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By JOHN PEPINJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — When many people first meet

Chocolay Township’s Tom Lakenen they have imag-ined the 47-year-old welder and scrap metal sculp-tor to be much older.“They’re expecting me to have a long white beard

and be a glossy-eyed old man,” Lakenen said.That’s because after touring Lakenen’s sculpture

garden, visitors often think it must have takendecades for any one man to create the 80 or socaptivating pieces on his 35-acre property.Actually, Lakenen began sculpting scrap metal 12

to 14 years ago when he was looking for a hobby to

help occupy his time as he sought to quit drinking.“I needed something to keep me out of the tav-

ern,” he said.A welder with the boilermakers’ union by trade,

Lakenen began working in his garage at home inHarvey to fashion metal odds and ends into some-thing interesting.“Sometimes it’s a challenge to see if you can make

anything out of it,” he said. “Sometimes, I don’t evenhave a plan.”Plan or not, the results of his sculpting have in-

trigued, delighted and fascinated a growing num-ber of visitors to his Lakenenland park, located offM-28, about 15 miles east of Marquette. He bought

the property in September 2003 and three monthslater, he began moving sculptures from his yard tothe sculpture garden.There are creepy crawly insects and giants and alli-

gators, wildcats and skeletons, gremlins and owls.“I’m just re-creating all the things I used to see when

I was drinking,” Lakenen laughed.Some of the pieces in the garden are tributes in-

cluding one to the Twin Towers in New York City. Otherworks make statements against corporate greed,war or lost pensions.The most time-consuming piece at Lakenenland is

a tribute to Upper Peninsula lumberjacks. The giantmetal figures sawing a log with a cross-cut saw took

16 CRAFT SUPERIORLAND MAGAZINE

LAKENEN’SLAND35-acres showcase welder’s artistry

more than six months to build. Lake-nen had seen a similar structure at astate welcome center north of Claredownstate. That piece was dedicatedto highway construction workers.“I wanted to do something for the

U.P.,” Lakenen said.There are misfit pieces in Lakenen’s

collection. He joined a fish and a mer-maid together that he previously hadbuilt, but then set them aside not surewhat to do with them.“I didn’t have a vision of mermaids

and fish when I built it,” he said.Another piece is called “tooth extrac-

tion,” which depicts a face. Someoneleft a scrap safe in front of Lakenen’sgarage and he used it as an extrane-ous add-on to the sculpture. He saidmany visitors ponder the significanceof the locked box.“A lot of people are looking to try to

find the message here, but there isn’tone,” he said.Lakenen cut the bands off wagon

wheels to build a “Bad Kids Cage.” Heused 20-pound propane cylinders tofashion the kids, who are named inthe exhibit after Lakenen’s son andthree nephews.His favorite piece depicts the big dip-

per. That work is Lakenen’s favorite be-cause it’s the only sculpture he doesn’thave to use a leaf blower on to re-move snow during the winter.His next planned work will be to build

a steam-driven mine shaft, anotherU.P.-related tribute.To construct his creations, Lakenen in-

telligently re-uses scraps from all overthe place. He hauled 10,000 poundsof metal home from South Dakota ona trailer. He used roof trusses from theHedgecock Fieldhouse to help build aband shell at the garden where localmusicians play on Sunday afternoons.

He’s pulled scraps from dumpstersand he used old telephone poles andworn out planks from the ore dock inMarquette’s Upper Harbor to build a600-foot-long boardwalk at the gar-den this summer. He’s also tradeddonuts or other items for pieces ofmetal on jobs he’s worked.“You find the right guy in charge, it’s

amazing what you can get with acase of beer,” Lakenen said.While working in Hawaii, Lakenen

found a bunch of good scraps, buthe couldn’t figure out how to getthem home.Admission to the park is free and the

garden is open year round for walkingor driving through. In the winter, Lake-nen keeps a rest stop ready for snow-mobilers who ride the state trail alongthe back side of his park.Those snowmobilers who visit from

states as far-flung as Texas, Florida,Tennessee and Pennsylvania oftencome back with their families duringthe summer months.A 1981 graduate of Marquette Senior

High School, Lakenen was among thefirst class of students to go through theD.J. Jacobetti Center at NorthernMichigan University.“I had basically a college class in

welding in high school,” he said.Lakenen, who has been working con-

struction since graduating, said main-tenance and building of the parkinfrastructure has lately cut down hissculpture building time to about threeor four days a month.Though scores of people love his

works and enjoy showing it to others,Lakenen is modest about hisachievements.“I don’t consider myself an artist,” he

said. “I’m just a welder trying to use upa bunch of old junk.”

CRAFT & CREATION CRAFT 17

Tom Lakenen is shown here riding a tractor on his 35-acre propertydubbed “Lakenenland.” (Journal photo by John Pepin)


By RENEE PRUSIJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — If she ever made it

into a business, it would be calledMindyBakes.But for now, Mindy Sager creates

wondrous cake creations as ahobby. She enjoys the challenge oftaking someone’s vision and usingher creativity to make that vision intoan edible delight.Her interest in cakes goes back

many years.“My Mom (Chris Wiik), Sara Dobson

and I took an adult education class incake decorating when I was in mid-dle school,” Sager said. “But I didn’tgo anything with it for years.”Sager, a 1992 Negaunee High

School graduate, earned a registerednurse’s degree from Northern Michi-

gan University and works as an RN inthe intenstive care unit at MarquetteGeneral Health Systems.It was at work that the cake craze

all started.“I started baking treats for work and it

kept going,” Sager said. “I wouldmake things for friends for their specialoccasions, like a baby shower or abirthday party, and then someoneelse would ask me to make a cake.“People ask for my business card but I

can’t have business cards because Iam not licensed,” she said. “I do thisbecause I enjoy it and it’s for people’shappy times.”In between working full time at the

hospital, pursuing her love of fishing inthe summer and renovating her Mar-quette home, Sager squeezes in timeto make elaborate cake creations.

