Penland School of Crafts in Penland, N.C. has open spaces in several classes in its fifth summer session available at half tuition to residents of Western North Carolina counties, including Polk, Rutherford and Henderson counties. Regular room and board charges apply, but students are not required to stay on campus.
The session runs Sunday, July 22 through Tuesday, Aug. 7 with openings in books, clay, glass, blacksmithing, printmaking, textiles and wood.
In the books class, students will make paper and then make books with sewn bindings. Two clay classes are available: one will focus on large wheelthrown work and raku firing; the other covers all aspects of making carved-relief tiles. The glass class will use glassblowing, sculpting, enameling, kiln forming and other techniques to explore personal iconography. The blacksmithing class will cover the fundamentals of forging and joinery.
A comprehensive class in woodcut printmaking will include the use of letterpresses for making registered, multi-layered prints. The textiles studio will offer a beginning workshop in crochet and an intermediate-level weaving class that includes ikat and shibori dyeing technques. The wood class is an introduction to wooden boat building.
The weaving class requires prior experience. All of the other classes mentioned are open to students of all levels — beginners are welcome. Complete information is available in the classes section of the Penland website: www.penland.org. To enroll, call the Penland registrar at 828-765-2359, ext 15.
The Penland Standby Program offers discounts to area residents who take unfilled spaces in Penland classes shortly before the classes begin. The Penland registrar can also put your name on a waiting list for upcoming classes and contact you if space becomes available at the last minute.
– article submitted by Robin Dreyer