wife and mother of two children. “Balancing the work and home obligations for a parent or caregiver is a tough chore. Most moms, and I, myself, am guilty of this at times, we put ourselves last on the priority totem pole.

But it is so important to build in that 'me' time, because in order to be the best that we can be for work and family, we have to take good care of ourselves. And that goes equally if not double for stayat-home parents or parents that home school their children. Carve out time to say 'thank you' and 'job well done' to yourself because I bet you don’t hear that as often as you deserve.”

East Alabama Center for Change and Dr. Amber promise to deliver the most competent and effective treatment to our clients while working to make treatment affordable.

EACC is located near downtown Auburn, in a cozy yellow bungalow-style house with ample parking and plenty of

Dr. Amber Douglas

privacy. “Therapy can be hard sometimes,

Dr. Amber E. Douglas Joins East Alabama Center for Change

E

ast Alabama Center for Change

are health psychology, eating disorders,

proudly welcomes Dr. Amber E.

trauma, anxiety/depression, adjustment

Douglas as a staff psychologist and Clini-

difficulties, aviation psychology, relational

cal Director for our new Eating Disorder

problems, multicultural psychology,and

Treatment Program. She brings a breadth

women’s issues.

of knowledge and experience working

Dr. Amber is an advocate for fighting

with all types of mental health issues. Dr.

the stigma surrounding seeking mental

Amber’s main treatment competencies

health treatment. “Everybody has men-

are working with adolescents and adults

tal health. Just like everybody has physi-

for individual therapy, group therapy and

cal health. Both need proper upkeep and

psychological testing. Her areas of focus

maintenance every once in a while. Your

and often people have to talk about some difficult feelings before they start feeling better. EACC has created an environment that our clients can feel as at-home and comfortable as possible.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment please call 334.734.2603

East Alabama Center for Change 124 BRAGG AVE. • AUBURN, AL 36830 LEE MAGAZINE 11

H O M E

Restoring Order

Easy (and Pretty) Ways to Organize Your Closet

By Jacquelyn Dixon

L

et's explore some organizing solutions done in a beautiful way – yes, it can be done. Here are a few inventive ways to squeeze out useful organization from your home.

In your closet, the trick is that you want items off the floor, in sight and within reach. A pegboard wall section will help solve the clutter problem. I know what you’re thinking – I don’t want an ugly garage organizer inside. But think about it this way: If it can hold all those heavy tools and garden items, surely it will hold all those belts, purses, scarves, etc.

Let’s pretty it up! Pegboard comes in 4 x 8-foot sheets from your local hardware store – about $15 per sheet. Measure the area you want to cover. Cut the pegboard to size with a circular saw or jigsaw. Place furring strips (thin pieces of wood) between the board and wall so you’ll have room for the backs of hooks.

Clean up the edges and spray paint it to your desired color. You will need to buy an assortment of hooks, holders, storage bins and peg locks. Also, for under $15, you can find a combination of these items packaged together at local hardware stores. This pegboard panel maximizes otherwise unused space in your closets.

Now about the SHOES…some of your heels are a work of art, so let’s display them as such, in the closet of course, utilizing the space above your clothes rack or that blank area where nothing else fits. To make a unique visual display, buy 12 LEE MAGAZINE

pre-primed pieces of picture-rail molding and have them cut to length at the store. Paint them your desired color before installing. Space the rails 12 to 14 inches apart and, using a hammer and finishing nails, attach them to the walls using the studs for a firm foundation. Studs are typically 16 inches center to center. For me the easiest way to know stud placement is by using a stud finder. Scan the wall and mark your studs. This is so much better than digging through all the boxes trying to find the pair you want to wear.

If you live in a home where the closets have single rods, you just might want to start from scratch and do an overhaul of your closet, especially these days when there are so many options.

Clean everything out and take down that rod. With height and width measurements in hand, you can revamp the space using multi-height rods, wired baskets, shelving and even drawers. Let’s get the full use out of your closet. Search the Internet for multi organization advantages. You can be the DIY’er or hire a closet company. Either way there are so many options out there that you really don’t have an excuse not to be organized.

Feel free to reach out to me for any advice or question you may have. I’m only a click away. -lm Jacquelyn Dixon is a licensed contractor with over seventeen years of experience, who builds custom homes and reinvents existing ones in the Auburn/Opelika area. Jacquelyn can be reached at: reallifebuilders@gmail.com

Auburn University's TELFAIR PEET THEATRE Productions for the 2015 Season

ONCE UPONA MATTRESS RED BADGE OF COURAGE

When Queen Aggravian takes over the Kingdom from her cursed husband, Sextimus the Mute, she declares that no one in the Kingdom shall marry until her hapless son, Prince Dauntless the Drab, finds a wife.

This satirical take on Hans Christian Andersen’s, The Princess and the Pea,opened on Broadway in 1960 with television comedy legend Carol Burnett in her breakout role as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone.

Adapted from Stephen Crane’s classic American novel, Red Badge of Courage will be an intimate, visceral production with puppetry, live actors, and projected silhouettes and animation. Red Badge of Courage delivers the audience into the heat of battle.

The experience weaves the horror and surrealism of warfare.

By Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer Music by Mary Rodgers . Lyrics by Marshall Barer Directed by Tom Aulino Thur. Feb. 19 @7:30 p.m.

Fri. Feb. 20 @7:30 p.m.

Sat. Feb. 21 @7:30 p.m.

Sun. Feb. 22 @2:30 p.m. (Matinee) Tues. Feb 24@7:30pm Wed. Feb. 25 @7:30 p.m.

Thur. Feb. 26 @7:30 p.m.

Fri. Feb. 27 @7:30 p.m.

Sat. Feb. 28 @7:30 p.m.

Sun. March 1 @2:30 p.m. (Matinee)

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS Department of Theatre

Adapted by Michael Haverty and Jane Barnette From the novel by Stephen Crane Directed by Jane Barnette Thur. March 12 @7:30 p.m.

Fri. March 13 @7:30 p.m.

Sat. March 14 @7:30 p.m.

Sun. March 15 @2:30 p.m. (Matinee) Tue. March 17 @7:30 p.m.

Wed. March 18 @7:30 p.m.

Thur. March 19 @7:30 p.m.

Fri. March 20 @7:30 p.m.

Telfair B. Peet Theatre

Auburn, AL 36849 Corner Samford Ave. and Duncan Drive Box Office: 334-844-4154 Phone: (334) 844-4748 • Fax: (334) 844-4939 • theatre@auburn.edu Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.

Exercise, Quick!

15 and Done!

By Lisa Gallagher

M

eg called my office and, like many women her age, knew exactly what she wanted. I’d like to meet with you for three months to learn a series of 15-minute workouts.

My goal is to firm up, said this young-looking 60-year-old, and I don’t want to spend all day doing it. I may sometimes be able to do two workouts a day, but I don’t want to work out longer than 15 minutes.

Usually personal trainers hear, “I don’t have enough time” is definitely on the top 10 list of excuses. Everyone knows they should exercise more, and almost everyone feels that they just don’t have enough hours in the day. Meg was an exception. She knew she could work out smarter and faster. She could get great results at home, in a hotel room — anywhere — without buying expensive equipment. By choosing exercises carefully everyone can gain muscle, lose fat and whittle away that waistline. Muscle tissue is dense, taking up 20 percent less space than fat. Those lean muscles are metabolically active and burn calories during your 15 minute routine and up to 72 hours thereafter. While you are looking better and better in your skinny jeans you will be stronger and therefore more active. See the cycle? You will sleep better and feel less stressed. This keeps you from craving junk food for energy. Lastly the health benefits of avoiding osteoporosis, heart attack, diabetes and cancer may be further from your mind but are very real. Here is a workout you can do almost anywhere.

Try to do two sets of 12–15 repetitions (reps) of each exercise.

If you cannot do eight use less weight or modify your position.

