06/27/2019
A high point in the Folk Art Guild’s year is the July 11-14 Craft Weekend, a local celebration of our creative potential. The group’s master craftspeople share their specialties and invite other great teachers to collaborate, offering a feast of exploration and expression. The Craft Weekend provides fifteen hours of studio time in the Guild’s spacious facilities.
Participants gather on Thursday evening, July 11, for an opening dinner and orientation in each studio. Classes begin in earnest on Friday, and the concentrated shop time continues Saturday. The sessions wrap up mid-day on Sunday, July 14, with an opportunity to see, hear and touch what the others have been working on. Registration and tuition details are available at folkartguild.org. You can speak to registrar Beth Barnet at 585-314-6131, or email her at craftweekend@folkartguild.org.
In the early mornings yoga classes are offered, and the evenings can include music around the campfire. The lunches and dinners are prepared and served by professional chefs from NYC. Lodging is available on campus until all spaces fill, and there is plenty of space to camp. Some who live nearby choose to commute.
The class offerings this year include songwriting and printmaking—wood and linoleum block–which will be taught by new instructors. Guild craftswomen will offer Pottery—Listening to the Clay, and Introduction to Weaving in their respective spaces. Writing and Reading Poetry, Creating a Film, and Eco Printing are popular classes giving a glimpse into a potentially lifelong creative process. Learn to Turn in Wood has a waiting list.
Scholarships and Work-Study arrangements are possible, and full time students are eligible for a discount. This project is made possible in part with public funds from NYSCA’s Decentralization Program, administered locally by Finger Lakes Community Arts Grants (FLCAG).
Linda Griswold Davis, a Rochester native, will teach the Printmaking class. She has this to say about it:
“Block printing is an old and fascinating art form. Multiple original prints are generated from a single carved block. Students will design, cut and then make their own prints from both wood and linoleum block. This is a great class for everyone, both beginning and experienced artists.
Prior drawing experience is not necessary. Students will receive assistance with idea generation, but are free to work with their own vision and interests. Assistance will be given throughout the weekend in design development and technique.”
James Lemkin will return to teach Filmmaking. About his class he says, “With little more than your smartphone and a laptop you can create an effective, engaging film that people will want to watch. In this fun, highly practical and empowering filmmaking experience you will learn how. This workshop is for people of all ages and levels of experience.
While there is some emphasis on the documentary form, you will also explore different ways of using video to express yourself. You may want to tell a story, record history, promote an idea or product, move your social mission forward, change political discourse, or simply explore the worlds of visual imagery or visual storytelling. You will learn how to get the most from your smartphone or video camera, learn to interview, compose, frame, light, record sound and do basic editing.”
About the Rochester Folk Art Guild
A not-for-profit arts community and educational institution, the Guild began its work in crafts more than 60 years ago. Located on a 350-acre farm in New York’s Finger Lakes Region, the Guild has grown to receive worldwide recognition for its handcrafts, which have found their place in museums, private collections, shops, and galleries through the United States and abroad. The Guild also offers workshops for adults and conducts educational outreach programs for children. Its Apprenticeship Program is designed for young people who are searching for a practical, hands-on approach to learning and living. Working alongside experienced master craftspeople, apprentices learn proficiency in a craft and how to live alongside others in a community setting. For more information, visit www.folkartguild.org or call 585-554-3539.
