Place Well Tended: Recent Episodes
Molly Noem Fulton and Jodi Shaw
You're joining Molly + Jodi as we talk with folks about creativity in plains country: what it is, and why it matters that we're here doing it. Place Well Tended is about love of a place, and tending that place through creative work.
It's our season closer! What better folks to end a season with than a couple homegrown cofeeshops?! We visted with Trisha Larson of Ginny's Coffeehouse in Philip and Vicky Furnish and Kelly Klein of Creekside Bean and Vine in Spearfish to hear all about what got them going and what keeps them going - besides coffee!
Just a great reminder of the heart and time that goes into these spaces that make our towns communities - and a reminder that when we shop small this time of year it makes all the difference.
Thank you so much for listening this season. We hope that like us, you've heard new things, found new places to explore, and been reminded of your own powerful creativity that shapes our communities. Much love - Jodi and Molly
You can find more about these two great coffeeshops on facebook or:
https://www.ginnysonline.com/
Insta: badrivercoffee
https://beanandvine.co/
Insta: creeksidebeanandvine
Chef Kim Braveheart is a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation of the Pine Ridge Indian Reserve in South Dakota. With a deep respect for her people, she has instinctually embraced both her Indigenous and Jewish heritage and finds connection to them through her cooking. We run through it all with Chef Braveheart in this episode: From how to use milkweed pods to smart refrigerator storage to the small but mighty Indigenous cooking community. But what comes through all of that is Kim's understanding of the people and place she comes from and the power of a thoughtful meal to bring us all closer together.
You can follow her on Insta @chefbraveheart or visit her website https://www.chefbraveheart.com
Or visit her at 521 Seventh Street, Rapid City SD
Gabriel Larson, also known as Gabriel the Bull joins us this week to talk about the lure of the West, finding one's path, and securing sold internet connections on the Wyoming plains. Gabriel is a Wyoming based singer and songwriter who describes his music as Def Lepard meets Spanish guitar. With ripping vocals and haunting instrumentals, the music of Gabriel and band speaks to someone finding themselves on the high plains.
Follow Gabriel's journey here:
Instagram: @grabriel.the.bull
This week we're visiting with Laura Capp of Ashland, Nebraska. Laura is the thoughtful face behind Postscript Press, a shop that carries the important work of thoughtful communication and community lightly.
In her own words, Laura does a lot of different things: "I read. I write. I do calligraphy. I print. I bind books. I love all of it, and I wanted to create a space where it could co-exist, all right next to an espresso machine, where you'll find me making a latte in the morning and a cappuccino in the afternoon."
Laura has created a space and a team that welcomes folks in to be quiet, to slow down, to consider deeply, and perhaps most of all, to find joy. Which , not surprisingly, is also what happens in this conversation.
Follow Laura and team here:
Instagram: Postscript Press
https://postscript.press
https://www.poetryxpost.com
Meet Christy Heckathorn with Fleurish Flower Farm! Located just outside Elk Point, and on the whim of saying yes to a creative dream, Christy and her family have brought a flower farm to life that began a proverbial seed. It's a fascinating listen to hear Christy tell how she developed a love of flowers and design, and began her flower farm with a handful of seed purchases - and grown into community building U-pick nights with music and local foods.
As you listen, we highly suggest you take a look at the images she shares through her Instagram feed @FleurishFix . You'll feel like you're right there on a summer night!
We're joined today by John Lopez of Lemmon, SD. John's work is seen the world over, but he's a product of a place and just truly generous in sharing that place through his work and words. His is a fascinating story from as humble a man as you'd care to meet.
Find more of John's work here:
@johnlopezstudio
www.johnlopezstudio.com
We sit down this week with Becky Tomac of Oh Geez! Design. Becky creates South Dakota based designs with a thoroughly retro whim - you know it's Oh Geez Design work when you see it! We talk about how to get recharged when your tank is empty, inspiration that comes from seed pens, and how winding paths can lead us right where we want to go.
Find more of Becky's work here:
Instagram: ohgeezdesign
www.ohgeezdesign.com
We're joined this week by John T Meyer. To name just a few hats he wears, John is host of the Leadmore podcast, former CEO of Lemonly and entrepreneur. We take a really enjoyable winding path with John talking about NFTs, how thinking ahead of the crowd can help our communities and what antifragility can mean for our mindset. There's a groundedness in John's perspective that feels both familiar and challenges us to move forward. John is very much the creative and visionary; it is a treat to share with you a conversation with someone committed to tending place and open to possibility.
For more on John T Meyer:
Leadmore - https://leadmorepodcast.com
The Mint - https://readthemint.com
ABCs of NFTs - https://instagram.com/johntmeyer
Thanks for joining us for Season 1!
