Page 2 RAIN September/October 1984 RAIN Volume X, Number 6 September/October 1984 Editor Tanya Kucak Staff Rob Baird Alan Locklear Steve Manthe Kris Nelson Katherine Sadler F. Lansing Scott Jeff Strang Contributors Anne Cook Dik Cool Bill Flood Ken Kern Tripp Mikich Ancil Nance Jim Taylor Gail Vittori Mary Vogel Tim Warner Rachel Wasser Paul Winkeller Graphic Design Susan Applegate Comptroller Lee Lancaster Printing: Argus Printing Typesetting: Irish Setter RAIN magazine publishes information that can help people lead simple and satisfying lives, make their communities and regions economically self-reliant, and build a society that is durable, just, amusing, and ecologically sound. RAIN is published six times a year by the Rain Umbrella, Inc., a nonprofit corporation located at 3116 North Williams, Portland, OR 97227; 503/249-7218. Subscriptions are $25/year for institutions, $15/year for individuals ($9.50 for persons witli incomes under $6000 a year). For additional information on subscriptions and publications, see page 39. Writers' guidelines are available for a SASE. Editorial and advertising deadlines are two months prior to publication date. RAIN is indexed in the Alternative Press Index and New Periodicals Index. Members of the Rain Umbrella Board of Directors: Bruce Bliatout, Jackie Dehner, Patti Jacobsen, Kim MacColl, Mimi Maduro, Maggie Rogers, Steve Rudman, Sumner Sharpe, and Michael Wells. Copyright © 1984 Rain Umbrella, Inc. No part may be reprinted without written permission. ISSN 0739-621X. Cover: Timberline Lodge. Extensive handwork in structure and furnishings distinguish the lodge, built 1936-38 on the south side of Mt. Hood in Oregon by WPA labor. (Illustration © 1981 by Jim Taylor) by Tanya Kucak For ten years now, RAIN has pointed to ways to live lightly to make where you are paradise. To build better cities, you build better communities; to build better communities, you start at home. You begin with your own life and circle outward. You build connections between your life and your community, your life and nature. Making things better always comes down to personal experience and personal responsibility. Art in Everyday Life is a theme that has been at the core of RAIN's mission over the last decade, but it has rarely been stated explicitly. We're not going to define art here because that's not what we're talking about; rather, we're concerned with art in everyday life, which means participating in the cultural life of your community. It means living in such a way that integration, durability, aesthetics, play, and connection with nature are paramount. Here are the elements of that vision: □ Integration—Art is not separate from life, but an integral part of life. Artistic expression forms part of whatever else everyone does. Actor Peter Coyote, writing in the July 1984 New Age Journal, says, "In the less 'developed' cultures, there is no separation between art and everyday life, between art and community life. Whether they are making a pot, weaving a mat, building a house, or deciding where to plant, average people are empowered with the means and tools and imagination for artistic expression." □ Durability—The things that you use are made of durable materials, and they are put together so that they will last a long time. There is no place for wasted resources—material or human. People do not waste time making or using shoddy or poorly designed goods. □ Aesthetics—People lavish care in making things, because they know they will last. Appropriate design is respected and expected. □ Play—Celebration, playing games, storytelling, and making music are part of community life, and everyone can participate. Leisure time is treasured as an opportunity for play with colors, forms, sounds, ideas. Your value to society increases if you have a balance of work and play (or playful work) in your life. □ Connection with nature—Motifs from nature form the basis of design and decoration, and people make and use things that reflect their part in the surrounding ecology. People are in touch with the imperatives of the natural world. Nature is the source of wisdom. In this issue, we touch on examples from both the past and the present. © 1984 Tanya Kucak
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