The exercises should not hurt, but the last three reps should be challenging. If you can do an exercise for more than 20 reps, you need a more difficult variation to achieve results. For timing, count, “Up two; Down two, three, four.”

Warm up for five minutes by walking, jumping rope, riding a recumbent bike or any activity that raises your core temperature by two degrees and limbers you up.

Robin Boyd, group fitness coordinator at the Opelika SportsPlex, demonstrates the 15 minute workout exercises.

Lisa Gallagher, director of the Fitness Center at the Opelika Sportsplex is a wellness coach, personal trainer and group fitness instructor. You can contact her at lisa@lee-magazine.com 14 LEE MAGAZINE

Squat with Alternating Overhead Press 1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your chest with elbows bent and palms facing inward. Stand with feet slightly wider than your hip bones and toes very slightly turned out.

2. Begin with the hip joint and hinge back until thighs are parallel to the ground. Chest is lifted and your knees should not extend beyond the toes.. (A half squat is a modification.)

3. Press through the mid foot/heel back to the start position pressing the right dumbbell up over your shoulder, palm forward.

4. Pull your right arm back to the starting position as you lower into another squat.

5. Stand again, this time pressing the left dumbbell overhead.

That’s one rep.

Push Up 1. Arms are straight and slightly wider than your shoulders and feet are in line with your hip bones. (A wider foot position or balancing weight on front of knees are modifications.)

2. Lower your body, keeping your abdominal muscles tight and your back in a neutral position (like you were standing), until upper arms are parallel with the ground. Chest should be an inch or more from the ground.

3. Push back up to starting position. No “mountains or valleys.”

Keep that back in neutral.

B R A W N muscles. If you can do eight, keep the knees bent. If you can do 15, it’s time to straighten your legs and make the exercise more challenging.

Triangle Lateral Raise 1. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, arm straight down and palm facing inward. Lunge forward with your left leg, turning your right foot out. Rest your left forearm on your left thigh.

2. Squeeze shoulder blades together and raise right arm straight out to the side to shoulder height.

3. Lower slowly to start position and repeat.

4. When reps are finished lunge forward with right leg and lift dumbbell in left hand to work the other side.

Superman 1. Lie face down with arms out to the side at shoulder height.

Pull belly button up and shoulder blades together lifting arms, torso and legs off of the floor.

2. Holding that position sweep arms out and in front of you then back to shoulder height.

3. Lower to the floor for one rep.

Lateral Step Ups with Biceps Curl 1. Hold your dumbbells by your side and stand to the right of a 12–18-inch sturdy surface with your left foot up on the bench, step or wall. Perform a biceps curl with dumbbells coming up to within a fist’s distance of your upper arm as you press up into a standing position. You can rest your right foot briefly at the top for balance as needed.

2. Come softly back down to start position.

3. Reverse and repeat with right foot on surface.

Forearm Plank 1. Place elbows directly under the shoulders and body in a straight line, then come up onto your toes, bracing your abdominals. To brace, imagine you are zipping up a pair of pants.

No “mountains or valleys.” Back stays in neutral.

2. Hold for 30 seconds, breathing naturally. Modifications are five 10-second holds, progressing to three 15-second holds, then two 20-second holds and then the full 30 seconds. Too easy? Hold for 60 seconds.

Triceps Dips 1. Sit on the sturdy surface you just used. Hands are next to your hips, shoulders stay down and knees are bent. Straighten your arms lifting your hips up. Keeping your hips close to the edge of the surface lower your hips down until your upper arms are just less than parallel with the ground.

2. Straighten your arms, but don’t sit. Keep tension on the

This workout requires some hand weights, a towel or mat, and a surface to step up on or sit on. Front steps or a garden wall work well. Meg finds motivation in having some items like a Swiss ball, weighted hula hoop, stretch band with handles and a bar that is attached to some stretch bands. All the above are very inexpensive and can be purchased at TJ Max, Walmart, Target and other local stores. The equipment comes with exercise suggestions, and there are many more online. I’m sure there is a fitness professional nearby who would be happy to help as well.

The Swiss ball and hula hoop probably won’t be lugged onto any planes, but all of the other gear is very portable and light weight.

Meg will be traveling light in more ways than one. -lm

Not being defined by a number on a scale, or a size of clothing or whether or not you had the “discipline” not to eat certain foods today. Not having an eating disorder means having room for a life full of healthy, fun and satisfying relationships with yourself, other people and food.

Early treatment is key to winning the battle and achieving life-long recovery. If you or a loved-one could be living with an eating disorder, reach out for professional help.

Be an Everyday Angel of East Alabama.

FEBRUARY:

Eating Disorders Awareness Month

By Amber Douglas, PsyD

What are eating disorders?

Eating disorders are both medical and psychological conditions, requiring attention from a physician and a psychologist experienced working with eating disorders. They aren’t “fads,” or things a person can just “get over.” Eating disorders wreak havoc upon families, as well as those afflicted. Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, over-exercising and diabulimia are just a few terms that characterize a group of thoughts and behaviors around body image and food.

There are physical and psychological reasons for which someone can develop an eating disorder, and individuals prone to anxiety/worry, perfectionism, mood swings and fear of abandonment are particularly at risk.

What’s it like to have an eating disorder?

It’s like having another person or something else take control over your mind and body, making you do things 16 LEE MAGAZINE

to yourself that are counter-intuitive to health, and then glorifying you for it. It’s the lying leviathan that has its tentacles around every aspect of your life and that will do whatever it takes to stay there. It is the false prophet that promises you selfconfidence, acceptance and happiness, but delivers shame, depression, anger and isolation. The disorder makes you feel equally powerful and powerless, all at the same time. No matter how bad of a “friend” it is, you take comfort in that it “will always be there for you” when others let you down. It’s a habit, a comfort, an escape, a reward and a punishment. It’s like living in a nightmare.

What’s it like to not have an eating disorder?

Freedom. Being able to think about a million other things besides body image, food, calories, exercise. Not labeling or fearing food, or avoiding social events because you will be expected to eat.

Come support our cause in spreading awareness and information about eating disorders. Be an Everyday Angel of East Alabama by participating, supporting or attending our fashion show. Participants of all shapes, sizes, ages, races, etc., will walk down a runway in an outfit of their choosing and tell the crowd what makes them feel beautiful. For more info, click on these links:

Signs of eating disorders: • Sudden changes in weight • Preoccupation with food/dieting/exercise/ calorie counting/label reading/weighing oneself • Isolating/not eating with friends and family/ claiming to “already have eaten” Large quantities of food disappearing or being hoarded • Evidence of purging/going to the bathroom after meals/broken blood vessels in or around the eyes • Declining energy and health, depression and anger • Changes in school/work functioning And/or “just not acting like the (name) I know.”

Amber Douglas, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist Clinical Director for East Alabama Center for Change's new Eating Disorder Treatment Program. Please visit her website at www.eaccauburn.com

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Don't Let Pain Stop You! Dr. Eric Robinson is a fellowship-trained, interventional pain medicine physician serving patients throughout East Alabama. If you suffer from chronic pain, ask your physician if Dr. Robinson can help you get the care that you need.

What attracted you to the specialty of Pain Medicine?

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine are two very different and demanding Dr. Eric Robinson specialties. After eight years of practicing both, I began to enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out how to diagnose and treat patients with chronic pain more than practicing anesthesia.

How did you make the decision to go back to fellowship after so many years of practice?

I began to realize from various sources that a fellowship in pain medicine was necessary in order to treat patients appropriately, especially those with difficult or more complex pain conditions.

I had been doing epidurals and other basic pain procedures for years, but I wanted to be able to help those patients that I couldn’t help before. After talking with other physicians with similar interests at national meetings, I made the decision and applied to fellowship. I completed my pain fellowship from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2008.

If my doctor feels an epidural or spinal injection is right for me, do I have a choice where to have my procedure done?