“Over the course of a month, I will domostly cakes, but I do cupcakessometimes as well,” she said. “It prob-ably works out to three wedding cakesand 10 other cakes in any month.“I prefer doing wedding cakes to

kids’ cakes,” she said. “Weddingcakes are not as messy to clean up.”While she hasn’t a favorite creation,

she does enjoy seeing the final product.“Wedding cakes, especially, when

you get them finished, they are trans-formed by the flowers,” Sager said.She keeps refining what she can

offer.“The people at work are my guinea

pigs,” Sager said. “But I think theyenjoy it. I bring in cakes to work whenI have time to do them. I have tohide them sometimes or the cake all

disappears right away, before thepeople on my shift get there.”It was a person at work who came

up with the name Sager likes for whatshe does as her avocation.“Someone at work said ‘What’s our

MindyBakes today?’ That is what thename would be if I started a busi-ness,” she said. “I have thoughtabout it. I even talked to the cityabout zoning and things. But I wouldneed a whole separate kitchen todo it. So it’s not something I wouldpursue right now.”Sager enjoys baking her creations.“The hardest part is trying to recre-

ate what the bride has in her headfor what she wants and being able totell if it’s even possible.”And if it’s possible, Mindy Sager will

make it happen.

MINDY BAKESMarquette nurse lovesmaking creative cakes

By CLAIRE ABENTJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — From its cheerful

exterior to the rows and rows of brightmerchandise inside, Bella Beads is astore full of color. But the store goesfar beyond just beads, offering anumber of different types of classesfor anyone interested in jewelry mak-ing. The shop has just celebrated itsthird anniversary and, so far, hasbeen very successful.

“It pretty much took off right away.We have a lot of support from localcustomers,” said owner Leila Martin. “Iam very grateful. If I had this businessin other towns, I would have had toclose my doors already.” She began the shop when she saw

a need in Marquette for beadingsupplies that she wanted to buy forher own jewelry, but just couldn’t find.She also wanted to work on her ownskills and introduce others to the craft,

so Bella Beads was born. “I wanted to broaden my own knowl-

edge of beading techniques andhelp others do that as well,” she said. Bella Beads offers a multitude of

classes which gives the local com-munity a chance to learn about dif-ferent types of jewelry making in acomfortable setting. The classes startwith basic jewelry making and ex-pand up to bead crocheting, silver-smithing, basic wireworking, workingwith precious metal clay, bead em-broidery and any number of othertopics. Students at Bella Beads canlearn to make necklaces, earrings orbracelets, all in a single session atthe shop. “There’s not a one-size-fits-all class.

You can never get bored becauseyou can go in a hundred different di-rections,” Martin said. And for those who don’t know any-

thing about jewelry making or bead-ing, Martin said that getting startedisn’t difficult and that is is only as hardas you want to make it.“It’s not complicated — but it can be

— but it doesn’t have to be,” she said.“It’s an easy hobby to take up.” It gives her great satisfaction to be

able to help people in the communityaccess art and create their ownpieces. That same feeling often trans-fers over to the student when theycomplete a piece. “It’s really important for everyone to

have access to creating,” she said. “Itbrings me a lot of joy to see peopleget that smile on their face to knowthey accomplished something. Itmakes them feel good to create

something that is beautiful.” Just one basic class can tell people

whether or not jewelry making is forthem, she said. All the classes aretaught by Martin, shop employees orlocal artists, such as local silversmithBeth Millner. Class prices, which in-clude supplies and tools, start outaround $30 and go as high as $150for some of the silversmithing classes.Most classes are a few hours long, ex-cept for silversmithing classes, whichare all-day affairs. The personal returns for creation and

jewelry making are high, Martin said. “You can make something unique

and very personal for somebody elseor even for yourself,” she said. “Andour classes are a great way to get toknow other people in the community.” The shop can also offer a personal-

ized experience for birthday parties,a ladies night out, or anything elseyou could dream up, Martin said. Theclassroom area is also open to useby anyone who needs a space towork, but might not have that spaceat home. There is no charge to usethe space when it is not being usedfor classes. There are also classes forjust kids. Contact the shop in ad-vance for special events or to use theclassroom space. Bella Beads is located at 325 W.

Washington and is open from 10a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday — Wednes-day and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7p.m. Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Saturday. For more information,call 906-228-8282 or visit www.shop-bellabeads.com. A full class listing isavailable online.


BELLABEADSShop offers communitya chance to learn jewelry making

By CHRISTOPHER DIEMJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula is

rich with natural resources, from min-erals to animals to wood.Marquette resident Aaron Sault uses

a little of everything in the jewelry hemakes. Sault shares a studio withother artists at Fern Place Art Space inMarquette. He weaves local materialsuch as copper, oak, maple,taconite pellets, Lake Superior agatesand even rabbit and chipmunk furinto jewelry made with silver, brassand gold.

