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February 1, 2007 Archive
We first took notice
of Sonny and Gloria Kamms when 250 of their teapots set museum attendance records
between 2002 and early 2006. The exhibit, called The Artful Teapot,
had first been scheduled for only six U.S. venues, but then three
more were added and the exhibit only ended after a further extended
stay in Memphis.
The success of The Artful Teapot and the fact that the Kamms had now amassed over 10,000 teapots convinced them that the time was ripe to forge ahead with an idea they’d been brewing for some time. They wanted a home for a portion of their collection, preferably in a place where the collection could make a difference to the community rather than simply being another attraction in an already prosperous city. The Tea Gods saw fit to land the Kamms in Sparta, a largely rural community in Alleghany County in northwestern North Carolina. Alleghany County had become prosperous through manufacturing in the mid 1900’s but in early 2000 four of the five major manufacturers closed shop. In less than 12 months the county lost 1500 jobs and by 2005 had been declared the most distressed county in North Carolina. The Kamms knew they had found a home for their teapots. It is no small feat to begin a museum, even if you already have the needed exhibits. The shakers and movers in Alleghany County got busy and enlisted the help of their representatives, who in turn managed to see that funds began pouring in to jumpstart the project. This is about the time that many around the country, tea lovers and not, took notice. Certain congressmen, apparently who are unaware that tea is currently a 6.2 billion dollar industry and looks to top 10 billion by 2010, found the project “egregious.” By mid-2006 the project had become the Oinker Poster Child, winning an award given by Citizens Against Government Waste for the best example of pork barrel spending. Those of us who understand the impact that tea has consistently had on our history and economy are likely to find such an attitude towards the Sparta Teapot Museum not only brutal, but unintelligent and short-sighted. However, those in Alleghany County are likely to care less because once plans were made to break ground this coming year and a 1000 square foot preview gallery was established, the county immediately began to see an economic revitalization. The number of empty storefronts is diminishing as twelve new businesses have already moved in. The future is looking brighter in Alleghany County. To their credit, those involved with the project will freely tell you they won the pork award. They’ll also tell you that once the members of Citizens Against Government Waste visited Sparta, they became advocates of the project and could see that the museum would indeed lead the community’s effort to create jobs and redefine their economy. In reality, it is the process, not the project they found offensive. All politics aside, I think Edith Wharton summed it up best when she said that one could tell much about a society by its relationship with the arts. Art and tea…well...could there be a better combination? With that final thought, why yes…we’d love to see more pork in North Carolina. BACK to the current issue of Sweet Willa's Review |
