Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Woodcarvings by Kevin Coates

Kevin Coates is a talented local artist who draws inspiration from traditional Newfoundland industries for the subject matter of his work. Coates, who is self-taught, picked up caricature carving about 15 years ago after reading about it in a magazine. He had been looking for a new hobby and this style of wood carving peaked his interest. Much like caricature drawings, these carvings exaggerate the peculiar features of a person or object. Coates, who grew up and still resides in Winterton, is inspired by the fishery and the majority of his carvings reflect this.

When you first see a Kevin Coates carving your eye is immediately drawn to the face, which he works on for about a third of the time it takes to complete the rest of the carving. When asked where he gets inspiration for the faces, Coates replied, “it’s something about someone I remember, especially from back when I was a kid. We spent a lot of time down by the wharf, at this and that, with the fishermen and the old fellows.”

Coates mostly uses pine or fir along with several different tools to carve his pieces. Interestingly though, Coates' favorite tool is a modified right-handed filleting knife, or splitting knife, that he cut down to about five or six inches. As Coates describes, "where I'm left-handed and it's a right-handed splitting knife the turn is perfect for me."

For more information on Kevin Coates and his carvings, check out the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Researched and written by: Nicole Penney

Works Cited:

Penney, Nicole. Interview with Kevin Coates on the Subject of Wood Carving. Recorded April 26, 2013

The heritage of craft and traditional art

In the April-May edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador, we pay tribute to our traditional craftspeople, artisans, and trades workers. We give an introduction to our "Talking Shop: Metalworking" presentation organized in cooperation with The Rooms; Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador board member Doug Wells shares his father's memories of tanning nets in Muddy Hole; Amanda-Marie Hillyard brings us news on the Deer Lake Heritage Project and the work they are doing to collect local oral histories; Lisa Wilson interviews the 106-year-old carpenter Cecil Greenland in Spaniard's Bay, and Nicole Penney writes about the tradition of lumberwoods carving in Newfoundland.

Contributors: Dale Jarvis, Doug Wells, Amanda-Marie Hillyard, Lisa Wilson, and Nicole Penney.

You can download the newsletter in pdf format from:

https://archive.org/details/Ichupdate043 

(look for the PDF link on the left side of the page)

Photo: Mr. Cecil Greenland, by Lisa Wilson

Tuesday's Folklore Photo

This detailed little scene is a Heritage Fairs project created by Mr. Noel Strapp's Newfoundland Studies class at Roncalli Central High School in Avondale. This adorable diorama is an example of a traditional outport community in Newfoundland and Labrador.

For more information on the Heritage Fairs, check out the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Photo courtesy of: Sarah Wade, Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador

Exploring Our Roots: A Heritage Inventory of Newfoundland’s Root Cellars

In 2011, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) hosted the agricultural-themed folklife festival, Seeds to Supper, to celebrate farming and gardening traditions in the province. To complement these celebrations, an architectural inventory of over 150 root cellars was conducted and has been added to Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative (DAI).

The research was conducted by Crystal Braye, hired through MUN’s Division of Co-operative Education, in collaboration with Julie Pomeroy of the Agricultural History Society (AHS),

Crystal has recently completed a report on her root cellar work with HFNL, and we are pleased to release it as the third in our Occasional Paper on Intangible Cultural Heritage series. If you have an interest in root cellars, folk architecture, or traditional knowledge, give it a read!

Download Occasional Paper 003 as a pdf

The Port Union Heritage District

Exterior of the Union Electric Building, 2013.

The Port Union Heritage District is both nationally and provincially recognized, and is thought to be the only union built town in the country. Now under the stewardship of the Sir William Coaker Heritage Foundation, this site has many architectural structures that are worthy of attention. During a recent visit, I took over 100 photographs of buildings in the district, and was amazed by the number of heritage buildings that are still standing. I was particularly interested  to see the row housing here, as this type of housing is virtually non-existent in other outport communities. While most of the historic homes are currently uninhabited and in need of restoration, the Coaker Foundation is actively working towards preserving these buildings in hopes of developing an active tourist industry. To help bring awareness to the district, I will be doing some work here, which will include sifting through their incredible archival collection, organizing the digitization of oral histories, and creating a booklet of photos and stories from the region. It is an exciting new project that will hopefully generate a bit of excitement around the built heritage of Port Union, and the legacy of Sir William Coaker. Click here to learn more about Port Union's history and architecture -- this paper from 2006 was compiled by Andrea O'Brien of the HFNL (jointly researched by Debbie O'Rielly of the Newfoundland Historic Trust).

