Art is by Bev Jackson Cotter

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center, 226 W. Clark St. in Albert Lea.

It seems that art has been leading me around all week. Not art who, but art what. I’d like to share my ramblings with you.

For several years, The Albert Lea Art Center has had a Unique Junque sale on Eddie Cochran weekend. It has proven to be a fun and profitable venture for the Art Center. Since it is in my garage, I am blessed with enthusiastic art donors all week as we prepare for the sale. The items donated had a strong original art direction this year, and it was interesting watching people stand and contemplate before they made their purchases. We were pleased to give an abstract art piece to a woman who works at a Salvation Army house for homeless boys. She said the kids need something besides motivational posters to look at.

The sale has become a community event with visitors who have lots of conversation to share. Consequently, I don’t accomplish much else.

This year, the weekend was topped off with a trip to Des Moines, Iowa, so my husband could share his farm stories with an international organization of tool collectors. Not only did I get to enjoy listening to a man with the Irish gift of words mixed with a little blarney, but I met some of the most delightful people, who gather to share their love of the art of using tools. I had no idea how much time, skill, dedication and creativity went into the various projects these people make, mostly with antique tools.

The gentleman I was sitting next to at the final social gathering was quick to pull out his smartphone to share pictures of the miniature woodworking shop, 12 to 1 ratio, that he had made and hauled across the country to display. It was like a large dollhouse with hand made tool benches, workmen, tools, and even a dog and cat. It was real life in miniature, an art form I had never considered. I also enjoyed listening to the story of his cane. It was made from the handle of a hundred year old, wooden hand saw and a sturdy stick from the family farm. How much fun for him to use and — someday — for his descendants to enjoy.

The next day, Michael and I planned on visiting the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Sticks store in downtown Des Moines. I was happy to find that these two sites are only a couple of blocks apart on East Locust Avenue, which is not far from the beautiful golden domed state capitol. It would be an easy trip from our motel to our destination and with the right change for parking meters, we were all set. Wrong. Not only did the GPS not agree with the road construction signs, but we happened to arrive when the crews were setting out road blocks for a parade.

As we drove around block after block and finally found parking near the capitol building, thousands of people were pouring onto East Locust Avenue finding their parade viewing spots.  It’s not like Albert Lea where the chairs are placed days before the event, these people came carrying their stools and blow up cushions, laughing and jostling each other as they vied for good places. The parade itself was another work of art. The Gay Pride costuming and floats were colorful and imaginative and noisy. I wonder how comfortable the guy was in that 95 degree heat who had spray painted his body green.

Our visit to the historical society was another art adventure. We wanted to see the Maquokata installation by Rose Frantzen, who will be the ALAC guest artist in September at our Wedgewood Cove event.  He has painted a series of 35 panels with portraits of her community’s residents, and on the back of each panel there is a beautifully detailed landscape of the southern Iowa area where she lives. I am anxious to meet this very talented artist.

In a nearby gallery, there was an interesting Civil War exhibition that defined the survival creativity of the soldiers, their families at home and the doctors who carried their operating room supplies around in a box about the size of a Sears catalog. The displays were so graphic, so real. The only things missing were the heat and blood and mud and bugs.

Another meander through the parade crowd took us to the Sticks store. The Sticks factory in Des Moines makes the most delightful folk art items — tables, chairs, wall hangings, boxes, trays, lazy susans, vases, etc. They have been in business about thirty years now and have stores across the country. Their colorful, hand carved, one-of-a-kind items bring a smile to your face. The tray I purchased carries a special message, “Live life to the fullest. Take time to smell the flowers. Tell your story.”

This week has been a delightful reminder that art is a part of our lives, every minute of every day, and if you allow it to, it will lead you to some undreamed of adventures.