September 22, 2025 • 21 mins
In celebration of the 125th anniversary of Arden’s founding, the Arden Artisans Collective presents A Living Legacy, a two-part exhibition series that honors the vibrant, ongoing tradition of creativity in the Ardens. Featuring the work of past and present artists from this unique Arts and Crafts community, the exhibitions span generations and mediums—offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience the unbroken thread of artistry that has defined the Ardens for over a century. The Division speaks with Jill Althouse Wood and Sadie Somerville about this exciting new exhibition.
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.
Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
Today we're talking about theArden community, a unique arts
and crafts village in Delawarethat has been fostering
creativity and intentionalliving since 1900.
This year marks Arden's 125thanniversary and, to celebrate,
the Artisans community hasorganized two special art
(00:34):
exhibits that will bridge bothpast and present Arden.
I'm joined by two guests who'vebeen central to bringing this
project to life JillAlthouse-Wood, a founding member
of the Arden ArtisansCollective, and Sadie Somerville
, who is also a member of thecollective and a volunteer with
the Arden Craft Shop Museum.
Thank you both for being withme today and, as we kick off,
(00:56):
talk to us about Arden as acommunity.
Why is it so significant inDelaware's arts history?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, arden was founded in 1900 by Georges, an
artist from Philadelphia.
Frank Stevens was a sculptorand Will Price an architect.
They were inspired by HenryGeorge's economic principles and
William Morris's arts andcrafts philosophy, and so the
village became part socialexperiment and part artist's
(01:23):
haven.
Arden's expanded in 1922 withArden Town and in 1950 with
Arden Croft, and collectivelythey're called the Ardens.
In the first decade of Ardenmany artists came to the Ardens
and writers and free thinkers.
Much of the early life inArden's writers and freethinkers
, much of the early life inArden included music, theater,
(01:47):
arts, nature and creativity.
They came and set up their ownstudios for their art forms to
work with metal, painting, clayor wood or whatever the medium
was that they were working in.
Typical quote from WilliamMorris is have nothing in your
(02:09):
home that you do not know to beuseful or believe to be
beautiful, and that's very muchthe philosophy for the early
settlers in Arden.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
What makes the 125-year anniversary so special
and why celebrate it with an artand craft exhibit?
Speaker 3 (02:28):
As the collective.
We were going to do a groupshow anyway, and we had one last
year.
We were just trying to thinkwhat could make this one bigger,
better, and we realized.
We looked at the calendar andsaw that the anniversary was
here and it's the perfect chanceto show Arden's artist legacy.
We're not just a group that'sgathered here and now.
(02:49):
We reach way back into historyand hopefully we're a living,
vibrant force that's going to bemoving forward as the years go
on.
So we wanted to showcase all ofthat.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Can you describe a little bit about the vision
behind the 125 Legacy Exhibitand how that all came together
through the work of thecollective?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
The idea we got when we had the 125th is to bridge
the past and the present, and sowe have a bunch of volunteers
which we have got a great set ofpeople working on this.
We have Megan King who is thecurator for our two-dimensional
exhibit, and we have MicahAltman who is the curator for
our two-dimensional exhibit, andwe have Micah Altman who is the
curator for ourthree-dimensional exhibit, and
(03:31):
then we have Sadie here who isaugmenting this whole exhibit
with things from the Craft ShopMuseum that go into our past.
She's reached out to people inour community that own pieces
made by past artists.
So it's going to be a reallycool like meaning of the word
collective.
This showcases it beautifully.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
From the museum's perspective, what are some of
the most compelling legacypieces in the show?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Well, there's a lot of early pieces that we have in
the Art and Craft Shop Museumcollection.
Pieces that we have in theArden Craft Shop Museum
collection, especially thearchival photographs which show
images of early Arden artistsworking in their studios,
including women, and otherpieces that are actually made in
the Ardens were hand-wroughtiron, metalwork, ceramics and
(04:22):
paintings that are part of thisexhibit as well.
It goes back all the way to1900, when they first arrived in
Wilmington, delaware, andbought this farm for the
community of Arden and theyreally believed in making things
by hand and using that as apart of their lives, to
(04:48):
completely be sustainable andmake items that were high
quality, handmade and beautifulto look at, and they sold their
work in exhibitions and shops inPhiladelphia, new York,
washington.
