Ksmq's - Off 90 - Episode 304

FUNDING FOR OFF 90 IS PROVIDED IN PART BY THE MINNESOTA ARTS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE FUND AND THE CITIZENS OF MINNESOTA. COMING UP ON OFF 90. FROM THE SHEEP TO THE SPINNING WHEEL, MEET NANCY ELLISON OF ZUMBROTA, WHO CRAFTS TRADITIONAL SCANDINAVIAN FIBER ART WITH THE HELP OF A FEW FLUFFY FRIENDS. SEE THE CITY OF ROCHESTER CHANGE, AND REMAIN THE SAME, THROUGH A COLLECTION OF BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE POSTCARDS AND WATCH AS A GROUP OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM CANNON FALLS MAKES MOSAICS INSPIRED BY AFGHANISTAN. IT'S ALL JUST AHEAD: OFF 90. ♪ MUSIC ♪ HI, I'M BARBARA KEITH. THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON THIS EPISODE OF OFF 90. THE TRADITION OF WEAVING, SPINNING, AND FELTING WOOL HAS BEEN AROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. BUT, SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, THE ART OF DOING IT BY HAND HAS DRASTICALLY DECLINED. THANKFULLY, THERE ARE MANY DEDICATED TO KEEPING THE ART ALIVE. NANCY ELLISON IS ONE OF THEM. SHE OWNS A SMALL SHEEP FARM IN ZUMBROTA AND KEEPS CLOSE TO HER SCANDINAVIAN ROOTS. HER SHEEP SUPPLY HER WITH WOOL, WHICH SHE THEN SPINS, WEAVES, KNITS, AND FELTS INTO BOTH TRADITIONAL AND MODERN CREATIONS. ♪ MUSIC ♪ WHEN YOU CLIMB IN AND WEAVE ON AN OLD LOOM, YOU JUST SORT OF WISH IT COULD TALK AND TELL ITS HISTORY AND YOU JUST FEEL LIKE YOU'RE A PART OF THE PAST. ♪ MUSIC ♪ SPINNING AND WEAVING IS MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE SO IT'S BEEN DONE FOR A LONG TIME. YOU GO FARTHER BACK, EVERYBODY DID IT, AT ONCE UPON A TIME. ♪ MUSIC ♪ EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE TO WEAVE, WE CAN GO TO THE STORE AND BUY THINGS, STILL IT'S SORT OF SATISFYING TO BE CREATIVE AND SAY THAT YOU DID THIS YOURSELF. I'M NANCY ELLISON AND WELCOME TO ELLISON SHEEP FARM. ♪ MUSIC ♪ I RAISE A VARIETY OF SHEEP HERE FOR MY SPINNING AND WEAVING. CURRENTLY THERE ARE 41 SHEEP. A LOT OF THEM HAVE NAMES. THEY'RE ALL LIKE PART OF THE FAMILY, LIKE CATS AND DOGS AND THIS IS BUDDY, NOW HE'S MY LITTLE BUDDY AND EACH ONE IS UNIQUE CHARACTER AND YOU NOTICE LITTLE INDIVIDUAL THINGS ABOUT THEM. YEAH, AND EVERY ONE OF THEM HAVE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES. ♪ MUSIC ♪ I'M SPINNING SOME YARN TODAY FROM A VARIETY OF SHEEP. I HAVE DRUM CARDED THE FIBER WITH, GREY, BLACK, BROWN, AND WHITE WOOL OF DIFFERENT COLORS. WELL, EACH SHEEP IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, AND THEIR WOOL IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN COLOR AND TEXTURE AND SO FORTH. I FIND I ENJOY PETTING THE SHEEP AND FEELING THE WOOL AND PLANNING WHAT I'M GOING TO MAKE OUT OF IT AND THE WHOLE PROCESS STARTING FROM SCRATCH IS KIND OF FUN. ♪ MUSIC ♪ WELL, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT NAMES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF WEAVES: CROOK ROD: IT MEANS CROOKED PATH AND IT HAS LITTLE ZIGZAGS THAT GO UP AND DOWN TYPICALLY AND THIS ONE PIECE THAT I HAVE HANGING HERE HAS A TYPICAL CROOK ROD DESIGN ON THE BOTTOM AND THEN WE TRIED DOING DIFFERENT FIGURES IN IT. ♪ MUSIC ♪ HEY, THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I