1970's Back-To-Land Movement

Across North America during the 1970s close to a million young people, mostly from major urban centres, moved ‘back-to-the land’. United by a shared critique of consumer oriented society, capitalization and the homogenizing, often oppressive effects of mass media, the generation sought to live in ways that were more authentic, self-reliant and in better harmony to the natural world. There was an emphasis on nonconformity, self-sufficiency and on ‘doing’ itself. Leading thus to the formation of the 1970’s back-to-the land movement.
Although originally coined by the activist Bolton Hall at the beginning of the 20th century the term back-to-the land did not reach its height of popularity until its revival efforts throughout the 1970’s. This back-to-the land movement was presented as a call to take up smallholdings of land and grow food on a small scale basis, with many leaving the urban city to begin a self-sustainable life in the outdoors. The back-to-the landers emerged in connection to a variety of actions rooted in the 1970’s counterculture. As such, it is closely linked to the social and political reform, land redistribution and the hippie movement that all intersected during this time period. Yet the movement should not be seen as strictly part of the counterculture operation that populated the 1960’s and 70’s.
For, although these different communities shared in their ideology of the back-to-the land movement there was no central ruling/ ordering to the population. Again, the focus of the movement within the Maritimes centralized on the return to land in order to live a more authentic, self-reliant life. It was this central notion found within the Maritimes back-to-the land movement, and the role of self-reliant craft that has created a larger impact on Maritimes contemporary art community and the role of craft in the Canadian