Sunday, September 6, 2009

Arden Fair: Goddesses and Recycled Teapots

Live music, big crowds, and “Hippie-dom” at its best: the Arden Fair delivers! Parked cars were stacked for blocks and happy families and couples strolled on the local roads to get to the fair. The grounds were jammed with little booths, each one with its own wares or creations, from fragrant dried flowers to birdhouses and mobiles made from old silverware and whisky containers.

I stopped to talk to Ehanamane (pictured), an artist based in Smyrna. A member of the Nanticoke tribe of southern Delaware, she spoke to me of the medicine bags and goddesses she creates. Ehanamane uses geodes, leather, beads and metals in fashioning her unique creations. She told me she sensed it was her year to create goddesses she designs to be worn as necklaces. The Nanticoke Indians are Delaware’s only Native American people. Ehanamane, whose name means “Walks Among,” told me she was the only artist representing Native Americans at the fair.

Email her at ehanamane@verizon.net.

The quirkiest creations I saw were those of West Chester-based Maryann Zawicki. Her “Agape Garden” is a collection of fun garden art including bird feeders made from clear bottles and wind chimes of teapots with antique silverware dangling from them. All of Ms. Zawicki’s art is made from recycled materials. When I asked her where she found her materials, she told me, “If you had an old piece of silverware in your trash, and I liked it, I would just take it.” As fellow hoarder and recycler of trash, I enjoyed the whimsical, nostalgic feel of her artwork.

See www.mazeesagapegarden.com.

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