Individual Artist Project

Financially, I will make some of the material purchases from companies in the arrowhead region. Artistically, I am excited to show my community that we as individuals are able to create what we need to live comfortably as a part of nature. I am excited to inspire people to consider the impacts of consumerism in the outdoor gear space. I hope to show people that natural materials (hemp, cotton, wood, wool, etc.) which have been in use for thousands of years are still sufficient to enjoy the Wilderness. And importantly, I hope to inspire people to take the leap to try something unfamiliar, or to try something familiar but in a new way.; There are three goals in this project, which line up with its three parts: 1-create all the gear needed for a comfortable hike across the Kekekabic and Border Route Trails. 2-use that gear for the duration of the hike. 3-present before, during, and after the hike to audiences in northern Minnesotan. To break those into more specific goals- I will create fifteen distinct pieces of clothing/gear/equipment. The gear will be used over the course of an 11-day, 111 mile hike, which will be broken into two sections- Snowbank Lake to the Gunflint Trail in 4 days and the Gunflint Trail to the end of the Border Route Trail in 6 days, with one day spent on the Gunflint Trail. The three conversation with communities will include gear demonstrations, discussion, and before and after pictures of the materials and the resulting gear. I will have at least 20 community members in attendance at each of these three conversations. When I set my mind to something, I see it out. This project is large in scope- both in creating all the pieces, but also in the physical and mental demands of a large hike. I often decide to do things because they are hard and believe that is where I learn and grow the most. Physically and mentally, I find joy in challenges: I have ice skated 23 miles in a day, portaged an aluminum canoe 14.5 miles in a day (and run with one in a 5k), and I have backpacked 28 miles in a day. On the production side, I have worked in fast pace sewing jobs. I have always exceeded my production goals in these professional environments. When working on personal fiber art projects, I get sucked in and can find myself happily working through dinner and into the late night without even noticing. I am highly confident I can complete these art pieces and this hike, and my strong connections at Ely Folk School, Chik-Wauk, and in Grand Marais will make the community conversations successful.; A large portion of this project is quite tangible and it will therefore be straightforward to evaluate its success. Some questions that I will use to determine success will be: Were all pieces of gear created? What percentage of materials used were non-synthetic? Did I complete the 111 mile journey using only this gear? Did I engage with the public through conversations at the beginning, middle, and end of the journey? Less tangible aspects of this project's success include: Did I develop a deeper connection with nature through the process of creating and using this gear? Do people feel inspired to learn more about their gear, pursue difficult personal challenges in (or out of) the wilderness, and/or gain a new appreciation for non-synthetic materials' I will distill these answers based upon the experience I have in the Wilderness, and the outcomes of the community conversations.