Basics of Self-Defense and Tai Chi: Workshop tomorrow!

Last-minute signups should call (315) 482-2536 or e-mail info@betterfarm.org ASAP!!

1-4 p.m. July 9

INTRODUCTION TO TAI CHI AND THE BASICS OF SELF-DEFENSE

This three-hour seminar will acquaint students with I Ching breathing exercises, which are the foundation of the Chinese Internal Chi (including Chi Gung, Nui Gung, Fuhn Hey, and Dim Mak); and prime aspects of personal safety and self defense. Those in attendance will acquire basic skills associated with self defense including necessary holds and escape maneuvers, as well as the foundation of stances and postures associated with Tai Chi.

Instructor: John Sundbeck has been training in the Yang system Tai Chi with Master Shing Perin, originally from Taiwan, for more than 30 years. Mr. Sundbeck holds a rank of third degree Black Belt in Chito Ryu Karate, and for many years, was chief instructor of The Rochester Yoseikan Karate School. Over his many years in the Martial arts, Mr. Sundbeck has trained with six world renound Masters.

Cost: $40, which will be donated in full to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Group will meet at Better Farm at noon and caravan to workshop location.

Introducing betterArts Resident Marty Weishaar

Marty Weishaar wanted a betterArts residency at Better Farm in order to continue his work on a large volume of small vellum drawings he calls "The Black Road."

"The drawings involve a long train of uninterrupted thought," he told us, "much like a dairy would function. The drawings focus on symbols of colonial houses, nostalgic mountains, and subjective abstraction. The line of the black road either builds up non-objective imagery or draws a line around recognizable symbols. The drawings are exhibited next to one another; houses, roads, mountains, gesture, and line share formal structures and empathies on building imagery using a repeating system."

The other series-in-progress underway is called "My Atomic Bomb and the Pursuit of Happiness"; large works on paper and canvas symbolizing the quiet conflict inside suburbs of the domestic dream and a larger dialogue within contemporary painting: the crisis of abstract painting.

Black Road, part of a 10-part series

Marty received his bachelor of fine arts from

Alfred University

, then went on to earn a master of fine arts from

American University

in 2007. While not at Better Farm, he's in the midst of serving a year-long artist-in-residency at the

Creative Alliance

in Baltimore, and has previously done a month-log residency at the

Vermont Studio Center

. He works full-time as a teacher in the Baltimore area.

Click here

to see more images of Marty's work. To learn more about the betterArts residency program or to apply,

click here

.