Yes, of course. You are the patient, and your options should be made fully clear to you.Your primary concerns when being referred for any procedure should be: • Level of expertise of the physician who is to perform the procedure • The physician’s current training and board certification • Safety standards that will be followed • Financial advantages that may be available to you based on place of service What are the advantages of having my procedure done at Auburn Pain Specialists?

The greatest advantage is that you will see the same doctor for all your visits. You can be assured that you will be treated with respect, that you will be listened to, and that I will do my best to diagnose, and or confirm, your condition. Once the source of your pain is determined I will work with you to develop the best treatment plan for your particular pain condition.

Along with continuity of care, at Auburn Pain Specialists, all procedures are done conveniently in our office procedure suite using fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance. You can be assured that your procedure will be done safely. At Auburn Pain Specialists we follow recommended sterile procedure guidelines. Although the risk of infection is never zero, we do all that we can to minimize the risk.

Privacy and convenience are important advantages for our patients with active lifestyles. At our office you won’t have the hassle of long check in times or long waits in rooms full of other

patients. You will already be familiar with us, just as we will be familiar with you and your medical history so care is delivered efficiently.

Out-of-pocket cost savings are a big advantage for office-based procedures. 'Place of service' is an important determinant of how much the insurance company pays, and therefore, how much your portion of any co-pay or deductible will be paid. For procedures done in the outpatient hospital setting, most patients have an outpatient facility co-pay which can range from $150 to $300 for most Blue Cross/Blue Shield patients.

In the office setting, however, you may have an office co-pay, which is substantially lower, usually around $25 - $50. Many insurance plans, including Medicare, have a 20% co-insurance.

For example, in the outpatient hospital setting the charges billed to Medicare are much higher making the portion you pay much higher. However, in an office setting, the amount charged to insurance is a much lower amount, making your 20% payment responsibility usually much lower.

Not every procedure can or should be done in an officebased setting. Sometimes patients would rather have certain procedures done in a facility. That’s okay, as long as it’s your decision. Because it should be your choice, make sure you know in advance what your out-of-pocket co-pay or co-insurance is prior to scheduling your appointment. Most places will tell you.

If they can’t, call your insurance plan and ask them.

Do you require a referral from my doctor before I can be seen at Auburn Pain Specialists?

Although a formal referral from your doctor is preferred, if you are seeking help on your own, we will help you make arrangements for treatment. Ideally, we prefer to work closely with your referring physician and your primary doctor to ensure that you are receiving the best possible, integrated care. At Auburn Pain Specialists we focus on all aspects of treatment for both acute, chronic, and cancer pain integrating best practice with the most advanced treatments available. We invite you to look over our website www.auburnpainspecialists.com and hope it helps you become more familiar with us and how we may be able to help you find relief, get back to living life, and enjoy more of your activities.

AUBURN PAIN SPECIALISTS 890 North Dean Rd, Suite 100 Auburn, Alabama 36830 334.501.2005 www.auburnpainspecialists.com

Love Potion No.1

Pot de Creme

If Chocolate is an Aphrodisiac, We are Here to Help!

C

hocolate and love go together like, well, chocolate and anything. But is it an aphrodisiac?

According to WebMD, the ancient Aztecs not only considered it an aphrodisiac, research has shown that chocolate contains a central nervous system stimulant (phenyl ethylamine or PEA) that can truly help arouse emotions.

Apparently we’d have to eat a lot of chocolate for PEA to truly affect our emotions, but regardless, it’s texture and taste are sexy enough to work a little magic on our brains.

So go ahead, indulge in a little chocolate this Valentine’s Day – here are some recipes to make that easy or check out some of the other romance-enhancing foods at www.webmd.com/sex/ features/aphrodisiacs-fact-or-fiction.

Chocolate Pecan Tart What can be better than using pecans as a crust? It's easy to make but no one will ever guess.

2 cups pecans 1/4 cup golden brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup whipping cream 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 18 LEE MAGAZINE

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Blend first three ingredients in food processor. Add butter and blend until combined. Press mixture onto bottom and sides of spring form pan. Bake 20 minutes. Bring whipping cream to a simmer. Add chocolate and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour onto cooked crust. Cover and refrigerate. Can be prepared 2 days in advance.

Chocolate Pots de Creme This may take a little work but it's worth every minute. It is so rich and decadent, a small serving will satisfy your chocolate craving. This may end up your favorite dessert...ever.

1 cup heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate 5 large egg yolks 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in middle position.

Place 6 ramekins in a medium roasting pan; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk and chocolate over medium heat. Bring almost to a simmer; remove from

heat. Set aside, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together egg yolks and sugar.

While whisking add a little of the milk mixture to temper.

Add the rest, then whisk in vanilla and salt. Pour 1/2 cup of mixture into each ramekin. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in a water bath (using boiling water). Bake until custards are set, 35 to 40 minutes.

When done, remove ramekins to a wire rack to cool, about 30 minutes. When completely cooled, place in refrigerator to chill completely, preferably overnight.

Tasty Truffle Treats These are a mouthful of yummy. They are easy and can be made the night before, making Valentine's Day preparations easier.

Barcelona Style Hot Chocolate

¼ cup heavy whipping cream 1-½ teaspoons butter ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

If you ever make it to Barcelona (you should go!) treat yourself to the hot chocolate served there. If you have been there, you know why. Their hot chocolate is amazing.

2 milk chocolate candy bars, chopped 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 1/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, pistachios or toasted coconut

5 tablespoons high quality pure unsweetened cocoa powder 4 tablespoons sugar ½ tablespoon corn starch 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional) 1 cup water

In a small saucepan, heat cream and butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles form around the edge of pan, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add extract, candy bars and semisweet chocolate; stir until smooth. Press plastic wrap onto surface of mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle. Shape into 12 balls; roll in nuts. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Store in the refrigerator. Makes one dozen.

Combine both cocoa powders, sugar and corn starch in a small bowl. Pour COLD water into a small sauce pan, add vanilla extract (if using) cocoa mixture and start cooking at medium low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until it thickens and serve immediately in two small mugs

Fabulous Fondue

Nutella Puffs

Fondue is an easy, luscious and romantic dessert. If you don't have a fondue pot, place the chocolate in a microwave-save dish and reheat as needed.

Just a few ingredients to make magic that will wow everyone. You can't stop with just one.

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk) 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt chocolate chips and butter with sweetened condensed milk and water. Cook and stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

Serve warm as a fruit and cookie/cracker dipping sauce or drizzle over ice cream or cake. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Chocolate delivery ideas: Slices of banana, pound cake cubes, orange sections, pineapple chunks, strawberries, apple wedges, grapes, peaches, pear slices, angel food cake cubes, kiwi slices

I box Pepperidge Farm puff pastry 1 jar Nutella 1 egg Flour Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Thaw pastry as directed. Once pliable, sprinkle flour on your workspace and roll a sheet into a 16 inch square. Cut sheet into sixteen small squares. Place a spoonful of Nutella one side of each square. water. Moisten the edges of each square, fold it in half and press with fork to seal edges. Beat egg with a little water and brush pastry with the egg wash. Prick each with a fork.

Bake for fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired. - lm Katie Lamar Jackson, Beth Snipes and Stephanie Snipes contributed to this story LEE MAGAZINE

19

Nutritious and Delicious

Healthful Recipes to Start the New Year Editor’s Note: East Alabama Medical Center dieticians and nutritional educators Maegan Calamas and Allison Drake know how to make good tastes healthy. They shared some of their favorite recipes with us to start 2015 off on the right plate.

“I

love the start of a new year,” said Maegan Calamas, a registered dietician at East Alabama Medical Center. “It is a time of reflection over the past year and a time to dream of all the hopes in the year to come. As a clinical dietitian at East Alabama Medical, I have the privilege of working with several people who have health-related goals and dreams. I am able to educate and empower people to make those goals a reality. It can all start with a few small changes: recipe make-overs.”

