The Tea Party: Family Migration Study
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The Tea Party: Family Migration Study, a story of how I became the artist and art educator I am today.
The Tea Party: Family Migration Study, a story of how I became the artist and art educator I am today.
The Tea Party: Family Migration Story
Tammy Hoppe
“You’re the worst cutter I’ve ever seen, Tammy” (Grandpa John, personal communication, 1977). Words I will never forget. Today they make me giggle; 37 years ago they challenged me to step up my workmanship. My grandmother, Gertie Lupkes, John’s wife and my father’s mother, was teaching me how to sew a real garment using a real pattern for the first time. She always had patience for my inquisitive nature; Grandpa John did not.
Grandma Gertie was a seamstress her whole life. She moved to the United States as a very young girl and learned to sew out of necessity. First, sewing was a means to keep herself and her siblings in decent clothes and, second, it was an income for the family. Gertie sewed clothes, did mending, and made quilts until the age of 93. She passed away at 94, but during that last year of life she spent in the nursing home directed by my sister, I would stop in with scraps of fabric—recycled, up cycled, and forged from her very own scraps—and recruit her guidance in making a quilt for the poor babies. Gertie was always using scraps to make quilt gifts for the “old people” or the “poor babies.”
Grandma Doris Smith, my mother’s mother, lived near McConnelsville, Ohio. We did not see her often so I knew her best through her art. Grandma Smith was a very well rounded, talented artist. She dabbled in several different media and was quite skilled at whatever she tried. I was her oldest grandchild, so whenever she began a new project idea for the grandchildren, I always got the first one. Often I was the only grandchild to get one because after mastering the first one, she would be on her way to the next creative idea. Plus, even though I would get the prototype of one of her creations, occasionally even mine would be only partially done.
Grandma Smith’s home on the Muskingum River in the southern hills of Ohio was always a fantastic place to explore nature. If the kids were not playing or messing with Grandma’s arts supplies, we were canoeing on the river and hiking in the hills. There were always great stories to be found or made up about the Ohio wilderness. My younger cousins, whom I did not usually want along anyway, would report to the adults the scary stories Tammy (T or Tea) had told them about the legends of the wild. The penalty must have been worth it, because I only remember all the good times.
Beth Smith grew up in Zanesville, Ohio and went to a Catholic school. She graduated from cosmetology school and worked as a stylist by day and go-go dancer by night. She had an innate interest in the fine arts and creating, but even by her middle twenties she still had not found her true artistic interest. She says that to see photographs of her early adult clothes, makeup, and hair is to see clear evidence of her creative side, and that is why most of those photographs are nowhere to be found.
Other signs of Beth’s artistic side did eventually show themselves after she met Lawrence Lupkes, an airman in the United States Air Force. Lawrence spent four years in the USAF during the Vietnam Conflict, volunteering for combat. The USAF would not allow this, though, because of his exceptional math and drafting skills. He spent much of his USAF career doing desk work. After his commitment to the service, Lawrence took an acrylic landscape painting class. He then moved on to try still life painting. Lawrence could make this paint and paintbrush do wonderful things. Seeing this and the enjoyment he had with painting, Beth revisited her interest in painting with oils.
For a few years both Beth and Lawrence (B & L) painted pictures of photographs found in nature magazines. Beth evolved into more of an abstract artist while Lawrence and his calculating math mind developed outstanding realism techniques. They did not keep most of their work. Their interest was in the process more than the product. Usually they would allow me to create my own masterpieces right over top of theirs. However, once farming income went bad, painting for fun came to an end. After that the only thrill with painting was in recoating the exterior of the old farmhouse and matching outhouse.
Once I started school, new artistic adventures came back into my life. In kindergarten through seventh grade I had art class every three days. Art was something I always did very well in; it was easy for me. In high school I signed up for at least one art class per semester: painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, and jewelry making. Then I headed off to college. I got a medical assistant and lab technician degree under the assumption that art was not a viable career choice. Although my science and math classes were a lot of fun, I felt the void of not enough artmaking in my life, so after having two babies, I went back to school to become an art teacher. To make myself sellable I also majored in math and English/language arts. I didn’t finish my math degree but began my teaching career as a high school English teacher. As soon as an art teaching position opened within a decent drive from home, I applied and got it. Finally, I was an art teacher.
This art education career had a lot of potential and I had all kinds of potential to offer right back. By now I have taught art at all age levels, was named Iowa K – 12 Art Teacher of the Year (2006-2007), was an education professor for a year (2010-2011), and am on track to becoming an art education professor as well as a locally known artist.
Life has shed many blessings on me, and I often ponder these blessings over a cup of tea. I begin each day of teaching art with a cup of tea, refill my teacup three or four times throughout the school day, and end my day with a bedtime tea. Today I extend to my inspirational and caring parents and grandmothers an invitation to my tea party in their memories.
