NATURE episode

WOMAN: I THINK THAT NATURE IS AN EXPERIENCE.

IT’S VERY SENSORIAL AND SENSUAL.

WOMAN: WE’RE ALWAYS OOHING AND AHHING.

MAN: IT’S LIKE CHRISTMAS.

NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GONNA GET UNTIL YOU OPEN IT UP.

DIFFERENT MAN: I’VE COME TO REALIZE THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF CLOSET STICK GATHERERS OUT THERE, AND NOT ONLY DO THEY WANT TO GATHER STICKS.

THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO BUILD THINGS.

WOMAN: TAKING ONE’S CUES FROM THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE WOOD, A LOT OF IT IS GETTING OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY.

THEN SUDDENLY THE WOOD HAS A LOT TO SAY, AND THAT I’M JUST TRANSLATING IT.

DIFFERENT WOMAN: YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ANIMALS, THE PLANTS, THE PEOPLE DETERMINES YOUR LANGUAGE, YOUR SPIRITUALITY, AND YOUR AESTHETICS.

YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE WHAT YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH.

MAN: I’LL HAVE, LIKE, A GLASS ON THE GROUND THAT LOOKS LIKE THE RIVER, AND THEN THE SALMON ARE GONNA BE FLOATING ABOVE THE TOP.

WOMAN: I TRY TO TRANSLATE MY EXPERIENCE OF THIS ENVIRONMENT FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO ENJOY AND UNDERSTAND.

DIFFERENT WOMAN: HOW ARE WE DEFINING NATURE?

IS IT THE LIMIT OF WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT WHEN WE SEE GREEN AND WHEN WE SEE TREES, OR IS IT--IS IT EVERYTHING?

[WOMEN VOCALIZING] ANNOUNCER: MAJOR FUNDING FOR "CRAFT IN AMERICA" WAS PROVIDED MAN: WELL, I ALWAYS SAY OF MYSELF THAT I’M A SCULPTOR, AND I DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT I LIKE THE MONIKER.

IT’S THE HANDLING OF THAT MATERIAL, OFTEN, THAT I KEY OFF OF.

I WOULD SAY, STICKS GIVE ME GOOD IDEAS, AND PART OF THAT IS THAT JUST TOUCHING THEM SEEMS TO SPEAK OF THEIR IMMANENT POTENTIAL.

I GET VERY ENTHUSIASTIC AT THAT POINT.

HOW’S IT GOING, ELSA?

ELSA: FINE.

DOUGHERTY: IS THAT THE FASTEST TOWER IN THE WORLD?

ELSA: HA HA!

YES.

DOUGHERTY, VOICE-OVER: I STARTED OUT BECAUSE I JUST SIMPLY LOVE THE WOOD.

I LOVED TRYING TO SEE WHAT I COULD DO WITH THE BENDING OF IT.

I LIKED TO TRY TO MAKE DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SEE IF I COULD MAKE THEM STAND UP, BUT I’VE ENHANCED THAT WHOLE PROCESS A BIT BY INCLUDING PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY AND ALSO ORGANIZATIONS AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT MAKES GOOD PUBLIC WORK AND HOW YOU ENLIVEN PEOPLE’S IMAGINATION AND HOW YOU FIT WORK IN SO THAT IT SEEMS TO FIT ITS SPACE.

I’M INTENSELY INTERESTED IN THE PLACEMENT OF THINGS AND THE SUCCESS OF THINGS THAT ARE PUBLIC, SO I’VE COME TO REALIZE THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF CLOSET STICK GATHERERS OUT THERE, AND, UH, NOT ONLY DO THEY WANT TO GATHER STICKS.

THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO BUILD THINGS, SO WE’VE DONE REALLY WELL IN HAVING A CONSTANT FLOW OF INTERESTED PARTIES WILLING TO THROW THEMSELVES INTO A LOT OF WORK.

HEY, JOHN, HOW ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?

ELSA, VOICE-OVER: WE START OFF WEAVING A BASIC SPIDER-WEB STRUCTURE THAT IS JUST VERY RANDOM WEAVING.

THEN YOU CAN FILL THE WALLS.

YOU CAN WRAP THE DOORS, WHIPSTITCH THE TOP, MAKE THE FRITZ ON THE TOP.

DOUGHERTY: AW, YOU’RE LOOKING GOOD UP THERE.

HOFFMAN, VOICE-OVER: PATRICK SAYS THAT EVERYONE CAN BE A STICK WORKER, BUT THERE’S DEFINITELY SOME PEOPLE THAT--THAT ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS.

[SNAP] YEAH.

THESE THINGS ARE GREEN, AND SO THEY HAVE TO BE GREEN.

THEY CAN’T BE TOO-- UH, CAN’T BE TOO DRY.

UH, WILLOW IS A GREAT ONE FOR BASKET MAKING, AND SO I USE THAT A LOT IF IT’S AVAILABLE, MAPLES UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST.

IN FLORIDA, YOU HAVE TO USE ONE THING.

IF YOU’RE IN HAWAII, YOU MIGHT USE ANOTHER.

YOU USE STRAWBERRY GUAVA.

OUT IN THE NORTHWEST, YOU MIGHT USE A VINE MAPLE OR ALDER.

THE MIDWEST HAS GOT A LOT OF ELMS, CHINESE ELMS AND RUSSIAN ELM, AND A LOT OF THESE THINGS, THEY JUST-- "HEY, WHERE DO YOU GET STICKS?"

WELL, YOU’LL OFTEN GET THEM WHERE THE BULLDOZERS HAVE TAKEN THE BIG TREES DOWN AND THEY’RE WAITING FOR THE BOX STORE AND THESE LITTLE SAPLINGS HAVE COME BACK UP.

WE’VE GATHERED BEHIND SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS, BEHIND THE HIGH-SCHOOL STADIUM, DOWN ALONG THE RIVER.

I’VE LEARNED THAT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO OWNS A PIECE OF PROPERTY, JUST TAKE A RUNNING CHAINSAW AND SIT IT ON THE GROUND.

SOMEONE WILL BE THERE IMMEDIATELY.

HA HA HA!

I WAS IN THE MILITARY IN GERMANY.

THE ARMY ART & CRAFT PROGRAM WAS FANTASTIC.

I REPAIRED ANTIQUES.

I SOLDERED.

I WAS ABLE TO WELD.

I WAS JUST REALLY ABLE TO IMMERSE MYSELF EVERY NIGHT FOR 3 YEARS IN THE IDEAS OF MAKING THINGS AND USING DIFFERENT KINDS OF MATERIALS.

AFTER BEING IN THE SERVICE, I FORCED MYSELF TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL USING THE G.I.

BILL AND SPENT TWO YEARS IN THE UNC ART LAB AND REALLY STARTED TO ASK MYSELF WHAT SCULPTURE WAS, WHAT ART WAS, AND DECIDED I REALLY, IN FACT, WOULD BECOME A SCULPTOR.

THE SECOND PHASE BEYOND MAKING A STRUCTURAL WEAVE IS TO TRY TO AESTHETICIZE THE SURFACE.

IN OTHER WORDS, I-- I’M KIND OF BUILDING A CANVAS AND THEN DRAWING ON IT.

STICKS ARE TAPERED, SO WHEN YOU ORGANIZE ALL YOUR TAPERS IN ONE DIRECTION, YOU GET A SENSE OF MOVEMENT FROM IT.

LITTLE, LOOPING LINES LIFT THE WHOLE WEIGHT OF THE TOWER.

IF YOU HAVE THINGS THAT ARE VERY FLAT ON THE GROUND, IT SITS THINGS VERY HEAVILY, SO I TRY TO MAKE THESE LITTLE LINES ON THE BOTTOM THAT LOOK LIKE THEY’RE SWOOPING UP.

DOUGHERTY: HEY, HOW YOU DOING, BOY?

MIGHTY NICE TO SEE YOU.

DOUGHERTY, VOICE-OVER: ONE OF THE THINGS WE’VE DONE IS BEEN NICE TO PEOPLE AS THEY COME AROUND, SO WE’RE EMBEDDING THIS PIECE IN THE COMMUNITY NOW.

WE HOPE THAT, BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN NICE, PEOPLE WILL LIKE IT BETTER AND THEY’LL PROTECT IT AND, UH, SEE IT AS PART OF THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT.

MAN, VOICE-OVER: EVERYBODY THAT WALKED BY-- AND I MEAN LITERALLY EVERYBODY-- HE WOULD CHAT WITH.

HE’D INVITE THEM IN.