So it's a really greatcollection of works from the
(05:13):
past and from the museum.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And knowing right that the past will help inform
the present, but also help usreflect to the present.
Talk to us about how thesehistorical works that you're
pulling from the museum helpconnect with the more
contemporary ones, or the morecontemporary art forms that
we'll see during this exhibit.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Well, you'll see shared motifs and expressions,
especially from nature.
Ardenites enjoy nature and itsforests, creeks, open spaces.
It's a very important part ofthe arts.
Here the deeper link is theprocess or the work working
(05:54):
itself across time.
Artists engage with theirmaterials in iron, fiber, paint
with the same curiosity and care.
Both the historic contemporaryworks tell the ongoing story of
our community and its creativespirit.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
For those that might not know more about Arden, talk
to us about kind of the town'shistory a little bit and why it
was founded as an arts town,right, but also kind of what
makes it unique.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Well, it was like William Morris, who was one of
the influences of founding ofArden.
They had a romantic view of themedieval arts and craftsmanship
which became part of theirdaily lives and it was a
movement that really was againstthe industrial revolution,
(06:45):
bringing back some of the almostmedieval arts, using older,
earlier materials andworkmanship and creating works
that were high quality and worthpurchasing and having in your
home, as William Morris pointedout earlier.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Jill tell us a little bit about the Arden Artisans
Collective and how it strives tocarry the legacy of Arden
forward.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Well, it all started out when they had a PBS special
about the Ardens right afterCOVID and they showcased a lot
of our artists.
They talked about us being anartist colony and then we
realized that there was no placefor anybody to go to learn more
about us.
So a group of us got togethertogether and we wanted to see
how we could increase thevisibility of not only our
(07:33):
artists but what we're doinghere as far as the legacy and
showcase the history.
Because I think the PBS specialjust kicked it off beautifully.
It kind of got us going and wethought, you know, we need to
have some ongoing presence inthe greater Wilmington area and
beyond so that people canunderstand how special this is,
(07:54):
this community that we have.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
How does the collective create opportunities
both for your establishedartists but also for your
younger or newer artists thatare in the area?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I don't know if it's the collective so much as the
culture of Arden, because kidsgrow up.
They grow up having art intheir homes that their neighbors
have made.
They go to people's houses andthere's more art in people's
houses.
There's art that's public artin the community, and a lot of
(08:25):
artists come and demonstrate andwork with the kids there, and
so they just grow up and it'spart of life.
They experience art as a partof life, and the other thing
about this is very interestingis that it isn't just the kids
that benefit this.
It's people that either movehere or adults.
They come to find out that theytoo can enjoy the arts in
(08:48):
whatever capacity they want to,and some of them have taken it
to a really high level, justmidlife enjoying what they're
doing, seeing how other peopledo it, and then.
So we have a lot of people inour collective that didn't start
out as artists, didn't considerthemselves artists, and then
now showing their work, and it'sa pretty wonderful thing.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Why do you think a place like Arden still exists or
resonates with artists andcitizens alike today?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Well, people in general come to Arden because of
the community.
Many people say, oh, I reallyjust love Arden.
It has a sense of communitythat I don't find other places,
sense of community that I don'tfind other places.
And because of that, peoplegather and collaborate together
in all different ways in music,arts, theater.
(09:36):
And this is just another facetof that collaboration within the
community people sharing andworking together, volunteering
for various projects, and allages.
As Jill just pointed out, it'san all-inclusive,
intergenerational veryintergenerational community.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Community.
Yeah Well, sadie's been here alot longer than we have.
We've been here 12 years.
We came specifically because itwas an arts community.
We were looking for that, Ithink it just.
It's like no place else I'veever lived or experienced and
the amount of collaboration here, like Sadie said, is phenomenal
(10:18):
and you get it from lots ofdifferent sources.
So you can have thecollaboration with the theater,
you can have collaboration withthe writers of the community.
The musicians can havecollaboration with the writers
of the community, the musicians.
It's just a wonderful place andpeople gather and there's
plenty of places to gather andto have that interaction where
you're rubbing elbows and kindof bouncing ideas off of each
(10:40):
other.