Better Farm's Summer 2011 Newsletter

Better Farm News - July 2011: Meet Better Farm's Interns and Volunteers   Our Latest Projects and Community Outreach Efforts  What's Good at the Farm Stand  Featured Artists and Upcoming Events  Future Projects Hello, Friends of Better Farm! Summer is in full swing here at Better Farm, with a fresh group of workers and artists, tons of new ideas and projects, and a garden bursting at the seams. Whether helping to clean up at the Redwood Historical Society, volunteering for the Redwood Neighborhood Association, breaking ground on public art installations, or holding art gallery receptions that are free and open to the public, we've embedded ourselves in the local culture of Redwood and beyond. Our stable of interns, farm volunteers, and artists have come from all over the world to participate in a great experiment of arts and sustainability education, creative expression, and community outreach—and it's paying off beyond our wildest dreams. Thanks to all who came out in force for our annual open house and fundraiser back in May, and for those who continue showing their support through private donations, attendance at our gallery shows, and by helping us out on the grounds of Better Farm. We truly couldn't do it without you. Please contact us to schedule a visit or tour or to find out how you can get involved. You can stay in touch on a daily basis by following our blog at blog.betterfarm.org or stopping over at our main site, www.betterfarm.org. Viva Better! Nicole Caldwell Executive Director and Co-Founder Better Farm --- Better Farm's Interns and Volunteers From left to right: interns Natasha Pietila, Soon Kai Poh, Elizabeth Musoke, and Jaci Collins Better Farm owes its gardens and day-to-day operations entirely to the cast of hard-working volunteers and interns who've been calling this little sustainability-center-that-could home. Interns Natasha Pietila, Jaci Collins, Soon Kai Poh, and Elizabeth Musoke have since June been running Better Farm's herb, vegetable, and fruit gardens, and greenhouse. The group has also taken care of green building projects, chemical-free pesticides, nurturing Better Farm's chickens, baking breads and delicious meals, community outreach projects, and even brewing and bottling beer and wine. Some quick bios on this adventurous, ambitious bunch: Jaci Collins   BS, sustainability, Arizona State University; Associate of Arts, Kent State University Jaclyn is a fresh-faced graduate from Arizona State University's prestigious sustainability program. She's specifically interested in sustainable farming and ecosystems, and plans to earn a master's degree in agriculture from Oregon State University. Jaclyn's extensive research into food systems and subsequent environmental degradation, food insecurity, and obesity has fueled her efforts and interests in local food production, distribution, consumption, composting systems, and waste. Since being at Better Farm, she's become very interested in starting community gardens in cities. Natasha Pietila Natasha is a 22-year-old student at University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Originally from the Bay Area, this California girl is interested in all things green and sustainable; including organic small-scale farming and gardening, general farm management, alternative building, rainwater catchment, community outreach, outdoor survival, and environmental public policy. Soon Kai Poh Carleton College student Soon Kai spent 22 months after high school in the Singapore military, 6 months working in a bakery, and volunteer farming in Singapore and Japan. Then he enrolled in a liberal arts college in the States, and, a few months later, got in touch with us. Talk about well-rounded! Elizabeth Musoke Elizabeth grew up in Kenya and moved to the United States to study at the College of Architecture, Planning and Design at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. She'll finish up her masters of regional and community planning in May of 2012; but in the meantime, we are fortunate enough to have her here with us. For more information about Better Farm's sustainability internship program, click here. Joining our interns in July are Sara Hawkins and Mollie Cross-Cole, volunteering at Better Farm through the WWOOF program (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). As you can imagine, having such a dynamic force running day-to-day goings-on at Better Farm means a lot is geting done. Which brings us to our next topic... --- Latest Projects and Community Outreach Efforts    There's no time to be bored at Better Farm. Some of our latest projects undertaken by the crew here include: Annual Open House & Fundraiser  Better Farm's annual soiree was a hit this year. The event featured a big gallery showing in our newly renovated Art Barn, performances by several local bands, a group art project that will be installed in downtown Redwood this summer, a raffle, tours of the grounds, backyard cookout, and even some hula hooping, dancing, and a bonfire. Volunteering at the Redwood Historical Society  Interns Natasha Pietila and Jaci Collins stopped by the Redwood Historical Society a few weeks ago to help clean the building and preserve the local artifacts stored there. A Gate for Better Farm's Main Garden  Interns Soon Kai Poh, Jaci Collins, Elizabeth Musoke, and Natasha Pietila joined forces with Better Farm's carpenter-extraordinaire in residence Mark Huyser to design and build a brand-new gate for our garden. Gallery Opening for Erica Hauser  Visiting painter Erica Hauser spent all of June at Better Farm through the betterArts residency program. Her work was wonderful and varied; two points made obvious June 28 when she filled the first floor of Better Farm's art barn with her pieces for the general public to enjoy. Click here for images and the full write-up. Rainwater Catchment System for Greenhouse  Intern Elizabeth Musoke researched a rainwater harvesting system for Better Farm to implement at the greenhouse. Utilizing a simple gutter system, downspout, and reappropriated plastic barrels, she's put together a harvesting method that will provide plant seedlings plenty of fresh water. Mural in the Birdhouse During her stay at Better Farm, Erica Hauser left us with a lovely gift: a four-wall mural in the birdhouse! Click here to see photos of her work. DIY Projects  The interns and WWOOFers have teamed up to put together an herb-drying rack for Better Farm's herbs, several new raised beds for plants and herbs, signage for the Art Barn and garden, homemade breads, and beer and wine.   --- What's Good at the Farm Stand We're installing a permament farm stand at Better Farm next week! Here's a short list of what will be available for sale (contingent on seasonal ripeness and what we've got cooking!): Vegetables : Radishes, onions, lima beans, peas, bush beans, cucumbers (all varieties), squash (all varieties), corn, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, brussels sprouts, beets, carrots, celery, leeks, pumpkins, and asparagus Fruits : Watermelon, canataloupe, raspberries, tomatoes (all varieties), and blueberries Herbs : Parsley, oregano, cilantro, basil, dill, amaranth, summer savory, chickory, salsify, chamomile, eucalyptus, mustard greens, chives, and mint Baked Goods : Breads, pies, and pastries Bath and Body : Biodegradable soaps, shampoos, laundry and dish detergent Miscellaneous : As always, we have Better Farm T-shirts and betterArts mugs available for sale (to have one shipped to you, please e-mail info@betterfarm.org). --- Featured Artists and Upcoming Events Here's a quick run-down of the artists who've made Better Farm a more creative space so far this summer: Joetta Maue is a Brooklyn-based artist who excels in embroidery: Forbes Graham is a professional musician out of Boston: Erica Hauser is a painter ouf of Beacon, N.Y.: Matthew Lane is a writer out of Jersey City: In the last week we've also been fortunate enough to have Marty Weishaar and Meredith Kooi join our ranks as artists-in-residence. We have several art openings and performance pieces scheduled throughout July, August, and September; check back on our blog for times and dates! All events held at Better Farm are free and open to the public. To learn more about the betterArts residency program, click here. --- Upcoming Projects We're in the fundraising stage for a few upcoming projects, namely: Installing an exterior staircase to the second floor of the Art Barn Constructing a small outbuilding out of straw bales The construction of a small outbuilding specifically for Better Farm's interns A betterArts project that would offer free music and art lessons with professional teachers to local individuals free of charge To donate to any of the above causes, please contact us at info@betterfarm.org. --- Interest Piqued? Just drop us a line at info@betterfarm.org to learn more, share your ideas, make a donation, or find out other ways you can get involved. Until next time, better be! Connect with us: Website Facebook Blog Merch Share this email: *|MC:SHARE|* Contact Us: Better Farm 31060 Cottage Hill Road Redwood, NY 13679 315-482-2536 info@betterfarm.org view email in browser | unsubscribe | update your profile | forward to a friend

