Daffodils are blooming, the trees are budding and it is a perfect time to experience spring in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. The Arkansas Craft School in Mountain View invites you to sign up now for craft classes to be presented during the months of April and May.
The new season starts April 27 – 29 with an opportunity for an extraordinary get-away to the country-side studios of two very special artists. Robert and Mary Patrick live and work in the beautiful rural area of Everton, Arkansas. They are offering the rare chance for students to not only work in their personal studios, but for a very limited number of participants; to be able to stay there as well. Mary will be presenting her class “Ozark Gizzard Baskets” at the same time that Bob will be presenting his “Basic Blacksmithing” class; promising an exciting and creative weekend retreat.
Starting off the month of May, Kip Powers will offer the course “Introduction to Woodturning” May 4 – 6. Considered by some to be the premier woodturning studio in the state of Arkansas, the Arkansas Craft School will be the site for this foundational course. The class will cover the equipment, tools, safety, and techniques used in the art of woodturning. This class will be “hands on”, and students will come away with the firm foundation needed to begin turning wood safely; as well as small projects created while learning these new skills. The class will also prepare students to be able to participate in several other upcoming wood turning workshops.
Fisherfolk – get ready for spring fishing! Donnie Hyslip will be offering an intensive one-day fly-tying workshop May 5, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Students will be taught to tie the San Juan worm, egg pattern, sowbug /scud, pheasant tail and soft hackle flies; and will keep all flies that they tie for their own personal use. This class is geared for any skill level, but you must have full use of your hands to take part.
Another blacksmithing workshop, on May 5 & 6 – just in time for Mother’s Day – forge a rose for your favorite mom or sweetheart! Students will forge a 4-layered metal rose approximately six inches tall, perfect for a gift or for display; and come away with the skills to create other types of floral forms as well. The class will be taught by local blacksmith Scott Riedy, and will be held at Heritage Springs Blacksmith Shop, in Mountain View.
On May 17 – 19, wildlife woodcarver Gerry Chisholm will be teaching a woodcarving class, where students can learn how to carve a songbird. Participants may also choose other projects, with permission of the instructor. Class lessons will include sharpening tools, choosing and working with wood, the carving process, making legs and feet; painting, finishing, and mounting.
During another special artist’s studio workshop, Roberta Katz-Messenger will be offering an ‘Introduction to Stained Glass’ in her Clinton, Arkansas Glass Studio on May 24 – 26. Students can expect to come away with a sun catcher and a small stained glass window, as well as the skills needed to continue to create colorful and light-filled objects of stained glass.
Spend Memorial Day weekend, May 25 – 27, learning the basics of string instrument building in a workshop taught by John Van Orman entitled “Building the Aeolian Harp”. An Aeolian Harp is a string instrument, often set up in the window, where it can catch the breezes which vibrate the strings to produce an ethereal sound. The harp may be built to accommodate your personal window frame opening.
Visit the Arkansas Craft School’s website, www.arkansascraftschool.org for more information on these and other upcoming classes, as well as registration forms and scholarship applications. The registration process has recently been streamlined, with a $50.00 deposit now securing your place in class. The Arkansas Craft School, located on Main Street in Mountain View, Arkansas is dedicated to the education of aspiring and practicing craft artisans for success in the Creative Economy. The Craft School partners with Ozarka College which offers Continuing Education credits for all of its courses. Support for the Arkansas Craft School is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment of the Arts.
