Proud “Nominate a Goodie” Partner
Salem is blessed with a special person who brings “herself” into every project, idea and system she creates.
Jessica Ramey is the craft genius who with paper, scissors and craft glue that brings a community together. Since she and her husband, Jason, moved to Salem in 2005, she has led Salem Community Craft Night at Clock Works Café. Once a month people gather and for free, Ramey supplies instruction, materials and inspiration.
Ramey does it simply because she loves crafting.
“I think the first time I learned of community was in college,” Ramey said. “I was a resident assistant, and when you are in charge of a hall full of students, they are freshman and they are scared to death – I learned how to connect and be of service.”
After Ramey got married and had children, she still felt that need to connect.
“I feel like as a society we are disconnected,” she said. “It is that one-on-one face time that makes a difference. What I am trying to do is bring community together through some common element. I am trying to focus on art because it is a basic way of communicating with people ─ and it’s a dialogue I feel is missing.”
Ramey believes craft night is a success.
“It is nice to see children and families come back,” she said. “I would like to see even more people participate.”
Additionally, Ramey heads up a Lego Robotics team and dreams of bringing a creative re-use center to town.
“It would be a central location for recycled materials that would be donated and used for art,” she explained. “A place where business could donate bottle caps and crafters could buy a handful for a quarter. I like the idea of having workshops, seminars and art education with a recycle theme.”
Hands-on art is important to Ramey, but for kicks, she helps her husband Jason with Radio Active Report, an old-time radio type show broadcasted on KMUZ.
“Jason and I enjoy working together, and it brings out our good qualities,” she said. “I like the editing and the weird sound effects, and Jason likes the writing.”
The show is a set in a post-apocalyptic world where anything can happen.
“It’s the kind of show that families can gather around and listen to,” Ramey said of the situational comedy show. “Our goal is to bring Radio Active Report to other cities, but for now we just hope to make our children laugh. They are our critics, so it’s a lot of 9-year-old humor.”
Ramey likes bringing community to Salem.
“I don’t like to put a term to my role,” she said. “It sounds lofty.”
But she is trying to connect people.
“I am a helper bee, and that is what I want to be called,” she added. “It’s no big thing. Some people do amazing things and they feed the homeless. I craft with people – it’s different.”
Learn more about Radioactive Report
http://www.radioactivereport.com/