“I love going through Calumet andthe old mining towns up there. Youlook around and there’s scrap ironeverywhere,” he said. “You digthrough the tailings piles and you findall sorts of non-precious and precious(metals) and copper. It’s everywhere.You go to the beaches down hereyou find old worn planks from boats,you find scrap iron, you find glass. Itjust seems like there is so much mate-rial there for the taking.”He said he’s working a lot with copper

lately because people in the Keweenaw Peninsula’s copper country

have a strong interest in it and manypeople are interested in the allegedtherapeutic affects of wearing copper jewelry.“Copper, for me, is a fun material

because it’s very malleable. It’s rela-tively inexpensive so I can experimentwith it, but it’s also beautiful. It ageswell,” he said. “It reacts to the wearer,it reacts to its environment. I find thatvery interesting that some metals stayjust how they are, they don’t oxidizeand they don’t interact. On somepeople it will turn their finger greenand some people it won’t.”

He said he’s also working on a ringmade out of maple, ebony and ster-ling silver, blending local materialswith exotic. Sault said he prefers to find the ma-

terials he uses, like wood or agates,himself because store-bought itemshold no value to him.“For me a piece is valuable if, num-

ber one I find it, or number two there’sa story that goes with it,” he said.“I enjoy the process of finding the

materials. I’ve been getting into re-processing metals also. I just did acommission where I had gold from


JEWELRY WITHA STORYAaron Sault creates jewelry from U.P. objects

both sides of the family with thiscouple that was getting married andI melted it down into one and rolled itout into a sheet and created theirrings out of it.”Sault makes all forms of jewelry like

pendants and bracelets but he saidhe enjoyed making rings the most.The biggest challenge, he said, is de-signing jewelry that fits the personalityof the person that’s going to wear it.“It really does help me to get to

know the person a little bit to be ableto do that. But that’s the fun in it. That’swhat really pushes me. And that’swhat I would really like to get moreinto as I develop as an artist is to beable to be more sensitive to the intri-cacies of a person and convey thatthrough a piece of jewelry,” he said.Jewelry, he said, is different than

other forms of artwork because it’spersonal. It’s often something a per-son carries with them and can look atall the time.“That’s what I like about jewelry is

that it’s a personal art form in that it’sclose to the body, it’s being worn, it’salways touching the body. So you de-velop a personal contact, a personalrelationship with the piece. I find my-self gravitating toward pieces withfunction but interaction also,” hesaid. “That it’s not just something tolook at that looks pretty, it’s somethingthat you use that’s going to take onwear, that’s going to show the use,the human interaction.”Aside from the bounty of natural re-

sources found in the U.P., Sault said healso values the culture. He said heappreciates the fact that there aremany creative people in the areathat enjoy nature, enjoy life and arenot focused solely on making moneyor getting ahead.“I think the mind space that opens

up when you are not so driven tomake money, when you can relaxand enjoy life and see what’s there, Ithink that opens up a lot more possi-bilities and from the mindset of theway that I work, if I enjoy what I’mdoing it’s not a struggle and if I’m notstruggling, if I’m more relaxed themore ideas are going to come tome,” Sault said.For more information go to

www.aaronsault.com.


Aaron Sault makes jewelry in hisstudio in Marquette. (Journalphoto by Christopher Diem)


By JOHN PEPINJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — If you walk among the beautiful

natural places of woods and water around Mar-quette County, you may come across Paul Bowen.The 41-year-old artisan is out there, too.He spends time in solitude and contemplation,

away from the stress of the working day world,studying nature and wildlife. He thinks about whathe might create and he carefully watches the for-est floor for just the right pieces of downed wood touse in the crafting of his decorative walking sticks,staves and canes.“I work with mostly aspen, however I do some

maple and one of my favorites is dogwood,”Bowen said.A millwright by trade, Bowen was born and raised

within the Bay Mills Indian Community in ChippewaCounty and he now lives in Marquette. From an

uncle who used papier mache to create eaglesand fish that looked lifelike to a grandfather whoblew glitter into wet paint to make his moonlit land-scape snow scenes shimmer, Bowen’s familymembers are no strangers to creativity.“I’ve been a sketcher my whole life,” Bowen said.

“Everybody in my family is an artist in some way.”In his drawings, Bowen worked to emulate the

work of his grandfather, drawing ships, lighthousesand trees.“I focused a lot on inanimate objects,” he said.But he also drew lessons from wildlife as part of his

Native American tradition.“Learning to draw a squirrel by watching helps you

understand a squirrel more,” he said.Bowen’s work in making walking sticks is relatively

new. It began when his girlfriend Jennifer askedhim to make one for her. After he did, he soonbegan receiving numerous requests as word of

mouth spread.He attributes the skill and versatility he possesses to

his artist background, his trade and personal inspi-ration and motivation.“A millwright, you have to be able to do anything

they throw at you,” Bowen said. “But this was some-thing, I put my mind to it and it was there.”In recent months, he’s frequently been selling his

“Walking Wood” on Saturday mornings at the Farm-ers’ Market in downtown Marquette. He’s madeabout 50 of the staves and has jokingly referred tohis efforts as “Art on a Stick.”Bowen said he tries to continuously challenge him-

self in his creations using wood burning, intricatecarving and inlay techniques—a combination hesaid is unique among walking stick artisans.“I love to innovate, anything to be different,”

Bowen said. “Every time somebody sees it andsays, ‘Wow!’ inspires me to take it to another level

WALKINGWOODMarquette man creates ‘art on a stick’


on the next stick.”After drying the wood for six months

before he starts carving or burning it,Bowen said he often begins by work-ing from an idea a customer mightrequest, or from his own inspiration,which has pointed his art toward na-ture and lighthouse themes.“I like to do custom work,” he said.He might also spend time looking

into the crevices, curves and notchesof the wood, his mind working over hisversion of the blank canvas.“It depends on the piece,” he said.

