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HeartWood
A blog about cultivating
creativity, connection and contentment
wherever you are

Making a Difference, Leaving a Legacy: Ray and Phyllis Jansma remembered

11/2/2016

10 Comments

 
What difference does a difference make?
​At a recent memorial for a friend and teacher, the speaker posed that question for all of us to consider as we thought about the person whose death we were mourning and whose life we were celebrating. 
PictureThe sale at the Dogwood Center's Black Box. Photos of the Jansmas were projected on the large screen during the sale.
 The question came to mind again last weekend when we attended "Leaving a Legacy of Art: The Jansma Collection" at the Dogwood Center for the Performing Arts in Fremont, Michigan. The art show and sale commemorated the lives of longtime Fremont residents Ray and Phyllis Jansma, whose lasting influence on Newaygo County's cultural scene is incalculable. Phyllis was a cellist and music teacher, Ray an architectural designer and artist who painted, sculpted and carved wood. As a tribute to this remarkable couple, their family offered some of Ray's artwork for sale, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Newaygo County Council for the Arts-Artsplace.

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Work offered at the sale included ceramics . . .
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. . . sculpture and carvings.
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drawings . . .
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PictureLindsay Isenhart with a grandfather clock made by Ray Jansma



​​Before the sale, I spent some time with Lindsay Isenhart, program coordinator and curator of the Ray and Phyllis Jansma Gallery at Artsplace. A good friend of the Jansmas, Lindsay worked closely with Ray Jansma to produce a book, Ray Jansma: Designer (Blurb, 2011), that chronicles his career and archives many of his artistic works.

PictureSome of Ray Jansma's drawings from the Tuesdays At Ray's gatherings were also for sale


​​"The Jansmas were a pivotal influence on my life," Lindsay told me. "I started going out to their house for Tuesdays At Ray's—a Tuesday night drawing group—when I was fourteen years old. At that point in my life, I was a latchkey kid. I could have gone a very different way, but once I started drawing, my whole direction in life changed."

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​​The weekly gathering wasn't a class; there were no lectures or formal critiques, just a bunch of local artists and art enthusiasts getting together to practice life drawing and share their creative energy. 

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Our friend Tonya browses through drawings from Tuesdays At Rays
​"I had never seen a cluster of artists working together. Just getting together to do art," recalled Lindsay, who went on to be one of the first recipients of the Ray Jansma Scholarship for Visual Fine Arts, through the Fremont Area Community Foundation, and to study fine arts and graphic design at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids and Accademia di Belle Arti in Perugia, Italy.
​"Through the Tuesday nights, I got to know Phyllis, and on a regular basis went out to what they called Tea Time at the Jansmas," Lindsay said. "People could show up from anywhere at their house during tea time. Phyllis would regale us with stories and talk about politics, and Ray would take me out to his studio afterward."
PictureThe Jansma home
​The Jansmas' talents and personalities drew people to them, but their home was an added attraction. Located on a winding road north of Fremont, the house—which Ray designed in the early 1950s—started out as a modest 975-square-foot split level. But as Ray's career grew, so did the house, with additions reflecting the varied styles of his architectural design projects. On one end is a master bedroom suite where the centerpiece was the magnificent carved angel bed offered for sale at the recent event. 

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The angel bed
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Details from the angel bed headboard . . .
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. . . and footbboard
PictureThe tower




​​A tower rises from the middle of the house, looking like something from a storybook. Indeed, guests sometimes felt they were "visiting another world," said Lindsay. "It was like Alice in Wonderland. I got to go to this fairytale place where we were surrounded by art, music, and everything you could imagine to play with."

​Like the house, Ray's studio was out-of-the-ordinary, decorated with architectural elements from some of his design projects. One side of the studio was originally used for building a sailboat—a 32-foot Tahiti ketch christened the Maid of Ramshorn, which Ray and Phyllis sailed around Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (and Ray sometimes used as a floating office for design jobs in port towns). Once the boat was finished and launched in 1975, the former boat shed became a working space for various art projects, both Ray's and other artists'.
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Ray Jansma's studio
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​​

​"He'd share whatever he had going on, share his studio space, encourage others to come and work there," said Lindsay. The list of working artists who have been influenced by Ray is long and varied and includes Ann Arbor potter Autumn Aslakson; Stratford, Ontario-based illustrator and graphic designer Scott McKowen; ; New Mexico painter Jack Smith; multimedia artist James Magee of El Paso, Texas (who also paints as Annabel Livermore) and many others.