EVER WOVE AND WAS IN A CLASS IN NORWAY IN 1968. SO, IT'S A TRADITIONAL PATTERN AND THIS IS A FROM A PATTERN FROM NORWAY AND THE SWEATER WAS MADE FROM A SHEEP NAMED ELIZABETH AND ELIZABETH HAD SOME LIGHT WOOL AND SOME DARK WOOL SO BOTH COLORS CAME FROM THE SAME SHEEP AND THIS TRIANGULAR SHAWL, WHICH I WOVE ON ONE OF MY BIG OLD LOOMS. YOU COULD WEAVE ALL OF YOUR LIFE AND NEVER SCRATCH THE SURFACE IN THE TYPES OF WEAVING YOU COULD DO. SO, IT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO GET BORED WITH. AND THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE SPINNING WHEELS, I'VE GOT MORE IN THE ATTIC AND BASEMENT AND ANOTHER BUILDING. WHEN I HAVE COUNTED I'VE COUNTED 50 OR 60 SPINNING WHEELS AT TIMES AND THIS ONE, THESE TWO HAD COME FROM SWEDEN AND ALONG WITH A FEW OF THEM UP THERE, AND THERE'S A NORWEGIAN ONE. MOST OF THE ANTIQUE SPINNING WHEELS ARE PROBABLY FROM THE LATER 1800'S AND THESE LARGE OLD LOOMS, THIS ONE CAME FROM NORWAY TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ACTUALLY. PROBABLY IN THE 1870'S. ON THE CASE OF SOME OF THESE LOOMS THEY'RE RATHER LARGE AND TAKE UP SPACE AND, AND I'VE RESCUED SOME THAT PROBABLY WOULD OF BEEN USED FOR FIREWOOD OR JUST DESTROYED. WELL, ONCE THEY'RE GONE THEY'RE GONE AND THEY MIGHT JUST LOOK LIKE A, YOU KNOW, SOME BOXY BUNCH OF WOOD TO THE AVERAGE PERSON THAT WHEN YOU COMPARE THEM AND EACH ONE IS HANDMADE AND THEY'RE EACH A LITTLE DIFFERENT, LITTLE DETAILS THAT YOU NOTICE. NOW WE HAVE METAL REEDS WHICH HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THIS. SOME OF THE REEDS ARE LIKE REEDS FROM THE SWAMP WERE USED. THEY CAN BE CLOSER TOGETHER LIKE THIS WAS A FINER ONE. OF COURSE, THIS OLD ONE IS...SOME OF IT'S BROKEN, IT WOULDN'T BE USEABLE, BUT IT'S PART OF THE HISTORY OF IT. ♪ MUSIC ♪ WELL, THROUGH THE YEARS I'VE TAUGHT A LOT OF COMMUNITY ED CLASSES. CURRENTLY, I TEACH SPINNING ONCE A MONTH AT A NEAT LITTLE SHOP CALLED BEELIGHTED IN ZUMBROTA. NANCY'S VERY SKILLED AT MANY DIFFERENT SPINNING TECHNIQUES AND SO SHE'S VERY PATIENT WITH THE NEW SPINNERS. SHE CAN GET YOU STARTED FROM ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO DO. ♪ MUSIC ♪ YOU KNOW TO FIRST HOW TO TREADLE, YOU KNOW, BASIC TECHNIQUES, WHERE TO HOLD YOUR HANDS, HOW TO, YOU KNOW TO FEED, FEED THE WOOL IN. IT IS, IT IS PRETTY UNIQUE, BUT THE FIBER ARTS IN SOUTH EASTERN MINNESOTA ARE THRIVING. ♪ MUSIC ♪ IT'S RELAXING, AND PLENTY OF PEOPLE HAVE SOMEONE IN THEIR FAMILY THAT IS AN AUNT, A GRANDMOTHER, A MOTHER, MAYBE THEY'VE INHERITED SOMEONE'S SPINNING WHEEL FROM EUROPE, YOU KNOW, TO THIS COUNTRY BUT THEY'VE NEVER TRIED IT, THEY JUST HAVE ONE SITTING THERE. THEN TO ACTUALLY SIT DOWN AND MAKE YARN,YOU KNOW, LIKE PEOPLE HAD DONE SINCE, WELL, SINCE FOREVER. IT'S KIND OF EXCITING. ♪ MUSIC ♪ WELL, I ENJOY RAISING ANIMALS AND BEING OUT IN THE COUNTRY, I GREW UP ON A FARM AND I WAS AN ONLY CHILD WITHOUT ANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS SO I ALWAYS ENJOYED ANIMALS AND FEEL BLESSED TO HAVE ANIMALS AROUND HERE AND I LIKE LIVING OUT ON THE FARM AND DECIDE WHAT I WANT TO DO AT EACH MOMENT, I DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY TELLING ME, WELL YOU DO THIS NOW AND I DON'T HAVE TO PUNCH A