“Sometimes, I stare at the piece for acouple of hours until it tells me what itwants to be.”Bowen works hard to be mindful of

proper proportions and perspective in

his art. He finds the skillful work relaxing.“I use it as a form of almost medita-

tion,” Bowen said. “It helps me to re-lieve the stresses of daily life.”He sometimes works on the staves in

the woods, among the birds, thetrees, the wind and water.“I draw inspiration not only from na-

ture, but those around me,” he said.“My girlfriend has been very inspirational.”After years of building things strictly

for other people, he wanted to focushis talents on something that heworked on first for himself, somethingthat brought him joy. Consequently,he’s not focused on the monetaryaspect of his craft. He charges $50for each finished walking stick,

regardless of the amount of effort thework required.“I’m not doing it to get rich. I may be

working from 25 cents an hour to $5an hour, but I do it for enjoymentrather than the profit,” he said. “Whenthey (customers) enjoy it, you can’tbuy that satisfaction.”But beyond the artistic expression,

creativity and relaxation, Bowen saidit’s important for people to know hiswalking sticks are built to be used.“They’re sturdy, structurally sound

and weatherproof,” he said. “They’renot made to stand in a corner somewhere.”For more information on “Walking

Wood,” contact Bowen by phone at906-251-1382.


By JOHANNA BOYLEJournal Staff WriterREPUBLIC — For 34 years, Jon

Mykkanen was a builder, crafting logcabins.Then in June of this year, after build-

ing his 40th and final log cabin to beused as his own home, he decided itwas time for a change.“In the beginning of June we had an

auction and sold everything,” Mykka-nen said. “We sold everything. There’sno going back.”Changing from cabins to sculptures,

Mykkanen, along with his wife, MarieSerafin, set up shop as WoodworksChainsaw Carving and have beenturning out chainsaw carved sculp-tures all summer.“I spent a lifetime carving on cabin

logs,” Mykkanen said. Now, instead of walls, he’s taught

himself to create sculptures using ablock of wood and a chainsaw.Stained and finished by Serafin, thecouple has spent almost every week-end this summer at fairs and art

shows selling their U.P. creations.“It’s mostly wildlife sculptures,” Mykka-

nen said. “Bears are very popular.”From tiny bear cubs that can be set

on a table to giant guardians thatcan be placed at the end of adriveway, each sculpture is a detailed depiction.“Everything is done with a chainsaw.

That’s the challenge. That’s why I likeit,” Mykkanen said. “It’s a challenge tosee how fine a detail you can getwith a chainsaw.”And it’s not just bears – Mykkanen

and Serafin have together createdeverything from a mermaid to fish toeagles in flight to turtles to a currentproject of two miners working.“It seems like people are attracted to

local nature things,” Mykkanen said.Starting with a piece of white pine —

castoffs from logging or sawmill oper-ations — Mykkanen said he usuallybegins his carving with a basic ideaof what he wants.“I change it as I go and make it up

as I go,” he said.

Using a series of different sized chainsaws, Mykkanen cuts the rough formof his sculpture, then adds increasingdetail like fur or feathers.Then the pieces are turned over to

Serafin for finishing, which helps pre-serve the sculpture, even if it’s placedoutside.“Usually I can stay ahead of him,”

she said, smiling. “I probably spendabout as much time finishing as hedoes carving.”Although they have a work area set

up outside their home in Republic,they have also spent most of thesummer traveling to different fairsand shows where they not only selltheir work, but hold demonstrationsfor spectators.“She can stain and paint and finish

and chat with people,” Mykkanensaid of their working method. “You’renever sure if people want to talk orwatch you carve.”Many of their sculptures are not just

artwork, but also functional – a bearholding a working lantern to serve as

an outdoor light or a bench deco-rated with carvings. Signs are also apossibility with chainsaw carving.Mykkanen said the couple also does

work to carve stumps in peoples’yards, the leftover of a fallen treeturned into a piece of yard art.“We feel like we’ve been successful.

Every day we’re learning somethingnew,” he said.Much of the summer has also been

spent testing out the waters at thevarious fairs and shows around theU.P., finding out what sells best inwhich locations.Part of the fun of the carvings is

being able to create not only morerealistic sculptures, but also piecesdepicting more fanciful creations,like a pair of bears jitterbug dancingMykkanen recently sold.“Bears can do anything. That’s the

fun of it,” he said. “There’s no cares,no worries, just carve whatever.”Woodworks Chainsaw Carving can

be contacted at 906-828-3000 or [email protected].