“I grew up on a meatloaf recipe similar to the one I share today,” she said. “I substituted ground turkey for ground beef, but another option would be to use a leaner ground beef (97percent lean/3 percent fat). This is an easy way to cut back on fat and calories.

Purely on a whim I substituted celery for onions one time, and I enjoyed it more. I hope you are able to take this recipe and make it your own.”

Allison Drake, a registered dietician who works at EAMC’s Diabetes Nutrition Center, has found a way to make a favorite southern dish healthy as well. “‘Southern Style’ vegetables are some of our favorite side items to any meal,” said Allison. “Unfortunately, a lot of our traditional southern cuisine is high in fat and calories. But roasted okra is a great alternative to our favorite fried okra. Okra is rich in fiber, vitamins A, C and K, and low in calories, fat and carbohydrates.

Roasted okra gives us that great crunch that we love in fried okra, but without all the fat or calories.”

And for a sweet dessert or snack, Maegan also shared one of her favorite cookie recipes because, as she said, “I absolutely love cookies. I baked cookies as wedding favors for my wedding, and spent the week of baking and bagging and labeling hundreds of cookies. I enjoyed every minute of it. This is a very simple recipe, and I love it because it is so versatile and can be tailored for different food allergies. I have tried it with both creamy and crunchy peanut butter and also with crunchy almond butter and enjoyed the results of both!

“This cookie make-over is a slightly healthier alternative,” added Meagan, “because it calls for less sugar than most cookie recipes, and uses nut butter instead of butter to have less saturated fat.

Also, it is a sweet, simple treat for anyone with gluten intolerances.”

TURKEY MEATLOAF 1 egg, beaten ¹/3 cup tomato ketchup 1 cup soft bread crumbs ¾ cup finely chopped celery (original recipe called for ½ cup finely chopped onion, but I really enjoyed the celery) 20 LEE MAGAZINE

1 teaspoon salt ¼ - ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 pound of ground turkey

GLAZE (optional) 1-2 tablespoons light brown sugar ¼ cup of ketchup

Preheat the oven at 350F. In a bowl combine beaten egg, ketchup, bread crumbs, celery, salt, pepper and ground turkey.

Mix thoroughly until well combined. (I prefer using my hands for this step.) Form the meat into a loaf, about 8-inches long and place in a shallow baking pan or a greased loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Spread the combined brown sugar and ketchup over the top of the meatloaf and bake another 15 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 6.

ROASTED OKRA 16-ounce bag frozen cut okra or fresh okra 2-4 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400F. Place okra on baking pan and mix with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes, or until crispy. Turn half way during cooking time. Enjoy!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 1 cup of creamy peanut butter (may also use crunchy) 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, baking soda and vanilla extract in a mixer and mix until combined. Add semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix until combined. Drop cookies in desired size balls on lined baking dish and bake 8-12 minutes (I prefer my cookies on the chewier side, but may cook longer for crunchier cookies). Makes 18-36 cookies, depending on desired size.

Enjoy warm and with milk. -lm Maegan Calamas is a registered dietitian who has worked for two and a half years at East Alabama Medical Center an inpatient clinical dietitian. She graduated from Auburn University and lives in Auburn with her husband, Nick. Allison Drake is a registered dietitian at EAMC’s Diabetes and Nutrition Center where she works as a diabetes educator. She, too, is an Auburn University graduate and lives in Auburn with her husband, Joseph, and son, Wynton.

Vicki's Branching Sponge Artist: Mary Stevens, Waverly, Alabama

Thinking of You Artist: Allison Church Bird, Auburn, Alabama

Quilts of Comfort Healing Quilts Initiative Provides Comfort, Connection for Cancer Sufferers

By Katie Lamar Jackson

A

few years ago when Auburn University Department of Human Development and Family Studies Professor Francesca Adler-Baeder heard through a close friend about a project at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that was using art to bring comfort and healing to cancer patients and their families, she said to herself “I want this here.”

That friend, Lisa Ellis, was head of a fiber arts group that had established Healing Quilts in Medicine, a project that originally brought together a gorgeous collection of hand-made art quilts created by members of Lisa’s group to hang in a permanent exhibit at Walter Reed’s Oncology Infusion Center and Ward where the quilts could be a source of strength and education for patients and their families.

The fact is, art does heal. Studies have shown that artwork in a hospital setting, particularly images of plants and flowers, lends not only warmth and interest to otherwise often austere settings, it can actually help reduce anxiety in patients, leading to better outcomes and quicker recovery times.

The Healing Quilts project took that a step further, though, because these women artists used used as their inspiration the very plants, flowers and other natural organisms that are the foundation of many chemotherapy drugs. By doing so, the artists were not only able to create lovely, soothing images of nature, they were also able to educate people about the natural sources of these powerful, sometimes frightening drugs.

Francesca had personal experience with cancer and understood firsthand how isolating the experience of cancer can be – and how much time is spent in waiting rooms for the many appointments 22 LEE MAGAZINE

for tests, conversations with the doctor and treatments. So she proposed the idea of creating a local Healing Quilts project to Donna Sollie, director of Auburn University’s Women’s Resource Center and assistant provost for Women’s Initiatives at Auburn.

Donna saw it as a perfect fit for Auburn’s land-grant mission and for WRC’s mission, which strives to enhance the lives of women, provide information about important issues affecting women’s lives and promote the involvement of women (and men) in their communities and around the world. The fact that such a project allowed WRC to highlight the traditional women’s art form of quilting made the project an even more appropriate fit for WRC. Thus, the Healing Quilts Initiative was born.

Soon, both local and out-of-state fabric artists were making quilts for the initiative. Some of these quilters focused their pieces on the plants and animals from which cancer treatment drugs are made. Others focused on words of comfort and strength for their quilt themes. All of the quilters created stunning works of art.

Those quilts were displayed in the fall of 2012 at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, and, in 2013, 15 of them were – thanks to a generous donation from the family of Auburn University Professor Dr. William E. Hardy Jr., who had passed away in 2012 from multiple myeloma – framed and hung in EAMC’s Cancer Center, on the hospital’s sixth floor waiting area and at Bethany House. There, they are working their own brand of healing magic.

“The quilts have added a new dimension to our facility,” said Chelsea Kroll, an oncology social worker at EAMC who noted that the quilts are not only physically and aesthetically appealing,

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Breathe, Pray, Love Artist: Sandi Goldman, Annandale, Virginia they are also truly comforting and calming. “They brighten people’s days and many patients have commented that the quilts bring back warm memories of a time when they or a family member used to quilt.”

“They are educational as well as heartwarming,” Chelsea added, noting that plaques mounted alongside the quilts provide information about the plants, animals and other natural organisms depicted in each quilt.

Currently, EAMC’s collection is one of only five Healing Quilt displays in the nation, but Donna hopes there are many more displays to come. In fact, the Healing Quilts Initiative is working to expand the effort to other hospitals and medical facilities across the state.

“We are looking for local quilters who are willing to donate their talents towards building and expanding the gallery to other hospitals and medical facilities in the state,” said Donna.

“We also welcome supporters to help us raise money for this effort, plan events and get the word out about the initiative.”

To learn more about or become involved in the Healing Quilts Initiative, contact Donna at sollidl@auburn.edu or visit www.auburn.edu/wrc. All five current U.S. Healing Quilt collections, including those hanging in EAMC facilities, and the stories behind each quilt can also be seen at www. healingquiltsinmedicine.org. -lm

Several area artists, including two members of the local Cotton Bowl Quilt Guild (www.cottonbollquilters.com), generously created quilts that are part of EAMC’s Healing Quilts in Medicine installations. The artists include Sheri Schumacher, who is featured on our cover, and Allison Church Bird, Carolyn Courson, Linda Harshbarger, Sandy Johnson, Sylvia Stephens and Mary Stevens.

Katie Lamar Jackson is a freelance writer based in Opelika, Ala., who has been covering everything from agriculture to the arts for more than 30 years.

