With Harvest Moon Fest, Artists, Creators Look to Build Interest For The Making Place
The Oct. 12 event is billed as a celebration of art, music, food and community
By Mike Kordenbrock
It’s been about a year since a simple Google Forms survey, promoted on flyers and shared among friends and acquaintances, kickstarted a movement of artists, creators and other likeminded individuals in the Flathead Valley who want a space of their own.
The vision for that space, or The Making Place as its known among supporters, is to acquire the necessary pieces, from property to equipment, to create a community makerspace — including a public art studio and tool library — which could be used by individual artists, craftspeople and creators, and host group instructional workshops.
Although it’s an ambitious vision, progress on making The Making Place a reality is moving incrementally forward, and more than 30 people have contributed their time in various ways to try and advance the project. Justin Barry, a Whitefish designer who specializes in upcycling used gear, clothing and equipment into new wearable products through his business Fdes (short for Functional Design), said that the group recently became a nonprofit and an initial, seven person board has been formed. Over the next year, they want to develop a strategic plan to further crystallize what the operation could look like, and how they can fundraise to meet their goals.
It was Barry who sent out that Google survey, which started to reach its way into different pockets of creative types in the valley. The amount of positive feedback, including from people who he had never even met before, was surprising, and also encouraging.
Some of those likeminded individuals started regularly meeting in the spring to further hash out a plan, and started hosting pop-ups, workshops, classes and events — from hide tanning to plein air painting — in coordination with local businesses and organizations. The idea behind those smaller scale events was to continue building interest and support for The Making Place.
Now, before winter fully takes claim of the Flathead’s weather, the volunteers behind The Making Place are hosting the inaugural Harvest Moon Fest at a property between Kalispell and Columbia Falls. The Oct. 12 event, billed as a celebration of art, music, food and community, is a benefit for The Making Place, but entry is free. From noon the 8 p.m. there will be artist demonstrations and talks on subjects like pottery wheel throwing, natural dyes and plein air painting, live music from Billings-based musician Goosetooth, a cider press to make fresh apple cider, the ZapoTaco food truck, open mics, a silent auction, raffle and even a chance for people to learn how to screen print their own Harvest Moon Fest shirts. On top of that, the fest will include face painting, and games like corn hole and pumpkin bowling.
People interested in screenprinting shirts are encouraged to bring their own, as supplies on site will be limited. The screenprinted shirts will feature the same imagery as the festival’s poster, which was designed and drawn by Bigfork artist and illustrator Isaac Passwater.
Barry and other organizers see it as a culmination of the outreach work they’ve done over the summer. The idea was to offer people something more than an art market, and instead provide an immersive experience where attendees can engage with makers, watch them at their craft, and in some cases participate.
Cooper Jeppesen, a potter and ceramicist who sells his work through his business Hearth Ceramics, and Amy Gwartney, a massage therapist and artist who works with natural dyes under her business Earthen Rituals, are hosting the festival at their residence at 700 Mooring Road. The property doubles as the location for their business Harvest Moon Workshops & Retreats. Gwartney said she first became involved after someone emailed her the aforementioned Google survey. The idea resonated with her on a number of levels, and she quickly became involved.
“Art is a lot about community. Getting inspiration from other people, collaborating. I think that we all need community, whether you identify as an artist or not,” Gwartney said.
Adulthood doesn’t always provide straightforward opportunities to meet people and create those connections, and Barry noted that part of where they see The Making Place adding even more value to the community is by providing an alternative space that isn’t a bar and where people can have positive social interactions. It could also give creative types and artists a chance to work in spaces that aren’t part of their homes or apartments, especially at a time when the cost of living is so high that’s increasingly difficult to find larger living spaces that can accommodate a studio space.
The valley can be an isolating place at times, and having that sense of a place-based creative community can also make the process of trying to create things less intimidating, Barry noted. People can share their knowledge, and someone who started from nothing might eventually become skilled enough to teach other people.
Sure enough some of that ethos of teaching, sharing and learning is anticipated to be part of the inaugural Harvest Moon Fest. Barry said they’re hoping the festival can reach people who are interested in the makerspace, who like to create things, and who are interested in a creative community.
“It’s not about spending money, it’s not about consuming things, but more just getting together and having a good time.”
For more information about Harvest Moon Fest, go to https://www.themakingplacemt.com/.