CAFAM: EHREN TOOL

Simply. Amazing. Several months ago I became a member of CAFAM or the Craft and Folk Art Museum located in the Mid-Wilshire area on Museum Row. I was happily walking down Wilshire Blvd thinking about how I felt light hearted for the first time in a long time and decided to wander into this tiny museum's gift shop. It was full of all kinds of beautifully handcrafted items, you can read more about that adventure here. This museum is tiny, but has a wonderful array of workshops and the current exhibit EHREN TOOL: PRODUCTION OR DESTRUCTION is fantastic. It's one of those exhibits that really makes you think. That touches a place in your heart.

The exhibit, is a must see. War veteran turned ceramic artist, Ehren Tool captures the viewer's attention with fraught visuals and the haunting words of our past leaders.

"Emblazoned with the haunting images of armed conflict, Tool creates handmade ceramic cups as a medium to address war and the violent rhetoric and imagery used to perpetuate it."

Accompanying the multitude of ceramic cups are signed letters from The President and First Lady as well as several other prominent people. Also a wall, with a request that people write about how war has touched their lives. I suggest you spend a little time and read some of the index cards on this wall. Some are just silly, but others are obviously from other veterans or families of veterans.

The pieces themselves are both beautiful and intense. I had so many favorites, but there were so many that it was hard to even go back and find them after I had walked completely around the room!

The exhibit will be open through Sept 9th and I encourage you to check it out. You won't be disappointed. I initially thought it would mainly be something interesting for Mr Mine, but the works speak loud and clear and will not be ignored.

One of the things that I loved most about it, is Ehren Tool's assertion that his pieces should last between 500,000 and 1,000,000 years and possibly will come through that completely unscathed. He hopes that his messages will be inspiration for many generations to come.

As we were walking out the receptionist at the ticket counter called us over and asked us how we liked it. I couldn't help but notice that there were a set of Ehren's cups on the shelves behind her and asked her if he ever sold them. She reached behind her and gave one to Mr. Mine and then one to myself. My first thought was "fantastic!" the one thing I had really really wanted to do while I was looking at the exhibit was to take every single one of his cups off the shelf and turn it around to see the other side. So I eagerly started turning mine over in my hand and almost missed what she was telling us.

"The Artist, (Ehren) never sells his cups, he always gives them away." And it dawned on me, the cup I was holding in my hand was now officially mine! What a wonderful keepsake to take home. I love both of our cups. Apparently he has made over 14,000 cups and of those he has given away well over 12,000. You can read more about the artist and the exhibit here.

These photos really don't even begin to do these cups justice. But I am very happy to now have a small piece of this exhibit to keep with me, and possibly pass on someday to our son or daughter.