It's a great place to live.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
What surprised you most as you were going through
the archives or the artifactswhile preparing for the exhibit?
Was there a certain object, acertain story or kind of a photo
of a person that we should allkeep an eye out as we're coming
to the exhibit?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Well, I used to work as a fabric designer and when I
saw the photos of the weave shopthat they had in the early
1900s we was like 1913, aboutwhen they started that and all
the women that work there andthey produce, I mean I was just
fascinated by that.
But that might be a personalstory for me, just being a
textile person.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Well, I'm a textile person too, and I would say that
that has always been aninterest to me, seeing what the
weave shop produced.
But also, earlier than that,there were weavers in the
community and they went on tocreate all kinds of textile
pieces that were sold nationwide.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Beyond the exhibit itself, are there any other
pieces of programming like talksor demos or studio tours
that'll be happening during theperiod of time that the exhibit
is up?
Speaker 3 (11:50):
that'll be happening during the period of time that
the exhibit is up.
We have one of the things thatcame out of the collective is
October 28th at the BuzzwareVillage Center from seven to
nine, we are having an artisansocial and what we do is we have
somebody get up and talk aboutnew work that they've been doing
and then we open up the floorto anybody else who wants to
discuss anything else, anyprojects they have going on.
(12:10):
They can show pieces that arein progress, they can show
recently completed pieces and ifnobody stands up, then we
usually have a topic ofdiscussion.
It's been a surprise for us, Ithink, these artists and socials
, because they're just a chancefor the artists to come together
and talk and we've had peoplecollaborate out of this social,
(12:32):
like they found out about workthat somebody else is doing and
how it relates to their work.
We were just going to have aonce and done artists and social
and it's turned out to be aregular event that we've had
twice a year since then and wealways have cake.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
It just always have cake.
It's always part of it.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
As you talk about the artists, was there a specific
selection criteria for how youselected who would participate
in the contemporary component?
And then, was there anycriteria that helped balance the
tradition of Arden with theexperimentation of kind of the
past and present portion of theexhibition?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Well, the two curators for this exhibit are
not sitting here, but I willspeak to it as much as I can.
I think for this exhibit, morethan our past exhibits, we were
kind of looking for work thatexemplified Arden and that can
be subject matter, technique,and and we did have an eye to
(13:32):
what we were bringing in fromthe past so that we could kind
of look and see how they spoketo one another.
And it's amazing when you get acollective any of the shows
we've done when you put allthose different pieces on the
wall, it's amazing how they seemto speak to one another.
There's always some thread thatgoes through it that you don't
(13:52):
even imagine until you see it upon the walls.
So I'm really excited to seehow the curators have curated
this exhibit and put thingstogether and I'm excited to see
the story unfold.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
What role did partnerships play in pulling off
kind of an exhibit like this,be it between the Craft Shop
Museum, the Art and Club, anystate or local organizations?
Are there any collaborators wehaven't talked about so far that
you think were really helpfulin making the event a success?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Well, the Arden Craft Shop Museum is definitely a
collaborator on this andbringing the historic side of
the arts through the Ardens fromits collections of photographs
and objects as well, and it is apleasure to be putting this
together on that end for me aswell.
(14:43):
As you asked about criteria forjoining the collective, and I
was one of those people whonever thought myself an artist
and I decided that I wouldventure into it and try it and
started working with linocutprints, and other artists got
involved in working with me andwe had a night in my studio
(15:08):
showing other artists in thecollective how to do these
linocut prints, and that wasreally a great event and evening
for me and for those whoparticipated.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
I was just going to say that I think that there have
been a lot of hiddenpartnerships.
There's just always somethingthat comes out of these events
and, like we love working, ittakes a village yeah it does.
It just definitely takes avillage and you don't see it all
until it comes together.
But I'd also like to give kudosto the Baby Grand and the Blue
Ball Barn for giving us thespace to showcase what we're
(15:42):
doing here.
They've been really great towork with and the community
benefits when you have spacesand to see these kinds of
exhibits.
We've had these before in Ardenat the Craft Shop Museum, at
(16:03):
our buzzwear, at the Guild Hall,but this is taking it outside
of Arden to a wider audience andshowing them the story and I
think that's so important.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You both have talked about how Arden is described as
an intentional artist community.
