Crafts and Hobbies – Not Just a Side Gig
A lot of our identity is centered on what we love. Our hobbies and passions make us who we are, and what we choose to create and share with the world shape how we present our identity. All over Fayetteville, there are great examples of people and groups sharing their hobbies and passions, and there have been for years now. The group showcased here, the Ozark Mountain Crafts house, is a handicraft house dedicated to creating and showcasing crafts created in the Ozarks at fairs all around the country. Founded in the 1930s by Mrs. Elizabeth French Moore, this house stayed in operation until at least the 80s and was a staple for handmade crafts in the Fayetteville community.
The picture above showcases one of the afore mentioned fairs that the Ozark Mountain Crafts house attended. The three women and one man in the photo are behind a rail in a house surrounded by their fabrics, crafts, and a spinning wheel. The man holds what appears to be a fiddle, getting ready to entertain guests. This display would be one of many that the handicrafts house would create in attendance at fairs. This particular fair took place in Sioux City, Iowa. There, they would have shown off spun fabrics, baskets, dolls, and other crafts. More significantly, though, the women and men would bring along their looms and spinning wheels and demonstrate weaving and spinning techniques for the guests at the fair. The fabric sample shown below is one of many types of homespun fabrics they would create for these fairs to be shown and to sell. Each individual square of fabric is a different color and pattern, showcasing the talents of the weavers. This photo and samples are apart of a collection of two scrapbooks filled with photos of the people and crafts associated with the house as well as samples of homespun fabrics. Even the covers of the scrapbooks were hand spun by members of the house.
A simple photo and scrap of fabric would, in most cases, have little to no value. Regarding material culture, it is seldom the object itself that gives it meaning. What and who the object represents gives significance to the object and defines its material culture. This photo and sample are not just that; they represent years of hard work and dedication of women and men across the Fayetteville area to their craft. Good connection the class.
Even though the Ozark Mountain Crafts house is not still in operation, what it represents still lives in the Fayetteville community. The dedication and passion found in this handicrafts house is a mirror for others looking to share their passions today. Across Fayetteville and in the U of A community, there are groups of people striving to do the same thing that this handicrafts house did: create and share. The dedication of these groups displays the unique diversity of the Fayetteville community. Even for people like me who began as outsiders in this community, there is something for everyone to find and love. Groups like the Ozark Mountain Crafts share their passions with the greater community and with the rest of the world, and in turn exhibit the unique collective and individual identities of Fayetteville. No matter where you come from, the Fayetteville community can and will immerse you into its culture and identity through these creators. There is much to discover about the collective identity of Fayetteville through the exploration of its creators, but there is also much to discover about your own individual identity in the assorted faces and stories that make up Fayetteville.
Bibliography
“Ozark Mountain Crafts Lodge ‘At Home’ Friday, Saturday” Fayetteville Daily Democrat (Fayetteville, Arkansas), December 13, 1935: 3. Newspaper Archive. Access Newspaper Archive Institutional Version | Viewer
“Wanted” Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times (Fayetteville, Arkansas), April 25, 1982: 37. Newspaper Archive. Access Newspaper Archive Institutional Version | Viewer
Giorgio Riello, Anne Gerritsen, and Bloomsbury Publishing. 2016. “Introduction: Material culture history: Methods, practices and disciplines” Writing Material Culture History. London Etc.: Bloomsbury Academic. ld.php (libguides.com)