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Sheri Schumaker

A Maker’s Mark Sheri Schumacher Finds Beauty in the Familiar

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alk into Sheri Schumacher’s lovely sunlit studio and you’ll notice immediately that the space was crafted by someone who knows how to create a beautiful room and move the eye to appreciate design. But it is so much more. It is a place where Schumacher creates not just art, but also community.

Schumacher has many roles in life — educator, artist, designer and cultural scholar among them — but she describes

herself simply as a “maker.” A “maker” is a person who makes or produces anything, from a piece of art to a product to a technology. The term refers to creative souls who, like Schumacher, apply their creativity not just to their art, regardless of the medium in which they work, but in other ways that benefit society.

Schumacher’s “making,” both in her art and in her actions, is informed by her childhood in Europe (her father was

in the military); her architecture and visual arts training (her undergraduate degree is in interior design from Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction; her MFA is from Cranbook Academy of Art); and through working in community with such other artisans as the Gee’s Bend quilters. The way she approaches what she makes is the thread that ties it all together.

“I’ve been teaching for 28 years, and I’ve always been a maker,” Schumacher

Story by Stephanie Bond Photos by Beth Snipes 24 LEE MAGAZINE

"I’ve always been a maker, I teach that design is for everyone. It’s the way I approach making furniture or quilts, using reclaimed materials and working economically and drawing inspiration from different cultures and places on the margins. I find beauty in familiar.” - Sheri Schumacher

said. “I teach that design is for everyone.

It’s the way I approach making furniture or quilts, using reclaimed materials and working economically and drawing inspiration from different cultures and places on the margins. I find beauty in familiar.”

T

hough art and design have always been integral to her life and career, Schumacher’s “making” consciousness was forever altered after attending the August 2012 Alabama Design Summit in Birmingham convened by Alabama Innovation Engine, a design-based community and economic development initiative jointly funded by Auburn and the University of Alabama. The first design summit brought architects and graphic, interior and industrial designers like Schumacher, who chairs the interior architecture program at Auburn. Summit participants came from across the state and country to address local issues, applying design theory to large-scale problems, and to create opportunities to build on a community’s assets to help communities grow and become sustainable.

“It was a life-changing experience,” Schumacher said of the Summit. “After the Summit, I changed my fall studio class to address the issues that were raised there.” To do this, she tapped into the creative forces of the Gee’s Bend quilters in Wilcox County, Ala. “I was aware of

and inspired by the Gee’s Bend quilters.

I thought my students would have a great opportunity to create community regeneration with design in working with Gee’s Bend.” The students’ design solution focused on increasing educational and community-based tourism with a Gee’s Bend Learning Center.

F

ollowing this collaboration, Schumacher received funding for a workshop with the Gee’s Bend quilters in which participants stayed with quilters and were fed by the community. That led to yet another workshop in which brochures and a website were created that specifically highlighted the Gee’s Bend quilters and craft workshops throughout the state. The website was designed by Robert Finkel, assistant professor of graphic design in Auburn’s School of

Industrial + Graphic Design (http:// robertfinkel.com/projects/alabamaworkshops-gees-bend/).

From these projects, Schumacher’s Alabama Workshop[s] (http:// alabamaworkshops.com) idea was born. This project, which Schumacher launched at the Southern Makers event

in Montgomery in May of 2014, focuses on using craft production to create sustainable local economies by providing a network of workshops that promote Alabama artisans of pottery, mixed media, fibers, basketry, textiles, metal arts sculpture, quilting and found objects.

Most of all, it promotes working within the community to address societal needs and local economies. She also assisted in one of a series of workshops in 2014 — “Common Threads: Empowering LEE MAGAZINE

25

Sheri uses fine needle work on her newest piece.

Communities through Education in the Arts” — which was directed by Sylvia Stephens, daughter of the late and celebrated Lee County quilter Mozell Benson, that focused on Alabama’s quilting traditions.

S

chumacher is passionate about the authenticity and dignity of these workshops and the spirit of exchange and cooperation that comes out of them. She cites Richard Sennett’s work as a source of inspiration. Sennett is a sociologist whose work on the interaction of the humanities and communities focuses on how people can become interpreters of their own experience, in spite of obstacles society may put in their way.

“He writes of the value of observation in a workshop setting and the sense of accomplishment that the workshop 26 LEE MAGAZINE

produces,” said Schumacher. “For example, working with material and its resistance teaches people how to cooperate in society. I thought linking this remarkable group of Alabama artisans who physically make things in their workshops could further this sense of cooperation and greatly benefit the state.”

Schumacher also began her own investigations in cloth at the first Gee’s Bend workshop, where she learned about quilting from these self-taught masters of the craft. They sound like the jazz musicians of the quilting world as Schumacher describes how the Gee’s Bend quilters work: “Each quilter has an individual approach to fabric: the way she pieces and what she pieces. Their work is improvisational and intuitive, and they instinctively know what each quilt needs.

Their sensibility to color is perfect; they emphasize dark/light contrast and are very aware of depth of field.”

Schumacher’s visual arts training made her an apt student. She not only learned from them how to piece fabric together in beautiful and unique ways, she also learned the art of working economically and with a closed palette — reclaiming and repurposing materials — something that the Gee’s Bend quilters have, out of necessity, done by using old pieces of fabric to create their works of art.

n her own art, Schumacher pieces vintage tablecloths and brightly patterned Scandinavian fabrics inspired by her childhood memories of her mother’s Marimekko clothing. These recycled and repurposed materials are not only beautiful, their stories are embedded

I

into every piece. Like the Gee’s Bend quilters, Schumacher begins in the center and works outward. She also takes inspiration from such other traditions as the designs of Alabama’s premier clothing designer Natalie Chanin and the paintings of abstract expressionist Richard Diebenkorn, making the edges part of her pieces’ compositions.

ince Schumacher began on this path of creativity and connection, she has fashioned exquisite fabric collages in a series of pillow covers that are now being sold at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts store and in other mixed media work. Her exquisite fabric collages harken back to photo collages she used to make of her world travels. As Schumacher explained, “I would put 20 photos together, composed like quilts.

I always gravitated to the textile uses in relationship to architecture in my travels.

I was doing the same thing I’m doing now with fabric, only then in a different media. Sewing fabric and being part of the workshop community has been a lifechanging progression.”

As part of that progression, Schumacher has also begun quilting. Her first quilt was created while her father was undergoing cancer treatment. That quilt is part of the permanent Healing Quilts collection at East Alabama Medical Center (http://behance.net/ sherischumacher), a project she continues to support as it expands throughout the state (see story on page ?).

More recently, Schumacher has combined quilting and piecing in a collage series that explores topography

S

Fabric, needles and thread make up Sheri's palette.

and design by using bold and refined variations of color, texture and pattern.

One piece from that series — “Cultivated Ground,” a hand-quilted fabric collage that combines modern, vintage and reclaimed fabrics and thread — recently won first place in the mixed media category of the 48th Annual Montgomery Art Guild’s Regions Bank Exhibit.

B

y using all of her many talents and interests, Schumacher not only follows her muse, she strives to transcend disciplinary boundaries and create designs

that address the needs of society, support environmental responsibility and improve the quality of people’s lives. In other words, this “maker” creates not only art, but also community.

Stephanie Bond lives in Auburn and is writer, editor and former business owner. In addition to writing amazing essays, Stephanie currently works on writing projects for the College of Architecture, Design and Construction at Auburn University, where she has the opportunity to write about amazing and talented faculty members such as Schumacher.

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More to Know...

A Winner!

