What do you do when your economy is built on the mineral and natural assets of your country? In the case of an unregulated free enterprise system, the answer is watch them dissipate, be exported for quick profit, slowly dwindle till there are none. That’s the capitalist way, that’s the unchained entrepreneurial way. Countries such as ours were built on exploiting the land and our mineral assets for gain. And there is nothing wrong with, say, a copper mine extracting copper to build our country’s telephone network. Nor is it wrong for trees to be cut for lumber to build homes, or for oil in Pennsylvania to first replace whale oil for lamps and later heat homes.The problem comes in two ways later on. Firstly there is the question of nonrenewable resources, assets that belong or should belong to the national benefit because once they are mined out, we’re done. And secondly there is demand from other countries that provokes a wholesale exploitation of our nation’s assets for export, for quick profit. I say quick profit because no refining or processing jobs are created in this country when raw natural assets, like freshly cut redwood trees or raw copper or aluminum ore are exported. And therein lies another problem: The greater the export demand for raw assets, the larger that workforce becomes. And the larger that workforce is, the more similar jobs are created to keep them employed. In California the whole issue of the spotted owl campaign — pitting environmentalists against the lumberjacks over the issue of whether industrial logging or protection of a species was more important — could have been resolved by everyone fighting for real jobs for the lumberjacks. Instead of exporting 1,500-year-old trees to Japan with the bark still on, two-thirds of the lumberjack workforce could have been put to work in mills, in transport and into wood product manufacturing. Oh no, instead they clashed over an owl and allowed those same jobs to be created in Japan. And the profit on those trees? About 20 percent of the profit compared to the finished wood products. As a capitalist enterprise that was a failure. As an unregulated free enterprise system it was a resounding success — for someone else, overseas.In Switzerland there have been simple laws for many years protecting what few natural assets they have. Products can be imported in their raw state, but nothing can be exported unless it has been handled, reprocessed, three times. Cut down the tree, mill it, then make something out of it (cuckoo clocks will do, so will axe handles). Iron or aluminum ore can be mined, then smelted, then you make something out of it — watches and Swiss army knives. Anyone think those items are cheap? And the unemployment in Switzerland? Zero. Actually it is a negative percentage — they import skilled workers.China seems to be catching on. As a country they have already begun raping most of the world’s minerals and natural resources. Africa, especially West Africa, has more than 300 Chinese companies extracting ore, gems and minerals. Siberian timber is being cut down wholesale for shipment to China, ending up at a Walmart near you as tables, chairs and broom handles. Millions of barrels of crude oil are being imported and turned into plastics and then exported to the tune of multi-billions of dollars. But there is one thing China controls 90 percent of the world’s supply of, all mined within China’s borders: rare earth metals. Crack open your periodic table, these are scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium. OK, you ask, what are they used for? These minerals are the backbone of huge new growth industries that most people think are American (in origin anyway): safe lithium batteries for computers and cars, the glow of flat screen TVs and computer monitors, lasers for fiber optic transmissions, medical equipment (MRI and CAT scanners), solar cells and, never least, the manufacture of computer chips, especially the high-tech ones.China has realized that exporting these rare earth metals means that high-tech jobs are growing somewhere else, not in China, so they have begun to reduce their exports. They have put on a non-free-enterprise cap as part of national policy. In short, these valuable natural assets should be producing Chinese employment in the near future and reducing corresponding employment here and in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and India.Yes, that is national protectionism to a certain degree, but it is also sensible husbandry of a nation’s assets and employment. Traditionally, nations have used customs and tariff charges to regulate the fairness of import/export. But tariffs and customs charges are restrictive of the capitalist system in ways that restricting the export of raw minerals and natural products are not. Capitalism, the ability of industry and employment to grow and respond to meet demand is not hampered if there is a cap on export of a nation’s unprocessed natural resources. But if you impose tariffs and customs duty, then you artificially set pricing and reduce desire for products, thereby hampering trade.Given all the wonderful and still abundant natural resources America has, perhaps it is time we started to preserve these for the employment of Americans and American industry first. Let’s make products here, the American way, a better way, and build for our future instead of shipping it overseas.Peter Riva, formerly of Amenia Union, lives in New Mexico.
Latest News
Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.
“I was always drawing as a child,” Justine recalled. Victor dreamed of illustrating magazine covers like those of the “Saturday Evening Post.”
Victor studied design and illustration at Rochester Institute of Technology, then received a fellowship to study painting and printmaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne. He graduated in 1967. The following year, he received a grant from the Tiffany Foundation to study printmaking in Paris at Atelier 17, an experimental graphic arts workshop founded in 1927.
“What a great experience that was!” he recalled.
Returning home after the Paris uprisings of 1968, he discovered that the magazine covers he’d hoped to paint had largely given way to photography. His agent suggested trying record covers, which he pursued along with illustration and graphic design.
He also began teaching at Kean University in New Jersey.
“Kean had a wonderful graphic design and illustration department. I loved teaching Graphic Design, even though I never thought I would.”
He later taught at Syracuse University and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
In the late 1980s, he decided to stop teaching and concentrate on his own art. He moved to Falls Village, to a house on the corner of Minor and Prospect Streets.
“I used to call the studio ‘Minor Prospects Atelier,’” he said.
He continued working in illustration and graphic design, creating book covers for stories by H.P. Lovecraft and other authors, along with magazine covers, logos, advertising and murals.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback
His local commissions include the green and gold Noble Horizons signage and wall murals for the Stockbridge Inn, the Spa at Norwich Inn, Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and the David M. Hunt Library’s children’s section.
Justine grew up in the Bronx and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she took on whatever work she could find, including designing toys and novelty items for Russ Berrie. But her true calling was textile design.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue that calling, where she learned silkscreen printing from 1960s design icon Corita Kent.