HE’S STOP AND TALK TO THEM, AND I ASKED HIM ABOUT IT, AND HE SAID THAT HE FELT HE NEEDED TO MAKE FRIENDS FOR THE SCULPTURE AND THAT IT WOULDN’T BE PROTECTED ONCE HE WAS GONE, AND HE WANTED PEOPLE TO LOVE IT AS HE DID.

DOUGHERTY, VOICE-OVER: IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING THAT’S TOO ABSTRACT IN CERTAIN SITES, IT MIGHT SEEM UNINTERESTING, SO THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE I FELT LIKE THAT IF I MADE SOMETHING THAT LOOKED LIKE AN OBJECT OR SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD RELATE TO AS KIND OF A SHADOW BUILDING OF SOME SORT, UH, YOU KNOW, NATURE CONFIGURING ITSELF AS A--AS A PANTHEON.

HA HA HA!

HA HA!

MAYBE I WAS INFLUENCED BY BEING IN WASHINGTON LATELY AND WORKING AT THE RENWICK BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE ENTIRE WASHINGTON AREA IS BASED ON THE PANTHEON, AND SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN INFILTRATING INTO MY MIND.

MAN: RENOVATING THE RENWICK GALLERY IN 2015 WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND OURSELVES WHY THIS BUILDING WAS PUT HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

IN A SENSE, EVERY MUSEUM EXISTS AS A POTENTIAL FOR YOU TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCE OF WONDER, AS A PLACE WHERE YOU MAY GO TO COMMUNE WITH ART AND WHERE, IF YOU’RE SO LUCKY, YOU MIGHT EVEN BE CARRIED AWAY IN THE MOMENT.

DOUGHERTY, VOICE-OVER: AT THE RENWICK, WE HAVE A SERIES OF 7 BIG PIECES THAT ARE VERY AMORPHOUS IN A WAY, AND THEY FLING THEMSELVES UP AGAINST THE WALL, OR THEY ROLL ACROSS THE SURFACE, BUT IT ALLOWS THE VIEWER TO GO INSIDE AND THEN CREEP AROUND THE BACK AND THEN GO IN ANOTHER ONE AND MAKE THEIR WAY FROM ONE SIDE OF THE ROOM ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER.

BELL: AS YOU WALK THROUGH THE EXHIBITION, YOU’LL SEE DIFFERENT KINDS OF INSTALLATIONS.

SOME OF THEM WILL REMAIN, BUT SOME OF THEM WON’T.

PATRICK DOUGHERTY’S INSTALLATION AND JOHN GRADE’S INSTALLATION WILL EVENTUALLY GO AWAY.

THIS EPHEMERAL QUALITY REALLY DOVETAILS NICELY WITH SOME OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE FIELD OF AMERICAN CRAFT WHERE FOCUS HAS CHANGED FROM CRAFT AS A NOUN WHERE WE’RE THINKING ABOUT CRAFT AS SPECIFIC OBJECTS THAT EXIST OVER LONG PERIODS OF TIME TO CRAFT AS A VERB, THE ACT OF DOING SOMETHING A CERTAIN WAY.

WHEN YOU ASK ARTISTS TO WEIGH IN ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AMAZED BY THE WORLD OUT THERE, IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AS A CULTURE AND AS A WORLD THAT THEY’VE GRAVITATED TOWARDS A SENSE OF NATURE AS OUR MOST CRITICAL RESOURCE.

BY BRINGING NATURE INTO THE MUSEUM AS A SUBJECT, THEY ARE REMINDING US OF THE VALUE OF WHAT IS BEING LOST, AND THEY ARE GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON WHAT IS MOST AT RISK IN OUR WORLD.

DOUGHERTY: I SEE MY WORK AS BEING PROPELLED BY PEOPLE’S CONCERN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT.

WE’VE COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT EACH OF US IS NOT TRYING TO DO ANYTHING WRONG, BUT AS A WHOLE, WE’VE STARTED HAVING A--A REAL IMPACT.

I THINK THAT MY WORK HAS FILLED A SPACE IN THERE WHERE THERE’S SOME VISUAL RELIEF.

THERE’S A KIND OF NOSTALGIA, TO SOME DEGREE, BUT IN A REAL WAY, IT’S A TOUCHSTONE FOR THE THINGS WE CARE ABOUT IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

IT REMINDS US OF ANIMAL LIFE.

IT REMINDS US OF SIMPLE SHELTER.

IT REMINDS US OF SIMPLER TIMES WHEN WE SEEMED TO BE MORE IN TOUCH WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, AND I THINK MY WORK COMES INTO PLAY.

IT FINDS AN AUDIENCE ON THE CUSP OF SOME OF THESE CONCERNS.

MAN: I’VE WORKED ABOUT 8 DIFFERENT PIECES FOR PATRICK, AND THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT EVERY PIECE THAT STRIKES YOU THAT THE OTHER ONE DIDN’T.

THIS PIECE, IT’S THE ARCHWAYS, DOME, WITH THE CEILING IN IT.

IT’S ALWAYS A SPECIAL SOMETHING THAT GRABS THE EYE.

HOFFMAN: PEOPLE LIKE TO ADD STICKS.

THEY LIKE TO TAKE THEM OUT.

THEY LIKE TO TAKE THEM OUT AND PUT THEM BACK IN SOMEWHERE ELSE.

IT WILL NEVER LOOK AS GOOD AS TODAY.

I THINK IT’S SORT OF AN ORGANIC THING, AND EVENTUALLY, IT DOES HAVE A LIFE, AND IT’S TEMPORARY, AND IT’S LIKE ANY TREE IN THE FOREST.

IT’S--IT’S GONNA NOT LAST FOREVER.

DOUGHERTY: IT’S NOT REAL UNLESS YOU CAN REACH OVER AND TOUCH IT, AND SO I’VE TRIED TO MAKE WORK THAT HAS NO BARRIER, TAKING IT INTO A PLACE WHERE SOMEBODY CAN GRAB HOLD OF IT, CAN PUSH IT, CAN FEEL ITS PROPERTIES, CAN REALLY EXPERIENCE IT.

IT’S MUCH MORE FRUITFUL, AND IT’S MUCH MORE COMPELLING, ALLOWING PEOPLE TO INTERACT WITH THEM FULLY AND GET A SENSE OF WHAT IT IS.

WOMAN: I’M A SEVENTH-GENERATION ORANGE COUNTY NATIVE.

I ACTUALLY LIVE NOT FAR FROM THE PLANTATION MY FAMILY WAS ORIGINALLY ON.

TO BE ABLE TO COMBINE ART AND NATURE AND MY ROOTS, IT’S AN AMAZING THING.

I WANT TO CONTINUE TO MAKE ORANGE COUNTY GREAT, AND SEEING THINGS TODAY LIKE STICKWORK, THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT ADDS ICING TO THE CAKE.

ALL: 3, 2, 1.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] DOUGHERTY, VOICE-OVER: WHEN I FINISH A SCULPTURE, I’M KIND OF REDUNDANT.

I FEEL LIKE THERE’S AN EQUATION THERE, THAT IT’S MY JOB TO BUILD SOMETHING EXCITING AND THEN I TURN IT OVER TO THE PUBLIC AND IT’S THEIR JOB TO SEE WHAT THEY THINK.

WOMAN: I HAVE A VERY STRONG FEELING FOR EVERYTHING THAT GROWS, BUT I’M MOST IN AWE OF TREES.

I REFER TO THEM AS THE QUINTESSENTIAL MATERIAL.

WELL, IT’S WOOD, TO BEGIN WITH.

THEY CONTAIN FIRE.

THEY TRANSPIRE AIR.

THEY TRANSFORM WATER INTO WATER VAPOR, AND THEY’RE ROOTED IN THE EARTH, SO THEY REALLY EMBODY THE 5 ELEMENTS, AND I THINK THAT’S WHY I FIND THEM SO ENDLESSLY INSPIRING.

THE NATURAL FORM HAS A LOT OF VISUAL CUES OF ITS OWN.

IT HAS ITS OWN STRUCTURE, ITS OWN CELLULAR STRUCTURE.

I WOULD BE A FOOL TO NOT WORK WITH IT BECAUSE, I MEAN, ALL WOODWORKERS KNOW YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO GRAIN, BUT THERE’S THE NATURE OF THE PIECE, AND THEN THERE’S MY LITTLE WILL WORKING ON IT.

I DON’T WANT TO EXIST IN SOME KIND OF CREATIVE VACUUM WHERE IT’S JUST ME AND THE PIECE AND NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.

WELL, I DO THINK ABOUT THE VIEWER.

