Fourth of July Travels/Athens, Ohio

Over the July 4th holiday weekend I traveled to southeast Ohio and, in particular, Athens. My main reason for going was to see the Quilt National 2015 Exhibition at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens. 

The Dairy Barn Arts Center today.

The history of the Dairy Barn dates back to 1877 when James Bower, a Civil War veteran, arrived in Athens County and established a dairy. In 1912, the Athens State Hospital purchased the Bower farm and residence. The present cow barn of Georgian Revival architectural influence was then  completed in 1914 at a cost of $10,000. 

 
 
By 1977, the dairy barn, virtually unused for ten years, was slated to be razed along with other buildings that the Athens Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center no longer used. The demolition date was fast approaching. But the local arts community had other ideas. The Hocking Valley Arts Council, artists, crafts persons, business leaders, government leaders and other concerned citizens, succeeded in saving the now 100-year-old barn. The Dairy Barn was saved and received its first funding in the form of $10,000 in grants making it possible to winterize, paint, and begin administrative duties of the arts center.

   
In 1978, the Dairy Barn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center was established as a non-profit corporation.

The first full scale arts exhibition to show at the Dairy Barn, Quilt National '79, was organized in the summer of 1979. It was produced in collaboration with local quilt/textile artists including Nancy Crow. The Quilt National is a biennial juried exhibition of innovative art quilts and remains the largest and longest running show of its kind in the United States. It draws entries and visitors from
around the world. 

On the property is this charming herb garden.

So...my first stop was the Quilt National '15. No photography allowed but I thoroughly enjoyed the 84 quilts on display in this show. The 84 were selected from over 600 entries from around the world. To quote the Dairy Barn web site:

"The works in a Quilt National exhibit display a reverence for the lessons taught by the makers of the heritage quilts. Many of the works hold fast to the traditional methods of piecing and patching. At the same time, however, the Quilt National artist is intrigued by the challenge of expanding the boundaries of traditional quiltmaking by utilizing the newest materials and technologies. These innovative works generate strong emotional responses in the viewer while at the same time fulfilling the creative need of the artist to make a totally individual statement."

Next...one of the greatest delights of the trip turned out to be the lodging where I stayed just 10 minutes outside of Athens, the Sand Ridge B&B and Native Garden operated by innkeeper Connie Davidson. It turns out there is a very unique story here.  

In 2007 Connie moved to Athens and purchased the property with the intention of opening the B&B. But the land behind the farmhouse was overgrown with non-native and invasive species. It was a tangled mess. Today it has been transformed. The landscape now contains a prairie, woodland garden, butterfly garden, and a bog.

Dr. Frank Porter, of Racine, Ohio, is a regionally known landscaper and lecturer who promotes the use of native plants to enhance outdoor living spaces. Connie asked him to help her revitalize the overgrown and weedy landscape and he designed a Nature-scape on which they began work in the fall of 2009.

Within the confines of the property, there are several ecological niches that have become the home of a wide diversity of native wildflowers, grasses, vines, trees and shrubs. 

They added a walking trail that winds through the gardens.

What a delightful surprise it was to discover this peaceful space of native plants that has been created and is looked after with care and devotion. These pictures really do not do justice to the hard work and intelligence that went into this project. I was also impressed by Connie's ongoing intention to create and maintain a supportive ecosystem in her "back yard" for all the bugs and beasts and other living things! Often when I returned from my activities she would come up from the garden where she had been working to greet me. It was utterly random that I selected this as the place to stay for the weekend. Isn't randomness a blessing!

Across the road from the farmhouse.

The hummingbird feeder was located right next to the front porch. And it was a very busy place with many hummingbirds jostling each other for access to the feeder. They move so quickly it was tough work to get a photo...

On the way to Cedar Falls.

On July 4th the weather was warm, sun was shining and skies were blue. This was a change from the rainy monsoon like weather we have been having all over the mid-west. So I set out to travel the Hocking Hills Scenic By-way and find a place to hike. 
The geologic history and the human history are significant in this area. The landscape is made of mostly sandstones and shale. 350 million years ago bedrock formed a delta in a shallow sea that covered what is now Ohio. Subsequent years of uplift and erosion created the cliffs and gorges that are there today. 

Cedar Falls

Most photographed falls in Ohio

There is evidence that the area was first inhabited by the Adena culture up to 7,000 years ago. In the mid 1700's Indian tribes including the Shawnee, Wynandot and Delaware traveled through and lived in the Hocking river area. White settlers moved into the region after 1795. By 1870 the area was attracting visitors to its scenic features and in 1924 the first purchase was made in and effort to preserve the natural beauty of the area. 

Conkle's Hollow Nature Preserve features towering cliffs of Black Hand sandstone.

A walk through the Conkle's Hollow gorge.

Towering trees, powerful rock formations and occasional shafts of sunlight combine with the damp and shady atmosphere along the way in Conkle's Hollow.

An enjoyable journey over this July 4th weekend and thanks for sharing it with me.