TIME CLOCK. ♪ MUSIC ♪ I GUESS I FEEL LIKE I'M SORT OF A CHAIN IN THE LINK OF WEAVING AND TEACHING TO PEOPLE THAT THEY'LL CONTINUE ON WEAVING. MY GRANDDAUGHTER IS NOW 13 AND SHE WAS SPINNING WHEN SHE WAS 4 OR 5 YEARS OLD, WANTED TO PEDAL THE SPINNING WHEEL AND, WHEN SHE WAS 8 YEARS OLD, I BOUGHT HER A SPINNING WHEEL FOR CHRISTMAS. NOW SHE ASKED IF SHE COULD BORROW A LOOM SO SHE WEAVING A SCARF THAT SHE'S GOING TO ENTER IN THE COUNTY FAIR NEXT MONTH. I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE HER CONTINUE ON SPINNING AND WEAVING. ♪ MUSIC ♪ I THINK YOU'RE CARRYING ON WHAT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE AND TEACHING PEOPLE, AND THROUGH THE YEARS I'VE LEARNED A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS AND WHEN I TEACH CLASSES THEN I FEEL LIKE, ESPECIALLY AS I'M GETTING OLD, THAT I'M SHARING WITH OTHER PEOPLE THAT WHAT I DO LIVES ON IN THAT WAY. ♪ MUSIC ♪ ROCHESTER HAS GROWN AND CHANGED SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1858, BUT DESPITE SOME DRASTIC CHANGES, SOME THINGS HAVE STAYED THE SAME. WE SPOKE WITH COLLECTOR AND AMATEUR HISTORIAN, ALAN CALAVANO, WHO HAS A PASSION FOR POSTCARDS AND PRESERVING HISTORY. COME ALONG AS WE PEEK BACK IN TIME WITH THE HELP OF ALAN'S BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE POSTCARDS. SEE HOW ROCHESTER HAS BOTH EVOLVED AND REMAINED UNCHANGED. ♪ MUSIC ♪ POSTCARD COLLECTING IS A FUNNY THING. DIFFERENT PEOPLE DO IT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. I LIKE IT BECAUSE OF THE PICTURES THAT THEY SHOW OF THINGS THAT DON'T EXIST ANYMORE, HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED. ♪ MUSIC ♪ THE OFFICIAL NAME FOR POSTCARD COLLECTING IS DELTIOLOGY. WHICH IS I THINK, JUST A FANCY WAY OF SAYING CARD COLLECTING. I'M ALAN CALAVANO. I'M KIND OF, I SHOULD SAY, AN AMATEUR HISTORIAN. I WROTE A BOOK ABOUT ROCHESTER BASED ON MY POSTCARD COLLECTION I HAVE, ALSO I OBVIOUSLY COLLECT POSTCARDS. FOR SOME REASON I JUST GOT ATTACHED TO POST CARDS BECAUSE I'D LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY SHOWED THINGS THE WAY THEY USE TO BE AND THE LOGICAL THING FOR ME TO COLLECT I THOUGHT WAS ROCHESTER BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE I LIVED AND IT JUST KIND OF GREW FROM THERE. VERY FIRST PICTURE ON THE FIRST CHAPTER SHOWS A STREET SCENE OF ROCHESTER LOOKING SOUTH. YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE'S A CENTRAL FIRE STATION THAT WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF BROADWAY AND THE REASON THAT WAS POSSIBLE, IN FACT IT WAS DESIRABLE, IS THAT THERE WAS NO BRIDGE AT THAT POINT CROSSING THE ZUMBRO RIVER. THE OTHER BENEFIT OF HAVING IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET IS THEY ACTUALLY PUMPED WATER OUT OF THE RIVER BECAUSE THE FIRE STATION WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO PUT OUT FIRES DOWNTOWN. ♪ MUSIC ♪ LATER ON, THEY WANTED TO EXTEND BROADWAY SOUTH TO BUILD A BRIDGE SO THEY TORE DOWN THE FIRE STATION AND MOVED IT TO THE WEST SIDE OF BROADWAY. THE COOL THING ABOUT SCHUSTER IS THEY HAD A BEAUTIFUL POSTCARD, IS ONE OF THE PRETTIER POSTCARDS OF ROCHESTER. BACK IN THE EARLY 1900'S, ROCHESTER HAD A VERY ACTIVE BREWERY CALLED THE SCHUSTER