Grasse

Paris

Treasure Hunt in the 10e: Atelier Anne HOGUET/Musée de l'éventail

Practical and poetic, modest and seductive, fans have wafted their delicate, spellbinding breezes for millennia, even before Stéphane Mallarmé sang their praises in the 19th century. Modern-day dreamers can enter the universe of these precious and exquisite accessories in a Paris neighborhood usually associated with more down-to-earth activities.

The Atelier Anne HOGUET at 2, boulevard de Strasbourg in the 10th arrondissement, is a jeweled prize at the end of a treasure hunt (and quite a few stairs!). For four generations, the Hoguet family has produced fans of every imaginable material and design, and this rich heritage resulted in the creation of the Musée de l'éventail in 1993. Visitors can examine the permanent collection of over 1,000 fans, as well as the devices used in their manufacture, in a superb antique setting. Temporary exhibitions are also regularly mounted - often as a joint effort with other museums and institutions - featuring the art, culture and history of fans around the world and through the ages.

Perhaps the greatest delight of a visit is the chance to observe the only surviving French fan workshop, still busily producing modern pieces for haute couture as well as props for theatre and opera, and historical reproductions for films such as Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" (Fall 2006 release). The workroom is piled high with boxes bearing intriguing labels in 18th-century script, and the craftswomen's fingers fly, transforming bits of satin, taffeta, feathers, lace and paper into miniature works of art. The workshop also restores old and damaged fans to their original beauty, preserving both family and national treasures.

Anne Hoguet began her unusual career at the age of 14, when she received the torch passed on by her father, Hervé Hoguet. With an eye towards the future as well as the past, she trains the artists who will create the fans of tomorrow, and the workshop participates in specialized conferences in France and abroad. She speaks of her creations almost as her children, saying that it's hard to let them go - but then there are always new projects to take on.

The museum also offers special activities for schoolchildren, introducing 21st-century youngsters to this fascinating world where everything is done by hand rather than by computer. Who knows? Perhaps the young participants may be inspired towards a career as a fan artist. Even if they don't go on to create fans professionally, children who visit the museum gain an understanding and appreciation for the history and art behind these objects.

Finally, the museum shop offers treasures to take home at all prices - wonderful, unusual gifts or souvenirs of your own discovery of this amazing little gem.

Adath Shalom and Tashlich in the Seine

Ruth was back at Adath Shalom, her Paris "home away from home", for Rosh Hashanah 5766. It's the only Masorti (Conservative) synagogue in Paris, one of only two in France, and reserves a warm welcome for all. Following the service, several synagogues met near the Eiffel Tower for the ceremony of Tashlich in the Seine. Observing the words of the prophet Micah: "...and you shall throw into the depth of the sea all their sins...", we threw bread into the river and shook out the corners and pockets of our clothing. Thus we symbolically discarded our sins - though of course this action alone does not magically cancel them out. But everyone felt lighter and ready to start the New Year on the right foot!

Nuit blanche: Sleepless in Paris

For one magical night every October, Paris stays up all night to enjoy contemporary art at hundreds of sites all over the city. It's an extravaganza of epic proportions, and Ruth joined some friends for the 2005 edition.

We wandered all through the city, soaking up the excitement of the crowds - and desperately searching for the art! First, we headed to the amazing building that houses the Institut du Monde Arabe www.imarabe.org, where we hung out for some time waiting for the promised mint tea, Middle Eastern sweets, music and dancing.

After a bit, we carried on to the Seine, where blue neon lights along the Pont de Sully reflected in the river - an installation called "Vaguement".

The promenade through Paris was glorious, but much of the art was more interesting en théorie than en réalité. At the Marie of the 4th arrondissement, we waited for half an hour to see several video installations, including a slide show of blurry photos of the Eiffel Tower (and Ruth thinks, "I've got plenty of those; it just never occurred to me to call them art.") One artiste had lived in his closet for eight hours and was showing a video of himself shot from above in real time (and Ruth thinks, "I'm not sure it's altogether wise to make such a public statement of one's complete lack of a social life.")

The Chartres Labyrinth

The great cathedral of Chartres rises from the surrounding flat plains, visible for miles around.

