By Vincent Delgado, Academic Specialist for the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University
With fun music, a visually interesting style, lingering takes and self-aware humor, Craftsman Style: The Movie is a very timely film. At a time when the whole country searches for renewal, Craftsman Style takes up this theme and breaks it down for the Eastside, Mid-Michigan and, indeed, the state. It shows us:
The presence of the past. This is clearly the arc of the film. Muylle and Hagedorn trace the life of 124 Regent Street, from when it was built in the 1920s, to the Starrs’ residence in the 1970s, to Muylle’s present-day work in restoring it for a family. The film highlights, throughout, how the past is indeed part of our present in Lansing: in the city’s houses, and in the way we as residents think about neighborhoods, about community, and about restoration.
Dave Muylle and his father
The importance of collaboration. The film demonstrates that any endeavor, including home restoration, requires careful attention to working relationships. Muylle emphasizes that he would not be able to do the meticulous renovation work he does without cultivating relationships–with Hagedorn (the director), with all the local craftsmen he collaborates with, with his father and other family members, and with neighbors. There is no such thing as a solitary craftsman working alone restoring a home. It takes collaborative relationships to get it done.
Innovation in an unlikely place. The talk lately has been about how Michigan lacks a culture of innovation because we as a people are just not comfortable with change. There is this notion that because we are a state of hard-working, clock-punching factory workers, there is little hope for a creative economy to develop in this state. But Craftsman Style seems to disagree. It shows that the hard work behind craftsmanship is creative, collaborative, innovative, just like the work of folks like R.E. Olds and the original builders of this community. This, to me, could be a place to start when considering Michigan’s creative economy.
Sustainability through Renewal (big R). Ultimately, I think the film points to what could be the first sign on the road to renewal of our communities and, quite literally, the places where we live (our homes). By embracing the presence of the past, by working collaboratively to restore and improve upon our past and not simply replace it, Michigan may just find the future we are all hoping for.
Tickets are now available for the Lansing premiere of Craftsman Style, on September 18th at 7 PM.