How do you think that shows upthrough the values of those that
kind of work in these exhibits,for those that help support the
creation of the art there inArden?
What values do you think arethe most critical in making that
a success?
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Volunteerism.
We do have such a spirit ofvolunteerism and without that
none of this would happen,because you know, I mean of
course artists will benefit ifpaintings or artwork gets sold,
but that's not everybody, andit's just, it's like a love
language, I think.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I think it's also part of just being welcome and
having a feeling of beingaccepted within the community
and it makes it a lot easier tojust be a part of this art scene
, or inside Arden or outside,because some artists are
professionals and others arejust starting, and it really
(17:10):
makes a difference for all of usto have that community together
to work with and to learn from.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
No doubt Arden's uniqueness and landscape are
part of the experience ofvisiting the town.
Any must-see stops for afirst-time visitor before or
after they come to the exhibit.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
The first place I would suggest is the Arden Craft
Shop Museum, because we alsohave a self-guided walking tour
that we published and it'sbeautifully laid out with all
the different sites in bothArden Town and Ardencroft all
three, I should say and it's agreat place to get a quick
(17:53):
history.
And then, of course, there'sother locations within the
Ardenns to visit as well, butthe museum has the history and
the background.
Also, the Arden Craft ShopMuseum is a living museum
because we don't have an endingdate.
We start at 1900, but we don'thave any date that we go up to,
(18:14):
so everything that's createdtoday is part of our history.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
And I just want to emphasize what Sadie said about
the walking tour.
If you did the walking tour,you would get to see some of the
architecture in Arden, which isunique.
We were founded by.
One of our co-founders was WillPrice, an architect, so that is
also a part of our living artstory, that's true.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
How can listeners get involved with either the
exhibit or even the museum orthe Art and Artisans Collective,
be it volunteering, donating,joining, supporting.
What are some of the easiestways, or maybe the first step,
ways where a new listener mightbe able to engage with the
organizations?
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Well, one of the first things we did as a
collective is get an onlinepresence.
So we are there.
Our website isardentartisanscom, and I think
that's an excellent way to start.
You can peruse what we've gotthere.
We've got all our newsletters.
We've got our events posted.
It's a still a work in progress.
We're still a youngorganization, but we've got the
basics there.
We also have a list of ourartists and they have a presence
(19:18):
on the website as well.
And, sadie, you can speak tothe Craft Shop Museum.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Well, the Craft Shop Museum, as I said, is, you know,
open on a regular basis just onWednesday evenings from 7.30 to
9.30, and also on Sundays from1 to 3.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Jill, as you've worked with the artisans that
have joined or are maybetangential to the collective.
What do you think are some ofthe great opportunities and
maybe some of the biggestchallenges that are facing
working artists right now,specifically in Arden?
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Well, something that surprised me, I guess, art in.
Well, something that surprisedme, I guess, is that, well, we
have all ages, like we said, andso the technology, I think,
that help that you help tomarket yourself.
That's been a challenge to geteverybody to the level where
they're submitting photos withthe right format and you know
(20:13):
just simple things like learningto write an artist's bio if
you've never done it before.
So we're dealing with people atthat end of the spectrum.
We're dealing with people thatare nationally known artists
that live in Arden.
So I think part of thechallenge is to engage everybody
and to try to serve a communitythat has that wide gap in it.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Jill give us the details about A Living Legacy
and the exhibits.
When are they up?
How can listeners come checkthem out?
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Well, the 2D exhibit is at the Baby Grand and that
runs through October.
Both of the opening exhibitionscoincide with Wilmington's Art
Loop, so that's convenient.
It's going to be the firstFriday of the month, so the
two-dimensional exhibit at theWilmington Baby Grand is October
3rd from 5 to 7 pm as part ofthe Art Loop.
(21:04):
So the 3D artists are at theBlue Ball Barn for the month of
November.
That's an exciting exhibit forus because we've been trying to
get the 3D artists to showcasetheir work but it's hard because
there's not a lot of locationsthat allow for three-dimensional
work.
So that's a very specialexhibit for us right now.
And that opening exhibit, thereception, will be on November
(21:27):
7th from 5 to 7 pm, and they'reboth free, open to the public,
and we welcome everyone to comeand experience our living
tradition.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
We've come to the end of our time and I just want to
thank Sadie and Jill for joiningme today.