A high point for Ruth and Gilles' recent visit was a chance to walk the labyrinth. This is possible only on the last Friday of each month when the chairs that normally cover the labyrinth are moved aside, and people come from all over to experience this spiritual tool. Both of us are intrigued by labyrinths, which have appeared in many cultures and spiritual traditions for thousands of years. Whenever we can, we walk a labyrinth together before doing a training.

As explained by the Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, walking the labyrinth can serve as a symbolic pilgrimage, a moving meditation. Artress uses the labyrinth from Chartres Cathedral in her work, noting that a labyrinth is not a maze and you cannot become lost in it--there is one path into the center, and the same path leads back out again.

Artress describes the three stages of a labyrinth walk:

Purgation [is] the walk from the entrance of the labyrinth to its center...Purgation is an archaic word, from the root "to purge"--to release, to empty, to quiet...

Illumination...may be found in the center of the labyrinth...a place for meditation and prayer. Here people find insight into their problems; their lives are illuminated. We may come to clarity in the center. If we enter with an open heart and mind, we will be able to receive what is there for us.

Union begins as we leave the center of the labyrinth, following the same path back out that brought us in...It energizes the insight. It invites us...even pushes us to be more authentic. It gives us the confidence to take risks as we manifest our gifts in the world.

(Artress, D. L. (1995). Walking a sacred path: rediscovering the labyrinth as a spiritual tool. New York NY: The Berkeley Publishing Group, p. 36).

Gilles has used a portable labyrinth in his Community Building workshops:

After walking the labyrinth and visiting the beautiful cathedral, we explored the medieval town

and discovered the Centre international du vitrail (International Center for Stained Glass Art). The center trains artists who restore ancient stained glass

and create breathtaking modern works, and offers exhibits, conferences, cultural activities for all ages and a comprehensive library.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

When scheduling a recent coaching session for an expat spouse relocating to Paris, Ruth was asked, "Would you mind doing the program at the client's beach house on Hilton Head Island?"

Not a problem - we at SoCoCo are willing to make any sacrifice!

A special treat was the discovery of Gullah culture, its history, treasure and tragedies. The islands off the Carolina coast were ideal for growing rice, and the slaves brought here came primarily from the rice-growing areas of West Africa. A unique set of circumstances (including physical isolation) had the unforeseen effect of preserving many of the cultural attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of West Africa. The Gullah are only just holding on in the face of tourist development which has transformed their island homes.

DeGullah Creations promotes the work of local artists and craftspeople, in addition to serving as a learning center for those interested in the Gullah. Here you can see phenomenal videos such as The Language You Cry In, Family Across the Sea and God's Gonna Trouble The Water.

These videos tell the story of cultural survival unbroken by 400 years of separation and the horrors of slavery. West Africans immediately recognized several of the famous sweetgrass baskets made in the Carolinas, and correctly identified their uses. Many of the old Gullah families in the region still live in African-style compounds, where extended family members live in circles of small houses and mobile homes.

An amazing link was made thanks to an early researcher who recorded a Gullah woman in the 1930's singing what she called "an African song". In the 1980's, ethnomusicologists were able to play the tape for people in Sierra Leone, where many of the Carolina slaves originated. One woman sang a mourning song that was recognizably the same, and said she'd learned it from her grandmother. Grandmother told her, "Remember this song. Someone is coming back to you, someone is coming home, and you will recognize them because they will sing this song." After the civil war in Sierra Leone, the researchers brought the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of the woman recorded in the 1930's to meet their cousin in Africa. Together, they all sang the song that united them in one family across time and space.

Don't miss the extraordinary Gullah Heritage Tour. Many of the Gullah schools, family compounds, prayer houses and other landmarks are very much off the beaten track, so the tour is an excellent orientation. After that, you will have a better idea of what to look for, and treasures turn up in unexpected places. Ruth spotted an old Gullah graveyard next to the Piggly Wiggly parking lot and hopped a fence to explore.

The Penn Center on nearby St. Helena Island offers an extensive range of cultural programs for all ages. It was one of the first schools for freed slaves and is "one of the most significant African-American historical and cultural institutions in existence today."