“I was in her program at Immaculate Heart College. All fabric design at that time was silk screen. My first job in textile design was in L.A., creating wallpaper for Bob Mitchell Design.”
Justine returned to New York City, where the advent of computers required her to learn new design techniques. She enrolled at Parsons School of Design, studying Photoshop, Illustrator, Lectra U4ia and Kaledo.
Around this time, she met Victor online and moved to Falls Village.
A recruiter found her a job in Arkansas at Dillard’s, a department store chain operating in 30 states and known for its exclusive designer collections.
“They had the best equipment I’d ever seen,” she said.
She became a senior computer-aided design designer there, designing fabric and preparing purchased designs for production.
The Vallas left Falls Village for Little Rock.
“It was a big move,” she said. “It was a different culture, but Little Rock was very progressive.”
The originally planned to stay in Arkansas for five years but ended up remaining for nearly 10.
Then Justine was hit by a car. She suffered injuries to her leg and head and required four years of rehabilitation.
“I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.”
The Vallas returned to Connecticut, this time settling in Salisbury, where they’ve lived since 2013.
After leaving Dillard’s, Justine had planned to sell her work through Printsource in New York City, an international showcase for surface and textile design. But after the accident, she no longer had the mobility or energy to travel back and forth to the city.
Instead, she began selling her work locally at craft shows, including clothing, hand-printed tea towels and floorcloths.
She is currently working on selling her collection of textile designs.
In December, Justine will have a show of her tea-themed watercolors at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
Victor recently exhibited “The American West: A Pictural History” at the NorthEast-Millerton Library. The series, created in the early 1990s, was part of a commission from the Postal Commemorative Society for which he completed 100 paintings in two years.
He hopes to place the series in a museum and has created books from its images, complete with text. Over the years, he has designed many other books that are ready for publication, including “Looking In, Looking Out,” a cosmic view of the universe.
Reflecting on his career, Victor said, “It’s about doing what you love”.
Justine agreed.
To see, purchase or commission work, contact Justine at justinevalla@gmail.com or Victor at victorvalla@comcast.net, or call 860-596-4282.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.
Cornwall ceramicist Jane Herold explained that there’s quite a lot of enthusiasm for Clay Way among the region’s ceramic artists.
“We all need work space, which is hard to find or afford in urban areas. The wood-fire crowd needs lots of wood and outdoor space. This area is great because it’s rural enough for us, but has a wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive population of pottery [patrons].”
While many of the artists are returning from previous years, the loose collection of unofficial organizers likes to keep the event manageable for the public, limiting the number of artists and studios each year. A direct drive from the southernmost point at Ann Heywood’s studio in Wingdale to Herold’s big barn in Cornwall is under 40 minutes. But if you want to catch it all, plan for a full day’s worth of art exploration along some of the most beautiful roads in New England.
Starting at its northernmost point, Herold’s studio will host Matin Malikzada of Afghanistan, whose polished, modern interpretations of traditional forms are instantly recognizable. They’ll be joined by wood-fired ceramicists Steve Johnson, with his raw, organic forms, and Harry Levenstein, whose works relate closely to Johnson’s while making even more direct references to nature.
Herold herself creates work that is both beautiful and utilitarian. Her prolific output of objects is intended to be used by everyday people as part of their daily lives.
Moving south is Todd Piker of Cornwall Bridge Pottery. Piker has been making pots in his giant wood-fired kiln since 1971. The kiln looks more like an ancient blast furnace than something designed to transform clay into ceramics, but over the years, he’s mastered its intricacies and produces an impressive amount of fine work.
A ceramic vase by Kathleen Heidemann.Provided
Piker will host Sanah Peterson, who works at Cornwall Bridge Pottery and draws inspiration from both her time with Piker and her time traveling the globe as a child. They’ll be joined by Stephanie Haines, whose vibrant, eye-catching work features underglaze illustrations of birds, fruit and the bounty of nature.
Further along in Warren, Jessica Dubin’s pieces will be on display at the studio of Christine Owen. Both artists seem to appreciate the chaos and unpredictable nature of clay but find ways to refine it all using their own unique methods.
Heading east to Washington, Conn., Will Talbot’s creates intricate work while allowing for the unpredictable nature of clay to play a role. His studio will house Tom Knox and his wide variety of textures and forms, as well as New York City-based Alex Lebedev, who lets music and the nature of improvisation guide his work.
There will be two studios participating in South Kent. Alison Palmner, whose page on the Clay Way website states she “strives to achieve a lighthearted meld of human forms, animals and the vessel.” Her studio will host Ben Eberle, who trained under the guidance of legendary potter Toshiko Takaezu; James Guggina, whose intricate work can appear both deliberate and whimsical; and Paula Shalan, who blends rough, unrefined surfaces with polished precision in individual pieces.
Joy Brown’s delightful ceramic sculptures.Provided
Nearby is Joy Brown, whose work have become a staple of the area, with her figurative sculptures dotting the Northwest Corner. Brown’s studio will also feature Bonnie Levine, who taps into the beauty of chaos and destruction in her work, and Brendan Moore, whose more utilitarian forms are perfect for everyday use.
Finally, the tour crosses the border into Wingdale, New York, where the studios of Drew Montgomery, Ann Heywood and Amy Brenner will host Jackie Sedlock, Lynn Behrendt,and Kathleen Heidemann.
Brenner creates some of the most colorful and vibrant pieces on the tour, while Behrendt’s work is among the most studied and precise. Heywood creates carefully considered, intuitive forms, while Heidemann moves from simple minimalism to intricate textures. Montgomery and Sedlock both find new ways of playing with traditional forms, producing delightfully distinctive pieces.
To learn more about the artists and download a map of participating studios, visit clayway.net
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
