No Handshake - No Art

I grew up in the backwoods of Kentucky, where my parents, my sisters, and I lived a homestead life of homegrown food and hard work. One of my fondest memories was helping my parents pack Tupperware boxes full of items they created by hand without the aid of machines or electricity, and heading to the fairs. My parents were artisans – people who worked with their hands and imagination, creating works of art that brought joy for many people. They were part of a community that greeted each other on early Saturday mornings at arts and crafts fairs, carnivals, farmers markets, and the little shop venues on small-town main streets or outside the bustling of urban sprawls. We would unload those boxes full of handcrafted works of art, setting them delicately on folding tables, and waited, hoping passersby would catch sight of one or two items they found wonderful. There were many times when events would provide little money; yet, we would venture back to make more works of art and hope for the best another time, making the best of what we had and being grateful. I would watch my dad, Craig, bend over his workbench late at night with carving tools and bitten lip, giving everything into his craft and creating works of instrumental wonder that people became so fond of.

Craig Pierpont moved from Philadelphia to begin a new life pursing his woodworking and luthier dreams. Having left the factory life, he risked everything on 30 acres of Kentucky countryside to build his home and begin his life’s work crafting intricate handmade wooden jewelry and instruments, including his beautiful harps. His business, Another Era, began as an aspiration to do something he was passionate for, including connecting with other like-minded people and artisans. His dream carried him from one arts and crafts festival to another, until one day he was able to quit his day job working in a tin shop and pursue his craftsmanship full time.

Yet, because of this pandemic, Craig, like many other craftsman and artisans, has watched his business take a sharp plunge due to the canceling of all fairs and art shows that he and many others rely upon. Unlike some small business stores who can easily rely on social media and online shop platforms to make ends meet, Craig relies on the handshake, that ancient symbol of communication and friendship, to continue his business. When artists and consumers join together in the fields outside of small towns to barter and buy, there is an immense personal connection that enables success. This connection has been stolen from artisans like Craig due to the banning of gatherings and open shop venues because of COVID-19.

Without the handshake deals and face-to-face contact, Another Era faces a crisis. Artisans live off the generosity and the desires of the buyer who looks for genuine, handmade works of art. The artisan lives for the fair and the interactions with customers. What they receive they put back into the business and the materials necessary to make future works of art that people love so much. Yet, without the necessary fairs, art shows, and the people who flock to them, artisans, like Craig, have no means, and fear having to close their businesses – forever.

Walt Whitman’s opening line from his poem, "Leaves of Grass," says: “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” This line holds true in these trying and uncertain times we live in today. We all share the burden in this struggle because we all share a common bond. Some have made it through; yet, there are those who are afraid that they may not afford to put food on a table of memories, where family and friends used to gather in numbers and share the joys of life. There are those who live in fear that today may be the last day of work.

We are all part of a larger community. We are all family. We have felt the strong desire to see each other again. We wish to share this life again, shaking hands, laughing, and playing in the parks. We wish to join our neighbors as we browse tents and tables for those special things, those works of art, that people like Craig worked day and night perfecting for us to all enjoy. To set that pottery vase on the shelf in your living room; to hang that painting that caught your eye at the local art fair; to play the instrument of your dreams handmade by an artist who spends his days bent over his workbench – those are the little things we cherish most. It is these little things that may not be there when the pandemic and the social distancing ceases because the artisans have all gone away, unable to continue their dreams in order for you to capture a dream yourself.

Let us support artisans, like we support our own families, so that we may never lose those dreams. Support the Arts. Support small businesses. Support Another Era.

Go to www.anotherera.com to learn more!