FROM CABINSTO CARVINGSRepublic chainsaw carver goesfrom sawmill cast offs to art

By CRAIG REMSBURGJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Award-winner Beverly

Matherne didn’t start writing poetryuntil the 11th grade.“In English class, I wrote a poem,” the

Northern Michigan University professorrecalled. “It was about life, death andrebirth. I was eight lines long and theteacher liked it.”That spawned a long career in writ-

ing poetry for Matherne, who lives inIshpeming. She has not only hadworks published, but has performedher poetry — with musical accompa-niment — in more than 200 venuesacross the United States andCanada, as well as in Wales, France,Belgium and Germany.She has also performed on National

Public Radio, Radio Canada Interna-tional and at the United Nations.“Everything I write is bilingual (English

and French),” Matherne said. “Thatgives me a double audience and fur-ther outlets for publishing.”A native of Grand Point, La., about 35

miles west of New Orleans, she grewup on a tobacco and sugar canefarm not far from the Mississippi River.Matherne earned a bachelor’s de-

gree and a masters degree at theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette,then a PhD. in drama at St. Louis University.Her first of many published works was

“Madame Grands Doigts et le’tit

Christ,” which came out in 1971. Shehas since published several bilingualbooks of poetry and won seven first-place poetry awards in national com-petitions, including the Cecil HackneyLiterary Award.Matherne came to NMU in 1991. “I was looking for a job,” she said,

“and was looking on an MLA (ModernLanguage Association) job list. I sawthe job opening here (at NMU).”Though she came to NMU for an in-

terview in February, she still took the jobover an offer from Clemson University.“I didn’t even know where the U.P.

was, but I fell in love with this place,”Matherne said. “I had a good feelingabout it and it’s my last stop.”Matherne, who received Northern’s

2010 Excellence in ScholarshipAward, has seen her poetry appear in32 literary magazines.She translated into French a portfo-

lio of poetry entitled “L’Artiste/TheArtist” in 2005 by U.S. poet laureateStanley Kunitz.“My poetry is very accessible and I

don’t write the same kind of poemover and over again,” she said,adding her 1999 book of prosepoems, “The Blues Crying” — also onCD — received good reviews.Matherne said she writes poetry “be-

cause I have to. It’s just something I do– an inherent part of me.“I also like to perform. That goes back

to my drama background.”

She teaches three classes at NMU,whether it be poetry writing, play writ-ing, technical writing or French language. Her latest work, a 2009 book of po-

etry entitled “Lamothe-Cadillac”, was

praised by acclaimed writer Jim Harrison as “splendid, refreshing andoriginal.”Matherne has two books in the works,

one which will be published soonthrough a Canadian company.


POET EXTRAORDINAIRENMU’s Matherne a notedwriter and performer


By CLAIRE ABENTJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — For Peter Pless, design

is life. And his passion for design issomething he tries to pass on to hisstudents at Northern Michigan Univer-sity. Educated at NMU and the Cran-brook Academy of Art, Pless hasbeen the leader of the Human Cen-tered Design Program at NMU for fiveyears. He also works as a practicingdesigner. In April 2010, Pless participated in an

exhibition called Salon Satellite, thelargest design trade show in the world,that takes place in Milan, Italy. Theevent featured over 150 designerswho are invited from all over the world.After applying to be in the show lastsummer, Pless found out in November2009 that he had been accepted.Then the work began. On top ofteaching, he worked long hours de-

signing and fabricating the pieces forhis exhibition, titled “Spaces.” To helpcover part of the cost of fabricationand the trip to Milan, Pless received afaculty research grant from NMU. He produced eight pieces for the

show, which was attended by 400,000people over a six-day run. The showgave him a lot of exposure in the de-sign world and publicity in the press,books, magazines and on the internet.Some of his pieces stayed in a galleryin Milan. “It was a really good experience,” he

said. “I’d really like to do it again.” Along with the exposure and learn-

ing about design, the show also en-abled him to pick up on somebusiness sensitivities that he wasn’taware of, Pless said. Beyond the personal impact of his

experiences at Salone Satellite, it alsobenefits his students to see their pro-

fessor actively working in the field. “It really adds value to the students

as well. They can see that I’m not justteaching, I’m involved as well,” he said. As for his personal style, Pless said he

tends to lean toward designing do-mestic objects, as opposed to morecommercialized goods. “Domestic objects, if done well and

made with value and used, arepassed down and develop a historythat way,” he said. But it is important to him that his de-

signs are actually something newand different. “Overall, I think design has to con-

tribute to contemporary culture andnot lean on things we are so used to.Honestly, there is no need for a newchair unless it does something differ-ent or creates a new utility...Designgoes beyond stylizing something. It’s a

field that is meant to bring productsinto the world on a broad scene. Youlook at design and it is always takingtimid steps forward.” While he said that he doesn’t have a

particular design philosophy, there aresome things he strives for: minimalism,distilled geometry and utilizingmetaphors to increase understanding. “I love design,” Pless said. “I have

very few hobbies because of it. Inever stop thinking about it. It’s what Iread about, it’s all I care to talkabout. It is certainly a passion that Ihope to bring to the table for my students as well.”As for what he is working on right now,

Pless said that with the beginning ofthe new semester, his current project ishis students. To learn more about Pless or to see

more about his work, visit his websiteat www.peterpless.com.

