A tine box.

 

This the tine box my wife and I found in the folk museum at Oslo. It is from Voss, Norway and as I explained to my students is a classic form. 

Tine means cheese box referring to its humble origins, and if you are lucky to have more than one, they are called tiner.

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today

ESSA is closing on the acquisition of property next door that will allow for expansion and improved ingress and egress.

I am getting ready for a three day class in making Scandinavian bentwood boxes, tiner, as were made in small villages throughout Scandinavia and were related to the bentwood boxes designed and sold by the Shakers. 

The class will begin tomorrow and go on until Sunday afternoon, with students having the opportunity to take home more than one box in various sizes.

My own adventure in making these boxes began with this box that my great grandmother carried from Norway by ship in 1866.

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Boxmaking 101

Wooden boxes are one of the best ways to learn basic woodworking. In a few short hours, you can make boxes for gifts or to sell that may be treasured for a lifetime. Whether you are a beginning woodworker or have years of experience, the things you learn from making boxes will advance all your woodworking skills, leading to greater accuracy and creativity in every woodworking project, but much more:

This is from Felix Adler, writing in support of manual training in the late 1800's:

"Let the task assigned be, for instance, the making of a wooden box. The first point to be gained is to attract the attention of the pupil to the task. A wooden box is interesting to a child, hence this first point will be gained. Lethargy is overcome, attention is aroused. Next, it is important to keep-the attention fixed on the task: thus only can tenacity of purpose be cultivated. Manual training enables us to keep the attention of the child fixed upon the object of study, because the latter is concrete. Furthermore, the variety of occupations which enter into the making of the box constantly refreshes this interest after it has once been started. The wood must be sawed to line. The boards must be carefully planed and smoothed. The joints must be worked out and fitted. The lid must be attached with hinges. The box must be painted or varnished. Here is a sequence of means leading to an end, a series of operations all pointing to a final object to be gained, to be created. Again, each of these becomes in turn and for the time being a secondary end; and the pupil thus learns, in an elementary way, the lesson of subordinating minor ends to a major end. And, when finally the task is done, when the box stands before the boy's eyes a complete whole, a serviceable thing, sightly to the eyes, well-adapted to its uses, with what a glow of triumph does he contemplate his work! The pleasure of achievement now comes in to crown his labor; and this sense of achievement, in connection with the work done, leaves in his mind a pleasant after-taste, which will stimulate him to similar work in the future. The child that has once acquired, in connection with the making of a box, the habits just described, has begun to master the secret of a strong will, and will be able to apply the same habits in other directions and on other occasions." — Felix Adler

I would like to introduce my readers to boxmaking101.com

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Visiting at the Clear Spring School

I visited today at the Clear Spring School and I think that others should as well. You may imagine schooling as being at a desk, but there you'll see children learning in action. We talked about the difficulties of making communities and families understand what education can become, but to visit, however briefly, is to come to a better understanding, as you witness first hand.

Come by sometime. Check in at the office first and then see for yourself. Progressive education has been around since the early days of education. It's nothing new. But seeing is the first step you'll take in the progress of your own community. It can be done. And you can do it.

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Chance encounters, brief moments in time...

It is amazing how chance encounters and very brief moments in time can have such effects. Today I had a visit from a friend who is now an art therapist and puppeteer and we recalled a bit of our past. She visited in the pottery studio at Memphis State University where I was taking a pottery class and told me about Eureka Springs. She was there but a few moments, but friends of mine and I travelled to Eureka Springs that weekend and but for a few trips out I've been here ever since. 

JoAnn Kaminsky and her husband Hank were very close friends of mine in the early days, and little did I know when JoAnn and I first met, that there would be such effects. I was also on the state panel that named Hank an Arkansas Living Treasure.

It is thus: Our lives turn on dimes, and we'd best be flexible, that we're ready to bend when good things come. The work shown is by Hank Kaminsky. The large cast bronze globe shares the word peace in many languages. And peace be to you.

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Reading, writing, and the hands

Children who are taught to write using pen and paper learn better than those who keyboard. Pushing buttons in not the same thing when it comes to learning letters according to this study.

 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250430142559.htm 

As I was finishing my career at the Clear Spring School we learned that some children were no longer able to read cursive. That's sad, but very true,

Today I have an art show opening at the Eureka Springs Historical Museum. One of my boxes will be featured along with the works of several local artisans.

 https://www.facebook.com/EurekaSpringsHistoricalMuseum/

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 Dear friends and associates,

When I was in college a mentor observed that my brains were in my hands and that led me to a career as an artisan and to observe that to some degree or another, the connection between the hands and brain, described as a partnership is likely true for all of us.

That led me to write a number of books, and to be one of three artisans to join together to found a craft school in 1998. I remain a founding member of the board and teacher to this day.

The school, ESSA or the Eureka Springs School of the Arts has grown over the years, from holding workshops in local studios (a school without walls) to a single building, where classes were held, to owning 55 acres and buildings dedicated to woodworking and metals along with staff housing. Along the way, with the help of the Windgate Foundation we received an endowment of 10 million dollars in trust for our continued operation well into the future.

We are ready and waiting for the next round of growth. I see it as an opportunity to support hands-on learning, and we are at the tail end of a fundraising challenge. As part of a $850,000 capital campaign we’ve raised every dollar but the final $57,000 that will put us over the top.

The Windgate Foundation offered a $175,000.00 match, so every dollar you give is doubled by them. Their contribution will only be active when we’ve given first, but we’ve only a short ways to go.

Large or small, you can play a part.

What will the money be used for? Students and those who have joined me for a campus tour will have noticed how difficult it is to pull off the highway to arrive safely on campus, and the money will be used to acquire the property next door, and a new entry to the Eureka Springs School of the Arts.

We are almost there and I would like to share the opportunity to make a meaningful gift and to be a part of the school’s growth, as we’ll next tackle the need for a new building for 2 dimensional art.

All along the way this has been a family thing for me. My Uncle Ron and Aunt Gladys would stop by here on their way to take classes Arrowmont. Curious about that school in East Tennesee I became a teacher there and saw the impact similar hands-on learning would have on family and community and each of us, which then of course led me to understand the importance of building a similar school here.

I invite you to look at us online and to view the project or come and join us here. If you believe in hands on learning as I do, and the transformational effects, I don’t want you to miss out. If you would like an information packet sent to you via mail, the school can oblige. Please provide them the best mailing address.

https://essa-art.org/capital-campaign/

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