People who directly work with their hands are sharing a part of themselves in the finished product.
Orwasher’s treats their employees well, doing things like reimbursing for cab fare if you have to work
after dark. I felt that care and concern was in every loaf of bread. It was a beautiful place that was rooted
in community.
Community and history being intertwined like flour and water in a dinner roll. I was
beginning to realize that A) I needed to get out more, and B) expanding my idea of what social change
means can expand the way I create art. It was in using their art to give something worthwhile, one person
at a time, that gave each artisan their spot in the community – room enough for everyone.
The
hairdresser who could give a woman a new look was creating beauty for his client, as well as being a part
of the history of that particular style. We look at the foods, fashions, and designs that signify an era. We
give what we have to hopefully make life better for ourselves and for the future. I asked John Wolf, a man
who is a 7th generation cabinetmaker, how long it took someone to become a master builder. “Seventeen
years,” he told me. “You can be good in five, but to really master the art of building cabinets – about
seventeen years.” Quality has it’s own history.
— By Susan Marque
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THE CONE - ISSUE #9 - SPRING 2016