PETER PLESSDesigner and professor exhibits work at international show in Milan

Shown are examples of artworks byPeter Pless that were recently onexhibit in Milan. (Peter Pless photos)


By BILL HARRISJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — For Andy Gregg, a

combination of his passion for bicyclesand design made for the perfect ca-reer, and Gregg started the Bike Furni-ture Design company in Marquette.Gregg turns recycled bicycle parts

into pieces of furniture that can bedescribed as no less than works of art. “I made my first (piece of furniture) in

1990, and did a few things here andthere between,” Gregg said, “but (thebusiness) has been going strong full-time for the last four or five years.”Gregg, who also dabbles in photog-

raphy, has nursed a passion for bikessince he was a kid, and spent a lot oftime working in bike shops throughhigh school and college. “I was able to get really familiar with

how bikes were put together, whatpieces were involved, and it’s helpedme build the furniture I design,”Gregg said. Gregg puts together the parts he

uses the most — rims, frames andhandlebars — in such a way that it’shard to mistake his work. “When I started, I was just trying to

make some furniture from bike partsthat were lying around the shop,” hesaid. “In the years that I’ve been doingit, I’ve learned that people want cer-tain things, and having to make moreand more of these things has beenthe best way that I’ve learned to im-prove the things I make.”Gregg added that most of his

pieces are custom-made and thatthe customers he serves usually haveparticular requests. “Most of my designs are based on

the customer’s requests,” he said. “Iwould have never made a bar stool if

someone hadn’t asked for one, andnow it’s one of the most popular itemsI sell.”Along with the bar stools, Gregg said

that his tables and chairs are alsopopular, and that most of his itemsgo to restaurants, interior designersand architects. “Every thing I make is pretty expen-

sive and not everyone can afford it,”Gregg said, “Our work is painstakinglyengineered and hand crafted one-by-one.”The prices of his items vary, but

Gregg said his cheapest item is a$125 table. “Chairs start at $400, tables are

mostly $250 and up, a bar stool is$450, and everything is custom built,”Gregg said. “A lot of items are madeto order, and the customer gets tospecify the height, dimensions andcolors, depending on the item.”Along with the furniture he builds,

Gregg is also involved in the prizesawarded at the annual Ore to ShoreMountain Bike Epic. “I make the trophy stands, and the

male and female winners of the HardRock get really big, custom built tro-phies that I design,” Gregg said. He’s provided these awards in various

years in the past, and has every yearfor the last seven or eight.“In the beginning I was giving them

chairs and tables,” Gregg said. “In thelast few years it’s been smaller tables,and the opportunity to provide prizesfor the racers has been great.”People interested in Gregg’s work can

visit his website atwww.bikefurniture.com.“Everything is based on the website,”

Gregg said, “and you can’t buy thesethings anywhere else.”

ANDY GREGGA combination of passion and career

28 SOUND SUPERIORLAND MAGAZINE

By DANIELLE PEMBLEJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — A perfect world to

Alexis Mahler would be a world whereshe could walk around town andmusic is playing on every corner.That’s exactly what happened in Mar-quette recently during the 2nd AnnualMusic in the Village on Third Street.There were 14 groups and musicians

this year playing many different typesof music including acoustic, rock, folk,country, calypso reggae, Indian, andblues. The musicians were stationed infront of various local businesses onthe sidewalk. Mahler was one-fourth of the Eclet-

tico String Quartet, playing cello, dur-ing Music in the Village, where theyplayed on the corner of Hewitt andThird in front of Fassbender’s FuneralHome. The other three-quarters of thegroup were Sonja Prychitko on violin,Natalie LaCombe on violin andDanielle Simandl on viola. The groupplays a variety of music ranging fromclassical to covers of songs by theBeatles and Coldplay.On Prospect and Third in front of the

Border Grill Express, just a block and ahalf away, musicians Gess Wachterand Bob Like played.“Our music is a little bit of a mix,” said

Wachter, “A mix of old-school rock with

funk and blues.”They covered some songs, and

played some originals, too. They havebeen playing off and on together forfive or six years.“I love music, I love to write music,”

said Wachter. Like, who has been playing music

around Marquette for 20 years, wantsto see Music in the Village grow. “It’s grown a lot this year,” said Like, “I

can see it getting bigger, where wecan close the street and the mer-chants can sell their wares on thestreet. It’s still in its infancy.”LouAnn Balding, business owner and

member of the Village Business Asso-

ciation, was the mastermind behindthe event. “I love music.” said Balding. “My son

plays music, and I thought it would bea neat idea to have people playingup and down the street.”Balding said they had an excellent

turnout this year both from spectatorsand musicians alike. She hopes thatMusic in the Village will give peoplea sense of community and an ap-preciation for all the talented artistsin Marquette. “It encourages local musicians to get

connected with the community andgets people outside,” Mahler said. During Music in the Village, it was

MUSIC INTHE STREETArtists connect with community in The Village

Above and bottom right, musicians Gess Wachter and Bob Like perform outside the Border Grill Express on Third Street as part of the Music in The Village.(Journal photos by Danielle Pemble)

CRAFT & CREATION SOUND 29

common to see cars driving slowdown Third Street, curious about themusic. Many stopped and got outand walked. “There was a lot of spontaneous re-

action to the sound,” said Balding.While Wachter and Like don’t play

on the street very often, this wasn’tthe first time Eclettico has played onthe street — they played at the Blue-berry Festival, Outback and theFarmer’s Market. The money may not always be good

playing on the street, but Mahler justenjoys playing, period.“It doesn’t matter if we make five dol-

lars each, it’s important we’re sharingthe music with people,” said Mahler, “Ifone person comes up to us and says,‘Your music really touched me,’ that’sgood enough for us.” Like it was in their blood, she said

matter-of-factly, “We love playingmusic, it’s what we do.”Mahler has been playing the violin

for nine years and recently picked upthe cello. Along with playing on thestreet, the quartet also plays for wed-dings and events. Although the quar-tet only plays with four members at atime, the Eclettico group actuallyhas around 12 members. They rotatein and out of the quartet, dependingon availability for weddings andevents that they play. The groupEclettico is fairly new, but the mem-bers have all played together forthree or four years with differentgroups and variations.Wachter plans on booking some

gigs of her own, too. She recently re-turned to the U.P. from Jacksonville,Fla. and wants to do some recordingof her new original music with helpfrom Like at his recording studio in hishome. Wachter started playing guitarwhen she was 14 and has been play-ing and singing for at least 10 years.Overall, the response to the Music in

the Village was positive, and busi-nesses and musicians are planning ondoing it again next year.

