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Rural Women
Folklore Village Event To Look At Women's Roles On The Farm
The Capital Times :: LIFESTYLE :: 1B
Tuesday, August 9, 2005
By Susan Troller The Capital Times
They milk the cows and feed the chickens and tend the calves and weed
the garden and spin the wool and prepare the meals and balance the
books and doctor the sick and supervise the homework and gaze at the
dark night sky and celebrate the land. And often they also go to work
off the farm so their families have health insurance.The remarkably rich experiences of rural women, and their thoughtful notions about living life close to the land, are the inspiration behind a multimedia arts event titled "Rural Women: Voice and Spirit," slated for 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Folklore Village near Dodgeville.
Supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the free event will include a collection of vibrant paintings by Oregon artist Kelli Parks Snider, video portraits by Middleton's Jane Bartell, literary selections by farm women, metal sculptures created by Erica Koivunen, and mixed media farm scenes by Edgewood campus grade school students.
Also on tap at the family-friendly event will be food raised locally and prepared by Madison's Marigold Kitchen, as well as wine from rural Barneveld's Botham Winery and beer from the Great Dane Brew Pub. Collaborative support for the show, which showcases the integral role of women in Wisconsin agriculture and their thoughtful ideas about the changing landscape of family farming, is provided by Midwest Environmental Advocates Inc., Wisconsin's only nonprofit environmental law center.
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The show has been a long-term labor of love for Snider and Bartell. Snider began working on this project about two years ago, but the inspiration for it has been germinating for many years.
"I first became aware of and interested in the lives of rural women years ago," Snider said. "At that time I was working as an occupational therapist. In the course of my job I'd go to farms to help a farmer following an accident or injury. I was absolutely amazed by what women did to manage their farm operations and how central their role was in making their farms work."
She said she was struck by the eloquence of many farm women as they talked of the struggles, challenges, satisfactions and triumphs, of lives lived in the shadow of huge forces, some natural like the weather, and others man-made, like global markets.
"I felt their experiences were fascinating, and their perspective and voices were, unfortunately, not often heard. You know, historically, women on farms have led rather unrecognized and sometimes undervalued lives. But what they have to say about the food we eat, land stewardship and environmental issues and the changing farm scene, especially in the face of globalization, is incredible. This show is the culmination of exploring and interpreting many of the ideas expressed by 18 remarkable rural women," she added.
Madison native Bartell became involved in the project through Snider.
"Originally, we became friends through our children at school. I also just loved her work, and we found we collaborated well on a number of volunteer projects," Bartell said.
"When Kelli said she wanted to interview Wisconsin farm women, and then use their words as inspiration for paintings, I was fascinated. I asked her if she had thought of recording the interviews, and using that testimony as the basis of a series of video portraits. The project, and our collaboration on it, grew from there," Bartell added.
The event will also include music by Heartwood and speakers Mark Kastel of the Cornucopia Institute and Miriam Brown, editor of "Sustaining Heart in the Heartland: Exploring Rural Spirituality."
In their words
I know a lot of people think that the land is theirs. They own it and it's theirs. They think that they can do whatever they want with it. That is a pretty common feeling. Of course, I would respectfully disagree. The land is a gift. We need to befriend it instead of fight it. Working with the land, it's amazing. It will work with you, if you work with it.
Rebecca Goodman
organic dairy farmer
Northwood Farm, Wonewoc
It's not just what you eat, it's what you eat eats. Convincing people to take responsibility for their health is difficult. We are a fast food society. Everyone wants health care to take care of them, find the answers, give them the magic pill. We have to fix the problem. This problem starts with healthy eating.
Diane Sharp
registered nurse, grass-fed beef raiser
Highland Heath Farm, Reedsburg
E-mail: stroller@madison.com