Saturday, August 30
*Canyon Hike*
We spoke with two people yesterday (Sunday) about the name of this trail. I found myself stuttering when a conversation began about "where we've been in Moab". The trailhead sign states: "Negro Bill Canyon is named after an early settler of the Moab area, William Granstaff. Granstaff came to Moab in 1877, making one of the first Native American inhabitants of the region. The artists I spoke with said William Granstaff was an African- American. Offensive, culturally inappropriate images and words, omission of historical details... leads my thoughts to sport teams, schools, communities, businesses... that misappropriate images and words from other cultures. I believe dialogue about this would lead to small, but mighty steps in healing.
Nature Wedgie
As quickly as our feet and shoes became water-sodden, they dried just in time for another soaking!
It is the 6th largest rock span in the U.S. It is 243 feet in length.
Weather Report for Sunday, August 31:
*Temperatures in the 30s
*High of 38 degrees
*15% humidity
We set our Treehouse dehumidifier, in Nova Scotia, at 50% to bring the humidity down from 60% to 80%!
When we breathe in Nova Scotia, we are drinking water! Here, we need to bring water with us everywhere!
Various locals encourage us to hike early morning or late afternoon.
Moab Studio Tour
This is the 11th year, Moab has organized a tour in which local artists open their doors to the public.
We visited two galleries on the main street of Moab. The other eight studios were in private homes.Highlights:
Meeting Bob Ridges, who is completely self-taught. Sixteen years ago, he retired from managing computer mainframes, as he explained no similarity to his gourd art. There are a huge variety of gourd seeds, and he selects and grows seeds specific to the shape of the gourd he wants. Then, he plants in early spring and waits. He knows they are ready when the stem falls off. They like lots of water, heat, and direct sunlight. Next, he cleans the gourd. One technique he uses with narrow necked gourds is to shake nails inside of them to clean out the seeds. When the nails fall out clean, then he knows the gourd is ready. The final step is the design. He draws petroglyphs from local parks and etches nature scenes.
Meeting Phil Wagner, again self-taught, who paints in oils. He credits Paul Cezanne as a significant influence in his art.
And an example of our mind being stretched, uncomfortably:
Eleanor Inskip, Fabric Artist: Creative Regalia Mannequins in a variety of dress guided us to a shaded backyard, then an explanation about the "Atomic Priesthood Regalia" https://www.facebook.com/events/516435778388764/
As I'm thinking "I'm not sure about this" and step away from the poster, I look to Jonathan (he's behind me) and we mouth to each other "let's leave"!! If I could have viewed her art first and made some of my own observations, I may been able to keep my mind open a little longer. The artist did not come to greet us. It was only during our exit that we saw someone sitting in front of a computer screen in a darkened room (we assume the artist).
Serena Supplee
http://www.moabstudiotour.com
Wow, how awkward! I guess the artist wasn't too friendly, which at that moment would have been a blessing.
ReplyDeleteIt was!! It may been a different experience if we met the artist first. Different positive, neutral or negative, who knows!! But, we are glad it worked out the way it did ;-D
ReplyDelete