University of North Carolina at Asheville
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Title |
Maggie Masters Oral History |
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Creator |
Sylvia Robin for Voices of Asheville Oral History Collection |
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Subject |
:Masters, Maggie |
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Subject |
Southern Highland Handicraft Guild ; Enamel and enameling , Brasstown |
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Description |
Abstract: Masters discusses her education, her marriage, divorce, and her experience raising her son as a single mother. She describes meeting her second husband, Gus Masters, in a ceramics course, and how they became involved with metal enameling. She talks about their move to Western North Carolina, and their involvement with the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. She also discusses their experience teaching enameling at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. She discusses the area of Brasstown and its lack of cultural opportunities. She talks about the lack of minorities, both Blacks and Native Americans, and discusses the difference between this area and California. She discusses her personal views. In a written addendum, she discusses her parents and the well-known Appalachian photographer, Doris Ullman. |
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Publisher |
D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, NC, 28804 |
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Contributor |
Maggie Masters |
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Date |
Electronic Record Issued: 2002-05-16 |
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Type |
Sound ; Text ; Image |
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Format |
Physical Description: 5-page abstract ; 1 90-minute audiocassette and 1 copy ; 2 color photographs ; newspaper articles and brochures |
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Identifier |
http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/VOA/I_M/Masters_M.html |
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Source |
OH-VOA M372 Ma |
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Language |
English |
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Relation |
References: VOA Gail Gomez Oral History |
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Coverage |
1930's-1992 ; Brasstown, NC |
| Rights | No restrictions: Copyright retained by the authors of certain items in the collection or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law. |
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Acquisition |
Donor number: 146 ; Date of acquisition: 1998 |
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Processed By |
Sylvia Robin, Ruth Beard and staff |
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Interview Date |
1992-11-14 |
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Interview Location |
Brasstown, NC |
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Biography |
Margaret graduated from high school in California in 1929. She lived with her family in the earlier part of the Depression and attended Pasadena City College for two years. She married and had a son, but later left her husband and became a single parent. She worked, and was involved with the Palo Alto Theater. With her second husband Gus Masters, she began working with metal enameling. After visiting Western North Carolina, they settled here in 1955 near Brevard, NC. They joined the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild, working as enamelists in various locations in the mountains. They were asked to teach enamel work at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown in 1963, and were co-directors of the school from 1974-1976. During this time they expanded the school's programs and maintained a studio on campus. One of the school's founders, Marguerite Bidstrup, left four acres near the school to them, and their current home is built there. She retired in 1992. She recently studied creative writing at a nearby community college. |
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List of names |
[2/33] Bazell, Joan [1/586] Bidstrup, George [1/578] [2/1] Bidstrup, Marguerite, Butler [2/64] Brantly, Nancy Simpson [1/578] Campbell, Olive Dame [1/523] Davis, Lee [1/540] Ellis, Tom [1/540] Hathaway, Dana [1/540] Kelly, Martin [1/540] Kroeplin, Jim [1/532] MacIntosh, Rose [1/469] Martin, Murry [1/88] McCrary, Mary Jane [1/114] Myers, Helen [2/1] Olen, Leecie [1/98] Roberts, Margaret [1/540] Thompson Enamel Co. [2/addendum] Ullman, Doris [1/308] Vaniman, Mike [1/486] Williams, Dr. Edith |