You can learn more about theArden Craft Shop and Museum and
the Arden Artisans Collective atardencraftshopmuseumcom or
ardenartisanscom.
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
Today we're talking about theArden community, a unique arts
and crafts village in Delawarethat has been fostering
creativity and intentionalliving since 1900.
This year marks Arden's 125thanniversary and, to celebrate,
the Artisans community hasorganized two special art
(00:34):
exhibits that will bridge bothpast and present Arden.
I'm joined by two guests who'vebeen central to bringing this
project to life JillAlthouse-Wood, a founding member
of the Arden ArtisansCollective, and Sadie Somerville
, who is also a member of thecollective and a volunteer with
the Arden Craft Shop Museum.
Thank you both for being withme today and, as we kick off,
(00:56):
talk to us about Arden as acommunity.
Why is it so significant inDelaware's arts history?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, arden was founded in 1900 by Georges, an
artist from Philadelphia.
Frank Stevens was a sculptorand Will Price an architect.
They were inspired by HenryGeorge's economic principles and
William Morris's arts andcrafts philosophy, and so the
village became part socialexperiment and part artist's
(01:23):
haven.
Arden's expanded in 1922 withArden Town and in 1950 with
Arden Croft, and collectivelythey're called the Ardens.
In the first decade of Ardenmany artists came to the Ardens
and writers and free thinkers.
Much of the early life inArden's writers and freethinkers
, much of the early life inArden included music, theater,
(01:47):
arts, nature and creativity.
They came and set up their ownstudios for their art forms to
work with metal, painting, clayor wood or whatever the medium
was that they were working in.
Typical quote from WilliamMorris is have nothing in your
(02:09):
home that you do not know to beuseful or believe to be
beautiful, and that's very muchthe philosophy for the early
settlers in Arden.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
What makes the 125-year anniversary so special
and why celebrate it with an artand craft exhibit?
Speaker 3 (02:28):
As the collective.
We were going to do a groupshow anyway, and we had one last
year.
We were just trying to thinkwhat could make this one bigger,
better, and we realized.
We looked at the calendar andsaw that the anniversary was
here and it's the perfect chanceto show Arden's artist legacy.
We're not just a group that'sgathered here and now.
(02:49):
We reach way back into historyand hopefully we're a living,
vibrant force that's going to bemoving forward as the years go
on.
So we wanted to showcase all ofthat.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Can you describe a little bit about the vision
behind the 125 Legacy Exhibitand how that all came together
through the work of thecollective?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
The idea we got when we had the 125th is to bridge
the past and the present, and sowe have a bunch of volunteers
which we have got a great set ofpeople working on this.
We have Megan King who is thecurator for our two-dimensional
exhibit, and we have MicahAltman who is the curator for
our two-dimensional exhibit, andwe have Micah Altman who is the
curator for ourthree-dimensional exhibit, and
(03:31):
then we have Sadie here who isaugmenting this whole exhibit
with things from the Craft ShopMuseum that go into our past.
She's reached out to people inour community that own pieces
made by past artists.
So it's going to be a reallycool like meaning of the word
collective.
This showcases it beautifully.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
From the museum's perspective, what are some of
the most compelling legacypieces in the show?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Well, there's a lot of early pieces that we have in
the Art and Craft Shop Museumcollection.
Pieces that we have in theArden Craft Shop Museum
collection, especially thearchival photographs which show
images of early Arden artistsworking in their studios,
including women, and otherpieces that are actually made in
the Ardens were hand-wroughtiron, metalwork, ceramics and
(04:22):
paintings that are part of thisexhibit as well.
It goes back all the way to1900, when they first arrived in
Wilmington, delaware, andbought this farm for the
community of Arden and theyreally believed in making things
by hand and using that as apart of their lives, to
(04:48):
completely be sustainable andmake items that were high
quality, handmade and beautifulto look at, and they sold their
work in exhibitions and shops inPhiladelphia, new York,
washington.
So it's a really greatcollection of works from the
(05:13):
past and from the museum.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And knowing right that the past will help inform
the present, but also help usreflect to the present.