“Cultivated Ground,” a quilted collage by Sheri Schumacher, Interior Architecture program chair in Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, took first place in the mixed media category in the 48th Annual Montgomery Art Guild Regions Bank Exhibition this past fall. From more than 260 pieces submitted, 67 were chosen for exhibition with six first place winners for each category that included opaque painting, transparent painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper and mixed media. “Cultivated Ground” is a 30 x 30-inch handcrafted work that combines modern, vintage and reclaimed fabrics and thread to explore bold and refined variation of color, texture and pattern. Schumacher has studied quilting with the Gee’s Bend quilters and takes her inspiration from ground conditions, topography and graphic design. For more, go to: www.behance.net/ sherischumacher.

Cultivated Ground by Sheri Schumaker

Alabama Workshop[s] In May 2014, Sheri Schumacher launched the Alabama Workshop[s] initiative, which promotes the southeastern creative economy, with an information booth at the 2014 Southern Makers event in Montgomery.

She distributed maps with workshop locations and contact information as well as brochures about Gee’s Bend quilting workshops. Robert Finkel designed the graphic material including the logo, survey, maps and brochure. The tremendous positive response from people interested in conducting and participating in workshops has led to a website (http:// alabamaworkshops.com), design of a workshop toolkit and the curating of a traveling exhibition of artisan works with workshop offerings at museum and gallery exhibition sites.

Innovative Design

The studio of famed quilter, the late Mozell Benson

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The architecture program in Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction is consistently ranked among the top in the United States thanks to innovative and engaged faculty members such as Schumacher. In addition to serving as program chair of the interior architecture program at Auburn, she also directs the Third Year Americas Studio in which students study design and culture in context in North and South America. In 2007, she and fellow architecture professor Magdalena Garmaz directed an undergraduate studio that designed and built a quilting studio for the late Mozell Benson, Lee County’s own master quilter, by piecing it together like the layers of a quilt with found materials.

Ronda Rich

Words, Wine and Winning

3rd Annual Reading Between the Wines Words, wine and winning stories of uplift and success will be on the menu Feb. 26 when the Lee County Literacy Coalition hosts its third annual Reading Between the Wines event beginning at 6 p.m. at the Event Center Downtown in Opelika.

The event, proceeds from which will benefit LCLC programs, features an evening of wine tasting sponsored by International Wine and Craft Beer, music, dinner and a talk by best-selling author Ronda Rich.

Rich first exploded on the national stage over a decade ago with the wildly successful What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should), a book now in its 33rd printing. The popularity of that book launched her as a storyteller who rivets audiences with tales of the South as seen through the eyes of its people.

Her latest book, There’s a Better Day A-Comin’, is a personal accounting of dozens of people who triumphed over tribulation and setbacks to push through adversity and find a better day. Uplifting and encouraging, each provocative story has a prevailing theme: No matter how hard times get, a better day

always comes again.

A former award-winning sports writer, Rich returned to her newspaper roots in 2003 with a self-syndicated column that appears in more than 50 newspapers. Alternating between humorous, sentimental and wise, she delivers a punch of southern life weekly to over a million readers.

In addition to Rich’s appearance, this year’s Reading Between the Wines event will also celebrate LCLC’s 25 years of service to the Lee County area. LCLC is a volunteer, nonprofit, United Way agency dedicated to providing free tutoring to Lee County residents, offering help with reading, writing, math and GED preparation.

Admission to the event is $50 per person and tickets are on sale at Behind the Glass or Spicer’s Music in Auburn or at the Event Center Downtown in Opelika. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, go to www.leecountyliteracy.org or visit the Reading Between the Wines Facebook page.

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calendar

Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 Glenn Ave., Auburn. Information: 8877011; www.auburnchamber.com.

Auburn Public Library, 749 East Thach Ave., Auburn. Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6 p.m. Information: 5013190; www.auburnalabama.org/Library/.

Check the website for holiday hours.

Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center Gallery, 222 East Drake Ave., Auburn. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.9 p.m. Information: 501-2963; www. auburnalabama.org/arts/.

Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, 901 South College Street, Auburn.

Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm.auburn.edu. Check the website for holiday hours.

Lewis Cooper Junior Memorial Library, 200 South Sixth St., Opelika. Hours: Monday-Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Information: 705-5380; www. cooperlibrary.com. Check the website for holiday hours.

Lee County Historical Society, 6500 Stage Road (Hwy. 14), Loachapoka.

Open second Saturdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Information: 887-3007; www. leecountyhistoricalsociety.org.

Kreher Preserve & Nature Center, 3100 Hwy. 147 N., Auburn. Open daily from sunup to sundown. Information: 5024553; preserve@auburn.edu; www.auburn.edu/preserve.

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Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau, 714 East Glenn Ave., Auburn. Information: info@aotourism.com; 887-8747; www. aotourism.com.

Opelika Chamber of Commerce, 601 Avenue A, Opelika. Information: 7454861; www.opelika.com.

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January/February Y

ONGOING EVENTS A Little Art Talk. Take your lunch break at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art each Wednesday and hear a short (15-minute) talk focused on a single piece of art in the JCSM collection. You’ll still have ample time to drop by the café for lunch. Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm. auburn.edu.

A Little Lunch Music. Enjoy lunch in our café while listening to a casual performance, noon- 1 p.m., presented by the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and musician Patrick McCurry.

Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm.auburn.edu.

Baby Time. Bring your newborn-24month-olds to the Auburn Public Library each Tuesday for Baby Time, held weekly at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m., to enjoy 20 minutes of stories, songs, bounces and tickles. Information: 501-3190.

Brown Bag Lunch and Learn. Join the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) on Mondays, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., for Lunch and Learn sessions held at the Clarion Inn & Suites in Auburn. Information: 844-3105; www.olliatauburn.org.

Classic Book Discussion. Join writers and readers the second Thursday of each month at The Gnu’s Room in Opelika for a classic book discussion.

Admission: free. Information: 705-0484; thegnusroom@gmail.com.

Family Story Time. Bring the whole family to Auburn Public Library for our monthly Sunday Family Story Time programs featuring stories, songs, games

and family fun at Family Story Times.

Information: 501-3190.

First Fridays. “Shop Late, Eat Local” in downtown Opelika the first Friday of each month. Specialty stores stay open until 8 p.m. or later, so come eat, shop and enjoy live music on the streets. Information: www.opelikamainstreet.org; 745-0466.

First Fridays with Satin Soul. Satin Soul, a smooth jazz and R&B band, plays on the first Friday of each month at The Event Center Downtown in Opelika.

Doors open at 8 p.m.; show starts at 9 p.m. Admission: $5. Information: 7055466; www.eventcenterdowntown.net.

Food for Thought - A 50+ Breakfast Speaker Series. Held on the second Tuesday of each month 8:30-10 a.m. at Auburn’s Harris Center, this event features a free breakfast and speakers on a variety of topics. Upcoming program: Feb. 10, Dulcimer Musicians; Admission: free. Information: advanced registration required; Harris Center.

Live Jazz at the Museum. Hear live jazz, tour exhibits and enjoy food from the café each Thursday, 6-8 p.m., at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm. auburn.edu.

Pajama Time. Put on your pajamas, grab a blanket and a favorite bedtime “lovey” and join the to Auburn Public Library staff on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for cozy stories, music and family fun. Information: 501-3190.

Preschool Time. Bring your preschoolers

(ages 3-5) to the Auburn Public Library on Thursdays, held weekly at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., for stories, songs, movement rhymes and a fun craft during Preschool Time. Information: 501-3190.

Read and Reflect Book Club for Seniors. Join Auburn Public Library Director Chris Warren beginning at 10 a.m. at Auburn’s Harris Center on the last Tuesday of each month as he leads a discussion on a selected book. Light refreshments will be provided. Each month’s book selection can be checked out at the library. Upcoming dates and book selections include: Jan. 27, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro; Feb. 24, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline; and March 31, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Information: 501-3190.

Second Saturdays. Visit the Lee County Historical Museum on the second Saturday of each month 9 a.m.3 p.m. for a day of historical fun and education featuring metal and fiber/ textile arts demonstrations, open-hearth cooking, food, old time music and more. Information: 887-3007; www. leecountyhistoricalsociety.org.