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He (The Poet) Marks Me

By Meredith Kooi



he (the poet) marks me from meredithkooi on Vimeo.

DIY Herb-Drying Rack

For $19.95, you can order an herb-drying rack from Amazon.

:

Or, you can cut up some old tomato-cage wire, grab some twine, and make your own in about five minutes.

You'll need clippers, a pair of scissors, strong twine (hemp works great!), and a hook, nail, or staple in the ceiling to hang the drying rack from.

Cut the wire into a length that will give you the perfect circle size for your needs when you bend it. Then make small knots with the twine around the circumference of the circle to hang your fresh herbs from. Finally, take a few pieces of twine to connect the wire circle to your ceiling hook.

To harvest your herbs, cut healthy branches from your herb plants. Be sure to remove any dry or diseased leaves, and shake the branches gently to remove any insects. If you have to rinse the herbs off, be sure to pat them dry with towels (wet herbs will mold!). Cut off the lower leaves along the bottom inch of each branch, then bundle four to six branches together and tie them together as a bunch. Hang these bundles upside-down from your drying rack.

Leave your herbs hanging in a dry, warm, airy location until they are crumbly to the touch (depending on your climate, this could take up to two weeks). When they're dry, your herbs are ready to store.

Sweet Liberty Cakes

 

by Mollie Cross-Cole

School is out, summer has begun, happy 4th of July!  To get away and do something different this year, my friend and I are volunteering at Better Farm in Redwood, NY.  They're part of WWoof USA (World Wide opportunities on organic farms) and we're staying for two weeks!  I'll be posting more about Better Farm soon. 