Talk to us about how thesehistorical works that you're
pulling from the museum helpconnect with the more
contemporary ones, or the morecontemporary art forms that
we'll see during this exhibit.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Well, you'll see shared motifs and expressions,
especially from nature.
Ardenites enjoy nature and itsforests, creeks, open spaces.
It's a very important part ofthe arts.
Here the deeper link is theprocess or the work working
(05:54):
itself across time.
Artists engage with theirmaterials in iron, fiber, paint
with the same curiosity and care.
Both the historic contemporaryworks tell the ongoing story of
our community and its creativespirit.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
For those that might not know more about Arden, talk
to us about kind of the town'shistory a little bit and why it
was founded as an arts town,right, but also kind of what
makes it unique.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Well, it was like William Morris, who was one of
the influences of founding ofArden.
They had a romantic view of themedieval arts and craftsmanship
which became part of theirdaily lives and it was a
movement that really was againstthe industrial revolution,
(06:45):
bringing back some of the almostmedieval arts, using older,
earlier materials andworkmanship and creating works
that were high quality and worthpurchasing and having in your
home, as William Morris pointedout earlier.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Jill tell us a little bit about the Arden Artisans
Collective and how it strives tocarry the legacy of Arden
forward.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Well, it all started out when they had a PBS special
about the Ardens right afterCOVID and they showcased a lot
of our artists.
They talked about us being anartist colony and then we
realized that there was no placefor anybody to go to learn more
about us.
So a group of us got togethertogether and we wanted to see
how we could increase thevisibility of not only our
(07:33):
artists but what we're doinghere as far as the legacy and
showcase the history.
Because I think the PBS specialjust kicked it off beautifully.
It kind of got us going and wethought, you know, we need to
have some ongoing presence inthe greater Wilmington area and
beyond so that people canunderstand how special this is,
(07:54):
this community that we have.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
How does the collective create opportunities
both for your establishedartists but also for your
younger or newer artists thatare in the area?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I don't know if it's the collective so much as the
culture of Arden, because kidsgrow up.
They grow up having art intheir homes that their neighbors
have made.
They go to people's houses andthere's more art in people's
houses.
There's art that's public artin the community, and a lot of
(08:25):
artists come and demonstrate andwork with the kids there, and
so they just grow up and it'spart of life.
They experience art as a partof life, and the other thing
about this is very interestingis that it isn't just the kids
that benefit this.
It's people that either movehere or adults.
They come to find out that theytoo can enjoy the arts in
(08:48):
whatever capacity they want to,and some of them have taken it
to a really high level, justmidlife enjoying what they're
doing, seeing how other peopledo it, and then.
So we have a lot of people inour collective that didn't start
out as artists, didn't considerthemselves artists, and then
now showing their work, and it'sa pretty wonderful thing.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Why do you think a place like Arden still exists or
resonates with artists andcitizens alike today?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Well, people in general come to Arden because of
the community.
Many people say, oh, I reallyjust love Arden.
It has a sense of communitythat I don't find other places,
sense of community that I don'tfind other places.
And because of that, peoplegather and collaborate together
in all different ways in music,arts, theater.
(09:36):
And this is just another facetof that collaboration within the
community people sharing andworking together, volunteering
for various projects, and allages.
As Jill just pointed out, it'san all-inclusive,
intergenerational veryintergenerational community.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Community.
Yeah Well, sadie's been here alot longer than we have.
We've been here 12 years.
We came specifically because itwas an arts community.
We were looking for that, Ithink it just.
It's like no place else I'veever lived or experienced and
the amount of collaboration here, like Sadie said, is phenomenal
(10:18):
and you get it from lots ofdifferent sources.
So you can have thecollaboration with the theater,
you can have collaboration withthe writers of the community.
The musicians can havecollaboration with the writers
of the community, the musicians.
It's just a wonderful place andpeople gather and there's
plenty of places to gather andto have that interaction where
you're rubbing elbows and kindof bouncing ideas off of each
(10:40):
other.
It's a great place to live.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
What surprised you most as you were going through
the archives or the artifactswhile preparing for the exhibit?
Was there a certain object, acertain story or kind of a photo
of a person that we should allkeep an eye out as we're coming
to the exhibit?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Well, I used to work as a fabric designer and when I
saw the photos of the weave shopthat they had in the early
1900s we was like 1913, aboutwhen they started that and all
the women that work there andthey produce, I mean I was just
fascinated by that.