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​"He inspired so many artists because he was always working," said Lindsay. "His work ethic was amazing. He didn't watch TV, didn't golf. He'd be in his studio, working on a project or out sketching barns or downtown businesses or putting in time for our organization. He would come here to Artsplace at least once a week and participate, whether it was just helping paint a sign or helping teach a class, he was hands-on involved."

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​Meanwhile, Phyllis inspired a long line of musicians, not only as a piano and cello teacher, but also through the Chamber Music for Fun program she initiated at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan.
PictureDaughter Jennifer Jansma Chiles (in green sweater) was on hand to answer questions and reminisce with family friends
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​The Jansma children, too, benefited from the creative environment their parents provided. Tim became a violin, viola and cello maker, Jon a chemical engineer for GE, and Jennifer a piano technician who decorated her Ray-designed home with ornamental trim she carved herself and paving stones she hand-cast.

PictureFront door, Jansma home



​​"I've never met a family that has made such an impact," said Lindsay. "And to be found in such a tiny little community is a rare thing."

The Jansmas made a difference. And what a difference that difference made!
​Who has made a difference in your life? In your community? What can you do to keep their legacy alive? As you consider these questions, take a look at more of Ray Jansma's artistry.
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10 Comments
Sally C Kane
11/2/2016 08:06:49 am

What a delight! I loved meandering through this profound tribute to Ray and Phyllis. Perfect that you interviewed Lindsay, too. You so captured and honored their contribution, Ray's art.
They mentored and influenced my husband and I, just by being themselves, from the time we moved to Newaygo Co. in 1972.
I appreciated their choice to stay committed to their values, their art, which only could have occurred out of the mainstream. In that way, their example served as my muse over the years.

Reply
Nan
11/2/2016 08:14:15 am

I wish I'd had time to talk with more of the people whose lives the Jansmas touched. I know there are so many stories to be told. I hope some of those people, like you, will share memories here.

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Katherine Myers
11/2/2016 01:15:43 pm

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Carolyn Seran
11/4/2016 11:48:43 am

Jennifer,
I knew you came from talent; but I had no idea the depth of creativity your entire family share. Thank you for sharing YOU with us; I am honored to call you a friend.
xx
carolyn

Reply
Velma Vaughn
11/4/2016 08:36:26 pm

What a talented Family!! That Angel Bed was amazing!! You should be very proud. All those treasures live on and the memories you must have. You must feel Blessed. All I can say is WOW!!

Take Care
Velma

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Tonya Howe44
11/9/2016 06:14:34 am

I love this blog! I'm still enjoying the infuences of the Jansmas thru their art gallery.Im also gratefully enjoying the memories I have of Phylis marching with me and others against the Iraq war in 2002;and the memory of being delightfully astonished when Ray gave me a tour of his studio in1985. I'm still inspired. How fortuate for our community to have had the Jansmas in our lives. ♡

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Nan
11/10/2016 10:42:55 am

Thank you, Tonya, for being one of the friends who first told me about the Jansmas' amazing contributions to the community.

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J.Q. Rose link
11/10/2016 08:06:22 am

You captured the beauty of the artwork with your photos bringing us the awe and wonder of his amazing works of art. Did you know Lindsay collected photos and information of much of Mr. Jansma's work in a gorgeous book? Phyllis was a musician too. I always enjoyed going with our daughter for her piano lessons at their home. Quite an eclectic place to visit. Indeed a very special couple graced our community.

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Nan
11/10/2016 10:44:38 am

Thank you JQ. Yes, Lindsay loaned me a copy of her book to use in preparing this blog post, and a link to it is in the post. I didn't know your daughter took piano lessons from Phyllis. The Jansmas seem to have touched the lives of everyone I know in these parts. I wish I'd had a chance to know them.

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Travis Diederich
2/4/2017 06:16:38 pm

I think I found the boat he built, for sale on crags list
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/boa/5985031319.html

Reply



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    Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray.

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