We spent Saturday night at a local friend's camp for a one-man fire works show worthy of some sort of medal.  Today we're skipping the local town fireworks in Alexandria Bay, having a bonfire and eating these delicious cakes. 

You may notice the ingredients are in larger quantities.  You could easily halve this recipe to make 12
muffins. 

Sweet Liberty Cakes
makes 24

5 C blanched almond flour
6 eggs
1/2 C (one stick) butter melted
1 C honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 C blueberries
1 C strawberries diced

Preheat the oven to 350
Line two baking dishes with 12 red, white and blue muffin liners (this allows for the square shape, you could use a normal muffin pan and reduce the cook to 20-25 min)
In a large bowl whisk the eggs, honey and cooled, melted butter
In a separate bowl mix the blanched almond flour, salt and baking soda
Blend the dry into the wet and mix thoroughly
Mix in the berries
Using a less than full 1/4 C measuring cup and a spoon, spoon the batter into the 24 cups

Bake 35-40 minutes until the tops of the cakes are a light golden brown

Brecht for Plants

By Meredith Kooi

I’ve been reading sections from Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Novel to some plants in the greenhouse and garden here at Better Farm.

Greenhouse breath, the rhythm of the reader. Some words to the plants from a page in the glass box. She wasn’t sure if they understood. Better to read to them than talk to them. The pages of Brecht did the talking, replacing words she couldn’t say.

Aloud she spoke to the garden plants. Their stomata-ears exchanged her exhalation for noise. Noise for sound. Sound for words. Words formed sentences that fluttered through their chlorophyll relaying back oxygen to feed continuous exhalations, more words for the plant. An onion trampled by the garden’s other inhabitants, three chickens, unaccustomed to propriety.

Meredith Kooi is a visual artist, writer, and photographer. Learn more about here here. To learn more about Better Farm's betterArts residency program, click here.

A Novice's Guide to Gardening

During the past month I have learned a lot of about gardening. This requires a quick qualifying statement: I knew next to nothing about keeping plants alive when I arrived at Better Farm, so the knowledge that I have acquired is completely relative. That being said, I have picked up a few useful tips along the way:

• Never trust a weed-wacker. It will always let you down. Just as soon as you start to get comfortable with it, to trust it and to rely on it, it will disappoint, fall apart, or simply stop working. This leads me to the next point... 
• Scythes are fantastic. Using one gives you a great arm workout (although if you are hopelessly right-handed like me you’ll end up with a super buff right arm and a lame left arm). They are also great for releasing any pent-up aggression. Just be careful not to chop your legs off in the process. 
• An overactive imagination is a blessing and a curse in the garden. It allows you to get lost in the work, leads to creative solutions, but also leads to unreasonable fears of what is hidden behind tall weeds. 
• Weeding, by the way, is exhausting and boring. It never ends. There is no light at the end of the tunnel with weeding and leaves me feeling like Sisyphus. Mulch gardening, however, has proven to be a good method for preventing excessive weed forests. We’ve jokingly talked about covering the entire garden in cardboard to keep all the weeds down and more seriously about using a natural herbicide that combines vinegar, dishwashing liquid, and oil. Oh and don’t worry, we’ll be sure to keep you all posted about the herbicide. 
• The garden is no place for squeamishness. If you are terrified of bugs, snakes, and Jumanji-esque plants, then reconsider a career in gardening. Although, to be fair, I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the aforementioned upon arriving here and now have learned to tolerate them all. Additionally, there is no room for fussiness in the garden. You will get sweaty, dirty, smell like manure, look like a scarecrow, and ruin your nails. As long as you can laugh at yourself you’ll have a great time. Besides, we have a claw-footed tub here that is perfect for long, relaxing, cleansing soaks. 
• Wear tons of sunscreen and bugspray (the real, heavy-duty industrial kind, the mosquitos seem to get a high off the natural kind), and drink lots of water. Gardening is serious work and I’ve developed some funny tan lines and bug bites that I won’t be able to get rid of easily. 
• Gardening is all about trial and error. It is not for the persnickety—it requires great flexibility (physical and emotional). We have had to re-plant, dig-up, shift, re-think, re-research a lot. For example, Liz and I are staple gun experts now after a day spent trying to figure out how to take the staple gun apart. One could say we wasted a lot of time but we prefer to call it a learning experience (in humility and staples).
•  Always carry a camera. Seriously. We have seen some pretty crazy things out in the garden and a camera helps convince people that we’re not crazy... most of the time. 
• This is perhaps the most important: there is never enough soil, compost, or manure. We go through mountains of all three and yet there is never enough. Although, on the plus side, this does allow us to visit dairy farms...