But that might be a personalstory for me, just being a
textile person.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Well, I'm a textile person too, and I would say that
that has always been aninterest to me, seeing what the
weave shop produced.
But also, earlier than that,there were weavers in the
community and they went on tocreate all kinds of textile
pieces that were sold nationwide.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Beyond the exhibit itself, are there any other
pieces of programming like talksor demos or studio tours
that'll be happening during theperiod of time that the exhibit
is up?
Speaker 3 (11:50):
that'll be happening during the period of time that
the exhibit is up.
We have one of the things thatcame out of the collective is
October 28th at the BuzzwareVillage Center from seven to
nine, we are having an artisansocial and what we do is we have
somebody get up and talk aboutnew work that they've been doing
and then we open up the floorto anybody else who wants to
discuss anything else, anyprojects they have going on.
(12:10):
They can show pieces that arein progress, they can show
recently completed pieces and ifnobody stands up, then we
usually have a topic ofdiscussion.
It's been a surprise for us, Ithink, these artists and socials
, because they're just a chancefor the artists to come together
and talk and we've had peoplecollaborate out of this social,
(12:32):
like they found out about workthat somebody else is doing and
how it relates to their work.
We were just going to have aonce and done artists and social
and it's turned out to be aregular event that we've had
twice a year since then and wealways have cake.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
It just always have cake.
It's always part of it.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
As you talk about the artists, was there a specific
selection criteria for how youselected who would participate
in the contemporary component?
And then, was there anycriteria that helped balance the
tradition of Arden with theexperimentation of kind of the
past and present portion of theexhibition?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Well, the two curators for this exhibit are
not sitting here, but I willspeak to it as much as I can.
I think for this exhibit, morethan our past exhibits, we were
kind of looking for work thatexemplified Arden and that can
be subject matter, technique,and and we did have an eye to
(13:32):
what we were bringing in fromthe past so that we could kind
of look and see how they spoketo one another.
And it's amazing when you get acollective any of the shows
we've done when you put allthose different pieces on the
wall, it's amazing how they seemto speak to one another.
There's always some thread thatgoes through it that you don't
(13:52):
even imagine until you see it upon the walls.
So I'm really excited to seehow the curators have curated
this exhibit and put thingstogether and I'm excited to see
the story unfold.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
What role did partnerships play in pulling off
kind of an exhibit like this,be it between the Craft Shop
Museum, the Art and Club, anystate or local organizations?
Are there any collaborators wehaven't talked about so far that
you think were really helpfulin making the event a success?
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Well, the Arden Craft Shop Museum is definitely a
collaborator on this andbringing the historic side of
the arts through the Ardens fromits collections of photographs
and objects as well, and it is apleasure to be putting this
together on that end for me aswell.
(14:43):
As you asked about criteria forjoining the collective, and I
was one of those people whonever thought myself an artist
and I decided that I wouldventure into it and try it and
started working with linocutprints, and other artists got
involved in working with me andwe had a night in my studio
(15:08):
showing other artists in thecollective how to do these
linocut prints, and that wasreally a great event and evening
for me and for those whoparticipated.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
I was just going to say that I think that there have
been a lot of hiddenpartnerships.
There's just always somethingthat comes out of these events
and, like we love working, ittakes a village yeah it does.
It just definitely takes avillage and you don't see it all
until it comes together.
But I'd also like to give kudosto the Baby Grand and the Blue
Ball Barn for giving us thespace to showcase what we're
(15:42):
doing here.
They've been really great towork with and the community
benefits when you have spacesand to see these kinds of
exhibits.
We've had these before in Ardenat the Craft Shop Museum, at
(16:03):
our buzzwear, at the Guild Hall,but this is taking it outside
of Arden to a wider audience andshowing them the story and I
think that's so important.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You both have talked about how Arden is described as
an intentional artist community.
How do you think that shows upthrough the values of those that
kind of work in these exhibits,for those that help support the
creation of the art there inArden?
What values do you think arethe most critical in making that
a success?
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Volunteerism.