Side 1:[21] Poem about the mountains in this area [32] Came to NC 1955 (Jan.) from CA [Helen Myers, Mary Jane McCrary] [88] No training for enameling [Gus Masters] [96] Place: Caesar's Head, near Brevard [98] 1st contact with Southern Highland Handicraft Guild, Allenstand [Margaret Roberts] [114] "Gingerbread" house available, Brevard [Helen Meyers] [125] Became members of Guild as Designer Craftsmen, highest category, '55 [141] In Guild nearly 40 years, Board member [150] Developing enameling originally as hobby in CA [160] Fell in love with enameling [169] Used Boy Scout torch [181] She was working at Stanford Research [186] Gus was retired from Army [188] P. R. work at Stanford Research. [190] 10 yrs. At Palo Alto Comm. Theater as assistant to Director, Business Manager. [198] Gus working at Litton Ind., civil engineer [206] Early art work, painting; the theater artistic bent; aesthetics [221] Course in design in San Francisco designed costumes. [226] As a child, always acting in plays. Career in theater would have been more difficult. [239] Learning enameling by trial and error [241] Brother drew cartoons [247] No parental direction whatever. "Wanted me to be a good girl, get married and live the way they had lived. Set a very difficult road as they were blissfully happy." [253] A rough road for me looking for a man like daddy. [259] Graduated high school in 1929, in the Depression, Daddy an attorney managed 2 yrs of Junior College. [266] Lived on ranch (alfalfa) watered crops, fed pigs. [274] Little money. Spend $ on bullets to shoot rabbits, or buy hamburger. Rabbit stew often. [282] Brother was mechanic seeking work. [290] Pasadena City College, no tuition [295] Choices for women? Wanted to get married and have somebody take care of me. [300] No suggestion of working. Girls did not. Mother did not. [308] Got married. Baby boy. Perfect. Good kid. [Mike Vaniman] [311] Husband a total bore, no artistic ability. Left him and went to Palo Alto. Got job in insurance company. [320] I was living. I was on my own, doing something away from housework. [324] I like to cook, have those nurturing homebody feelings. [325] It was tough to be single parent. Economically not hard. $5 meal-ticket fed us for a week. [337] I was 26 by then. We grew up together. [345] Met Gus and married him. Traveled 1st year. [351] Gus has one son in CA. [364] Brevard: '55-'74. Community theater work. Started shop with 7 other crafters, all women. [394] Producing a lot of enamel work for wholesale. Worked 9 hrs. a day. Moved into woods. Lived 13 different places in Cedar Mountain [407] Misadventures. [410] How much one lives in 80 years. "I get philosophical." [417] In 1963, Fontana Dam Gift shop experience. Never worked so hard in my life. No bathroom. [438] That ended dramatically when JFK was assassinated. [446] Reminiscence of F. D. Roosevelt's death. Palo Alto theater. [469] Asked to teach at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, 1963. [Murry Martin (Muriel)] [486] Enameling student and benefactor then offered job as director(s) of school [Dr. Edith Williams (OB)] [509] Two and a half years as director ('74-'76) during hard times. [523] Added pottery course [Lee Davis] [532] Friend, as housekeeper, from England [Rose MacIntosh] [540] Turning point, added courses, cabinet making, blacksmithing, free enameling course, $ from Guild, Thompson Enamel Co. [Dana Hathaway, Jim Kroeplin, Martin Kelly, Thompson Enamel Co. Tom Ellis] [558] 10 students in morning, 10 in afternoon besides director's job. Hope for cottage industry to start. [578] Acquainted with Marguerite B., one of school's founders with [Marguerite Butler Bidstrup, Olive Campbell] [586] Development of farm at school. [George Bidstrup] Side 2:[2/1] L. Olen interested in school, helped Marguerite who left 4 acres to the Masters. [Leecie Olen, Marguerite Butler Bidstrup] [2/33] Retirement in '92: feelings about it. New resident enamelist [Joan Bazell] [2/64] Creative writing course at tri-county Tech. [Nancy Simpson Brantly] [2/80] Granddaughter in Brevard. [2/102] Living in WNC as an "outlander" [2/120] Few blacks in area, no Native Americans, unlike CA [2/137] Confederate flag behind Xmas creche [2/164] Making a living after divorce, being paid less because she was a woman. Unfairness. [2/192] Aspects of living in isolated WNC area. Lack of cultural opportunities. low level of taste and aesthetics: Wal-Mart, McDonalds's, fast-food places, no decent restaurants, no vegetarian restaurants [2/231] People very religious fundamental (local) [2/244] Reflections on the world today, changes in morality. [2/295] Personal philosophy. I'd like to correct and add to the tape: Our time in North Carolina was in the spring of 1954…not 1951. Also, about my parents... you asked if they encouraged me, and I answered "No"... I should have said that so far as they were able to financially and intellectually support me... they were always there. They loved me dearly and I knew that deep in my heart. The limits of their guidance were set by their experience. They gave me all they had. Speaking of the income of the school. The endowment I mentioned was made by Doris Ullman, a famous photographer of the Appalachian people. The school has a collection of these photographs. She spent some time at the school in the 20's and many of her photographs of people here in Brasstown are of people still living. The plaque that I made for the Museum of History in Raleigh was of one of the figures in a photograph of her. |
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