Why Residency?

Me in the studio at Better Farm.

By Joetta Maue

As those of you that read my blog know I recently returned from a 2 week artist residency up in the NY North Country at a sweet little place called Better Farm.  And as I was preparing to leave a few artist friends started to ask me about residencies and what they are and why I do them. So today’s topic is Why Residency?

artists at Vermont Studio School.

Actually the answers are endless.  I myself only recently came to doing residencies while I have friends that have done a ton of them and their are a few folks that are essentially residency “hoppers” having no permanent residence and just go from place to place.   A few of my friends started to do residencies right out of graduate school as they provide studio space, time, and community. For a number of my friends, both visual artists and writers, the community that they have found has been invaluable. For those of you that do not live in urban areas like NYC it is a wonderful way to start to meet artists and build community with artists that are in those areas- and who knows where that may lead. A number of artists I know met plenty of New Yorkers so that when they themselves moved here they already has a network of people to support them.   To me this is the number one reason for folks who do not live in urban art hubs to attend residencies- build community and have discourse.  Vermont Studio School which is a large scale and very well established artist community is infamous for this.

MacDowell Colony

Those of us who DO live in urban places like NY,  still benefit extensively from the community, but perhaps for us the biggest benefit is time and space AWAY from the urban busy lifestyle and to have the ability to focus on uninterrupted studio time.  I know that for me- in the city I am busy with social engagements, teaching responsibilities, and trying to make it to all the incredible art events happening-  so I treasure the time at artist residencies to be AWAY from all of that and just be with my work.  I get to breathe a big sigh….

Another reason a number of my artist friends have attended residencies is to prepare for graduate school taking the time of the residency to build their portfolio for the arduous application process and to start getting into the critical discourse that surrounds the MFA.  What I do know is that though the reasons might be varied but the benefit is guaranteed. I highly encourage it.

The Tin Shop Studio.

There are vast difference in residencies and therefore it is up to the artist to do their research- they vary from expensive but highly respected and established residencies, or prestigious but funded residencies such as the McDowell Colony to small scale one artist at a time emerging residencies such as the Tin Shop in Breckenridge, Co.  It also depends on what you need as an artist- the larger scale residencies tend to have more structure and more community but are generally not open to family attending with you. While smaller scale ones seem to have a lot more flexibility.

Textile Arts Center Residency.

Another thing to note is do you have to pay? and what do you get?   Is it a residency, such as the Textile Arts Center residency, where you are getting a studio only, or do they provide housing?

Roswell New Mexico Residency

There are also a few VERY rare but very special long term residencies which provide housing and a stipend so that you have no financial worries and can truly just focus on the development of your work. This include the very awesome and highly competitive Fine Arts Work Center in Cape Cod.

So that is my little tiny primer on residencies. For those of you that have done one please share in the comments so that readers can benefit from your expereicne too. Or if you know of a super good one let us know!

Hope you can get away soon:)

Until next time keep your needle threaded.
Joetta Maue is a full-time artist primarily using photography and fibers. Her most recent work is a series of embroideries and images exploring intimacy. Joetta exhibits her work throughout the United States and internationally, and authors the art and craft blog Little Yellowbird as well as regularly contributes to Mr. X Stitch. Joetta lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, son, 2 cats, and a goldfish.