-Lisa Wilson

Union row housing along the main street, 2013.

Interior of the former fish plant that will be repurposed by the Coaker Foundation, 2013.

How to Make a Pillow Top Frame

A few days ago in the ICH Office we tried our hands at making a small pillow top frame. The plan is to use the smaller frames in workshops, particularly with younger kids. It currently takes about 4 hours to complete a pillow top on the large frame. Using the small frame, the pillow top can be completed in about 2.5 hours, making this activity much more accessible. 

Our small frame turned out well and the end result is a cute little pillow top, with very fluffy pom poms, that can be used as a trivet or table topper. Several of these mini pillow tops could be sewn together to make a blanket.  

After receiving a few requests, I decided to put together this step-by-step guide for making your very own pillow top frame.

Materials:

• 8 pieces of wood measuring 8" long, 1-1/4" wide and 3/4" thick
• wood glue
• clamps
• 24 x 2" nails 
• 12 x 1-1/4" wood screws 
• power drill
• hammer
• ruler
• pencil

Step One: 

Take four pieces of wood and arrange to form a square. Add a layer of  wood glue and  place the other four pieces on top.

Step Two: 

Using the drill, insert screws into the end of each piece of wood, as seen in the picture below. Before this step you may need to clamp the pieces together and put aside while the glue sets. 

Front

Back

Step Three:

Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line down the middle of each side of the frame, lengthwise. Then along this line, mark off, in even spaces, where you will hammer in your nails. Space the nails about 1 inch apart. 

Step Four: 

Drill holes in each of these markers to make it easier to hammer in the nails. Hammer 6 nails into each side. Make sure they are even. Leave about half the nail sticking out of the frame. 

Once all the nails are all hammered in you can start weaving!

Here's the finished product! : )

If you have any questions about how to make your frame or are interested in having us put off a pillow top workshop in your community, feel free to get in touch with Nicole at (709) 739-1892 ex. 6 or via email at nicole@heritagefoundation.ca. 

Cable Avenue Exhibit and Oral History Project

As you may know, Bay Roberts has put in an application for Cable Avenue to become a provincially recognized heritage district. As a part of the designation process, I am currently conducting fieldwork here to collect stories about what life has been like for residents of Cable Ave. Though I have only met with a few people so far, I already have several remarkable stories from people who have lived on the street. Please stay tuned to hear some of these stories, many of which will be profiled at the Road to Yesterday Museum this summer. The exhibit we are putting together will help celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the district, and the history of Western Union in the town.

Lorn Kirby, long time resident of Cable Ave, reflects on raising children on this street.

90 year old Eileen Starr reflects on her time living on Cable Ave. beginning in the 1930s.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any information about the history of Cable Ave that you might have. I'd be particularly interested in seeing old photographs of the district or/and the people who were connected to it. Also, any personal objects that have a connection to the buildings here would also be wonderful to borrow for our exhibit. I'm very excited about this project, and look forward to many more visits with people who have memories of the cable company in Bay Roberts. lisa@heritagefoundation.ca, (709) 739-1892 ext.3.

-Lisa

Tuesday's Folklore Photo

"The Miner", depicting miner Billy Parsons, is one of a series of murals commemorating Bell Island's heritage. The iron ore mines were once the largest in the British Empire, extending more than 5 kilometres under Conception Bay. The abandoned #2 Mine was designated as a heritage structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2006. 

Lumber Woods Carvings from Botwood

I recently came across these hand carved, wooden, lumbering figures at the C.L.B Sunday Market. I was told by the seller they were carved many years ago by a man from Botwood who had worked in the lumber woods. If you happen to know anything about these figures or have any carved lumbering figures of your own, I'd love to hear from you.

                               

You can reach Nicole via email at nicole@heritagefoundation.ca  or call (709) 739-1892 ex.6.

Tuesday's Folklore Photo - Dan Snow's Stone Wall

Dan Snow, a traditional stone wall maker and artisan from Vermont, has been visiting English Harbour on the Bonavista Peninsula for several years. He is a regular instructor with the English Harbour Arts Centre, and teaches dry stone wall techniques.

This is one of the walls he worked on in English Harbour in 2010. You can check out his website at www.dansnowstoneworks.com.