Traditional Arts Indiana

Virgil Davis has lived in the Bloomfield area all his life. A tool and die maker by trade, he oversaw all blue-collar skilled trades at NSWC Crane for over two decades before his retirement. Now, he continues to contribute to his community as an elected township trustee.

Davis grew up on his family farm where he was told, “You know what we need—build it!”

(Listen to Davis describe his first woodworking projects.)

With little instruction, he would make what the farm required, figuring it out on his own. He kept tinkering as he grew older, but it wasn’t until he could really afford more tools that he began to work with wood in earnest. After retirement, he devoted more time to his hobby and had a workshop built behind his house.

One of Davis’ favorite wood-related pastimes is restoring antique furniture. He enjoys the challenge of figuring out how to fix a piece, particularly when others tell him it can’t be done. An impressive album full of photos shows all the requests that he has taken from friends ... Read full post

Pamela Kinnaman runs the Wee Sheep Fiber Farm and the It’s About Fiber shop north of Bloomfield. She raises Shetland sheep, alpacas, and llamas for their fleece. Each of her animals has its own story. Many of her llamas and some alpacas come from rescue situations, and she has fostered others that have gone on to live with caring families, many with children in 4H. Many of her sheep are the descendants of her first group of Shetlands, a small and hardy breed.

Instead of shearing, some Shetlands can be “rooed,” with their wool pulled off in large pieces by hand. Kinnaman hosts annual rooing days, where people from the community can come in and try their hand at it. Then Kinnaman processes the fiber herself, cleaning (skirting) ... Read full post

Sue Sparks makes baskets and numerous other crafts at her home in Bloomfield. She works primarily with reeds in many different forms, but her creations include sturdy oak baskets, cane Nantucket baskets, and gleaming pussywillow baskets. She adds decoration with dye, paint, and pieces attached or woven in, such as dyed reeds, metal shapes, and even deer antlers.

Sparks’ hands-on crafting began early in life. She learned knitting and crocheting as a child, and she experienced basket-making in Bible school class. The desire to learn more about baskets stayed with her until she became a stay-at-home mother. She started with a basketry kit, mastered the basics, and continued branching out, becoming part of a state-wide basket-making group and making up to 300 baskets a year.

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Known to her Bloomfield community as “The Paint Lady,” Debi Goodman enjoys activities that are hands-on. One of the first landmarks you can spot heading west into downtown is the mural she painted on the wall of the building where she and her husband ran a paint shop for eighteen years. While Goodman had taken on small projects before, the building-length mural was a first, and friends came out to ... Read full post