Filed under: Thread Reviews by Textile Arts Center

Ingredients for a Rainwater Catchment System

By Elizabeth Musoke

So, we have been looking around for a simple rainwater catchment system that we think will be effective here at Better Farm. To me, simplicity is key in design. It's the little, almost unnoticeable details that make a design beautiful and come together. Two barrels just arrived and they are currently being cleaned out. We are also really close to getting the rest of the equipment.

The recipe:

• Attach gutter and downspouts to the Bird House, prep the barrels, attach the barrels to the gutter system, add some highly motivated interns to the mix, stir and await the results.

More information on the rainwater catchment system to come!

Read more:

Ingredients for a Rainwater Catchment System, Part II

Ingredients for a Rainwater Catchment System, Part Part III

Ingredients for a Rainwater Catchment System: The Results!

Agriculture is Somewhat of an Irony

By Soon Kai Poh

In the garden we build trellises and tie strings loosely to the plants so they are able to grow taller and be supported as they do so. This in turn, leads to more opportunities for flowering and eventually pea production; which is what every pea farmer seeks.

Gently guiding the outstretched tendrils of the pea plants into various arrangements so they climb the trellises properly, I realised something: agriculture is Man's way of attempting to take hold and control the course of nature - either by actively transplanting, trimming, grafting, or simply guiding plants onto trellises. Yet at the same time, as farmers who live dependent on the forces of nature (changes in season, weather and temperature) for crop growth, we realise that we're ultimately not in control at all of anything that goes on in this cosy garden of ours. It is both humbling and awe-inspiring to take a step back and marvel at this carefully balanced relationship between Man and nature, which can be somewhat ironic at times; especially when we try so hard to bring things under our control through all manner of technology and agricultural experimentation.

And yes, that is what we do over here at Better Farm every day. Contemplate reality, muse about existence, and:

1. Go swimming in one of the nearby lakes, OR jump off a cliff into them

2. Enjoy the fullness of the Moon

3. Make your own weeding stool because, you know, weeding is better when you weed in comfort

4. Make some home-made bread

5. Enjoy the daily short 5-minute sunset glow

6. Attend a biker rally at Alexandria Bay

7. Mosey around the Art Barn with window scraps (or scrap windows)

8. Hang out on an island on a fine summer's evening - you know, the usual (Thanks David for hosting us!)

9. Set up, support, and of course attend Erica's gallery opening

That should make up for 2 and a half weeks of not blogging. Cheers!

Gallery Opening Celebrates the Work of betterArts Resident Erica Hauser

Erica Hauser, left, and Jaci Collins. Photo/Mark Huyser

Better Farm yesterday hosted a gallery opening to celebrate the work of Erica Hauser, a betterArts painter-in-residence who visited us all month. Erica works in a variety of mediums and subject matters, demonstrated in her eclectic collection on display last night. She will be missed! We'll let the images from her gallery show speak for themselves:

Many thanks to all who came out, and especially to Erica for making (and leaving) her mark at Better Farm. To see more of Erica's work or purchase a piece, visit http://ericahauser.com. To learn more about the betterArts residency program, click here.

 

DIY Garden Gate

Interns (from left) Natasha Pietila, Soon Kai Poh, Elizabeth Musoke, and Jaci Collins with their latest creation.

On Better Farm's long list of to-do's is a small item to build a gate for our main gardens. For the last year that "gate" has consisted of four-foot chicken wire we peel back and forth to gain entry to the rows of food. No longer!

The interns consulted with builder-in-residence Mark Huyser to come up with a simple, clean, and lightweight gate that would keep critters out and not put too much strain on the 4x4 garden posts holding the gate up. The crew utilized scrap batten boards and leftover chicken wire, along with some screws and staples. All that was left to do was build the thing. No problem:

Carpenter-in-residence Mark Huyser at far left.

Nice work, everybody! Thanks as always to Better Farm's wonderful interns and the amazing work they do.