vague...

I'll be in the Zarrow Gallery, University of Tulsa for a gallery talk at 12 Noon, tomorrow, October 25. It's free and the public is invited. I will be discussing the work of sculptor, Robyn Horn, printers, Steve Miller and John Horn, and my own work, as well as the creative interconnections and collaborations between artists. RSVP, Cindy Williams  918-631-4402 or cindy-williams@utulsa.edu.

Vague:

1. Not clearly expressed; inexplicit.
2. Not thinking or expressing oneself clearly.
3. Lacking definite shape, form, or character; indistinct: saw a vague outline of a building through the fog.
4. Not clear in meaning or application. See Synonyms at ambiguous.
5. Indistinctly felt, perceived, understood, or recalled; hazy: a vague uneasiness.

In a school culture of routine testing and particularly one in which standardized testing is allowed to be determinant in all things, 80% right is OK. Ninety percent is better, and almost completely right (like 98%) gives a student marks that propel him or her toward a glorious destiny in the halls of academic success. Students taking standardized tests are encouraged to guess the answers if they don't know them. The purpose is simply to advance one child over another and sort them out for college and careers... rather than to prepare them for engagement in the discovery of and adherence to truth. Verisimilitude is the name of the game. Stephen Colbert calls it truthiness. It looks like truth and it's close enough to fool the common folk. Keeping common folk fooled may be a hidden agenda in American education.

In box making, there are no right or wrong answers, but still truth can be found. How to hinge lids without relying on store bought ones is a question that a middle school teacher asked in this morning's email.

There are lots of hard ways to install hinges that are easier if you are a skilled woodworker. Pin hinges is one method that comes to mind. Pin hinges with the pins drilled in from the sides of the box into the  lid require very precise set-ups on the drill press or horizontal borer, and require precision in the cutting of parts. Let them go there when they've shown a great interest and have developed skill. What I've suggested is the simple pivot lid as shown in the sketchup illustration above. The pins for attaching the lid are available from Lee Valley. The idea here is to go from the simple to the complex, from the easy to more difficult, and from the concrete to the abstract... principles of Educational Sloyd. My students assemble this box with nails.

Today in my wood shop, I am making some of my standard boxes to fill gallery orders prior to the holiday season.

Make, fix and create...