Toddler Time. The Auburn Public Library hosts this event each Wednesday at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. for toddlers ages 18-36 months and their favorite adults to enjoy stories, songs, movement rhymes and a fun craft. Information: 501-3190.

Wine Down Wednesday. Held every Wednesday at 5 p.m., this event offers half-price house wines, full bar and free snacks. Information: 705-5466; www. eventcenterdowntown.net.

Young at Heart Bingo and Lunch.

Seniors can enjoy bingo and lunch, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at Auburn’s Hubert and Grace Harris Senior Center on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Admission: $3 or bring a cover dish. Information: 501-2930; www. auburnabalabam.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS JAN. 19-25: Scale Back Alabama (and Auburn/Opelika too!) Weighin. Those 18 years of age and older can participate in weight-loss teams of two, and each week they will receive health tips from a panel of experts. At the end of the contest, all individuals and teams who lose at least 10 pounds (one pound a week) will be placed in a drawing for cash prizes. In addition to the Scale Back Alabama statewide prizes, the Auburn/Opelika area offers additional events and prizes throughout the 10-week campaign to keep people motivated and active. Information: 5012930; www.auburnalabama.org/; www. aotourism.com/scalebackal/; www. scalebackalabama.com.

JAN. 23: Deadline for Master Gardener Classes. Applications will be accepted for the 2015 Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer Programs class until Jan. 23.

Cost for the 13-week program is $125 per person. Information: 749-3353.

JAN. 24: Backyard Bird Feeding 101.

Do you have questions about how to get started feeding the birds in your yard?

Would you like to expand your food and water offerings to your birds but you need ideas about what to add? Come to Wild Birds Unlimited at 2 p.m. to hear about the different feeders, foods and baths that can make your backyard a welcome habitat for beautiful songbirds.

Information: 826-9230; http://auburn. wbu.com/.

JAN. 24: Tom Woodward Art Exhibition and Sale. This event featuring the work of the late Opelika Artist Tom Woodward will be held 5-8 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center of East Alabama in Opelika. It features an opportunity to see and buy some of Woodward’s work, a cocktail buffet at 6 p.m. and a special tribute to Woodward. Proceeds benefit the Arts Association of east Alabama’s newly established Tom Woodward Scholarship in the Visual Arts.

Admission: free. Information: 749-8105; www.eastalabamaarts.org.

JAN. 30: Alabama Oyster Social.

Alabama-farmed oysters will be the stars of the show during a special night at Acre restaurant in Auburn. This event begins at 6 p.m. and features oysters and other locally sourced food and drink on a menu developed and prepared by some of the South’s most acclaimed young chefs.

Proceeds support oyster research underway through the Auburn University School of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures.

Admission: $55 per person. Information: www.alabamaoystersocial.com.

JAN. 30: Old School R&B Jam. This event featuring Calvin Richardson and other R&B musicians will be held at the Event Center Downtown in Opelika, 7-11 p.m. Admission: $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Information: 705-5466: www. eventcenterdowntown.net.

JAN. 31: 3rd Annual Polar Plunge.

At 9 a.m. at Auburn’s Samford Pool, this chilling and exhilarating event lets people dive in and raise money for a great cause, the Lee County Special Olympics. Individual and group costumes are encouraged! Information: www. auburnalabama.org/specialolympics.

JAN. 31: Bird Walk. Join local birding expert Barry Fleming at the Opelika Wood Duck Heritage Preserve at 8 a.m. for a monthly Bird Walk to see what birds are visiting Lee County this winter. Bring weather-appropriate attire, comfortable shoes and binoculars. Information: 8269230; http://auburn.wbu.com/.

JAN. 31-FEB. 1: Hudson Family Foundation Super Bowl Benefit Weekend. The Hudson Family Foundation is hosting this weekend of events, including performances by The Band Perry and Cole Swindell, designed to raise money to help support programs for children in need.

Information: 707-9007; info@hudsonfamilyfoundation.com.

JAN. 5-FEB. 6: January Invitational 2015. The Auburn Arts Association’s annual invitational exhibition featuring

Continued next page LEE MAGAZINE

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two and three-dimensional works based on a common theme of circles will be shown at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center Gallery in Auburn.

Information: 501-2963; www.auburnalabama.org/.

FEB. 5: The Nature of All Things, Drawings and Paintings by Victor Koulbak. This Gallery Talk by Alan Salz, director of Didier Aaron, Inc., in New York, will be held at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn 5-6:30 p.m. Admission: free. Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm.auburn.edu

FEB. 5-APRIL 9: AARP Tax Aide.

Offered on Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Auburn’s Hubert and Grace Harris Center, trained volunteers will assist senior citizens and low- to middleincome residents with simple to moderate individual Alabama and federal income tax returns. Tax-Aide gives special attention to those 60 and older, but the program is not limited to older clients or AARP members. Walk-ins welcome.

Admission: free. Information: 501-2930; www.auburnalabama.org/.

FEB. 7: 2nd Annual Empty Bowls. This event will be held 5-7 p.m. at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center in Auburn. Purchase tickets at the Dean Road Recreation Center or Denson Drive Recreation Center. Admission: minimum donation of $20 per person to the Food Bank of East Alabama entitles each ticket holder to their choice of a handmade bowl created by studio potters and a selection of soup, chili and bread donated by local restaurants. Information: 5012930; www.auburnalabama.org/.

FEB. 7: Béla Fleck and The Knights.

Classical, bluegrass, jazz and rock: Premier banjo player Béla Fleck can play them all. See him with The Knights, an indie orchestral collective based in New York City with a remarkable diversity of talents.

This Arts Association of East Alabama event will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the 32 LEE MAGAZINE

Opelika Center for the Performing Arts. Information: 749-8105; www. eastalabamaarts.org.

FEB. 7: Doug Stone and Kevin Flannagan Concert. This event features country music stars Doug Stone and Kevin Flannagan as well as Dallas Dorsey and Larcus Fuller to be begin at 6 p.m. at the Event Center Downtown in Opelika.

Admission: $20 in advance; $25 at door. Information: 705-5466; www. eventcenterdowntown.net.

FEB. 8: Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, Jr., the Cultural Ambassador for the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana, brings his 18-piece big band NOJO to light up a wintry evening with the spirit of Mardi Gras. This Arts Association of East Alabama event will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Opelika Center for the Performing Arts. Information: 749-8105; www.eastalabamaarts.org.

FEB. 9-MARCH 12: Southern Craftsmen. This event to be held at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center Gallery in Auburn features selected works in a variety of styles and mediums by Alabama and regional craftsmen. Information: 501-2963; www. auburnalabama.org/.

FEB. 10: Discovery Hike. Families with children ages 5 to 12 are invited to the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center in Auburn, 3:30-4:30 p.m., to learn all about clouds, snow and ice, then warm up by a campfire after looking for iceshrooms. Discovery Hikes are offered at the Preserve the second Tuesday of each month. Admission: free; donations accepted. Information: 502-4553; preserve@auburn.edu; www.auburn.edu/ preserve.

FEB. 12: Nature Walk. Join guides at the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center in Auburn, 8:30-9:30 a.m., for a program on clouds, snow and ice. Nature Walks are offered at the Preserve the second Thursday of each month. Admission: free; donations accepted. Information: 502-4553; preserve@auburn.edu; www. auburn.edu/preserve.

FEB. 12: Young at Heart Dance. This Valentine dance is open to area residents ages 50 and older and will be held 6-8:30 p.m. at the Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatics Center’s Adult Activity Center. Admission: $15 for singles; $25 for couples; preregistration required by Feb. 2. Information: 705-5560; www. opelikasportsplex.com.

FEB. 13: Sweetheart Dance. This event for 6th, 7th and 8th grade Opelika Sportsplex drop-in members will be held 7-9:30 p.m. and feature music by Ozz. Admission: $5 for singles; $8 for couples. Information: 705-5560; www. opelikasportsplex.com.