Tammy Hoppe
“You’re the worst cutter I’ve ever seen, Tammy” (Grandpa John, personal communication, 1977). Words I will never forget. Today they make me giggle; 37 years ago they challenged me to step up my workmanship. My grandmother, Gertie Lupkes, John’s wife and my father’s mother, was teaching me how to sew a real garment using a real pattern for the first time. She always had patience for my inquisitive nature; Grandpa John did not.
Grandma Gertie was a seamstress her whole life. She moved to the United States as a very young girl and learned to sew out of necessity. First, sewing was a means to keep herself and her siblings in decent clothes and, second, it was an income for the family. Gertie sewed clothes, did mending, and made quilts until the age of 93. She passed away at 94, but during that last year of life she spent in the nursing home directed by my sister, I would stop in with scraps of fabric—recycled, up cycled, and forged from her very own scraps—and recruit her guidance in making a quilt for the poor babies. Gertie was always using scraps to make quilt gifts for the “old people” or the “poor babies.”
Grandma Doris Smith, my mother’s mother, lived near McConnelsville, Ohio. We did not see her often so I knew her best through her art. Grandma Smith was a very well rounded, talented artist. She dabbled in several different media and was quite skilled at whatever she tried. I was her oldest grandchild, so whenever she began a new project idea for the grandchildren, I always got the first one. Often I was the only grandchild to get one because after mastering the first one, she would be on her way to the next creative idea. Plus, even though I would get the prototype of one of her creations, occasionally even mine would be only partially done.
Grandma Smith’s home on the Muskingum River in the southern hills of Ohio was always a fantastic place to explore nature. If the kids were not playing or messing with Grandma’s arts supplies, we were canoeing on the river and hiking in the hills. There were always great stories to be found or made up about the Ohio wilderness. My younger cousins, whom I did not usually want along anyway, would report to the adults the scary stories Tammy (T or Tea) had told them about the legends of the wild. The penalty must have been worth it, because I only remember all the good times.
Beth Smith grew up in Zanesville, Ohio and went to a Catholic school. She graduated from cosmetology school and worked as a stylist by day and go-go dancer by night. She had an innate interest in the fine arts and creating, but even by her middle twenties she still had not found her true artistic interest. She says that to see photographs of her early adult clothes, makeup, and hair is to see clear evidence of her creative side, and that is why most of those photographs are nowhere to be found.
Other signs of Beth’s artistic side did eventually show themselves after she met Lawrence Lupkes, an airman in the United States Air Force. Lawrence spent four years in the USAF during the Vietnam Conflict, volunteering for combat. The USAF would not allow this, though, because of his exceptional math and drafting skills. He spent much of his USAF career doing desk work. After his commitment to the service, Lawrence took an acrylic landscape painting class. He then moved on to try still life painting. Lawrence could make this paint and paintbrush do wonderful things. Seeing this and the enjoyment he had with painting, Beth revisited her interest in painting with oils.
For a few years both Beth and Lawrence (B & L) painted pictures of photographs found in nature magazines. Beth evolved into more of an abstract artist while Lawrence and his calculating math mind developed outstanding realism techniques. They did not keep most of their work. Their interest was in the process more than the product. Usually they would allow me to create my own masterpieces right over top of theirs. However, once farming income went bad, painting for fun came to an end. After that the only thrill with painting was in recoating the exterior of the old farmhouse and matching outhouse.
Once I started school, new artistic adventures came back into my life. In kindergarten through seventh grade I had art class every three days. Art was something I always did very well in; it was easy for me. In high school I signed up for at least one art class per semester: painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, and jewelry making. Then I headed off to college. I got a medical assistant and lab technician degree under the assumption that art was not a viable career choice. Although my science and math classes were a lot of fun, I felt the void of not enough artmaking in my life, so after having two babies, I went back to school to become an art teacher. To make myself sellable I also majored in math and English/language arts. I didn’t finish my math degree but began my teaching career as a high school English teacher. As soon as an art teaching position opened within a decent drive from home, I applied and got it. Finally, I was an art teacher.
This art education career had a lot of potential and I had all kinds of potential to offer right back. By now I have taught art at all age levels, was named Iowa K – 12 Art Teacher of the Year (2006-2007), was an education professor for a year (2010-2011), and am on track to becoming an art education professor as well as a locally known artist.
Life has shed many blessings on me, and I often ponder these blessings over a cup of tea. I begin each day of teaching art with a cup of tea, refill my teacup three or four times throughout the school day, and end my day with a bedtime tea. Today I extend to my inspirational and caring parents and grandmothers an invitation to my tea party in their memories.