We do have such a spirit ofvolunteerism and without that
none of this would happen,because you know, I mean of
course artists will benefit ifpaintings or artwork gets sold,
but that's not everybody, andit's just, it's like a love
language, I think.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I think it's also part of just being welcome and
having a feeling of beingaccepted within the community
and it makes it a lot easier tojust be a part of this art scene
, or inside Arden or outside,because some artists are
professionals and others arejust starting, and it really
(17:10):
makes a difference for all of usto have that community together
to work with and to learn from.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
No doubt Arden's uniqueness and landscape are
part of the experience ofvisiting the town.
Any must-see stops for afirst-time visitor before or
after they come to the exhibit.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
The first place I would suggest is the Arden Craft
Shop Museum, because we alsohave a self-guided walking tour
that we published and it'sbeautifully laid out with all
the different sites in bothArden Town and Ardencroft all
three, I should say and it's agreat place to get a quick
(17:53):
history.
And then, of course, there'sother locations within the
Ardenns to visit as well, butthe museum has the history and
the background.
Also, the Arden Craft ShopMuseum is a living museum
because we don't have an endingdate.
We start at 1900, but we don'thave any date that we go up to,
(18:14):
so everything that's createdtoday is part of our history.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
And I just want to emphasize what Sadie said about
the walking tour.
If you did the walking tour,you would get to see some of the
architecture in Arden, which isunique.
We were founded by.
One of our co-founders was WillPrice, an architect, so that is
also a part of our living artstory, that's true.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
How can listeners get involved with either the
exhibit or even the museum orthe Art and Artisans Collective,
be it volunteering, donating,joining, supporting.
What are some of the easiestways, or maybe the first step,
ways where a new listener mightbe able to engage with the
organizations?
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Well, one of the first things we did as a
collective is get an onlinepresence.
So we are there.
Our website isardentartisanscom, and I think
that's an excellent way to start.
You can peruse what we've gotthere.
We've got all our newsletters.
We've got our events posted.
It's a still a work in progress.
We're still a youngorganization, but we've got the
basics there.
We also have a list of ourartists and they have a presence
(19:18):
on the website as well.
And, sadie, you can speak tothe Craft Shop Museum.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Well, the Craft Shop Museum, as I said, is, you know,
open on a regular basis just onWednesday evenings from 7.30 to
9.30, and also on Sundays from1 to 3.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Jill, as you've worked with the artisans that
have joined or are maybetangential to the collective.
What do you think are some ofthe great opportunities and
maybe some of the biggestchallenges that are facing
working artists right now,specifically in Arden?
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Well, something that surprised me, I guess, art in.
Well, something that surprisedme, I guess, is that, well, we
have all ages, like we said, andso the technology, I think,
that help that you help tomarket yourself.
That's been a challenge to geteverybody to the level where
they're submitting photos withthe right format and you know
(20:13):
just simple things like learningto write an artist's bio if
you've never done it before.
So we're dealing with people atthat end of the spectrum.
We're dealing with people thatare nationally known artists
that live in Arden.
So I think part of thechallenge is to engage everybody
and to try to serve a communitythat has that wide gap in it.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Jill give us the details about A Living Legacy
and the exhibits.
When are they up?
How can listeners come checkthem out?
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Well, the 2D exhibit is at the Baby Grand and that
runs through October.
Both of the opening exhibitionscoincide with Wilmington's Art
Loop, so that's convenient.
It's going to be the firstFriday of the month, so the
two-dimensional exhibit at theWilmington Baby Grand is October
3rd from 5 to 7 pm as part ofthe Art Loop.
(21:04):
So the 3D artists are at theBlue Ball Barn for the month of
November.
That's an exciting exhibit forus because we've been trying to
get the 3D artists to showcasetheir work but it's hard because
there's not a lot of locationsthat allow for three-dimensional
work.
So that's a very specialexhibit for us right now.
And that opening exhibit, thereception, will be on November
(21:27):
7th from 5 to 7 pm, and they'reboth free, open to the public,
and we welcome everyone to comeand experience our living
tradition.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
We've come to the end of our time and I just want to
thank Sadie and Jill for joiningme today.
You can learn more about theArden Craft Shop and Museum and
the Arden Artisans Collective atardencraftshopmuseumcom or
ardenartisanscom.
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