Take a trip back though the 1970s as we explore the decade year by year through popular crafts of the time.

Each Saturday during our featured exhibit Searching for the Seventies: The DOCUMERICA Photography Project, we will explore craft fads from the 1970s with make-and-take activities for the whole family.

• Pet Rocks
  The Pet Rock was a collectible conceived in 1975 by advertising executive Gary Dahl after listening to his friends complain about how much work it was to care for their pets. A pet rock is the cheapest, easiest pet in the world. Also, it lives forever.
  May 23 | 11-2 pm
  June 27 | 11-2 pm

• Ojo de Dios (Eye of God)
  God’s Eyes are yarn weavings modeled after the Ojo de Dios spiritual items made by the Huichol Indians of Mexico. Also called Tzicuri (God’s Eyes), these are traditionally placed on altars to protect those praying and symbolize the power of seeing and knowing. They can also be created for celebrations or blessings, presented as gifts, or designed to bless a home.
  May 30 | 11-2 pm
  July 11 | 11-2 pm

• Macramé Friendship Bracelets
  Friendship bracelets first became popular in the 1970s. These bracelets were given by one person to another as a symbol of friendship. Friendship bracelets are often handmade, usually of embroidery floss or thread and are a type of macramé. Macramé (MAC-ruh-may) is the art and craft of tying cordage into knots in such a way that they form a useful or decorative shape.
  June 6 | 11-2 pm
  July 18 | 11-2 pm

• Gum Wrapper Chains
  A gum wrapper chain is a paper chain of any length that is made of discarded wrappers from sticks of chewing gum. Gary Duschl earned a Guinness World Record for the longest gum wrapper chain, officially measured at 83,625 feet (2,000,000 gum wrappers, 4,000,000 links), on March 11, 2015. We are using scrap paper instead, but save your gum wrappers to continue at home!
  June 13 | 11-2 pm
  July 25 | 11-2 pm

• Bell-Bottom Bookmarks
  Bell-bottom pants are typically flared from the knee down, with bottom leg openings of up to twenty-six inches. In the 1970s, bell-bottoms moved into mainstream fashion; Sonny and Cher helped popularize them by wearing them on their popular television show. Made from denim, bright cotton, and satin polyester, they were so popular that they became a symbol of the outlandish and colorful style of the decade.
  June 20 | 11-2 pm
  August 1 | 11-2 pm

Zan Popp

Hello, I'm your friendly neighborhood Curator of Exhibitions. I have the amazing job of creating, building and presenting wonderful art exhibits for you at the library's Alice C. Sabatini Art Gallery.