The second leg of the New England circuit started in Holyoke, Massachusetts – one of those towns that demonstrate the exciting economic cycle that many post-industrial towns and areas are subject to. Once a center of big industry, the town has been through tough times and is now emerging as a town of creativity, crafts and art, where studios and workshops have filled the factories and warehouses that once mass produced goods.
We first visited the Canal Gallery Building, an old paper mill which now houses twenty five artists, craftsmen and artisans, each of whom is devoted to cultivating their individual crafts. Our first stop there was to Steelhead studios, where we talked with Julian Alpern and Zac Buehner, who hand make intriguing designs from steel. By taking on commercial work (including a giant catapult for a recent Dunkin Donuts commercial), they are able to fund their own art, repurposing salvaged steel and metal for one-of-a-kind sculptures.
The good thing about a town like Holyoke is that there’s no shortage of salvaged parts and consequently, their studio is like an eccentric and industrial a shrine to their projects. The guys have furniture, sculptures, gates, mirrors and more on display, each of which takes its inspiration from the town itself - fusing heavy industry with art to create a one-of-a-kind statement. As we walked through this artistic community, we were struck by the sense of camaraderie and support among the artisans who work there and, while there we ran into fellow craftsman Michael Martindell, another sculptor and metal worker, turning found metal objects into ornamental sculptures and abstract art.
All of these guys were a very reassuring sign that one generation’s garbage is another one’s treasure and I left feeling strangely excited, as I made my way to a very different kind of craft community.
The final destination of the week was Chatham, New Hampshire, where I met with Pete Limmer of Limmer boots.
Working out of a two hundred and fifty year old bar in Chatham, Pete represents the fourth generation of craftsmen in the Limmer family, and continues the family tradition of creating hand crafted walking boots of exceptional quality. Such is his reputation among the cognoscenti that there is an eighteen month backlog for his boots, each one of which is completely unique and made to fit the owner’s foot.
Watching them make a pair of boots from scratch in their workshop felt like looking in on a time gone by – everything in there is traditional, from the 50 year-old workbench they do their work on to the aging patent for ski boots hanging on the wall (interestingly, Pete’s Grandfather was an immigrant from Germany, who created the first ever ski boot patent in the U.S). As if to reinforce that feeling, the guys told me that, a few days before my arrival, they had been sent a pair of their boots for repair. The boots had first been made 42 years ago. It’s because of things like this that Pete and his boots have a passionate following. There’s no need for them to advertise or market their product. Their craft does the talking (and their customers do the walking).
Count me charmed by this place. New England was both vibrant and serene; surely a reason for the diversity and quality of the craftsmen that I encountered. And now I will make my way south again, to New York City. Check back soon.
Slainte