Above, Alexis Mahler plays cello. Middle and below, string quartetEclettico plays outside Fassben-der's Funeral Home on ThirdStreet. Shown from left to right are:Natalie LaCombe, Sonja Prychitko,Danielle Simandl, and AlexisMahler. (Journal photos byDanielle Pemble)

By CLAIRE ABENTJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Local bagpiper Gre-

gor MacGregor has been at theunique Scottish art for over 40 years.MacGregor began taking bagpipelessons in 1962 when he was 6 andtook them consecutively for 15 yearswith several different teachers. It washis grandfather who first placed himin lessons at such a young age. Dur-ing that time, he was surrounded bya lot of the Scottish Highland arts,which were taking place throughoutthe southeast Michigan area wherehe grew up. On the weekends, Mac-Gregor would travel to Highland Festi-vals in Michigan, Canada and othernearby states. “I was lucky to be there,” he said. He was also a member of the St. An-

drews Pipe Band during that time,which is part of the St. Andrews Societyin Detroit. For about 20 years betweenthe 1970s and the 1990s, MacGregorfocused less on piping, but laterpicked it back up after the popularityof movies about and based in Scot-land came out during the 1990s. “People were asking me to play, so I

started to get more serious about it,”he said. In 2005, he toured with Irish band The

Chieftains and in 2006 he retired fromhis job as an attorney to pursue pipingfull-time. MacGregor loves playing the bag-

pipes not only because he enjoys it

but because of the feelings it givesothers, he said. “When you do bagpipes right, in the

right setting, it really affects people. Itdoes something supernatural to peo-ple,” he said. “I have this gift of beingable to play this instrument and somepeople enjoy it so much when theyhear it played.” He is also able to use his talents as a

personal escape. “I can go somewhere and take my

pipes and play and it’s very soothing.Nothing bothers me,” he said. With 48 years of piping under his

belt, MacGregor is lucky to have theexperience that he does.“It’s really special. Not just anyone

can do it,” he said. “I just feel privi-leged that I am one of the few peoplewho can do this at the level that I do.” MacGregor traditionally plays at a lot

of weddings and memorial services.Some of the most popular tunes heplays are Amazing Grace and Scot-land the Brave, along with weddingmarches, jigs and reels. To keep upon his skills, MacGregor returns toScotland every few years for lessonswith Roddy MacLeod, the principal ofthe National Piping Centre in Glas-gow. He also has six students that heinstructs from his home in Negaunee. While performing, he wears traditional

Scottish formal dress, including a kilt,sporran (bag), ghilliebrogues (shoes)and a sgian dubh (black knife). Heowns three sets of pipes, one new,

one antique and one set of Scottishsmallpipes. He credits his family with being pa-

tient and understanding of his work. “Your family has to be really under-

standing because a lot of time you

have to practice in the house and youare gone a lot,” he said. For more information, contact

MacGregor at 906-475-6015 or visithis website atwww.bagpipesnorth.com.

30 SOUND SUPERIORLAND MAGAZINE

GREGORMACGREGORLocal piper has been learning the Scottish art for quite a long time

By BILL HARRISJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Every morning when

he gets up Greg Sulik — a doctor atthe Northern Michigan UniversityHeath Center — plays a little Bach onhis piano.“I like to stay in touch with music,

and I like Bach because it clears my

mind and gets me ready for the day,”Sulik said. Now a classical pianist, Sulik said he

started getting interested in playingthe piano when he was 2 or 3 yearsold because he used to accompanyhis older brothers to their organ lessonsat their church. “I guess I got exposed to a lot of stuff

at a very young age,” Sulik said. “Istarted taking lessons when I was 6 or7, and my first teacher was just who-ever my parents could find.”Having a good foundation and

dreams of a future job in music inmind, Sulik continued learningthrough high school and college. “I was fortunate to have some really

good teachers with some interestingcontacts,” he said. “Nancy Westman— my teacher in high school — usedto take us to symphony concerts inDetroit and Flint. My undergradteacher, Kathleen Buswell, was anamazing technician and she knewhow to teach it.”Sulik continued learning into his

graduate studies at the University ofMichigan, and was under the wing ofDady Mehta, “a truly passionate musi-cian who I had first heard perform atInterlochen,” Sulik said. Sulik also had the opportunity to

learn under Fernando Laires, who Suliksaid was “a famous guy who proba-bly wasn’t used to working with histype of inexperience.“He was used to dealing with child

prodigies, and I’m not sure if he knewhow to deal with me.”Sulik added that at the end of the

second lesson with Laires, he criedunder a pine tree because he realizedthe depth of what he was getting into.“My dedicated teachers and also the

musicians I am fortunate to play for allaffected me,” he said. “They all influ-enced me and change the way Iplay. I learn much from each one.”Sulik also added that he was influ-