I DO TRY VERY HARD TO ENGAGE AND SPARK THEIR IMAGINATION, TO HAVE THEIR EYE LOOK INTO THE PIECE TO-- YOU KNOW, TO DRAW THEM IN.

THE CULTURAL CONTEXT IS TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT, AND I’M LEAVING A LITTLE ARCHIVE.

IT’S A RECORD OF A TIME AND A PERSON AND A STORY THAT, FRANKLY, ISN’T TOLD THAT MUCH BY WOMEN IN WOOD.

WE’RE IN THE GREAT NORTHERN APPALACHIAN FOREST COMPLEX THAT RUNS ALL ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD.

THE WOODS THAT GROW AROUND HERE ARE GENERALLY MAPLE, AND THAT COULD BE SUGAR MAPLE, BUT IT COULD ALSO BE RED MAPLE; CHERRY, WHICH IS WILD CHERRY; WALNUT AND BUTTERNUT, ALTHOUGH BUTTERNUT IS DISAPPEARING; YELLOW BIRCH; WHITE BIRCH; AND BASSWOOD.

THERE’S SOME VERY NICE LOGIC OF HAVING A TREE.

IT HAS LEAVES.

YOU CUT IT DOWN.

YOU CUT IT INTO WOOD.

YOU TURN IT.

YOU DO ALL THIS STUFF TO IT, AND THEN, FOR ME, IT’S ALMOST LIKE RETURNING THE LEAVES TO THE WOOD, SO WHAT I MIGHT DO HERE IS USE THAT AS THE MIDRIB OF A-- OF THE LEAF--LET’S SAY AN OAK LEAF THAT HAS LOBES-- AND I WOULD LAY OUT THE LOBES LIKE THAT.

IN A CASE LIKE THIS, I WOULD USE THIS AIR TOOL.

UH, IT’S CALLED A PENCIL GRINDER, TURNS VERY FAST.

I’D USE IT TO ROUGH OUT THIS FORM, TO CREATE THE MASS OF THE FORM, BUT WHEN I’M CLOSE TO WHERE I WANT IT TO BE, I REALLY LOVE AN X-ACTO KNIFE AND A 100-PACK OF REPLACEMENT BLADES.

I BEGAN CARVING IN HIGH SCHOOL.

I HAD A WONDERFUL TEACHER NAMED MRS. BLAKE.

SHE SHOWED US HOW TO MAKE FRESCOES ON PLASTER.

THERE WAS A KILN.

WE USED CLAY.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL PROGRAM, AND AT ONE POINT, SHE GAVE US LINOLEUM BLOCKS AND THE CARVING TOOLS TO MAKE BLOCK PRINTS, AND I REALIZED THAT I REALLY LOVED CARVING.

MRS. BLAKE GAVE ME MY FIRST SET OF CARVING TOOLS.

I STILL HAVE THEM.

I STILL USE THEM.

I THINK ALONG THE WAY, THERE WERE MANY, MANY PEOPLE WHO I FOUND OR WHO HAVE FOUND ME WHO HAVE JUST SUPPORTED ME TREMENDOUSLY, FOREMOST OF WHOM WOULD BE DAVID.

DAVID, VOICE-OVER: IT’S A LOT LIKE CUTTING JEWELS BECAUSE, EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE, YOU DON’T REALLY KNOW UNTIL YOU CUT INTO IT, AND THEN YOU SEE WHAT YOU’VE GOT.

WE’LL BRING THE TRACTOR AROUND BECAUSE THESE ARE OBVIOUSLY WAY TOO BIG TO MOVE ANY OTHER WAY.

WE’LL TAKE THEM PIECE BY PIECE AND PUT THEM IN OUR LOWER WOOD-DRYING SHED, AND I WON’T USE THESE, UH, FOR 4, 5, YEARS, SO I HAVE TO KEEP-- I HAVE TO KEEP THAT FAR AHEAD.

SOME PEOPLE WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT THEY LOVE TO DO, AND THEY’LL GO ANYWHERE TO DO THAT THING, AND OTHER PEOPLE FIND A PLACE THAT THEY WANT TO BE AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO STAY THERE, AND FOR MICHELLE AND ME, IT WAS THE LATTER.

THE LONGER WE STAYED HERE, THE DEEPER THAT UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPOGRAPHY AND OF THE BOTANY OF THE AREA, THE NATURE OF THE TREES AROUND HERE AND THEIR LIFE CYCLES AND THEIR BEHAVIORS.

THEIR CHARACTERISTICS BECAME AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR EXPERIENCE OF WOOD AND OUR EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WOOD.

THE SAWMILLS WANT STRAIGHT TREES THAT THEY CAN SAW OUT FOR 2x4s AND FOR FLOORING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WHAT MICHELLE AND I USE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE JUNK TO THE INDUSTRY.

THERE MIGHT BE A BURL UP IN A YELLOW BIRCH TREE.

NOBODY WANTS THAT.

MICHELLE, VOICE-OVER: A BURL IS A GROWTH ON A TREE THAT’S OFTEN CAUSED AT THE SITE OF A WOUND OF SOME SORT.

IT DOESN’T REALLY HURT IT-- IT JUST GROWS ALONG WITH THE TREE-- BUT IT DOES CAUSE THE GRAIN, INSTEAD OF GROWING STRAIGHT, TO START GROWING IRREGULARLY, SO THESE VERY CONCENTRIC AND ECCENTRIC GRAIN PATTERNS DEVELOP.

THIS PIECE ALSO HAS, LIKE, DISCOLORATION FROM WATER DAMAGE.

IT HAS THESE LITTLE, BLACK LINES, REFERRED TO AS SPALTING, THAT ARE MINERAL DEPOSITS.

I MEAN, THERE’S-- THERE’S A LOT GOING ON.

THIS--THIS TREE HAD A LOT OF STUFF HAPPENING TO IT.

I LIKE WORKING WITH BURL BECAUSE IT HAS A LOT OF PERSONALITY TO BEGIN WITH.

IN A SENSE, I HAVE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS OF WORKING, ONE WHERE I’LL CHOOSE A MATERIAL THAT HAS A LOT OF PERSONALITY.

THEN I’M HAVING A BIT OF A DIALOGUE WITH IT AND TRYING TO SUIT THE FORM TO SUIT THE REALITY OF THE MATERIAL, BUT OCCASIONALLY I WANT TO HAVE MY OWN WAY WITH THE FORM, AND THAT’S WHEN I’LL CHOOSE A VERY BLAND PIECE OF WOOD, LIKE BASSWOOD, THAT DOESN’T TALK BACK AT ALL.

TAKING ONE’S CUES FROM THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE WOOD AS YOU FIND IT, A LOT OF IT IS GETTING OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY, YOU KNOW, TURNING ME DOWN AND--AND LETTING THAT WOOD SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE LOUDLY.

THEN SUDDENLY, THAT’S WHEN I START REALIZING THAT THE WOOD HAS A LOT TO SAY AND THAT I’M JUST TRANSLATING IT, ALMOST.

SOMETIMES PEOPLE SAY TO ME, "YOU MUST BE SO PATIENT.

"HOW DO YOU DO IT?

"YOU’RE SPENDING DAYS IN YOUR SHOP LOOKING DOWN AT THIS PIECE."

THAT COMES EXTREMELY NATURALLY TO ME, AND IT HARKENS BACK TO MY HANDS’ FIRST TRAINING-- DRAWING WITH A PENCIL AND SEWING.

MY MOTHER WAS A GREAT SEAMSTRESS, AND TAUGHT ME AND ALL OF MY SISTERS HOW TO SEW.

WE HAD TO MASTER JUST THE NEEDLE AND THREAD AND MAKE EVEN, SMALL, PERFECT STITCHES.

THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TRAINING FOR MY EYE AND MY HAND AND ALSO THAT INNER FOCUS THAT YOU NEED TO JUST DO REPETITIVE WORK AND DO IT WELL.

MY FATHER WAS A TOOL AND DIE MAKER.

HE WAS BUILDING CABINETS, AND WHEN IT GOT TIME TO BUY HARDWARE, HE LOOKED AT ALL THE HARDWARE AND THOUGHT, "THIS IS ALL CRAP.

"THERE’S NO WAY I’M GONNA BUY THIS.

I’M GONNA MAKE MY OWN HARDWARE," SO HE PUT THE LATHE TOGETHER.

BECAUSE IT WAS MADE TO TURN METAL, THERE’S ALL KINDS OF CALIBRATIONS ON HERE, SO IT’S REALLY MADE FOR FAIRLY HIGH-PRECISION WORK.

I’M NOT IN CHARGE OF HOLDING THAT TOOL.

