Lithia Artisans Earthday Art-Walk along Ashland Creek

One loud shout out to the newest members of Lithia Artisans Market who came out and participated in opening weekend. Four new artisans braved the first time jitters, cold temperatures, and dark clouds hanging in the watershed. Two brand new two-dimensional artists, Cammy Davis and Carola Marashi, and two clothing artists, Barbara Shoonover and Jasmine Patten, helped adorn the little alley way along Ashland Creek. The market felt fresh and new, the music inspired, our community came out to move to the sounds Drew Rouse, and the grooves of Steve Elmer and Boris Cummings. Spring has sprung and Lithia Artisans are starting to bloom.

This weekend we celebrate our Mother Earth. Earthday, April 22nd each year, is the fulcrum moment from which our current environmental consciousness stems. It was 1970, the anti-Vietnam War movement was in full swing, and the nation had just witnessed the devastation wrought by the Santa Barbara oil spills. The energy of the anti-war movement started transferring some of its attention from the war to the environment. We ended the Vietnam war in 1975, but not the assault on our planet by corporate polluters. It has become ever clearer over the past 42 years that the Earth needs our protection now more than ever.
Self employed artisans who work from home live green, work green, and honor the earth. I am continually blessed with the bounty of our Earth, and grateful for the opportunity to live this life, at this time, in this place. This Earthday be sure to support local on all levels. Eat local, buy local. Nothing more important to do with your dollars than getting as close to the source as possible. The closer to the source, the more authentic… we all crave authenticity. It sustains our body, mind, soul. We are part of the Earth. What sustains us sustains the planet and vice versa. Reciprocal relationship.

Here is where we come in. The artists and the musicians are channels for the cosmos. We bring the beauty of life into a manifestation that can be held, worn, listened to, felt, or placed upon a bare wall to bring us joy. Our hands shape the image as our mind brings into focus the subjective interpretation of the universe through the eyes of the artist. The artist interprets the Earth, the stars, and our collective imagination. This way humanity stays tuned to the natural vibration of the planet. As we appear to spin out of control into the abyss of ever more disconnected digital lives, the artists mission is to stay true to the grounded energy of clay, stones, the sound of water over stream beds, pigments from the pulp of plants — beauty inspired by Earth.

This Earthday I feel so grateful to have a wonder filled venue on Calle Guanajuato each weekend from now through mid November. Welcome back home artisans of the Rogue Valley and beyond. And behold… it’s Earthday 2012 in Ashland, Oregon. Wow!
Helping to keep the energy high, we have a great lineup of talented musicians coming down to the Lithia Artisans Art Walk along Ashland Creek for Earthday Weekend in Ashland, Oregon. Here is the music lineup…

Saturday April 21
11:30 – 1:30     Gene Burnett
3:00 – 5:00      Grant Ruiz
Sunday April 22
11:30 – 1:30     Martin Vee
3:00 – 5:00      Jon Galfano