BREWERY. IT WAS A VERY PRODUCTIVE, VERY PROFITABLE BREWERY. UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETHING CAME ALONG CALLED PROHIBITION. THERE ISN'T ANYTHING THERE NOW BUT I'M SURE IT'S GONNA BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND ROCHESTER AS IT GROWS SOUTH TOWARD SOLDIERS FIELD. ON PAGE 105 OF MY BOOK THERE'S A PICTURE OF THE BACH MUSIC STORE AND THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT AS I UNDERSTAND THAT BACH WAS LATER BOUGHT OUT BY SCHMITT MUSIC, WHICH STILL EXISTS IN ROCHESTER BUT BACH DOESN'T. IN RESEARCHING THE POSTCARD THAT I HAVE OF THE BACH MUSIC COMPANY THE OWNER CLAIMS, AT LEAST TO BE A DESCENDANT OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH. NOW WHETHER THAT'S TRUE OR NOT WOULD BE HARD TO PROVE BUT OBVIOUSLY HE BELIEVED IT, WHICH WAS PROBABLY THE MAIN THING. ON PAGE 107 IN MY BOOK THERE'S A PICTURE OF THE EAR OF CORN WATER TOWER WHICH IS AT, WAS ORIGINALLY AT LIBBYS, LIBBYS, LIBBYS NOW AT SENECA FOODS. IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE TWO MOST RECOGNIZABLE LANDMARKS IN ROCHESTER. THE EAR OF CORN WATER TOWER IS AT THE ROCHESTER FAIR GROUNDS, AND I THINK ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS IS IT'S A BIOLOGICALLY CORRECT EAR OF CORN. IT'S GOT THE RIGHT NUMBER OF KERNELS, IT'S GOT THE RIGHT NUMBER OF ROWS, IT'S BEEN PAINTED LIKE 30 TIMES SINCE IT WAS ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED IN 1929 BUT IT'S CLEARLY ONE OF OUR TWO MOST RECOGNIZABLE LANDMARKS. POSTCARDS WERE KIND OF THE TWEETS OF THEIR DAY, IT WAS, IT WAS THE FACEBOOK AND ACTUALLY, EVEN NOW PEOPLE BUY POSTCARDS RATHER THAN TAKING A PHOTOGRAPH BECAUSE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER ALREADY TOOK THE PICTURE SO WHEN YOU, WHY BOTHER TAKING YOUR OWN. I MEAN, IT'S A MEMENTO. BACK IN THE 1920'S AND EARLY 30'S THERE WAS A FELLA NAMED JOE FRITCH AND THAT WAS ABOUT THE TIME THAT THE PLUMBER BUILDING OPENED AND JOE WAS THE OFFICIAL GREETER FOR ANY PATIENT WHO CAME TO THE CLINIC AND HE HAD A PHENOMENAL ABILITY TO REMEMBER NAMES. HE MADE MANY FRIENDS AND AT CHRISTMAS TIME PEOPLE WOULD REMEMBER JOE AND THEY WOULD SEND HIM A CHRISTMAS CARD BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW JOE'S LAST NAME SO THEY WOULD SEND IT TO JOE CLINIC AND FOR MANY YEARS THAT'S HOW JOE GOT HIS POSTCARDS. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT JOE, IN MANY CASES, IF IT WERE SNOWY OR SLOPPY HE WOULD ACTUALLY CARRY PEOPLE FROM THEIR CAR TO THE CLINIC SO THEY WOULDN'T GET THEIR FEET WET AND THEY DID THAT FOR, I GUESS THE WHOLE TIME HE WAS AT THE CLINIC, WHICH WAS LIKE 20 OR 25 YEARS. THE THING I LIKE MOST ABOUT THE ROCHESTER POSTCARDS, AS I SAID, IS IT HELPS YOU TO SEE THINGS THE WAY THEY WERE. ♪ MUSIC ♪ AND OF COURSE, WITH ANY DYNAMICALLY GROWING TOWN LIKE ROCHESTER THERE BEEN MANY CHANGES. I JUST THINK IT'S COOL TO SEE HOW THINGS HAVE BEEN TRY AND BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'VE CHANGED. THE VALUE OF HISTORY IS THAT IT'S AN ANCHOR, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE, THAN LIKELY HERE IT IS GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN. BUT AT LEAST YOU SHOULD LEARN WHAT YOU CAN FROM THE PAST. IT ALWAYS AMAZES