Our Story

The story about "Ancient Grounds" is really about the owner and sole proprietor, yours truly, Roland Crawford. Well, I started out as a kid. I was too tall for my age (still am), which gave me a unique perspective on things 'from on high.' I am thankful for understanding parents who encouraged me in my fanatical collecting habits early on: rocks, insects, seashells, fossils, stamps, coins, model cars, comic books, you name it. 

I've always been collecting, buying, swapping, trading, making things, it's in my blood for sure. I still feel like a kid, always amazed by the wonders of the world and seeking to celebrate them!

I am thankful for decades of practice as a jeweler/metalsmith, for it taught me how to look carefully- the devil is in the details. The years in Alaska opened my heart to the arts of indigenous peoples and their concerns with family, legacy, and the supernatural. We all share the same concerns. The years in New York, next door to the American Museum of Natural History, showed me in Native arts worldwide, the magic of the well-made object.

We all search for beauty, hard to explain, but we know it when we see it. In New York, fabled collectors and dealers showed me the ropes, saying you cannot deal in the same items you collect because it sets you up for a lifetime of conflicts of interest. The years in Seattle have allowed me to dive into the 'oceans' of Japanese arts and textiles, speaking of well-made and beauty. 

Now due to an understanding landlord and dedicated friends, I am reminded one must adjust to changes or 'go with the flow' as it's all part of living to the fullest...hence this new website. I've wandered across the border from history into philosophy here so you if you crave more thought particles, check out the articles in the 'Philosophy' section of this site.