**On our wrap-up episode of Season 1 we join “Our State Photographer,” Chad Coppess. If you've seen photos in South Dakota advertisements, billboards, and state literature, you have seen his work. Chad is fascinated with all things old school, vintage, and classic as well as landscapes and wildlife. This is a great opportunity to hear from the guy behind the lens of many of the iconic photo images of South Dakota you may have in your mind. Here is our chat with the current Photo Editor of South Dakota Magazine: Chad Coppess.
Look into South Dakota Magazine:** https://www.southdakotamagazine.com/home
View Chad's work: https://chadsdphoto.wixsite.com/dakotagraph/galleries
Dr Dawn Wink joins us to talk about stories and language shaped by landscape along with exploring wildness, beauty, and imagination. Dawn gives us a glimpse at the value and beauty of language through concepts from her recent dissertation. She weaves threads of running on the land, the magic of the writing process, and human connection from collective humanity all the way to the intimacy of family stories. Language rooted in land, in place, is a thread of connection…a tender, valuable way of tending to a place and being shaped by that place.
PWT is a podcast about the love of a place and how we care for that place. When that place is a little dot on the map along sparsely populated state highway 34 on the western South Dakota prairie, it takes a unique approach. Our guest for Episode 6, Ann Shaw, took a vision she had for a 120 year old building and gave it a whole lot of tender loving care to create an oasis of beauty, a place to stop and stretch your legs and discover a delightful, unexpected boutique in the middle of nowhere. Hear the story of a long held dream made to come true in the tending to a building at White Owl, South Dakota.
https://www.whiteowlcreekboutique.com/
whiteowlcreekboutique on Insta!
On this episode of PWT, we sit down with Wes Eisenhauer of Kickturn Studio in Sioux Falls, SD. Through photography and videography Wes crafts stories that illuminate the magical and beautiful existing in the mundane, ordinary moments of life. He embraces and seeks out the unique adventure that is available simply by living in the plains region and South Dakota. Wes brings the creative work to Sioux Falls and the surrounding areas. Somebody needs to do the work of telling the stories and making new things in this place, so in his words, “If not us, then who?”
Check out Wes' work here:
https://www.kickturnstudio.com/
https://www.instagram.com/wes_eisenhauer/
https://www.thelasttimewewereyoung.com/
We are doing a deep dive today with Jodi Shaw! We talk about her personal landscape, how the Shaw ranch has inspired her creativity, and what living in community looks like in White Owl SD. We talk about what kind of art kid she was and how those early influences of looking at things close up and being grateful have shaped who she is and how she looks at the world. It's a treat to share this conversation with you!
Uriah and his wife Emily own and operate Drifters, a chef-driven restaurant and gathering space right on the banks of the Missouri River in Fort Pierre focused on showcasing South Dakota Beef and locally grown produce. Uriah is driven by purpose to do things the right way . . . the best way. Additionally, the bluffs of that Mighty Mo inspired Uriah to dig and build mountain bike trails that enable people to immerse themselves in the beauty of the land and the reality that “South Dakota is NOT flat”. Uriah Steber will show you how to slow down and experience the place you are in: from savoring that SoDak grown steak on a plate to feeling that river air on your skin and the rugged river-country beneath your feet.
https://www.driftersbarandgrille.com/
https://www.instagram.com/uriahsteber/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/sodakcycling/?hl=en
Our next guest on PWT, is our friend Sarah Dorn. Sarah designs and hand makes jewelry from her home studio in Brookings, SoDak, for her business Mama Peacock Handmade. Her rustic and refined style embodies a South Dakota aesthetic with an appeal that extends far beyond the plains regions. She has a passion for creative entrepreneurship that radiates through her genuine interest in people and empowering them with her words and belief to step out and courageously share what they make. She bubbles with enthusiasm for small businesses in her hometown of Brookings and with love for her state. Her heart pulls her back again and again to visit her childhood home of the glittering mica-dusted and pine-scented slopes of the Black Hills that wink at you from the jewelry she creates. There’s a little touch of SD in everything she makes, and you can feel it.
Find Sarah's work here:
https://mamapeacockhandmade.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mamapeacockhandmade/?hl=en
Molly + Jodi talk all things pottery with Hester Prouty of Prouty Pottery in Rapid City SD. From clay made right here in South Dakota to purchasing a studio in the Landstrom's building in Rapid City, we dig into Hester's story and the why beneath her work.
https://proutypottery.com/
https://www.ginnysonline.com/
Join Molly + Jodi as we talk with folks about creativity in plains country: what it is and why it's important that we do it. We're so excited about this. We're excited about the people we'll get to talk to, the things we'll learn, and all the good stuff we'll get to share. If you're like us, you love this plains country we call home and you love the people who, with their hands in real or metaphorical dirt, keep it well tended.
This is Place Well Tended. And it's going to be good for all of us!
http://www.mollynoemfulton.com
https://www.whiteowlwings.com/