ME HOW QUICKLY YOU FORGET THE WAY THINGS USE TO BE. ♪ MUSIC ♪ A PROGRAM WAS RECENTLY INITIATED IN THE CANNON FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT TAUGHT CHILDREN ABOUT THE CULTURE OF AFGHANISTAN. STUDENTS LEARNED ABOUT DAILY LIFE FROM AFGHAN CITIZENS, INCLUDING THE IMPORTANCE OF MOSAICS IN AFGHAN ART. INFLUENCED BY WHAT THEY LEARNED, STUDENTS CREATED THEIR OWN MOSAICS. TO IN TURN, RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN'S VIBRANT CULTURE. ♪ MUSIC ♪ I THINK THAT ART IS A VERY GOOD WAY TO JUST EXPRESS YOURSELF. WELL, WE MADE THE MOSAICS TO TELL OTHER PEOPLE WHAT'S GOING ON IN AFGHANISTAN AND MINE PRETTY MUCH JUST SAYS, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S SO MUCH CHAOS GOING ON IN AFGHANISTAN, THAT'S ALL THAT THESE TILES, THERE'S GOOD THINGS AND THERE'S BAD THINGS. YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND HOPE, AND THEN I SPELLED HOPE OUT IN PEBBLES. MINE IS ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE OF AFGHANISTAN BECAUSE THEY HAVE REALLY UNIQUE LANDSCAPE, THEY HAVE DESERTS AND MOUNTAINS IN AFGHANISTAN AND I MADE IT BECAUSE, LIKE THIS MOSAIC, THE PEOPLE ARE EQUALLY UNIQUE, THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS US, THEY JUST DON'T HAVE AS MANY ADVANTAGES AS WE DO. THE FLAG IS JUST THAT, IT'S A SIGN OF COURAGE. LIKE WHEN THEY FLY IT OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOMES THAT'S WHAT THEY, IT IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN THEY HAVE A LOT OF COURAGE. THE PROJECT IS ACTUALLY CALLED THE US AFGHAN JUNIOR INVESTOR PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM WAS INITIALLY TO HELP OUR STUDENTS LEARN TO BE GLOBAL CITIZENS AND HOW THEY CAN HELP SOMEONE ELSE IN THE WORLD AND SO WE WANTED REALLY FOCUS ON THE HISTORY AND THE RICH CULTURE OF AFGHANISTAN AND TEACH THESE KIDS THAT IT'S NOT ALL NEGATIVE, AND IT'S NOT ALL SCARY, AND IT'S NOT ALL CONFUSING. THE PEOPLE ARE NORMAL BUT THE LIFE AND SITUATION AROUND THEM IS CHAOTIC. SO, WE PUT TOGETHER THIS PROGRAM TO REALLY INTRODUCE OUR KIDS TO AFGHANISTAN AND GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE IT I WORKED WITH DINA FESLER THROUGH CHILDREN'S CULTURE CONNECTION, IT'S A NONPROFIT OUT OF, BASED OUT OF DENISON, MINNESOTA AND WE WANTED TO PICK SOMETHING RELEVANT, SOMETHING THAT'S IN THE NEWS, THAT OUR KIDS COULD REALLY RELATE TO AND WE CHOSE AFGHANISTAN. AND WE CREATED A TEN PART PROGRAM THAT TEACHES ALL ABOUT AFGHANISTAN, THE CULTURE, THE HISTORY, THE ART, EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE FOOD, THE CLOTHING, AND THE MOSAICS WERE CREATED, OUT OF OUR ART AND RECREATION UNIT. ♪ MUSIC ♪ OUR COUNTRY, THE UNITED STATES, HAS BEEN INTERTWINED FOR NEARLY A DECADE WITH AFGHANISTAN, YET IT IS FASCINATING HOW LITTLE PEOPLE KNOW OF AFGHANISTAN AND A LOT OF PEOPLE AND I'M, AT TIMES, I'M SURE THINK IT OF MYSELF, AS LIKE, WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO THINK THAT'S OTHER PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS TO SOLVE AND IT'S, IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS EASY TO SOLVE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED A LONG TIME AGO. ♪ MUSIC ♪ THE AFGHANISTAN PROJECT IS TO LIKE, GET