THE TOOL HOLDER HOLDS IT.

ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TURN THESE TWO HANDLES.

IT’S LIKE USING AN ETCH A SKETCH.

IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME, BUT IT IS UNUSUAL.

IT’S NOT A WOOD LATHE, AND, IN A WAY, I’M NOT A TURNER’S TURNER.

DAVID, VOICE-OVER: MICHELLE’S ABILITY TO VISUALIZE A 3-DIMENSIONAL FORM IN A SOLID MASS OF WOOD IS ASTOUNDING TO ME.

I CAN’T UNDERSTAND HOW SHE CAN DO THAT, HOW SHE CAN TAKE A-- A, LIKE, REUNION BOWL.

SHE CAN CARVE THIS LARGE BOWL THAT’S ALSO ATTACHED TO 5 SPOONS, ALL A SINGLE PIECE OF WOOD, OR THE BROCADED PILLOW WITH A WOODEN BOWL STUCK DOWN INTO IT BUT IS A SINGLE PIECE OF WOOD.

MICHELLE: "ONDINES," MY FATHER COMES INTO THAT PIECE BECAUSE THAT IS KIND OF A HIGHLY ENGINEERED PIECE.

THE CENTRAL PIECE WAS THAT CANTEEN FORM, AND THEN I TURNED TWO CHERRY BURL BOWL FORMS AS A SORT OF LATTICE AND ATTACHED THEM.

MEANWHILE IN THE INTERIOR OF THAT CHERRY VASE, I CARVED TWO MERMAIDS.

I DIDN’T CARVE THEM SEPARATELY AND THEN PUT THEM BACK IN.

I CARVED THEM WITHIN THAT CENTER MASS.

THEY’RE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER.

THEY’RE REACHING AROUND EACH OTHER.

IT’S A VERY INTIMATE PIECE, AND I REALLY DO ACKNOWLEDGE MY FATHER AND HIS WORK AND HIS MIND.

I INHERITED SOME ASPECT OF HIS MIND WHICH IS THAT ABILITY TO, LIKE, SEE A 3-DIMENSIONAL FORM IN YOUR MIND, ROTATE IT IN YOUR MIND, AND THEN WORK ON IT.

DAVID, VOICE-OVER: FOR HER, IT’S LIKE SHE’S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A PROBLEM.

ONCE SHE’S FIGURED THAT PROBLEM OUT, SHE’LL DO A COUPLE, SAY, "OK. I’VE GOT THAT," AND THEN SHE GOES ON TO FIND THE NEXT PROBLEM.

SHE’S ALWAYS BEEN A TIRELESS EXPLORER.

MICHELLE: I CONSIDER THIS PIECE TO BE A BIT OF A SELF-PORTRAIT.

I MADE IT AT A TIME WHEN I WAS FEELING SOMEWHAT CONSTRAINED.

YOU KNOW, I GUESS IN ANY FIELD, YOU GET KNOWN FOR DOING CERTAIN WORK, AND, UH, THERE’S PRESSURE TO CONTINUE DOING THAT WORK, AND SOMETIMES A GOOD WAY TO WORK THROUGH THOSE CONFLICTS IS THROUGH THE WORK.

THIS PARTICULAR BOOK WAS CARVED FROM ONE PIECE OF WOOD.

THE COVERS, I USED THE WOODBURNING TOOL TO GET THIS VERY DARK COLOR.

FOR THE PAGES AFTER CARVING THEM, I USED WOOD BLEACH.

IT BLEACHES THE COLOR OUT OF THE WOOD AND MAKES IT HAVE SORT OF A SUEDED, PAPERY TEXTURE.

IT’S JUST THE PERFECT SURFACE FOR DRAWING ON WITH THE WOODBURNING TOOL, AS WELL, AND LET’S LOOK AT THE BOTTOM.

YOU LOOK AT THE SPINE, YOU CAN SEE IT SAYS, "GULLIVER’S TRAVELS," SO GIVING A NOD TO THE ORIGINAL.

THIS PIECE WAS STRANGELY FUN TO MAKE, THOUGH.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT-- HA HA!-- TYING SOMETHING UP LIKE THAT THAT’S, UM-- I DON’T KNOW-- STRANGELY SATISFYING.

WHEN I CAME UP HERE TO GO TO MARLBORO COLLEGE IN 1969 WHEN I WAS 17, I REMEMBER DRIVING UP THE HILL AND JUST FEELING, LIKE, IN MY CHEST-- I THOUGHT, "AH, I AM HOME."

IT WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS, ABOUT THE FORESTS, AND EVEN ABOUT THE WINTER.

HERE ESPECIALLY, I THINK, PEOPLE THINK IN TERMS OF THEIR HOMESTEADS.

THEY USE THAT WORD "HOMESTEAD," AND IT MEANS IT’S THE PLACE-- IT’S--IT’S A LOCUS NOT WHERE YOU JUST GO TO LIVE AND SLEEP.

IT’S A LOCUS OF-- OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, AND MANY PEOPLE HERE MAKE THEIR LIVING IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER OFF THE LAND UPON WHICH THEY LIVE, AND I THINK THAT BACK-TO-THE-LAND MOVEMENT WAS JUST THIS NOTION THAT YOU COULD BE CONNECTED IN THAT WAY, AND I FEEL LIKE IT’S WHERE HUMANS ARE MOST SATISFIED.

WOMAN: "WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT IS LIKE "TO SPEND ONE’S CHILDHOOD IN LITTLE TOWNS LIKE THESE, "BURIED IN WHEAT AND CORN, "UNDER STIMULATING EXTREMES OF CLIMATE: "BURNING SUMMERS WHEN THE WORLD LIES GREEN AND BILLOWY "BENEATH A BRILLIANT SKY, "WHEN ONE IS FAIRLY STIFLED IN VEGETATION, "IN THE COLOR AND SMELL OF STRONG WEEDS AND HEAVY HARVESTS; "BLUSTERY WINTERS WITH LITTLE SNOW, "WHEN THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS STRIPPED BARE "AND GREY AS SHEET-IRON.

"WE AGREED THAT NO ONE WHO HAD NOT GROWN UP IN A LITTLE PRAIRIE TOWN COULD KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT."

WILLA CATHER, UH, I THINK, DID AN IMMENSE JOB OF DESCRIBING WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE IN THE MIDWEST... AND IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS I TRY TO DO IN MY WORK, IS TO TRANSLATE MY EXPERIENCE OF THIS ENVIRONMENT FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO ENJOY AND UNDERSTAND.

I THINK LIVING IN THE MIDWEST IS TIED TO ALMOST EVERYTHING I DO, AND I LIKE LIVING HERE.

MY WORK IS MADE UPSIDE DOWN OVER A MOLD, SO THE INTERIOR OF A BASKET IS ACTUALLY NOT THE LAST THING THAT I MAKE.

IT’S THE FIRST THING, SO I’M THINKING INSIDE OUT AND UPSIDE DOWN, BASICALLY.

WHEN I’M DRAWING, I’M ACTUALLY VISUALIZING THE VOLUME ALREADY SO I COME UP WITH A SILHOUETTE.

I USE FOAMCORE BOARD FOR A LOT OF MY MOLDS.

I LOVE FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAKE THE, UH, SHAPE THAT I’M AFTER WITH THIS METHOD, AND I SCORE IT, BUT I DON’T CUT IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH SO THAT I CAN MAKE THE CURVE.

THE MOLD DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND EXQUISITELY MADE.

IT CAN BE KIND OF A ROUGH PROCESS, AND IT IS FOR ME.

BEING ABLE TO DRAW WAS IMPORTANT IN MY CHILDHOOD.

I THOUGHT OF IT AS SOMETHING THAT HAD JUST HAPPENED TO ME, ALTHOUGH I GREW UP IN A HOUSE WHERE PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS MAKING THINGS.

I DIDN’T LIVE IN TOWN, AND I DIDN’T LIVE ON A FARM.

MY PARENTS LIVED ON WHAT IS CALLED AN ACREAGE, SO I GREW UP JUST EXPERIENCING WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO LIVE IN THE FARMLAND, ALTHOUGH I WASN’T A FARM PERSON.

IOWA IS A TALL-GRASS PRAIRIE, AND THE GRASSES CERTAINLY REFLECT ASPECTS OF MY VESSELS, SO I THINK THE PRAIRIE HELPS UNDERPIN EVERYTHING THAT I MAKE, BUT I’M NOT SURE I CAN SAY THERE’S AN EXACT CONNECTION.

I’M NOT LOOKING FOR GRASSES AND TWIGS THAT I CAN PUT INTO A WORK OF ART.

