It was a dark and stormy night. No kidding! January winds were blowing in more snow and freezing temperatures. I didn’t care, for I was seated at my spinning wheel planning an entry for the 154th Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair (Ag Fair).
My mind wandered to other artists and artisans in workshops, studios, living rooms, and basements doing the very same thing — beginning the journey to the hall, the Agricultural Hall that at fair time is overflowing with exhibits all competing for that coveted blue ribbon.
Passing on the tradition
Colin Rushing, 11, and his brother Alex, 8, of San Francisco, Calif., take different paths to the hall. Colin takes a measured and thoughtful approach to his annual entry. He begins with an idea, thinks about it some more, and then begins to build. He doesn’t solicit much outside advice, but he admits that sometimes, advice leads to an improvement.
Colin and Alex spend summer vacation with their grandparents — who are both very creative people — in Oak Bluffs. Their grandmother squirrels away bits of ephemera and other things in a box all winter long. As soon as the boys arrive for the summer, the box comes out, and the creating begins.
Alex built a robot last year, using many things found in the box. He remembers fondly a papier-mâché owl that won a red ribbon. Alex doesn’t start building his entry until his mother arrives from San Francisco. He likes her input, but the idea and the construction are all his.
The boys offer sage advice to others who may contemplate entering something into the fair: “If you haven’t tried it, you should,” said Colin. “It’s fun!”
“People will come and admire your things,” Alex reminds would-be artists. Now who wouldn’t like that?
Building an heirloom
Sandy Pratt of Vineyard Haven didn’t intend to start a family tradition 25 years ago, but that’s exactly what happened when her wedding gown won the ribbon for Best in Show. The dress was made by Sandy; her mother, the late Dorothy Petry of Pennsylvania; and Sandy’s sister, Pat Schell, also of Pennsylvania. Since that time, Sandy enters only heirloom pieces, such as the christening dress, which also won a blue ribbon.
When the pieces are used for their intended purpose and stored away, the ribbons stay with them. “It’s cool documentation,” said Sandy.
Heirloom pieces begin with a need (as with the christening dress). Whatever the item is, Sandy makes sure it’s done by August, so it can be entered. “The fair deadline affects the way I sew. I sew more deliberately when it’s going to be judged.”
Sandy remembers years ago when her husband Jeffrey was working for WMVY radio and broadcasting live from the fair. Jeffrey would check to see if Sandy’s entry won a ribbon, and then report the results over the radio, knowing Sandy would be listening at work. “It was before cell phones,” said Sandy.
Sandy and Jeffrey’s son Marshall won his first ribbon in photography when he was 6 or 7 years old. Marshall is now a professional artist with a degree in fine arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Sandy’s advice for those still on the fence about entering the fair is simple: “Go for it. You’ll like the way it feels.”
Giddy-Up: The horse they threw away
For weeks, Barbara Baskin of Vineyard Haven drove by a sad little plastic hobby horse on her way to work. Her only thought at the time was how she wished people wouldn’t put their trash on the side of the road. One day she stopped the car to look at the horse.
“I wonder if I could paint this thing?” she asked herself. The next thing she knew, she was explaining to her husband why she had brought the horse home. He wasn’t surprised. He too had seen the horse, and knew eventually it would end up at their house.
The journey from the side of the road to the Ag Hall was a long one. For two years, the horse kept Barbara company in her workshop. By now he was lovingly called Giddy-Up.
“We got to know one another,” said Barbara, who feels a special connection to all her pieces.
By the time Giddy-Up got his blue ribbon, he had been stripped, sanded, painted, and reimagined as a carousel horse, down to the last detail. When asked how long the transformation took, Barbara couldn’t give an accurate figure.
“The work is cathartic,” said Barbara. “It’s not the number of hours but rather the fun you have doing it.”
Barbara has entered and won ribbons in many different categories over the years, but it is the Refinished Furniture category that is her favorite. She wants to keep the craft alive. “Antiques Roadshow” appraisers often warn owners not to refinish furniture because it diminishes the value. Barbara feels the skill set is being lost. She is always looking for her next entry.
“I look for junk that I can only improve. I pick pieces that speak to me — that I’m drawn to — that I can make look fabulous.” And she has the blue ribbons to prove it.
Barbara just advised a friend, “Your kids have to put something in the fair. They have to have this experience. It’s the journey.”
I completely agree.
Ghosting bluefish
If you like stiff competition and high “wow” factor, enter a quilt in the Fair. Mary-Ruth Flores of San Antonio, Texas, happily takes up the challenge, often spending a year on her entry. She loves the fair because of the high-quality entries.
When designing her quilt, she first considers how it will look hanging in the hall. One of her quilts had white batting (the inner layer) and white backing fabric, so the light would show through, giving it the look of a stained-glass window. Every seam had to be perfect, and it was. She was rewarded with a blue ribbon.
Last year Mary-Ruth entered her Little Red Boat quilt. She hand-dyed the fabric and used a special technique called ghosting. The boat rested at its mooring while practically transparent bluefish swam below. She was happy to hear people say, “Look at the bluefish,” and happy to earn another blue ribbon.
“As long as I know I’ve done the best I can, I’m proud to show it.
Quilting is no longer a handcraft. It is fabric art.”
Fairgoers will find Mary-Ruth and her sister Katherine Long of West Tisbury volunteering in the Fiber Tent, where they demonstrate quilting and other needle arts.
The road to a blue ribbon (or any ribbon) is fraught with false starts, U-turns, potholes, and the dreaded “check engine” light. In spite of the roadblocks, we keep moving forward until we place our work into the outstretched hands of an Ag Fair volunteer the day before the fair opens.
The journey to the Hall is an exciting one. Those who enter feel a connection to the fair and to each other. It’s a special club that always welcomes new members. Join us.
Anna Marie D’Addarie is the Program Coordinator at the Oak Bluffs Library, a former Times Calendar Editor, and a veteran spinner, weaver, and all-around fiber artist. Each year she demonstrates her craft at the Ag Fair’s Fiber Tent and enters her best handiwork in the Hall competition.