FEB. 14: Love Your Heart Run and 8th Annual Crank Your Heart Ride. Held at Chewacla State Park, this 26th annual event is presented by Auburn Parks and Recreation and the Exceptional Outreach Organization, which provides services and opportunities for individuals with special needs in our community, including Special Olympics of Lee County, Best Buddies of Auburn University, Auburn Parks and Recreation’s Annual Summer Therapeutic Camp and additional therapeutic programs. Day-of registration for the run begins at 6:15 a.m. with the 10K race starting at 7:30 a.m. and the onemile run at 8 a.m. Day-of ride registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; the 11- and 22-mile rides begin at 9:30 a.m. and the 3.5-mile ride at 9:45 a.m. Admission: $30 for each event; $35 for both. Information: 501-2930; www.auburnalabama.org/; LoveYourHeartRun.com.

FEB. 14: Dandy Dads Dinner Dance.

This event for dads and daughters will be held 6-8 p.m. at the Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatics Center and features music

by Ozz. Admission: $30 per couple; $5 for each additional daughter. Information: 705-5560; www.opelikasportsplex.com.

FEB. 19: Third Thursday Poetry Reading. This event, to be held 7–8 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art features poetry readings from locally, regionally and nationally known poets.

Admission: free. Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm.auburn.edu.

FEB. 26: Reading Between the Wines. The third annual Reading Between the Wines wine tasting and dinner, to be held at the Event Center Downtown in Opelika, will feature Ronda Rich, a best-selling author and syndicated columnist. Information: 705-0001; www.leecountyliteracy.org.

MARCH 1: 5K Trail Run, Tot Trot & Sunday Stroll. There’s exercise and nature for everyone at this event to be held at the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center in Auburn. Registration begins at 12 p.m.; the 5K race begins 1:30 p.m., Tot Trot starts at 2:30 p.m. and the Sunday Stroll begins at 3 p.m. Admission: $20 per participant; proceeds benefit the Nature Center.

Information: 502-4553; preserve@auburn. edu; www.auburn.edu/preserve.

MARCH 3: Film Talk by John Pomeroy.

John Pomeroy, an animator who has worked on many popular animated features, including The Rescuers, Pocahontas, Curious George, The Simpsons Movie and Planes, will be the featured speaker for the Jay Sanders Film Series event, 7-9 p.m., at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Admission: free. Information: 844-1484; www.jcsm.auburn.edu.

MARCH 4: “Peter and the Starcatcher.”

Take a hilarious romp through the Neverland you never knew in this swashbuckling prequel to Peter Pan with a chorus line of mermaids, a crocodile and Queen Victoria’s treasure trunk full of stardust. This Arts Association of East Alabama performance, to be held at the Opelika Center for Performing Arts, begins at 7:30 p.m. Information: 749-8105; www. eastalabamaarts.org.

MARCH 7: Science on Saturdays.

Alabama has native bear populations in the southwestern and northeastern corners of the state, but in the past few years, sightings have come in from other parts of the state including the Auburn-Opelika area. Come to the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center in Auburn at 10 a.m. to learn about this large mammal from the AU School of Forestry and Wildlife professor Todd Steury who is researching these elusive animals.

Admission: $5 for non-members; $4 for

members. Information: 502-4553; preserve@auburn.edu; www.auburn. edu/preserve.

MARCH 10: Discovery Hike.

Children ages 5 to 12 and their families are invited to the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center, 3:30-4:30 p.m., to investigate what animals are passing through Alabama and where they spent the winter as well as a hike looking for the first signs of spring. Discovery Hikes are offered at the Preserve in Auburn the second Tuesday of each month. Admission: free; donations accepted. Information: 502-4553; preserve@auburn.edu; www.auburn. edu/preserve.

MARCH 12: Nature Walk. Join our guides at the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center, 8:30-9:30 a.m., to investigate what animals are passing through Alabama and where they spent the winter as well as a hike looking for the first signs of spring. Nature Walks are offered at the Preserve in Auburn the second Thursday of each month.

Admission: free; donations accepted.

Information: 502-4553; preserve@ auburn.edu; www.auburn.edu/ preserve.

MARCH 14: Fit as a Fiddle: A 50+ Lifestyle and Health Fair. To be held 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Auburn’s Harris Center, this event allows participants to browse vendors, organizations and instructors with offerings specifically for the 50-plus age group. Admission: free. Vendor applications are due by Jan. 23. Information: (334) 501-2946 or auburnalabama.org/parks.

MARCH 16-20: Annual Graphic Design Juried Exhibition. This competitive show of graphic design projects by Auburn University students will be held at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center Gallery in Auburn. Information: 501-2963; www. auburnalabama.org/. -lm

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33

THE GUEST ROOM A dancer’s material may be body movements discovered in the gym; a writer’s scribbled lines from an overheard conversation; a musician’s, muffled notes heard through the walls of the nextdoor apartment.

I find repurposing textiles that might otherwise be thrown away to be an exciting and creative challenge. Trying out new techniques, tools or materials ushers in possibility and, sometimes, a visit from my source of inspiration. When I work on a project that I am excited about — adapting a vintage dress pattern, making wallets from oilcloth or recycling a vinyl billboard sign into storage bins — I find that when I am passionate about my current project, inspiration arrives.

Leigh Hinton works on a new piece with the help of her cat, Mama T.

Living A Creative Life:

Tips to Engage the Creative Process

By Leigh Hinton

I am a maker. I create one-of-a-kind clothing and textile items

Tip Three: Let go

Tip Two: Play

For me, showing up and doing the work is fun. Letting go of the result is neither fun nor easy. I want the things I create to be beautiful, but if I am too attached to how the finished product will appear or be received, I don’t feel as free to play, to experiment or to attempt something different or difficult.

To relieve the pressure I feel to make something that is perfect, I sometimes set a goal of making 100 items in a series. That way, if what I am currently creating is not turning out well, then maybe one of the other 99 things in my series might be beautiful. This nonjudgmental attitude also opens the door for a visit from my source of ideas and inspiration.

Ultimately, as I make and create, I try to follow the advice of Eric Booth in his book The Everyday Work of Art: “What is important is the doing of the work: not you, not the reception of the work, not the quality of the resulting products, not how you feel about the work or how the work makes you feel, not what others think of what you are doing or what you are going to tell them about your doings. The engagement in the process is the whole enchilada; everything else is a fringe benefit.”

So if a creative muse is calling to you, listen. Then show up, get excited and let go. Engage in the process of making. It is the ticket to inviting in inspiration and, sometimes, making inspired work. Who knows where it will lead!

“Being creative,” says textile artist and printmaker Anni Albers, “is not so much the desire to do something as the listening to that which wants to be done: the dictation of the materials.”

Leigh Hinton is a fiber artist who’s lived in Alabama for 30 years.

Leigh divides her time between Birmingham, Denver and Auburn where she shares her home with two cats, Mama T and Pony Boy.

out of things I collect from thrift shops, estate sales, clearance racks or remnant bins. During my creative process, I often brush up against a source of ideas and inspiration that I can’t identify.

Summoning up this source, getting this spark of inspiration to appear and not stay hidden, is the dilemma for the creator, the artist, the maker. But I have found guidance in the words of other very creative people about how they encourage this creative source to show itself, and from those words I have developed a few tips that guide me and, I hope, may guide others.

Tip One: Just show up Author Elizabeth Gilbert advises those wanting a creative life to simply show up and do the work, a point echoed by poet Mary Oliver who says, “If you are reliably there, it [this source of ideas] begins to show itself — soon it begins to arrive when you do.” Dancer Twyla Tharp makes showing up a “creative habit.”

Author Julia Cameron advises those seeking a creative life to keep regular artist’s dates.

So, for me and anyone with the urge to create, the first step is just to show up, every day (or at least regularly) and do the work: write, stitch, paint, draw, make music, dance.

34 LEE MAGAZINE

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