The University of New Hampshire's second annual Makers Expo allows vendors to sell a variety of homemade products.
By Benjamin Strawbridge
Contributing Writer
December 7, 2017
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Variety and community were both abundant and abound as the University of New Hampshire hosted its second annual Makers Expo.
The gathering was held in the Granite State Room (GSR) at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) on Friday, Dec. 1 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and supported by the UNH Memorial Union and Student Activities Division.
According to MUB Assistant Director for Facilities and Events Nora Molloy, it showcased nearly 50 stands and standouts chockfull with a wide array of arts, crafts and knick-knacks for sale. Nearly 50 vendors originating from across campus attended, up from roughly 45 vendors last year.
"This is really a UNH community building event,” Molloy said, who emphasized community outreach as one of the core "missions” of the MUB and organizations.
Molloy also said that the expo was a chance to "celebrate and support” the participating vendors and their crafts, adding that "it’s really neat, you know, when you’ve got chemists doing woodwork and housing staff that makes pillows, it’s just a really neat event.”
One of those vendors was UNH’s Project Director for the Institute for Health Policy & Practice, Eve Fralick, who showcased her rock cairns, which are primarily used as travel markers for hikers and nature enthusiasts. Hers featured stones from Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Grand Canyon and the European Alps, among other ranges she has climbed over the years.
Meanwhile, a table in the back of the GSR featured the works of blacksmith Scott Kemp and his wife, Virginia "Gina” Kemp, who work for the college’s Transportation Services & Conferences and Catering divisions, respectively. The Kemps, in addition to their campus occupations, operate a full-time farm and a "traditional” forge in Lee, NH, where, for the last 12 years, they have raised pigs "on pasture” and harvested them for organic sausages to sell at venues across UNH. Some of their biggest past customers include campus chefs and President Mark Huddleston. This year, however, after coming as a shopper to last year’s Maker’s Expo, Virginia was inspired to bring her sausages to the college masses.
"Nothing makes me happier than when someone comes up and says ‘oh my gosh, I had your sausage last night and it was amazing,’” she said concerning the significance of publicly selling her sausage, adding that "locally grown food is very important to us.” Virginia highlighted the works of her husband Scott as well, a blacksmith of nearly 15 years’ experience with a background as a Finnish carpenter. The presented items at the Kemps’ table, which included handles, hooks and candle holders, reflected, according to Virginia, Scott’s "traditional” and "whimsical” style, calling the latter trait her "influence” on his work and personally reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s "Whoville.”
The enduring theme of local and sustainable works was also found in handcrafted wooden spoons, one of the many items presented by sophomore Grant Magee, who studies environmental science with a focus on ecosystems. His display also featured wine-stoppers, pens and bowls crafted from locally sourced and previously dead woods such as red oak, mahogany and the "effectively extinct” American Chestnut.
Magee said he was inspired by woodworking "at a young age,” spending his free time crafting his own creations from sticks and gaining his direction at a summer camp in Deep River, Connecticut, where he learned how to carve a spoon with a knife and other tools. Using these experiences, over the next seven years, he "ran with it…taking it a lot farther than I ever thought I would, but really enjoying the craft as well, [and] perfecting my art.”
While he doesn’t currently plan to use his skills toward a primary career, leaning more toward a career in in the field of environmental science, Magee emphasized that "the main goal isn’t to make money, it’s just because I really enjoy carving spoons, it’s really fulfilling to me.”
Originally published in The New Hampshire in Vol. 107, No. 14, on Dec. 7, 2017.
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