Mongolian Postcard Project
Posted on | August 31, 2010 | No Comments
Our Artist of the Month for September and October is Blair Folts (She is in the middle of the photo looking up), artist and environmentalist from Effingham. She will be displaying postcards that she brought both to and from the nomads who live on the steppes of Western Mongolia.
When I first traveled to Mongolia in 2006, I was surprised that the nomads I met asked me to write to them.“Where?” I thought–there were no streets where they lived on the steppe plus they move 3-5 times a year. But write I did and over the past few years, I have often thought about this. How does a culture which is still largely nomadic deal with the transition to the digital age where messages are instant and often not very personal? Is electronic messaging superior to the “post” or are we missing a key intimacy that is exchanged through the transfer of an object–from hand to hand over land, air and sea–such as the postcard? Through the Mongolia Postcard Project, I have been able to pursue my own art and have also engaged people I met on the journey to be a part of this search “back to the pencil and handwritten note.”
Folts invited friends, artists, and colleagues to participate in the project by creating postcards which she could take to the Mongolian herders. In 2009, she traveled to Mongolia, showing people she met along the way the postcards and inviting them to create a postcard on the spot, which was then mailed back to the participants in America.
Folts will give a talk at the library about this project at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14th.
Interested in Lifelong Learning?
Posted on | August 25, 2010 | No Comments
Granite State College in Conway, NH offers some short, usually one day, classes through their Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and one that is coming up in September and October is “Hiking? Where Do You Think You’re Going and Are You Prepared To Get There?”. The class will be held on Saturdays, September 25, October 9 & October 16 from 10:00 to noon, has only a $15 fee and will led by Don Gemmecke and Ray O’Brien. Or choose “Financial Planning”, “Knitting”, ‘Movement for Relaxation” or many other offerings.
Another opportunity for learning new things is offered by Kennett High School’s Adult Education Program. They haven’t posted their fall offerings yet but the spring offerings will give you an idea.
People of Tamworth: Brad Ball
Posted on | August 22, 2010 | No Comments
As a child, Brad came to Tamworth during the summer with his parents, who worked at The Barnstormers Theatre. From then on, the Barnstormers always played a part in Brad’s life. As a teen he apprenticed on the stage crew, and then worked as the theatre’s Stage Manager for many years. He now serves on its Board of Directors.
Through the years, he fell in love with the magic of this community and made the move to full time Tamworth resident in 2000. He wasn’t quite prepared, at first, for the harshness of the winters, but he, eventually, managed to adapt.
He found local adventures to fill out his schedule. He threw his hat into the ring for Supervisor of the Voting Checklist – to help voters exercise their franchise and let candidates present themselves to the public in a favorable light. It was a good match and he served as Supervisor for seven years, while bringing the Checklist into the electronic age.
The Community School formed the second linchpin in his community activities. As he searched for alternatives, he found the energy, camaraderie and friendship at the school to be the perfect place to keep his creative ideas recharged. He served as a bus driver for four years and, except for one twenty-below-zero week, enjoyed every minute of it.
His current passion is photography – traveling as far afield as necessary to capture that shot which will enthrall his viewers.
Tags: Barnstormers Theatre > Brad Ball > people of Tamworth > Steve Damon > Tamworth Facebook
Art is Eternal
Posted on | August 11, 2010 | No Comments
Oil painting by Paul Gauguin
This link shows a spectacular evolution of female portraiture in art, and what better way to introduce CML’s art book collection.
There are many artists living in Tamworth and frequenting the library, so we invest in high quality art books for our patrons, of all ages. We try to buy two or three coffee table-style art books each year, as well as a number of less expensive ones:
There are survey books like The 20th Century Art Book ; books on craft like 500 art quilts : an inspiring collection of contemporary work and 500 bowls: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design; books on photography like Annie Leibovitz at work and Edward Steichen: Lives in Photography; books on 20th century painters, such as De Kooning : an American master, Matisse the master : a life of Henri Matisse, the conquest of colour, 1909-1954 and Chagall.
Some of our best art books are for younger patrons but still well worth looking at:
Chuck Close, up close, Artist to artist : 23 major illustrators talk to children about their art, Georgia O’Keeffe: An Adventurous Spirit, Romare Bearden: Collage of memories; Mary Cassatt : an American in Paris; Toulouse-Lautrec : the Moulin Rouge and the city of light ; A weekend with Winslow Homer .
