Are You for the Arts?

People have all types of collections and some very interesting stories about their attachment to these objects.  There were seven of us present at this July's Show & Tell for Grownups, a smaller gathering than usual but the objects we brought evoked other's memories and we had no trouble filling 2 hours with storytelling. 

The first to share was Dianne who just happens to collect hats. A lot of hats. Here she's wearing what I call a Beanie and Cecil hat given to her by her brother. As a girl she learned Carol Burnett was a hat collector and thought that was 'way' cool. Today over a 100 hats don Diane's bedroom walls. In fact, Diane has been looking for the TV guide that pictured Carol Burnett surrounded by her hat collection. If you find it, I bet Diane is willing to make a deal!

Another Diane in the group also is a collector. It turns out she had gone horse back riding the day before, something she hasn't done for years. She related how much she like most little girls, loved horses. The Breyer Company helped little girls fulfill their horse owning fantasies by creating life like plastic horses in a much smaller scale, of course. I know some of my friends growing up had these too.  I noticed Diane's affinity even extends to her car  with a personalized license plate SEA BISCUIT( different sp). OK, she's a definite horse aficionado.

My sharing was one of artist Jane F. Hankin's whimsical sculptures. Doesn't this fella look like he's enjoying his summer?  Margarita in hand he's sun and funning it. Each figurine comes along with a story by the artist but there's a 'special' story regarding a piece I bought for a long time girlfriend this past Christmas for her "Toodles to the Ta Tas Party." The artist had FB'ed (Facebooked) her newest Christmas Tree Gals and I just knew that is what I had to buy for my friend to add cheer to her mantel. I was 

told another person was interested in one but the artist told me to come by when I was in town to pick one out. Unbeknownst to me until a photo of my elementary school buddy and I were posing with the Christmas Tree Gal posted on FB, did my friend's daughter call her Mom all flummoxed and laughing to inform her Mom there would be 2 Christmas Tree Gals decking out the fireplace mantel piece from now on. She was the other client.  Hey, what can I say except great minds think alike? 

Station brands  between Joan's hand placement

Carol's object was really a very important memoir of a trip with one of her daughters, a walking stick used for a sunrise view climb up Mt. Fuji. Starting at 6,000 feet, at each station a brand was burnt into this walking stick, but before the last segment of the climb, Carol just couldn't continue due to altitude sickness. Light headed and losing her cookies, she didn't have the energies to continue. Carol was really ill. Her daughter and her had predecided should either of them be unable to continue, the other would persevere. While her daughter climbed to the summit, Carol back tracked 'on her own' in the dark equipped with a head lamp and the walking stick to an agreed upon meeting spot at a lower altitude. I think she deserves that last brand for just being so brave. Carol is still collecting trip memories as the mother and daughter team continue to be travel partners. Wow.

George's story was about a game favorite in his household named Quad. Quad is a 3 dimensional Tic Tac Toe game (middle photo) which gave his family many hours of play time. But there's more to this game as George would later discover. You see George's Dad was a teacher who had lost his job and to make ends meet, sold this game Quad, door to door. What folks will do to feed their families.

We also had a new guest this meeting, Patti, who had heard Sue, our group organizer, on the radio and wanted to check out 'Show & Tell For Grownups' to possibly use for a program at her church. Totally ok, to just come and listen...

So last but not least was Susan T. Hessel's story of one of her first  journalist endeavors right out of school. It was a review of a children's play  advertised as 'entertainment for the entire family.' Sue had nothing nice to say about the play as it was totally inappropriate for kids. Death, bad music and lyrics, you name it, she spared no kind  words. Perhaps, she conceded being a bit harsh, full of the power of the pen/ she repeated to me her ego was the size of a house. Not long after the article was published, she was approached by two women in the park one day and asked if she was "for the Arts"?  Hmm, she thought, "Why wouldn't I be for the Arts?" Then, she realized this questioning was because of the review.  Oh dear what to do? How could she ever be assumed to not be a lover of the arts. Sue resolved the issue one day when she came across these two sculptures and bought them to prove she was indeed 'for' the Arts.

Our homes are certainly filled with many objects. Our life stories accompany those objects. You should join us at Show & Tell for Grownups one of these days/ start your own group in your city.