Artists sell memories, not products at Bonnaroo

MANCHESTER — When it comes to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, music only tells half of the story. The vendors and artists of the festival-goers also separate Bonnaroo from other music festivals as a place for creative minds to collaborate and join as one.

Craft vendors line The Farm, allowing Bonnaroovians to explore handcrafted wonders.

Patrick Ironwood runs one such booth, called Nature of Reaction, where he showcases intricate trinkets created with copper electroforming. On Friday afternoon, He sat behind a counter with a braided beard like an alchemist from ages past, his creations adorning the air above him.

Electroforming is when an artist creates a hollow metallic shell. For Ironwood, this copper shell surrounds glass, crystals or gems to create ornaments he sells at Bonnaroo.

“All of my work is inspired by moving from one art form into another and then combining it with previous ones,” Ironwood said, fiddling with a pair of corroded copper monocles in his hand. The gems serve as lenses, creating a kaleidoscope effect if one looks through it.

He continued, “I like copper because it’s cheaper and because it’s a safer method. It doesn’t have a lot of baggage.”

Ironwood first learned to make stained glass in the “woods of Tennessee” during his childhood, eventually moving onto glass beads, kaleidoscopes and then electroforming. Combining all of these skills, he created what he showcases today.

Inspired by climate activism, his creations replicate old artifacts found by ancient civilizations. His ornaments tell a story about what today’s world will leave behind for future generations. He uses copper for this reason, as it looks corroded.

Ironwood wants to create cherished objects that people hold close that remind them of the Bonnaroo experience. He sells memories, not products, he said.

Beca Hilton felt a similar way when she came to Bonnaroo. In the campground area Outeroo on Friday, a canvas sat in front of her tent. Throughout the day, passing campers filled the brim of the canvas with small doodles and signatures. She set out canvas markers and acrylic paints for anyone to leave a mark.

Hilton traveled six hours from Dayton, Ohio, to Bonnaroo with her four friends. This is her fourth year at the festival and the first that she’s brought the canvas.

“I’ve made a ton of friends from it, even if they’re just reading it,” Hilton said. “I welcome them even if they’re not artistic. I’ve had little kids come up and sign their names on it. Oh my gosh, it’s been absolutely beautiful.”

She wanted something that would capture the spirit of Bonnaroo. Before, she contributed to the trinket trading tradition, known as kandi, but she wanted a spread that captured the essence of the music festival’s spirit.

“It’s my favorite music festival,” Hilton said. “I love the multigenre energy, and I love the accessibility of it all as a disabled person. I can actually come to this festival because of the ADA camping. I have a hard time getting around, so I can’t go to a lot of them.”

The canvas captures the welcoming spirit of Bonnaroo, and she wants to bring a piece of that into her own home to remember all of the fond memories and community of Bonnaroo.

“Not only is Bonnaroo a place for everyone with different music tastes, but it’s a place of people with different abilities and communities,” Hilton said. “You don’t see people come together on this scale anymore, and it’s so peaceful. It’s something I want to carry with me everywhere.”