Month: August 2015

SOFA SURFING and TAKING INVENTORY

WayMaking Cairn Sofa Surfing 1I’ve been seeing this sofa for several days in my regular drive down the alley toward my garage.  It got me to wondering about all the sofas that get tossed and whether there were options to just dropping it into the local garbage mountain.  One entry in my search engine “furniture in landfills” lead me directly to PLANETSAVE‘s website where writer Joanna writes in her 2011 entry that the EPA reports that in the United States we are putting annually 9.8 million tons of furniture into our landfills.

So I went to the EPA site, which offers a highly detailed report of our daily habits of garbage generation:  on average, every individual in the US is generating a whopping 4.4 lbs  of garbage per day!   By contrast, our EU neighbors daily production of trash is 2.9  lbs. per day. A dubious distinction that is not in our favor. In its June 2015 report, the EPA stated that

“In 2013, Americans generated about 254 million tons (U.S. short tons unless specified) of trash and recycled and composted over 87 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.3 percent recycling rate (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). On average, Americans recycled and composted 1.51 pounds out of our individual waste generation rate of 4.40 pounds per person per day.”

I am trying to be the change I want to see in the world by putting into my recycle bins every possible recyclable material that I can.  All my grass clippings become mulch for my gardens.  All my food scraps go into my circular composter, getting turned daily and then, each season it gets turned back into the garden soil.  I do not purchase water in bottles, as that’s the best way to cut down on that material’s re-entry into our system.  I now go to re-sale shops to purchase necessary items, and when I need a book I am purchasing used books on Amazon and Half.com.  I still think I need to do more.

WMC SOFA CU 20150808_6199What responsible practices are you following to recycle, reuse, and otherwise cut back on the amount of trash you are generating?  Looking for ideas?  Joanna’s previously credited entry above includes the following helpful ideas for dealing with furniture you no longer want or need:

Tips on how to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Rethink on household furniture

Reduce

  • Measure twice, buy once! Plan and organize your space ahead of time before purchasing furniture pieces in your home. When purchasing new furniture, always research the company’s environmental policies and their initiative in reducing waste. Check out IKEA’s CSR policy.
  • Try to look for multiple-function furniture pieces like convertible sofas and futons.  Having a guest bed and a sofa built into one piece of furniture helps save on important materials such as wood and reduces deforestation.

Reuse

  • There is plenty of usable “pre-owned” furniture available through Craigslist, Freecycleor even a garage sale!
  • Use slipcovers to keep your existing furniture looking fresh and new to last you for years to come.
  • Renew your chair by removing the seat and fabric — check to see if the foam is still usable (no mold) — and replace the fabric with new (preferably organic) fabric with a staple gun.
  • Donate your good-condition furniture to those in need, such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

Recycle

  • Check with your local curbside recycling program or Earth911.com to find a recycling location.

Rethink

  • Do you really need new furniture?  Could readjusting your existing furniture make your room look brand new?  Sometimes it just takes a little shifting around on your existing furniture to add a little splash in the design.  Try switching furniture pieces from different rooms.  A simple dining room table can be used as a desk, or a book shelf can be used with storage bins to store socks and clothes.

WayMaking Cairn Sofa Surfing 2

 

 

Commencing Now

On Sunday, July 26th I participated in Goddard College’s commencement exercises on the beautiful Plainfield, Vermont campus.  In my mind’s eye I see in vibrant technicolor the beautiful souls shining through the faces of the faculty, fellow graduates, other students in the program and the alumni present, physically and in spirit via Facebook posts.  The final graduation requirement, fulfilled that weekend, was a presentation to the college community, giving an overview of the research and artistic work over the course of my studies.  I attempted to provide a thumbnail sketch of my portfolio, using this website as my visual and sonic tool for introducing small bits of the work produced.

The cover of my 173 page portfolio document along with its title, (I’ve nicknamed it my magnificent obsession) is shown here.

