A Life of Meaning

     In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, we learn that Billy Pilgrim's mother tried to construct a life of meaning through crucifixes she found in gift shops across the country. Vonnegut claims that many Americans try to do just what Pilgrim's mother did--construct meaningful lives out of artifacts found in gift shops. I set out to discover exactly how a person could do that. In the process of searching for artifacts that I could imagine meaning coming from, however, I did discover a whole community that actually is doing just that. Here are my findings, both for individuals and the community:

     Old tools can be meaningful to many people, and can often be found in antique shops in rural areas. Here we have a tool that was used to cut wheat and other grains. It was on display in the old town section of Palestine, Texas. Tools like these can be meaningful to people who have a family history of farming or a particular interest in old mechanics. Many of these items are collectible. They're often displayed as decorations and to remind people of America's backbone and grassroots (because this country was built on agricultural systems to start with). You can see how meaningful these artifacts can be with a quick Google search. The first link I clicked on brought me to a website displaying almost 800 antique farm tools and telling people what museums and other places they can go to see these artifacts.

     Many people collect figurines, and it was obvious to me that somebody could easily construct a life of meaning from various angel figurines (especially ones with religious sayings/Bible verses on them). Much like Billy Pilgrim's mother, people who collect figurines like this do so often to remind themselves of God watching over them, that Christianity is a major part of their lives, and/or to keep faith that hope will always be there through the angels' messages. Obviously their faith is huge part of their lives, and these figurines not only represent that to the world, but also remind them that their existence does have higher meaning.

     Finally, here it is: the story about the community that actually is making a meaningful life out of things you can buy. Above is a photo of a 4-5' tall dolphin sculpture. Yes, it is a sculpture made out of old metal scraps and a tire rim, but it's art. The city of Jewett has been named the sculpture capital of Texas. Why? Because there are sculptures like this all around town. Most of them are for sale. My assignment was to find objects people can buy in gift shops, and I did. Sculptures like these (big and small) can be found in the gift/antique shop you see behind the dolphin in this photo. The shop is called Trademart. The shop's owner, Terry Jones, instilled his love for art into the Jewett community and has virtually turned the whole town into an outdoor gift shop/museum.

     I actually grew up in the Jewett area. My parents own a dental office there and we live in the next town over. I can legitimately tell you that the entire town of Jewett is trying to create a life of meaning from these art sculptures. The people of Jewett are trying to tell the world that they're not just another hole-in-the-wall town in the middle of nowhere that's filled with rednecks. The people there are cultured. They appreciate art. They've made an entire Leon County Art Trail to create tourism in the area and bring awareness to the culture bubbling there. 
     Terry Jones is even leading the effort to spread the Art Trail to neighboring towns on Highway 79, like my hometown, Buffalo. So far, the only town that has joined the Trail is Palestine (the town that I found the antique tools in). Nevertheless, I think this is the perfect example of people finding meaning in life through objects they can buy in gift shops (whether that's indoors or outdoors). We can see just how hard the people in this town are trying, and how much they're succeeding. After all, the town is now officially the sculpture capital of Texas.

     To see more of Terry Jones' artwork, visit his website. Photos of the Leon County Art Trail brochure and some sculptures on the trail are below.

All the sculptures in Jewett can be found in this brochure. The ones seen here are only the sculptures for sale. On the opposite side of the brochure, there are photos of sculptures the town has purchased and is displaying as part of the Art Trail.

One of Jones' sculptures outside Trademart

Another of Jones' sculptures outside Trademart

This is called "Balance." It's for sale and is displayed as part of the Art Trail. ($15,000)

This is called "Flower Tree." It's for sale and is displayed as part of the Art Trail. ($9,000)