enced by different classical com-posers, including Bach, Beethoven,Brahms and Chopin. “I like all kinds of music, as long as it’s

done well and as long as it’s passion-ate,” Sulik said. “I like everything fromNine Inch Nails to country to classical,but I don’t like fake stuff.”Sulik said he’s dismayed with the

image that classical music is gettingthese days.“People think that it’s high falutin,

hoity-toity, expensive and that it’s notaccessible to most people,” he said.“The problem is most people haven’tbeen exposed to it enough to knowthat it’s very earthy and just as pas-sionate as rock and roll and othergenres you hear.”He said that if people had the op-

portunity to listen to it, they wouldprobably change their minds.Sulik plays in a number of different

events, including with Nancy Redfernand the NMU Orchestra, and as anaccompaniment to the University ofMichigan’s Don Grant (clarinet) andMark Flaherty (trumpet) at the Tuabmann Center.“I also enjoy playing for myself, my

family and friends,” Sulik added. Sulik also teaches the piano in

weekly lessons, but admitted that hisbusy schedule as a doctor onlymakes it possible to have one or twostudents at a time. “When I was teaching piano for a liv-

ing I had as many as 20 or 30 stu-dents at a time,” he said. “I’d like tohave more now, but with as busy as Iam it’s just not an option.”

CRAFT & CREATION SOUND 31

DOCTORSULIKNMU Health Center doc hasbeen learning piano longerthan medicine

32 SOUND SUPERIORLAND MAGAZINE : CRAFT & CREATION

By STEVE BROWNLEEJournal Staff WriterMARQUETTE — Robert LaLonde has

discovered the secret to not reallyworking.He’s married his two passions while

becoming a professor of art and de-sign at Northern Michigan University.“It wasn’t until later in life, long after I

graduated from college, when I puttogether that music and art can becombined,” LaLonde said.And that’s in the production of musi-

cal instruments, specifically “plucked”string instruments, such as guitars,banjos, ukuleles and mandolins.Ukuleles are his specialty, since

they’re cheap to make.“I started out using ‘found’ objects,”

he said, in particular searching aroundMarquette curbs when the city used toallow residents to place their old junkto be hauled away in the spring.Making instruments is far from his

only endeavor, though. He makes hisown art, mainly centered aroundmetals and jewelry, and is a memberof the Flying Martini Brothers trio thatusually plays several times a month atarea venues.“Our genre? It’s alternative-country-

Celtic-folk rock-grass,” he said with adeadpan look. “What we do areeclectic covers of songs anywherefrom the 1930s up through the 2000s.”

He mentioned the Beatles, JohnnyCash and Merle Haggard as artists thegroup covers, along with The Bandand John Prine.“We make all the songs ours,” he said

about the five-year-old band.While LaLonde plays guitar and

mandolin while participating insinging, fellow Martini Brother MarkHamari does the most singing, playsharmonica and provides percussionwhen it’s needed.

Brent Graves, like LaLonde an NMUprofessor, plays bass, guitar andmandolin.“We practice when we need to,

usually to work on a new song,”LaLonde said. “We have about 150songs we can choose from, and wetake requests, too.”He added that the group has a

core group of hard-core fans thatrange anywhere from college age topeople in their 60s.“We put on a show, we like to interact

with the audience.”

Their venues have ranged anywherefrom the Wooden Nickel to a Red HatSociety benefit.With a bachelor of fine arts degree in

jewelry and metalsmithing from NMUand a master of fine arts in the sameareas from Arizona State University,LaLonde has made works in thoseareas for a number of years.“With my background in crafts, works

spanning from jewelry to sculpture,about 10 years ago, I realized I was

spending a lot of money on instru-ments,” he said.So that led to experimentation in

making folk-string instruments, muchlike those who settled in Appalachiadid when they first came to the U.S.with virtually no possessions or wealth.“A lot of those people had to sell their

instruments to come here (to the U.S.),”LaLonde said.He said he was intrigued by instru-

ments such as the minstrel banjo.“They’re so simple, and the banjo is the

only truly American-evolved instrument.”

His first attempts worked better aspieces of sculpture that could pro-duce musical sounds, though notsomething that could play set pieces.“There’s an art to being able to

make an instrument playable withregular music,” he said, includingthings like materials and the size ofthe various parts of the plucked instruments.He worked with Sven Gonstead of

Big Bay, a luthier, or maker of guitarsand related instruments, who ownsGonstead Guitars.“Sven was a big influence on me,”

LaLonde said.He does still make his own works of

art, though it’s more of a hobby now.“Everything I do is for myself or to

enter a juried show,” he said.LaLonde has also put on a ukulele

workshop the past few years, with aukelele presented to those whocomplete the class.“Every 30 or 40 years the ukelele has

a resurgence, and now we’re in oneagain,” he said.In the School of Art and Design,

LaLonde has taken on teaching theart history class for the last seven oreight years.“With about 800 majors in art and

design, that’ll keep me busy,” he saidabout sections that have about 60and 90 students just this semester.

It wasn’t until later in life, long after I graduatedfrom college, when I put together that music andart can be combined.

— ROBERT LaLONDE, professorNorthern Michigan University School of Art & Design

MESHINGART &MUSICNMU professor creates art throughinstruments

Flying Martini Brothers BrentGraves, left, and Mark Hamariperform at Harvey’s Lounge atthe Ramada Inn in Marquette. (Journal photo by Steve Brownlee)

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