THE MESSAGE OUT TO PEOPLE SAYING THAT THEY CAN'T JUST LOOK AT THEM FOR WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE AND WHAT THEY DON'T HAVE. THAT YOU, LIKE, CAN'T TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED, YOU HAVE TO, LIKE, BE NICE AND TREAT THEM AS YOU'D TREAT OTHERS. I THINK IT'S JUST A WAY FOR, LIKE, KIDS HERE TO CONNECT WITH KIDS OVER THERE AND TO KIND OF PRETTY MUCH GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH. IN MY OPINION I THINK IT WAS MOSTLY ABOUT LEARNING ABOUT THE OUTSIDE WORLD, LIKE, OTHER THAN CANNON FALLS OR THE UNITED STATES. LIKE LEARNING OTHER PERSPECTIVES BECAUSE THEY'RE A THIRD-WORLD COUNTRY AND WE'RE LIKE A FIRST-WORLD COUNTRY AND IT'S JUST, LIKE, DIFFERENT SO WE LEARNED, LIKE, THE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. ♪ MUSIC ♪ WE REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF ART IN AFGHANISTAN AND THE MOSAICS ARE OBVIOUSLY AN ANCIENT ART FORM THAT COMES FROM THE COUNTRY. SO I WENT AROUND AND GOT A LOT OF DIFFERENT LITTLE SHOPS TO DONATE TILE PIECES FOR US, WE GOT QUITE A VARIETY AND THE KIDS ALL CREATED THEIR OWN MOSAIC. WE ASKED THEM TO PICK ONE PIECE OF THE PROGRAM THAT REALLY MEANT SOMETHING TO THEM OR SOMETHING THEY REALLY LEARNED FROM THE TEN WEEK PROGRAM AND CREATE A MOSAIC AROUND IT, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY CAME UP WITH. ♪ MUSIC ♪ MOSAICS TILING IS A VERY POPULAR ART FORM IN AFGHANISTAN. GREAT BUILDINGS AND MOSQUES AND THE TILING ON IT IS ALL VERY REPRESENTATIVE. IT TELLS A STORY WITHIN WHAT IT IS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE OTHER REASON FOR MOSAICS ON A TEACHING LEVEL IS THAT YOU CAN'T JUST WHIP THEM TOGETHER. BUT THAT'S WHERE THE PASSION COMES FROM, I MEAN, IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD JUST, LIKE CRAFT IT TOGETHER IN AN HOUR OR TWO. THEY'RE NOT HAVING THE SAME EXPERIENCE. THEY HAD A TOUGH TIME STARTING. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GIVEN ALL THIS TILE AND THEY'RE GIVEN A BOARD, AND TOLD, CREATE SOMETHING. WELL, THAT'S KIND OF TOUGH FOR ANYBODY. SO THEN WE HAVE THEM REALLY FOCUS ON ONE PART OF THE PROGRAM THAT REALLY INSPIRED THEM AND THAT WAS PRETTY EASY. THEY ALL FOUND THEIR TOPIC PRETTY QUICKLY AND THEN IT JUST FELL INTO PLACE FOR THEM. YOU KNOW, THEY'D TAKE A FEW PIECES OF TILE AND THEY'D IMAGINE WHAT THEY WANTED THIS TO BE AND IT JUST CAME TOGETHER. IT WAS REALLY FUN TO WATCH THEM. ♪ MUSIC ♪ THE OVERWHELMING THEME THAT I THINK IS SHOWN IS HOPE. CHILDREN ARE RESILIENT. YOU KNOW THEY CAN MAKE IT THROUGH A LOT AND THEY ARE OPTIMISTIC BY NATURE. SO THEY USUALLY FOUND SOMETHING THAT WAS POWERFUL AND HOPEFUL IN WHICH TO CREATE THEIR MOSAIC. THEY REALLY LIKE TEACHING AND THAT'S WHEN, YOU KNOW, TRUE LEARNING HAS TAKEN PLACE, WHEN YOU CAN TURN AROUND AND TEACH WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED AND THESE KIDS CAN DO THAT. YOU CAN SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT AFGHANISTAN AND THEY CAN TEACH YOU A LOT. ♪ MUSIC ♪ THAT'S ALL FOR THIS EPISODE. SEE YOU NEXT TIME, OFF 90. ♪ MUSIC ♪ FUNDING FOR OFF 90 IS PROVIDED IN PART BY THE MINNESOTA ARTS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE FUND AND THE CITIZENS OF MINNESOTA.