There are even art books for the little ones about Andy Warhol and Audubon and Giotto and Diego (Rivera), and others. Come in and check them out!
The New “Good Life”
Posted on | August 3, 2010 | No Comments
I just finished reading John Robbins’ The New Good Life: Living better than ever in an age of less. Robbins was the 21 year-old heir to his family’s Baskin-Robbins ice cream fortune when he walked away from his inheritance to put himself through college by washing dishes. After college, he and his wife built a one-room cabin on an island off the coast of Washington, and spent 10 years living off the land on an income of less than $1000 a year. Eventually, Robbins’ expertise in living simply led to a lucrative career as a lecturer and author on sustainability and conscious consumption. Unfortunately, he invested with Bernie Madoff….
His life story is fascinating in itself, but his philosophical ideas about what constitutes a “successful” life are even more thought-provoking.
From the jacket blurb:
The New Good Life provides a philosophical and prescriptive path from conspicuous consumption to conscious consumption. Where the old view of success was measured by cash, stocks, and various luxuries, the new view will be guided by financial restraint and a new awareness of what truly matters. A passionate manifesto on finding meaning beyond money and status, this book delivers a sound blueprint for living well on less. Discover how to
• create your own definition of success based on your deepest beliefs and life experience
• alleviate depression, lower blood pressure, and stay fit with inexpensive alternatives for high-cost medications
• develop a diet that promotes better health—and saves you money
• plan for—and protect yourself from—future economic catastrophes
• cut down on your housing and transportation costs
• live frugally without deprivation
• follow in the footsteps of real people who have effectively forged new financial identitiesThe New Good Life provides much-needed hope and comfort in a time of fear and uncertainty. Here is everything you need to develop high-joy, low-cost solutions to life’s challenges. Practical and timely, this book equips you with the skills needed not only to survive but to thrive in these challenging times.
Given the Tamworth community’s enduring interest in sustainability, I wanted to make sure that people were aware that this title was available at the library, as well as several others on related subjects: Inquiries into the nature of slow money : investing as if food, farms, and fertility mattered by Woody Tasch , Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel, Bright-sided : how the relentless promotion of positive thinking has undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and Deep economy: the wealth of communities and the durable future and Eaarth : making a life on a tough new planet, both by Bill McKibben
2011 Calendar – Historic Artists of Tamworth
Posted on | July 28, 2010 | No Comments
Oil painting by Marjoree Deo
The Friends of Cook Memorial Library are underwriting another calendar for 2011. In full color, on sturdy coated stock, and designed by Peggy Johnson, it will feature the work in paint, collage, ink, and pencil, of twelve historic artists who lived or summered in Tamworth including: MARJOREE DEO • ELLEN EPPELSHEIMER • WILLEY FROMM • SAM’L NEWSOM • MAC LLOYD • EDOUARD SANDOZ • ILEY IRWIN • HERB DAMON • ELLEN ELDRIDGE • WALTER JOHNSON • KIT SEMMES
Folded, they are 7″ x 7″, open they are 7″ x 14″ – small enough to fit into your satchel, sturdy enough to hang on your wall. At only $12 apiece, they are a terrific art bargain, and a great gift and memento of this wonderfully creative Tamworth community.
They will be available at the library no later than September 1st, and this is our very own Shameless Commerce Division Announcement of its impending arrival. All proceeds support library doings. You could send a check for $14 ($2 for shipping costs), pay to the order of Friends of Cook Memorial Library, to CML Calendar, 93 Main St., Tamworth, NH 03886, and reserve one, or $26 for two, or $32 for three.
We thank you in advance. You won’t be disappointed!
“It’s Not About the Hike” Program at 7 p.m. on Wed., July 21st
Posted on | July 19, 2010 | No Comments
We all have our own mountains to climb. Your mountain may be a
4,000-footer in the White Mountains. But it could also be going to
college, getting a job, bringing up children or caring for aging
parents. Maybe your mountain is reorganizing a business, tackling a
difficult project, losing weight or starting an exercise program. It’s
your own personal mountain and it is hard.
It’s Not About the Hike is a presentation that will bring you into your heart, lift your spirits, and inspire you to climb that next mountain in your life. It is a not a presentation of “look at these two women…see what they did.” It is a presentation of “look inside you…you can do it too.” You will want to go back and hear it again and again, bringing friends and family to share the experience.
