All levels welcome

This workshop focuses on creative uses for itadori, aka “Japanese knotweed,” including dyes, marquetry, bio leather, and bio composites. Working with the Sugar Maples campus landscape, participants will get hands-on experience in biomaterials techniques. The Streambank research project focuses on non-chemical management methods and uses of the plant’s dried biomass to support ongoing ecological restoration. We will learn best practices for ecological stewardship that draw from both traditional and emerging fields. Agroecology, bio design, regenerative agriculture, biocultural restoration, alternative ecologies, and critical ethnobotany will be explored.

Timothy Furstnau is an artist, designer, and curator based in the Catskills of New York. He is co-founder of the studio FICTILIS, Museum of Capitalism, Writ Large festival of screen-based text art, and Hudson’s Toolshed Exchange tool lending library. Furstnau teaches circular economy and studio courses in the Integrated Design program at Parsons School of Design and leads workshops on art and ecology, biomaterials, and land stewardship at the residency project Deurendis.

Fee: $415 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $45 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

During this dynamic workshop students will learn different techniques of the art of stained-glass. Starting with a small 5-piece project without borders, students will learn how to cut, grind, foil, and solder stained-glass. Students will design and create a larger project learning how to set size and fit pieces together properly. The goal is to have fun and take home two beautiful projects!

Lisa Gnos has been an artist working with stained-glass for over 25 years. Her passions to create and teach have led to owning her own studio. Gnos’ practice includes repairing church windows, custom jobs, mosaics, and fusing glass in kilns. She enjoys repairing and painting antique clock dials, hiking, kayaking and working for a local dentist as an RDH. 

Fee: $420 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $50 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

The stories we share with one another shape the world around us. Building narratives about ourselves and our experiences helps us absorb and connect to deeper meaning. This workshop is for beginners or experienced writers, but also artists who are interested in using narrative in their visual work. This workshop will use writing prompts to open pathways to storytelling and develop methods to bring them to life. The writing itself can be fiction, memoir, poetry, journal or anecdotal. Students will come away with a greater understanding of how to build a narrative for an audience and how to apply storytelling to their individual growth.

Vince Montague received his MA degree in Creative Writing from NYU. His stories have been widely published in literary magazines including: Nimrod, The Florida Review, and Green Mountain Review. Montague is the author of the memoir, Cracked Pot, and the poetry chapbook, Next Door. Vince is also a prolific artist working in Northern California and his ceramics have been exhibited nationally and are included in many private collections. He is one of our most popular teachers here at Sugar Maples. 

Fee: $380 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $10 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)