IT’S JUST NOT WHAT I DO.

I REALLY PREFER ANONYMOUS MATERIALS.

THEY’RE NOT THE POINT.

IN FACT, I BUY THEM.

THEY ARE COMMERCIAL MATERIALS.

I USE TWISTED PAPER CORD, AND I USE REED, WHICH IS A BASKETRY MATERIAL, BUT NOT GATHERED BY ME.

I HAD A WEAVING TEACHER WHO USED TO SAY, "WELL, YOU CAN DYE YOUR OWN YARN, "AND YOU CAN SPIN YOUR OWN YARN.

"YOU COULD GROW YOUR OWN SHEEP.

"YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, CARD THE WOOL, AND-- BUT AT SOME POINT, YOU STILL HAVE TO MAKE THE WORK OF ART," SO I GUESS I’M JUST GOING STRAIGHT TO THE WORK OF ART.

I BEGIN BY SOAKING THE PAPER CORD JUST TO GET IT TO BE A LITTLE MORE MALLEABLE, AND THEN I PUT IT IN, UH, A BATH OF--OF, UH, METHYL CELLULOSE AND ACRYLIC PAINT.

I WORK WITH COLOR ALL THROUGH THE PROCESS, SO THEN I LAYER THIS ON TWO STRANDS AT A TIME, PUTTING IT IN PLACE WITH THE TISSUE PAPER.

WHAT I’M DOING IS REALLY A PAPIER-MACHE PROCESS, BUT WE OFTEN THINK OF PAPIER-MACHE GROUNDED-- GRIND UP NEWSPAPER OR WHATEVER, AND IT’S KIND OF A LUMPY-LOOKING THING, BUT WORKING WITH, UM, SHEET, UH, MAKES A VERY REFINED SURFACE.

YOU KNOW THAT IT’S VERY THIN TISSUE.

YOU’VE GOT ABOUT 3 SECONDS BEFORE IT DISSOLVES INTO A LITTLE BALL IN YOUR HAND, AND SOME PEOPLE NEVER GET THE KNACK OF HANDLING--OF HANDLING THAT.

THE PROCESS FOR BUILDING THE BASKET IS LENGTHY.

WHEN I’M MAKING A REALLY LARGE BASKET THAT NEEDS, PERHAPS, 10 OR 15 LAYERS, THAT CAN ACTUALLY TAKE WEEKS IF NOT MONTHS.

I COULDN’T IMAGINE WHAT KIND OF LIFE I WOULD LEAD AS AN ARTIST.

I JUST COULDN’T SEE IT, SO I WENT THROUGH A REGULAR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, LIBERAL ARTS, BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL I GRADUATED AND I TOOK AN ART CLASS I MET SOME PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS, AND I THOUGHT, "THAT’S WHAT I AM," AND SO THEN I STARTED ART SCHOOL AND, UH, NEVER LOOKED BACK.

I WANTED TO FIND A PROGRAM WHERE PEOPLE DID FORMING, MAKING VESSELS, AND THE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA WAS FOCUSED ON VESSELS, AND CHUNGHI CHOO, OUR PROFESSOR, KNEW HOW TO RAISE A BOWL AND CREATE A VESSEL FORM.

I’VE THOUGHT A LOT OVER THE YEARS ABOUT WHY VESSELS HAVE, UH, BEEN MY, UH, FORMAT, SO TO SPEAK, AND I’VE ONLY COME TO ONE, UH, SORT OF THOUGHT ON THE MATTER, AND THAT IS, SOME PEOPLE WANT TO PUT AN IMAGE ON A SQUARE PIECE OF CANVAS.

WHY IS THAT?

UH, WHAT--WHAT-- SOMETHING IN THE FORMAT SPEAKS TO THAT PERSON OR CALLS FORTH THEIR CREATIVITY, AND, FOR ME, IT’S BEEN VESSELS.

I STARTED OUT DOING FOLDED METALS, AND I THOUGHT, "MM, THIS METALWORK THAT I’M DOING LOOKS LIKE PAPER," AND SO I STARTED TO WORK WITH PAPER JUST AT THE VERY END OF MY GRADUATE SCHOOL.

"DOUBLE EXPOSURE" IS ONE OF MY EARLIEST PIECES.

THROUGH IT, I PUT A DOWEL, ACTUALLY, AND THEN A BIRCH BRANCH, THE, UH, CONTRAST OF SOMETHING MACHINED AND COMMERCIAL AND THEN THE NATURAL BRANCH, AND THIS IS WHAT I SEE IN THE LANDSCAPE IN IOWA ALL THE TIME.

"HELION" IS ONE OF MY LIGHTED SCULPTURES.

IF WE WERE GOING TO THE LANDSCAPE, THEY’RE CONNECTED TO MELONS, TO BERRIES.

"MORNING COLORS" IS ONE OF MY SKY BASKETS.

IF YOU’RE UP IN THE MORNING AND THE SKY IS JUST BEING LIT WITH THESE GOLDEN PINKS AND YELLOWS, "MORNING COLORS" IS THAT MOMENT.

THE PRAIRIE SPEAKS TO ME IN A VERY DEEP WAY, BUT I CAN’T AVOID THE FACT THAT, IN MANY WAYS, IOWA’S AN OPEN-AIR FACTORY, AND THE GRIDS OF CORN AND SOYBEANS HAVE JUST SORT OF BEEN DROPPED ON TOP OF THAT NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

IOWANS LOVE PLANTING THINGS IN ROWS, AND SO THAT’S PART OF MY INSPIRATION, TOO.

I’M REALLY TRYING TO REDUCE IT TO THE FORM AND THE EFFECT OF THE COLOR OR THE SHAPE, SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, I THINK OF THE WORK AS SOMEWHAT MINIMALIST.

I THINK IT’S AMAZING WE ALMOST ENTIRELY LOST THE PRAIRIE ENVIRONMENT.

IT COVERED THE WHOLE STATE.

IT WAS A VAST, OPEN GRASSLAND, AND WHEN THE LAND WAS SETTLED, WE LOST IT.

WE DIDN’T TREASURE IT, AND NOW, WITH GREAT STRUGGLE, WE’RE TRYING TO BRING IT BACK, AND THIS PRAIRIE HAS BEEN RECONSTRUCTED WITH, UH, NATIVE SPECIES AND, UH, PRAIRIE BURNS AND-- AND THINGS THAT USED TO HAPPEN NATURALLY.

HAVING THESE PRAIRIES CAN SHOW US WHAT THE WILD LAND WAS LIKE.

WHEN I WAS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, I MADE A DECISION THAT I HAVEN’T CHANGED SINCE THEN, AND THAT WAS THAT THE INSPIRATION FOR MY WORK WOULD COME OUT OF MY OWN LIFE, OUT OF MY OWN EXPERIENCE, AND, FOR ME, THAT WAS ACTUALLY THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS AROUND ME.

I’VE BEEN VERY, VERY LUCKY TO LIVE IN LEAFY, UH, PLACES, UH, PLANT LIFE, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A GARDEN, SO IT’S BEEN THE SOURCE OF MY INSPIRATION.

IT HASN’T CHANGED.

MAN, VOICE-OVER: I SEE GLASS AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL MEDIUM.

IT’S TRANSFORMING FROM A LIQUID TO A SOLID.

THERE’S THIS FEELING ABOUT THE MATERIAL THAT IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER MATERIAL, AND THE EFFECT THAT YOU CAN GET WITH IT IS PRETTY REMARKABLE.

I’M A TLINGIT TRIBAL MEMBER, WHICH IS FROM THE SOUTHEAST OF ALASKA, AND I SEE MYSELF AS A BIT OF AN AMBASSADOR OF GLASS TO THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY.

BECAUSE IT IS MY CULTURAL BACKGROUND, I WANTED TO HAVE A VERY DISTINCTIVE TLINGIT STYLE.

THAT WAY, I’M SORT OF CONTINUING THE TRADITION.

YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT CAME BEFORE ME AND PIONEERED THIS WHOLE SYSTEM OF DESIGN AND OBJECT, AND THERE’LL BE PEOPLE THAT ARE AFTER ME, TOO.

YOU KNOW, I’M JUST A GUY THAT’S DOING IT TODAY.

A LOT OF THE MATERIALS THAT WE USE FOR THE TRADITIONAL ARTS ARE BECOMING, UH, INCREASINGLY RARE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE BIG, CEDAR TREES FOR A TOTEM POLE OR A CANOE, SO IN MY OWN WAY, I’M TRYING TO INTRODUCE THIS NEW MATERIAL TO THE NATIVE CULTURE.