Microsoft Word - JM VOLKMANN DRAFT 5 Inc I & C 5.28.docx

In the portfolio’s introduction I included the following parable as metaphor for my spiritual and creative pilgrimage of discovery and becoming as an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary artist within my studies at Goddard College.   This is excerpted from Sacred Rituals, Connecting with Spirit through Labyrinths, Sand Paintings & Other Traditional Arts (Fair Winds, Gloucester MA, 2004) co-authored by Eileen London and Belinda Recio.

“A poverty-stricken rabbi from Cracow had a recurring dream about a treasure buried near abridge in Prague. Because his dream was persistent, he was compelled to travel in search of the treasure. When he arrived at the bridge, he discovered that it was heavily guarded, but having traveled so far, the rabbi lingered in the area waiting for his chance to search for the treasure. After several days, a guard approached him and demanded to know the nature of his business. Discouraged, the rabbi reluctantly revealed his dream and that he was there to search for the treasure. The guard admonished him, but then told him that he, too, had a recurring dream of a treasure, only in his dream, the treasure was buried under the hearth at the house of a poor rabbi in Cracow. The guard assured the rabbi, however, that he wasn’t foolish enough to go hunting for a treasure just because it appeared in a dream. Upon hearing the guard’s tale, the rabbi became exuberant, hurried home, and sure enough, under his hearth, he discovered an immense treasure.”(175)

Authors London and Recio state “The message of this parable reminds us that the sacred we seek is already within our hearts, but sometimes, in order to recognize it, we need to travel away from the familiar. This is the essence of pilgrimage—an inner restlessness that calls us away from home, to search for what the heart holds sacred. …Real or metaphoric, a pilgrimage (historically) had, and still has, the purpose of finding something that holds profound significance to the traveler, culminating in a deepened spiritual state or personal transformation.” (176)

In the weeks ahead, I will include excerpts from my portfolio to illustrate waypoints of my own creative and spiritual pilgrimage throughout my studies in Goddard’s MFA program in Interdisciplinary Arts.

Thank you, Goddard.

MFA DIPLOMA_20140804_6139

FOOTNOTES

London, Eileen, and Belinda Recio. “Seeking What the Heart Holds Sacred.” Sacred Rituals: Connecting with Spirit through Labyrinths, Sand Paintings & Other Traditional Arts. Gloucester, MA: Fair Winds, 2004. 175-85. Print.

a + b =

This post reflects upon my experiences as a witness this past weekend at the wedding of my daughter Anna to her life partner, and now wife, Bridget.  The officiant at the ceremony was my daughter, Kara, Anna’s elder sister.  Also present and participating was my daughter Eva, as well as Anna’s father, John Volkmann and his wife Kathy, Bridget’s father Jack O’Shea and her brother Brian. A few representative members of quite large extended families on both sides were present as well as a circle of friends and co-workers that have gathered round Anna and Bridget throughout their lives.  All told, perhaps 50 souls bore witness and celebrated this beautiful marriage of these two mature, wise, joyous, accomplished, talented and dedicated women who model all that love is asking of us:  A willingness to be open and touched by the love of another;  a willingness to offer the kind of love that can transform everyone and everything it touches, beginning with the lover;  a willingness to invite and welcome the support of a community in this most powerful of commitments.   Volo Restaurant on Roscoe Ave. in Chicago was the perfect setting for this unique and moving ceremony.

Anna and Bridget devised, with Shay’s willing and open-hearted participation, a variation on the Celtic HandFasting ritual.  In their ceremony, they dedicated themselves to forming a family of love, dedication, patience, forgiveness, and joyous celebration of each other’s unique gifts, held fast in the warm embrace of family.  And so the binding of all six hands was made after the promises made by each member.

In these two photos, the WayMaking Cairn continues its role as my avatar, spiritual symbol of witness and giver of mute testimony.  I offer the words of honor.  The Cairn offers visual remembrance.

The couple is now on their honeymoon.  After their return and the gifts are opened, there will be another post on the extended role of art in all aspects of this beautiful ceremony.

The rings, bearing Celtic symbols of love and promise.

The rings, bearing Celtic symbols of love and promise.

Anna's graphic design of the words she and B agreed were their

Anna’s graphic design of the words she and B agreed were their “keywords” to their lives together.