Last summer I began teaching at a very special venue in
Vermont, Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts.
Fletcher Farm reminds me of the summer camp my sister and I went to in the Pocono
Mountains of Pennsylvania for a couple of summers. I learned to swim and shoot and make lanyards and do ceramics. We were
strictly segregated from the boys’ side of the camp but they could have been on
the other side of the moon for all I cared--at the still innocent age of 11. We all ate in a big
dining hall with a lofty ceiling and after lunch went off for boating or crafts
or nature hikes. Some nights we got to stay up late and sneak off on a trip to the local
hamburger place up the road, accompanied by our counselors.
So, if you’re nostalgic for a simpler time when the world
outside seems far away—even just for a few days—Fletcher Farm is the place to
be. Established as a family farm in 1783, it’s been run as a foundation since 1948 dedicated to
teaching craft skills, both old and new, to children, teens and adults. My own
medium—polymer clay—is one of the newest, although my friend Lisel Crowley teaches precious metal clay classes. The offerings run the gamut from rug
hooking and ceramics, to traditional jewelry making, basketry, watercolor and
folk art painting. Classes begin in late June and run through August and there are
even some in fall and winter—here’s the link-- www.fletcherfarm.org . The classrooms are in
rustic buildings scattered around the spacious campus, some cottage-y and some in old
barns, with a a beautiful post and beam ceiling in the dining hall.
I had two classes there this year—one for my new polymer veneer
technique and another for that technique paired with forged wire. The students were all
enthusiastic and a few were well-versed in polymer and wire-working techniques,
so we could just get on with the business of making things and having the
life-changing experience of seeing the creations of our hands come to life. Below
is a selection of their work. Thank you, my wonderful students!
Necklace elements by Marti A.
Polymer veneer elements by Anne P.
Polymer veneer pendant by Marti A. - forged wire and metallic
Anne P. working in The Corn Crib at Fletcher Farm