Culture Club – Peninsula Arts & Humanities Alliance

Is 75 years a long time? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on who or what is 75. For instance, in the long life of the rock that forms the Niagara Escarpment, 75 years is barely the blink of an eye. It wouldn’t even register on the geologic clock. A sugar maple tree is just hitting its stride at 75, and unless it’s turned into firewood or flooring before its time, can look forward to another 75 years times two, maybe even three. On the other hand, a 75-year-old human is considered old, not necessarily by the human in question, but certainly according to the standard set by humankind at large. (Like many, I take issue with this standard as I grow older.)

The Clearing turns 75 this year. The question, then, is this: Is 75 old for an institution? Here’s my answer: I’m not sure. But I like to think that the answer is, at least for The Clearing, both yes and no – that The Clearing is both old and young – old enough to be wise and young enough to try new things and take an occasional risk; old enough to have history and tradition and young enough to embrace new ideas and respond to changes in culture. I think an established institution should view itself as both old and young, and operate accordingly, in order to remain healthy and relevant. Well-established institutions are like old trees in this way. They are firmly grounded, have a long, rich history and are veterans of many storms, but are also capable of producing new growth.

I don’t know what our founder, Jens Jensen, would think of The Clearing turning 75 years old. Having been born and raised in Europe (He came to America from Denmark as a young man in the 1880s.), his perspective on age, at least the age of things like buildings, institutions and countries, would probably have taken a longer view than that of most Americans in 1935. To Jensen, an institution celebrating its 75th anniversary may not have been impressive. We’ll never know. I do believe, however, that he would be pleased and proud that this milestone anniversary has come to pass for his beloved Clearing.

I also believe that Jensen expected The Clearing to last this long, and to go on for many more years from here. He was convinced, long before moving to Door County to start The Clearing, that people needed places to re-connect with nature, renew their spirit and experience a “clearing” of the mind (That’s where the name, The Clearing, comes from), and that the need for these kinds of places would only grow with time. He was so right. So yes, Jens Jensen surely would have expected The Clearing to one day celebrate its 75th anniversary. The same must be true of Jensen’s able and devoted assistant, Mertha Fulkerson, who came to Door County with Jensen in 1935 to help Jensen start his “school of the soil,” assumed management of The Clearing after Jensen died in 1951, then ran it until retiring in 1969. Mertha also must have expected The Clearing to make it to 75 years and beyond.

It should come as no surprise that The Clearing has had its share of challenges during its 75-year history. A fire in 1937 destroyed the original lodge, including all of Jensen’s belongings. Jensen’s death in 1951 would have ended The Clearing had it not been for Mertha’s determination to keep it alive, and the two significant things she did in 1953 to put The Clearing on firmer footing. First, she arranged for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation to assume management of The Clearing. Second, she convened a committee of Chicago-area academics to develop a curriculum of study for The Clearing, the basis of the program we follow to this day. Another fire in 1981 severely damaged the Schoolhouse. Then, in the mid 1980s, The Friends of The Clearing, on short notice from the Farm Bureau, had to raise the funds necessary for The Clearing to become independent.

The Clearing overcame all of these challenges, and will overcome those challenges yet to come. That’s what successful institutions have to do, be they young or old. In the meantime, and regardless of whether one considers 75 years a long time for an institution to exist or not, The Clearing will continue to enrich the lives of those who come to this very special place, just as it has done since 1935.

Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance, Inc., is a coalition of non-profit organizations whose purpose is to enhance, promote and advocate the arts, humanities and natural sciences in Door County.