THE TRANSFORMATION THEME IS PROMINENT IN THE NORTHWEST COAST ART.

I MEAN, THE RAVEN OFTEN TRANSFORMS INTO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS, AND SO I LIKE PLAYING WITH THOSE THEMES.

THE RAVEN STORY THAT I’M WORKING ON IS "RAVEN AND THE BOX OF DAYLIGHT," AND I’M THINKING OF USING GLASS AS ELEMENTS TO TELL THE STORY, AND I’M THINKING OF HAVING IT SORT OF LIKE A THEATRICAL INSTALLATION, IS THE WAY I’M DESCRIBING IT.

I MEAN, TO EXPERIENCE IT AS IN ITS PURITY, UH, AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WITHOUT INUNDATING THEM WITH LOTS OF INFORMATION ALONG THE WAY.

RIGHT.

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: MY NAME IS MIRANDA BELARDE-LEWIS.

I AM ZUNI AND TLINGIT, AND I’M AN INDEPENDENT CURATOR IN THE SEATTLE AREA.

"RAVEN AND THE BOX OF DAYLIGHT" IS AN EXHIBITION COMING UP AT THE MUSEUM OF GLASS IN TACOMA.

WE ARE TELLING THE ICONIC TLINGIT STORY OF RAVEN FREEING THE DAYLIGHT FOR US ALL.

PRESTON IS ILLUSTRATING THIS STORY IN GLASS, AND I’M CURATING IT.

SINGLETARY, VOICE-OVER: EACH OBJECT WILL HELP TO SHAPE THE STORY, AND IT WILL ALSO BE ENHANCED BY VIDEO PROJECTING ONTO GLASS AND CREATING SORT OF A BACKDROP.

I WANTED TO CREATE THIS ATMOSPHERE OF THE NORTHWEST COAST WHERE THERE’S MIST RISING OUT OF THE TREES.

IT WOULD TRANSFORM THE VIEWER INTO ANOTHER PLACE.

THE STORY OF RAVEN, THERE WAS THE BEGINNING OF TIME.

THE WORLD WAS IN DARKNESS, AND RAVEN ENCOUNTERED THE FISHERMEN OF THE NIGHT AT THE HEAD OF THE NASS RIVER, AND HE ASKED, "WHERE’S THE DAYLIGHT?"

AND THE FISHERMEN TELL HIM OF THIS OLD MAN THAT IS KEEPING THESE OBJECTS-- THE DAYLIGHT, SUN AND MOON AND THE STARS-- AND IN HIS CLAN HOUSE.

LEWIS, VOICE-OVER: SO RAVEN FOUND OUT THAT THE DAUGHTER OF THE MAN DRANK FROM A STREAM EVERY MORNING, AND HE CHANGED HIMSELF INTO A PIECE OF DIRT BECAUSE RAVEN IS A TRICKSTER AND HE’S A SHAPESHIFTER, AND HE FELL INTO THE WATER THAT SHE WAS DRINKING FROM.

HER SERVANT SAW THE DIRT, AND THEY THREW HIM OUT.

SO RAVEN HAS TO REFORMULATE HIS PLAN, AND THE NEXT DAY, HE TRANSFORMS HIMSELF INTO A HEMLOCK NEEDLE AND FLOATS DOWN THE RIVER, AND THIS TIME WHEN HE GETS SCOOPED UP, SHE DOESN’T NOTICE, AND SO SHE SWALLOWS THIS HEMLOCK NEEDLE.

JUST AS IN MANY OTHER STORIES AROUND THE WORLD, THERE WAS AN IMMACULATE CONCEPTION BECAUSE THE RESULT OF HER DRINKING RAVEN WAS, SHE BECAME PREGNANT.

SINGLETARY, VOICE-OVER: SO THE SALMON IS GONNA PLAY A PART AS SORT OF, LIKE, STAGECRAFT.

I’LL HAVE, LIKE, A GLASS ON THE GROUND THAT SORT OF LOOKS LIKE THE RIVER, AND THEN THESE SALMON ARE GONNA BE KIND OF FLOATING ABOVE THE TOP.

MAN, VOICE-OVER: THE SALMON’S A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT JUST BECAUSE IT’S-- IT’S AN OFF-CENTER THING THAT’S, YOU KNOW--THERE’S A LOT OF WEIGHT ON ONE SIDE, A LITTLE BIT ASYMMETRICAL.

OH, BOY.

ALBERT, VOICE-OVER: IT LOOKS MUCH EASIER THAN IT REALLY IS.

YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T PUT IT DOWN.

WITH GLASS, ONCE WE START, WE HAVE TO FINISH IT.

LEWIS, VOICE-OVER: NATIVE PEOPLE ARE THE BEST STORYTELLERS IN THE WORLD BECAUSE OUR STORIES CARRIED KNOWLEDGE AND THAT KNOWLEDGE WAS NEEDED TO SURVIVE IN A PARTICULAR ENVIRONMENT.

THERE WAS A APACHE PHILOSOPHER BY THE NAME OF VIOLA CORDOVA.

ONE OF HER MAIN POINTS IS THIS IDEA OF BOUNDED SPACE.

BOUNDED SPACE IS THE NATURAL TERRITORY THAT IS DEFINED BY, UM, RIVERS, MOUNTAINS, DESERTS, FORESTS, OR OCEANS, AND EVERYTHING WITHIN THAT BOUNDED SPACE YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH-- THE ANIMALS, THE PLANTS, THE PEOPLE.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT SPACE DETERMINES YOUR LANGUAGE.

IT DETERMINES YOUR SPIRITUALITY.

IT DETERMINES YOUR CONCEPT OF SELF, AND IT DETERMINES YOUR AESTHETICS.

YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE WHAT YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH.

SINGLETARY, VOICE-OVER: SO THIS CHILD WAS BORN, AND THE OLD MEDICINE WOMAN NOTICES THAT THIS CHILD’S VERY PRECOCIOUS AND THE EYES ARE ALWAYS DARTING AROUND, AND SHE SAYS, "HE HAS RAVEN’S EYES."

[WHISTLES] SINGLETARY: OK. SINGLETARY, VOICE-OVER: HE ASKED TO SEE THIS BOX THAT IS UP ON THIS LITTLE AREA.

THEY BRING IT DOWN, AND HE STARTS TO PLAY WITH IT, AND HE OPENS IT UP, AND IT BECOMES THE BOX THAT CONTAINS THE STARS, AND SO HE TAKES THE STARS, AND HE TOSSES THEM UP THROUGH THE SMOKE HOLE, AND THAT’S HOW THE STARS GET INTO THE SKY.

LEWIS: SO HE WAS GIVEN THE BOX WITH THE MOON IN IT TO HELP COMFORT HIM, TO SHOW FORGIVENESS, AND HE OPENED IT, AND THE MOON WENT OUT THROUGH THE SMOKE HOLE INTO THE SKY.

MAN, VOICE-OVER: TODAY I STARTED THE PIECE WHICH WAS THE STUFFING OF THE CUP, APPLYING ALL THE POWDER, AND THEN I HAND IT TO PRESTON.

AS IT GETS LARGER, IT GETS HOTTER.

IT’S JUST MORE TO HANDLE.

YOU PUT THAT WEIGHT ON THE END OF A 5-FOOT PIPE AND THEN GET IT HOT, AND SO THE MORE YOU GATHER, THE MORE IT TAKES TO ACTUALLY CONTROL IT.

PRESTON’S WORK, ONE PIECE OF HIS WORK IS MERELY LIKE ONE LINE IN A STORY.

IT’S THE WHOLE THING THAT HE DOES.

OK. BENVENUTO, VOICE-OVER: IT’S HIS CULTURE, HIS-- WHAT HE’S COMMUNICATING, WHAT HE’S TRYING TO SAY, THE PIECE ITSELF.

SINGLETARY, VOICE-OVER: EVERY OBJECT THAT WAS CREATED IN THE TLINGIT COMMUNITY WAS MADE FROM A NATURAL ELEMENT.

THE LADLES WERE CREATED FROM MOUNTAIN GOAT HORN.

THE CEDAR BARK WAS HARVESTED TO CREATE BASKETRY, YOU KNOW, THE NATURAL PIGMENTS THAT ARE USED ON THE WOODEN BOXES.

ONE THING THAT IS REALLY FASCINATING IS THE WHOLE SCIENCE OF CREATING THESE OBJECTS.

LEWIS: THERE’S A TERM CALLED "TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE," AND IT USUALLY HAS TO DO WITH GATHERING PRACTICES OF NATIVE PEOPLE EITHER FOR MEDICINE OR FOR FOOD.

