A group of citizens got together and saved it. Finally, it has been restored and attracts people from all over Connecticut and nearby states for its entertainment.
http://www.warnertheatre.org/
It would have been a shame to see this beautiful theater lost. When I was younger, I spent many Saturdays at the Warner. Movies and cartoons and a drug store next door with a soda fountain. No movies are shown here any more, but I have been part of the group as a volunteer as usher for many of the entertainments and shows.
A Money Box. Piggy banks have very little value these days. You can't save money for anything important. My new little money box would hold about enough for a Starbucks coffee. If you use quarters, maybe you could get a donut with the coffee.
But the whole charm of hand made pottery is the way it is formed and the imperfections that occur when each piece is made under the guidance of a pair of hands and fingers. I have store bought china. I set a place setting for company dinners. The plate matches the bowl and cup. All is uniform and perfect. It looks nice. But everyday I reach into my old cupboard and pull out a hand thrown pot, mine or another potters. I pour in coffee and cradle it in my hand. I know what has gone into the piece. I know where it came from. I know how the clay was formed and dug. I know the wedging and spinning and the force it took to form it. I can feel the potter's mind connecting with the clay.
It is that way with all the things we make. Quilts, wooden bowls, photographs and an orange marmalade cake. We pass on a bit of ourselves when we make things by hand. I look around my house and I see wood work and floor boards that were cut and planed by the hands of men in old fashioned clothes. I can see them placing the finished pieces in place and standing back with pride at their accomplishment. Nothing in this house is perfect... or straight. One post on my living room fireplace is 2 inches higher than the other side. I can see the men putting it in. Maybe Nathaniel, and his wife Olive walked by and said... "It's shorter on this side!" Nathaniel just shakes his head. "Well, maybe so, it is not perfect."
And so, my little Money pots are not perfect. None of my pottery is. For perfection, you would have to buy a pot from Walmart made in China by a machine run by people who are into production. In the late 1700's, our New England population was growing. The demand for goods led to the invention and use of steam, water and electric power. Hundreds of workers flocked to mills and factories to mass produce textiles, nails and pottery. The age of small town potters as a necessary trade was over. In the early pottery factories, things were still made by hand, but at a faster rate. They were now more concerned with producing large quantities. It has its place.
If only we could learn to buy less. That quality and craftsmanship is more important than how many objects you have in your house. Ever have a tag sale? Where the heck did you accumulate all this stuff? Those little froggies from Aunt Millie, the plastic spoon rests from the last convention. Throw it all out at a tag sale, and we start accumulating more the next day.
So here are my Money pots. Buy one and put it on a shelf, give it away to someone else, put it in your tag sale.
If you would like to order one, go to http://www.eastknollpottery.com/. They are available in random shades of yellow and copper green and manganese browns. If you would like to pick out your own, I will be up at the Big E in West Springfield MA. Sept 16 through Oct 2. For only $15 you could help me to keep making pots instead of applying for a job at Home Depot this winter! |
| Money Box set up for Collection! |
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