This hour-long program highlights the journey of two 50 plus year old
non-hikers who one day decided to climb the 67 mountains in New
England over 4,000 feet. Nancy Sporborg and Pat Piper are two ordinary
women who went on an extraordinary journey over the mountain summits
and into their hearts. This is the story of what they found inside
themselves as they hiked over 1,000 miles to the tops of over 170
mountains through all four seasons.
This presentation is for everyone — hikers and non-hikers, people who
are sedentary or active, outdoor enthusiasts and indoor home bodies,
10 year-olds and 90 year-olds and everyone in between. The presentation
It’s Not About the Hike is an inspirational and motivational program
about pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones, overcoming our
fears, finding our passions and living our lives to the fullest.
This talk is a multi-media presentation including movies, music and
photographs. It is both humorous and touching, as the speakers share
about their personal lives in a way that makes the message and
learning universal.
Please come hear their story at 7 p.m. on Wed., July 21st at the library.
How we buy our books
Posted on | July 13, 2010 | 2 Comments
During our discussions about collection building, the Long Range Planning Committee wanted to know how we pick our books for the library collections. They felt that the community, library users and non-users alike, would also be interested in knowing. Collection development certainly isn’t random, or based on my personal taste as the one who makes the orders. I read reviews in both Booklist and Library Journal. I peruse the bestseller lists in the New York Times and the Boston Globe. Another great source is NPR. Many of our patrons listen to NPR, and are interested in reading whatever is reviewed on Diane Rehm, Fresh Air, and other shows. I also pay attention to a number of websites like IndieBound, which provides a weekly report from independent booksellers across America of what indie readers are buying, BookSpot, Complete Review , Book Review Links, ALA (American Library Association). I also keep an eye on book reviews in national magazines, like The Week, Time, Newsweek, and even upon occasion, People Magazine.
We also subscribe to Wilson Core Collections: Children’s, Public (non-fiction), and Fiction Catalogs, which are reference books to help guide collection development in public, school, and children’s libraries.
The most important thing I do for CML’s collections is listen to my staff and patrons about what they think we should have. We keep a book buying list at the ready on the circulation desk, so we don’t forget to write down any and all suggestions. We also keep an eye on our interlibrary loans – if two or more patrons want a book on ILL, we buy it.
I don’t buy every single book that is recommended, because it is my job to balance the collection, and make sure that we have a readership for that particular title. However I consider every suggestion with great care by reading reviews. I regard a purchase as successful if at least six patrons read it.
If there is a title that YOU think we should have, tell me by commenting on this post.
Tags: book buying > book reviews > buying books > collection development > online book reviews
Artist of the Month for July: Sam’l Newsom
Posted on | July 6, 2010 | No Comments
Sam’l Newsom is the featured artist this July. He was a landscape designer and a painter. He designed, among other things, the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and the Remick Park in Tamworth. He was a nurseryman; he grew dahlias. He grew bonsai trees – hemlocks. He designed a Japanese-influenced house and garden in Chocorua. He used local materials: his elegant, serene design used rocks, hemlocks, moss and water. He painted, every day. When his eyesight started to fail, he painted the essence, in rapid black and white. His images of trees, water, ferns and rocks were simple, strong and immediately identifiable as his. When his eyesight changed again in later life, his painting became colorful again, but he never stopped sketching in black ink with brush or markers. He painted large scrolls, he painted intimate portraits of woodland plants, he painted blessings on his house and garage, he taught gardeners how to prune, he caught a thousand moments of life outside his studio windows, painting and painting until his body stopped. He lived through and remembered the earthquake and great fires of 1906 in San Francisco. He lived in Japan, he lived in Carmel, he lived in Chocorua.
Written by Peggy Johnson
Photos of Sam’l’s work by Jay
Tags: artist of the month > Chocorua artist > local artist > Samuel Newsom
The Glorious July 4th Parade
Posted on | July 6, 2010 | 1 Comment
Tamworth is such a big small town, big in spirit if small in population.
This is abundantly apparent at the annual Fourth of July parade. So many wonderful floats and vintage cars and horses and wagons and buggies, kids on bikes, etc, etc paraded by. Even a yoke of cows.
The library won for the best float. A big thank you to everyone who helped pull it together, especially to Amy, Children’s librarian and our fearless leader.
Please click here for more pictures
and click here for a YouTube video of the 2010 parade.
Tags: float > independence day > July 4th parade > library float > parade > Tamworth
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