IN THE NORTHWEST COAST, WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE OF CEDAR BARK.

WHEN YOU GATHER CEDAR BARK FROM A TREE, IF THE TREE IS GONNA REMAIN STANDING, YOU CAN ONLY TAKE A SECTION ABOUT A THIRD OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TREE.

THAT WAY, THE TREE CAN HEAL ITSELF AND KEEP ON GROWING.

YOU KNOW, THAT IS GENERATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE RIGHT THERE THAT RELATES TO THIS IDEA OF TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND WHICH GOES BACK TO THE IDEA OF BOUNDED SPACE AND HAVING THIS RELATIONSHIP, A LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PLANTS IN YOUR SPACE.

THE ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IS EMBODIED IN MANY DIFFERENT PIECES OF NATIVE ART.

THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LANDSCAPE IS WHAT IS INSPIRATION FOR THE ART.

SINGLETARY, VOICE-OVER: OF COURSE, FEW DAYS LATER IS THE FINAL BOX, AND SO THE BOY FUSSES AND CRIES AND SCREAMS TO GET HIS WAY, AND THE DAUGHTER GOES TO THE OLD MAN AND SAYS, "FATHER, IS THERE ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR GRANDSON?"

AND HE SAYS, "YEAH.

OK. YOU’RE RIGHT," SO HE PUTS THE BOX DOWN IN FRONT OF HIM AND INSTRUCTS HIM NOT TO OPEN UP THE BOX.

OF COURSE, HE OPENS UP THE BOX.

HE TAKES THE SUN, AND HE FLIES THROUGH THE SMOKE HOLE IN THE HOUSE, AND HE PLACES IT IN THE SKY AND BREAKS DAYLIGHT ON THE WORLD... AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE STARTLED, SOME OF THEM RAN OFF INTO THE FOREST AND THEN BECAME THE ANIMALS OF THE FOREST.

SOME OF THEM DOVE INTO THE WATER AND BECAME THE--THE SEA LIFE.

SOME OF THEM TOOK OFF INTO THE SKY AND BECAME THE BIRDS.

THEN THE PEOPLE THAT REMAINED WHERE THEY ARE BECAME THE TLINGIT.

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: THE GREEN IS A RUBBER TAPE, AND YOU CAN DRAW ON IT, AND THEN I’LL CUT IT OUT, AND THEN IT’LL BE SANDBLASTED.

EVERYTHING THAT I CUT AND I REMOVE, THE COLOR WILL COME OFF OF THAT, AND WHEREVER THE TAPE IS, THE COLOR WILL STAY.

WHATEVER I CUT IS HOW PRESTON’S DESIGNS ARE GONNA COME OUT IN THE END, SO I WANT TO STAY TRUE TO HIS DESIGN AND HIS LINE AND KEEP IT LOOKING LIKE HIS HAND.

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: WELL, THE SANDBLASTING PROCESS, AS FAR AS PRESTON’S WORK GOES, IT’S THE LAST STEP OF A KIND OF INTERDEPENDENT PROCESS, AND EACH STEP CAN ONLY BE AS GOOD AS THE LAST STEP, SO BRITT’S CUTTING CAN ONLY BE AS CLEAR AS PRESTON’S LINES WERE FOR HER, AND MY SANDBLASTING IS ONLY GONNA BE AS GOOD AS THE CUTTING.

ON THE RAVEN, THE BLACK COMES OFF TO REVEAL A RED UNDERNEATH.

LEWIS, VOICE-OVER: AT THAT POINT, RAVEN DECIDED THAT HE WAS DONE BEING A HUMAN, AND HE CHANGED BACK INTO THE RAVEN FORM, AND BACK IN THOSE TIMES, RAVEN WAS, UM, A WHITE BEING TO MARK HIS SUPERNATURAL STATUS.

THE MAN WAS SO ANGRY AT BEING TRICKED BY RAVEN THAT HE HELD HIM BY HIS FEET OVER THE FIRE, AND THE SMOKE FROM THE FIRE TURNED RAVEN BLACK, AND THAT’S HOW WE KNOW HIM TODAY, SO WE HAVE RAVEN TO THANK FOR RELEASING THE DAYLIGHT INTO THE WORLD, BUT HE SUFFERED AND IS FOREVER MARKED FOR DOING SO.

SINGLETARY: MAYBE SOME ELEMENTS OF THIS STORY BEING SPOKEN IN TLINGIT, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE SOUNDSCAPE, YOU KNOW, SO THAT--THAT ACTUALLY SUBLIMINALLY, YOU’D BE GETTING THIS STORY, BUT YOU DON’T REALIZE IT.

SINGLETARY, VOICE-OVER: THE WAY THAT I THINK ABOUT WORKING WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS, IT BECOMES A BIT OF A RESPONSIBILITY TO KIND OF SHEPHERD THIS ABILITY AND THIS KNOWLEDGE AND SHARE IT WITH A BROADER AUDIENCE.

ALL OF THE SYMBOLISM THAT I WORK WITH HAS SOME KIND OF CONNECTION TO NATURE, SO IT’S SOMETHING THAT I’M CONSTANTLY REFLECTING ON ON TERMS OF THE MYTHOLOGY AND THE SYMBOLISM AND HOW TO BRING THOSE INTO A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT THEM.

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: "ASTRONAUTS LOVE EARTH SO MUCH, "THEY CHOOSE TO LEAVE IT.

"FOR COMFORT, THEY CARRY WITH THEM "EARTHLINGS OF OTHER SPECIES.

"ZINNIA IS AN IDEAL COMPANION, BECAUSE IT IS GOOD TO LOOK AT, "AS WELL AS GOOD TO EAT.

"DEAR ZINNIA, CAN YOU FEEL THE FLOATING INSIDE YOU?

"YOUR HEAD TURNS TOWARD THE SUN AGAIN AND AGAIN.

"YOU KNOW IT’S YOUR HOME STAR, SINGULAR AND TRUE."

IT’S A POEM BY CLARE ELLIOT LILLISTON.

I ASKED CLARE IF SHE WOULD JUST WRITE ME SOMETHING ABOUT NATURE, AND I DIDN’T GIVE HER ANY PARAMETERS, AND SHE CAME BACK TO ME WITH WANTING TO WRITE ABOUT ZINNIAS IN SPACE.

I GOT REALLY EXCITED AND A LITTLE SCARED BECAUSE WE’RE NOT REALLY USED TO THINKING ABOUT SPACE AS NATURE, BUT THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, OF COURSE SPACE IS NATURE.

IT’S LIKE, HOW ARE WE DEFINING NATURE-- IS IT THE LIMIT OF WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT WHEN WE SEE GREEN AND WHEN WE SEE TREES, WHEN WE SEE WILDLIFE, OR IS IT--IS IT EVERYTHING?-- AND I THINK NATURE IS BOTH INSIDE US AND OUTSIDE US AND THAT THERE IS NO LIMIT TO WHAT NATURE IS.

I REMEMBER MY VERY FIRST TRIP OUT TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, GOING INTO THE RAINFOREST, GOING TO THE BEACHES.

IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME, AND IT REALLY HELPED DEVELOP MY APPRECIATION OF THE AREA, AND MY LOVE OF NATURE GREW OUT OF THAT.

BEFORE I MET BILL, HE WAS STUDYING PLANT MEDICINE, AND TOGETHER, WE’VE BOTH WORKED TO CREATE THIS GARDEN.

WE BROUGHT IN A LOT OF FERNS, A LOT OF THE MAHONIAS, A LOT OF PLANTS THAT WERE NATIVE.

WE DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN, BUT WE’RE NOT INDIGENOUS TO THIS PARTICULAR CORNER OF THE WORLD, AND NEITHER ARE ALL OF THE PLANTS.

BILL, VOICE-OVER: I’M SO INSPIRED JUST BY WATCHING HER PROCESS AND THE WAY SHE CREATES AND WHAT GENERATES THAT CREATIVITY.

IT’S CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.

IT STARTS OFF WITH THIS LITTLE IDEA, AND THEN IT JUST GROWS AND GROWS AND GROWS, AND THEN IT MORPHS INTO SOMETHING ELSE, AND THEN IT BECOMES THIS BEAUTIFUL, FINISHED PRODUCT.

MICHAELIS: I’M JUST MIXING SOME TRANSPARENCY IN WITH SOME SILVER INK.

OK. I’M GONNA PUT IT ON THE PRESS NOW.

THE IDEA OF "ASTRONAUTICA" WAS TO HAVE THINGS LOOKING LIKE THEY’RE FLOATING IN SPACE.

