Ulysses library invites public to experiment with ‘Sonic Materials’

A group of Tompkins County poets, book artists, musicians and overall multi talented artists are shaping the notion of who gets to be an artist in the area.

Ithaca House, the mantle adopted by the group, is dedicated to do-it-yourself (DIY) arts practices as a means to foster grassroots community and initiate political change. They are set to host a multidisciplinary show titled “Sonic Materials” at the Ulysses Philomathic Library on Sept. 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

This opening event will encourage participation in DIY publishing, arts and music. There will be stations for papermaking with Kozo fibers in the Nepalese method, zine making with a photocopier, experimental poetry and recording these processes as a means of documentation and play. 

“Our goal is to do a lot more of this, to give people access to publishing their own work and making art and music,” said Laura Rowley, a member of the collective and the publisher of Illuminated Press, an independent micropublisher based in Trumansburg that crafts books by hand. At Illuminated Press, Rowley teaches community classes, collaborates with others for social justice projects and produces small editions of artists’ books.

“Sonic Materials,” Rowley said, aims to show a broad public that publishing art should be accessible.

“Maybe there’s a certain quality about these books that adds to the meaning of the content,” Rowley said. “We are very careful with our choices and materials. The library is a public space that’s open to anyone and often encourages people to learn on their own and participate in so many ways. It felt like a library was a perfect space for [the show].”

The need to challenge assumptions about who can publish artistic works stems from the collective’s observations of a largely restrictive industry, Rowley said.

“These days, there are so many barriers to publishing your own books or making your own music in the traditional senses, like going through a publisher or a record label,” she said. “Everyone, it seems, is producing content, and there are just not enough formal outlets to produce it all. You end up either waiting years and years for your work to be published, sometimes not at all, or self publishing. That can be really cost prohibitive.”

Finding a creative outlet for these projects, Rowley said, ultimately contributes to more collaborative endeavors in society and a better understanding of ideas.

On the production side of things, DIY art also raises questions about who can be an artist, said Nick Scollard, a local musician and a member of Ithaca House. 

“So many people are put off from creating because they live with the assumption that you need formal training or that you need to develop your techniques to be the best that they can be, and while these things may help you in understanding and refining your creative process, they are not by any means required,” Scollard said in an email. “The things I really love about DIY and the culture that comes along with it is that it creates space for anyone to participate and express themselves creatively and gives them a platform to put their expressions out there for the world to see.”

For Mari Wilson, an artist with Ithaca House, DIY art is about expressing her feelings and spreading kindness. Wilson is an artist with Down syndrome.

“I like to take art classes and make art at home to spread love and kindness in the world around me,” Wilson said. “Creating DIY art gives me a way to be positive and share my positivity with others. I enjoy thinking about creating a lot of amazing artwork for everyone to know that we can spread happiness and lots of hope.”

Ulysses Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Tompkins County Environmental Management Council (EMC) is paving the way for two new student seats on the council.

The EMC, the county legislature’s official citizen advisory board on local environmental issues since 1971, is looking for two high school or college students residing in the county who can serve a yearly term starting in September. The purpose of the EMC is to identify problems, propose priorities and promote coordination of activities in the development and management of our natural resources and to provide a public forum for the discussion and resolution of these problems and completion of proposed projects.

The EMC meets on the second Thursday of each month, primarily by Zoom, from 4:00-5:30 p.m.

Interested parties may reach out to EMC Chair Cait Darfler at ckdarfler@gmail.com with any questions.

The EMC’s next meeting will happen on Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. by Zoom. Darfler can provide the link via email.