THIS IS THE SILVER PRINT RUN THAT MADE THE LIGHT-COLORED LEAVES THAT GO THROUGH HERE.

SO I WANT TO GIVE THE UM, PLEXIGLAS A GOOD COAT INK.

HERE’S THE LEAVES.

EACH LEAF WAS GLUED TO A PIECE OF PAPER, AND THEN I CUT AROUND IT JUST TO HELP IT BE A LITTLE STRONGER AND RES--REINFORCE IT.

OFTEN, I’M GONNA PICK UP A LEAF, AND I’M GONNA PRESS IT MAYBE JUST FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.

UM, THE GREENER IT IS, THE LONGER THE LIFE IN THE PRESS, BUT IF IT’S TOO GREEN, IT’S JUST GONNA SQUIRT CHLOROPHYLL OUT IN THE PRESSING PROCESS... AND THEN I JUST ROLL IT OVER... AND IT’S REALLY CLEAR THAT THE LEAVES THERE ARE MAKING THE PRINT HERE, SO 4 PRINT RUNS BEFORE THE TYPE WENT ON IT, AND THEY’RE ALL PRESSURE-PRINTED.

"LETTERPRESS PRINTED UNDER THE MOON’S WAX AND WANE "AT MAY DAY PRESS, APRIL 2016."

I CHOSE THE NAME MAY DAY PRESS NOT JUST BECAUSE I WAS BORN ON MAY DAY, BUT I GOT MY FIRST PRESS ON MAY DAY.

RAYNA HOLTZ WAS MY LETTERPRESS TEACHER, AND SHE WAS A BIG INFLUENCE FOR ME AS A TEACHER BUT ALSO AN INFLUENCE ON WHAT A PRESS SHOULD BE, THIS IDEA OF HAVING SOME KIND OF MISSION OR THEME THAT YOU BUILT YOUR WORK AROUND.

I GOT MY OWN PRESS, AND I HAD TO MAKE MY VERY FIRST BOOK.

I HAD TO START WITH A BOOK THAT HONORED MY GRANDMOTHER AND HER CHEROKEE HERITAGE.

SHE WAS JUST SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PERSON.

SHE TOOK IN EVERY STRAY PLANT, EVERY STRAY ANIMAL.

SHE RAISED 3 OF HER GRANDCHILDREN.

EVERYBODY LOVED HER.

THIS IS WHAT I THOUGHT IT MEANT TO BE CHEROKEE.

THIS IS WHAT I THOUGHT IT MEANT TO BE A GOOD PERSON IN THE WORLD, AND SO I WANTED TO HONOR THAT WITH MY FIRST PROJECT.

I DESIGNED A BOOK-- "A CHEROKEE PRIMER."

I CHOSE THIS BARK PAPER THAT’S HAND-BEATEN BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN MEXICO.

ON THE INSIDE, THERE’S IMAGES FROM NATURE, AND I WANTED THE WORDS IN CHEROKEE AND ENGLISH UNDERNEATH THEM.

I SPENT A LOT OF TIME DRAWING THE LETTERS, AND I THEN CARVED THEM IN LINOLEUM AND PRINTED THEM ONTO THE PAPER.

AS I WAS LEARNING ABOUT THE CHEROKEE LANGUAGE, I ALSO LEARNED ABOUT SEQUOYAH AND HIS INVENTION OF THE WRITTEN CHEROKEE LANGUAGE.

IF THE CHEROKEE LANGUAGE COULD BE WRITTEN, THEN IT WOULD HELP KEEP THE CHEROKEE CULTURE ALIVE.

THAT WAS SEQUOYAH’S VISION, AND THAT’S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO, TOO.

I WAS TRYING TO KEEP IT ALIVE IN ME AND, UM, IN OUR FAMILY, AND SO IT FELT IMPORTANT TO BRING THAT PIECE OF HISTORY FORWARD AND PUT IT IN THE BOOK.

MICHAELIS, VOICE-OVER: BILL AND I GOT REALLY INTERESTED IN THE ECO PRINTING PROCESS ON PAPER, AND WE’VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME COLLECTING PLANTS AND PUTTING THEM THROUGH THIS TRANSFER PROCESS ON THE PAPER.

MOODY: PLANTS CONTAIN MANY PIGMENTS.

BY PUTTING THEM IN CONTACT WITH THE PAPER AND WE BUNDLE THEM UP AND RUBBER-BAND THEM PRETTY RIGHTLY AND THEY GO IN THE POT AND WE APPLY HEAT, IT RELEASES THE PIGMENTS FROM THE PLANTS, AND IT’S ABSORBED BY THE PAPER.

MOODY: WEIGHT IT DOWN AND-- MICHAELIS: THERE WE GO.

MICHAELIS, VOICE-OVER: ALL THROUGH THE SEASONS, WE’RE COLLECTING DIFFERENT THINGS BECAUSE NEW PLANTS ARE COMING UP, NEW PLANTS ARE BLOOMING, NEW PLANTS ARE GOING TO SEED.

ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS ARE HAPPENING, AND SO IT REALLY GAVE US A CHANCE TO EXPERIMENT AND CREATE DIFFERENT LOOKS FROM ONE MONTH TO THE NEXT ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

WE’RE ALWAYS OOHING AND AHHING OVER THE PAPERS.

MOODY: IT’S LIKE CHRISTMAS.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GONNA GET UNTIL YOU OPEN IT UP.

MICHAELIS: IT’S ALWAYS EXCITING.

THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW.

MICHAELIS, VOICE-OVER: WE DECIDED TO CREATE A BOOK.

IT’S CALLED "SOLAR RETURN," AND IT’S REALLY ABOUT SHOWCASING THESE PAPERS, BEING VERY DRAMATIC WITH THEM AND SUBTLE WITH THEM AND SORTING THEM BY SEASONS.

I THINK THAT NATURE IS AN EXPERIENCE.

IT’S VERY EXPERIENTIAL.

IT’S VERY, UM, SENSORIAL AND SENSUAL, AND WHEN WE MAKE ART ABOUT IT, WE’RE FIXING IT, AND I WANT IT TO STAY ALIVE AS MUCH AS I CAN.

I WANT MY OWN EXPERIENCE OF NATURE TO KEEP EXPANDING AND GROWING.

I DECIDED I WOULD DO A BOOK AND, UM, HAVE IT BE CALLED "EROTICA BOTANICA."

I JUST HAD THE TITLE, AND I THOUGHT, "OH, MAYBE JUST EVERY NOW AND THEN, YOU’LL DISCOVER A LITTLE, NATURE-BASED QUOTE," BUT WHILE I WAS LOOKING FOR THE TEXT, I JUST HAD A HARD TIME FINDING SOMETHING THAT I WANTED.

I DECIDED, "I GUESS I JUST HAVE TO WRITE SOME EROTICA ABOUT THE BOTANICA," SO, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS EMBARRASSING, I THINK, I DECIDED ALL THIS WAS GOING TO BE FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF THE FLOWERS AND THEIR POLLINATORS, SO EACH OF THESE LITTLE VERSES IS A DIFFERENT POLLINATION METHOD.

YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THAT WHEN YOU READ IT.

YOU MAY JUST THINK IT’S EROTICA, BUT THEY’RE MEANT TO BE REALLY TRUE.

WHEN I WAS CREATING THE VISUAL DESIGN, I WANTED IT TO BE VERY LEAFY AND SENSUAL, SO I HAVE THESE PAGES THAT ARE SHAPED LIKE LEAVES THAT FOLD OVER EACH OTHER, AND YOU GET LITTLE GLIMPSES THROUGH THEM, AND THE PAPER IS VERY SENSUAL TO THE TOUCH.

I SPENT HOURS AND HOURS JUST DOING MY ARTWORK AND SITTING IN THE GARDEN BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT.

IT’S ABOUT NATURE, AND THE BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND NATURE IS TO SPEND TIME IN IT.

WHETHER IT’S THE BIRD SOUND OR THE COLORS OF THE FLOWERS OR THE SMELL OF THE PLANTS, IT’S ALL REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME, AND IT ALL, I THINK, BECOMES, UM, IMBUED IN THE PROCESS.

"DEAR SPACE, "CAN WE CALL YOU "NATURE" SO MANY MILES ABOVE ATMOSPHERE?

"STILL, WE PUT OURSELVES IN THE CENTER OF IT-- "THE AIR THAT IS NOT AIR, "THE VACUUM, THE VOID, "THE POSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE.

"WE PUT OURSELVES THERE AND BRING THE FLOWERS WITH US."

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