Summer Institute 2024 Instructors
We could not hold our Institute without our great instructors and speakers. Many Thanks to them all.
- Cindy Conner: Author
Cindy Conner founded Homeplace Earth to help people develop skills to live lightly in this world. She is working to promote local sustainable food systems. Since we all eat, we are all responsible for how the earth is used to produce our food. As a market gardener for 10 years, selling to restaurants, a CSA, and at farmers markets, Cindy recognized that a farmer could be organic and still not be sustainable. Her study of sustainability led her to become certified as an Ecology Action GROW BIOINTENSIVE Sustainable Mini-farming teacher. She also holds a degree in Home Economics Education from Ohio State University and a Certificate in Permaculture Design. Cindy was instrumental in establishing the Sustainable Agriculture program at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College where she taught from 1999 to 2010. Her time is now spent researching how to sustainably grow a complete diet in a small space and get the food to the table using the least fossil fuel. She is the author of Grow a Sustainable Diet (2014) and Seed Libraries (2015). Cindy’s most recent work is with cotton and flax, taking it from the seed to the finished garment. Her latest book is Homegrown Flax and Cotton: DIY Guide to Growing, Processing, Spinning & Weaving Fiber to Cloth. Learn more at Cindy’s blog at www.homeplaceearth.wordpress.com
- Karen Wattai:Tatting and De Schtaan
Karen Wattai has been a fiber fan for as long as she can remember and has always enjoyed needlework and crafting with her mother and grandmothers, and designing pieces. She taught herself tatting about 30 years ago and finds it so fascinating – what can be done with those knots.
Education:
Graduate of Millersville Univ. – BA – Art
Previously taught at: various venues in south central PA including: Berks Heritage Center
Historic Schaefferstown Festivals-Mentor Program
Brendle Museum, Schaefferstown
Williamsburg School of Needlework, Williamsburg, VA
Membership:
International Organization of Lace, Inc.
Ring of Tatters (UK)
Lace Lovers – Lebanon PA
Judge: Needlework/Lace making – Lebanon Area Fair (when not exhibiting)
Awards:
Various awards for tatting, cross stitch, locally and nationally including Kreinik Manufacturing 25th Anniversary Ornament Contest – first prize (tatting)
Crafts Magazine/Aida Plus Ornament Contest – grand prize – cross stitch
- Peggy Allen: Theorem Painting:
Peggy Allen, a native of Berks County and owner of Heritage Art & Craft Studio has been teaching art/crafts for 30+ years. While teaching a variety of classes, it is her love of traditional American crafts that she is most passionate about. Peggy teaches at multiple locations throughout Berks including several regional Historic locations. She is a member of Landis Valley Historical Society, Berks History Museum and HSEAD (Historical Society of Early American Decoration).
- Joan Betzold: Basket Weaving
Joan Betzold, a basket weaver and weaving teacher for over 30 years, attends 40+ art, folk art, colonial, fiber and gardening shows a year. She has been honored as the Featured Artist at several nationally recognized shows. Joan designs, dyes the fibers, and weaves her original baskets using centuries old techniques without nails, glue, staples or molds. She is well-known for her award winning custom designs as well as unusual baskets incorporating vintage tools, kitchen items, antlers, or a treasured piece from a loved one. She teaches weaving at many local museums as well as privately. For several years she has been asked to serve as the basket weaving judge at the Maryland State Fair
- Lynn Janelle Sommer: Fraktur
Education:
1970’s Studio Art and Fiber Art Courses at Goshen College and John C. Campbell Folk Art School
1980 Special Education Teaching Degree, Akron University, Akron Ohio
2004 Master’s in Counseling, West Chester University, West Chester, PA
2009 Fraktur Course at Harleysville Mennonite Heritage Center with Louise Hutchinson
2012 Crazy Quilt Christmas Stockings co-author with Beth Oberholtzer
2017 Amish Prayers Adult Coloring Book by Herold Press- Illustrator
2017-Present Therapist at Samaritan Counseling Center
Artist Statement:
I’ve come to understand that traditional fraktur folk art, of the Swiss Mennonites and PA Germans, is a form of storytelling. The 16th and 17th century Dutch and German inspired motifs, with the fraktur lettering tell us who was born, baptized, married and or incorporates treasured spiritual mottos, verses or poetry. I continue this tradition with ink and watercolor. Many of my frakturs incorporate a hymn or melody inspired by a person; others are inspired by a unique historical tradition. As I paint a fraktur with a particular person in mind, and a chosen melody intertwined, the design process pulls the music and art together in a spiritual way. Most of the paintings in this particular exhibit were commissioned for special occasions.
- Jim King: False Grain Painting
Education:
1976 BA Art, Goshen College
1978-89 Graphic design and photography Mennonite Central Committee
1989-93 Product design Bangladesh Mennonite Central Committee
1993-2016 Store design Ten Thousand Villages
2016-present Retired
Artist Statement:
Jim King is a “fancy painter” from Lancaster PA. He teaches false graining on traditional
softwood small items such as frames and boxes. He also exhibits his work at traditional craft
shows and in museum shops.
Fascinated by the decorative painting on antiques he collected, Jim began studying grain
painting in the 1980s. He purchased antique blanket chests at auctions and flea markets,
restored them, and applied painted glaze surfaces. Experimentation with color and technique
allowed Jim to enjoy the exuberance of the craft and connect with his cultural past.
After cabinetmakers copy his antiques in smaller sizes, he paints them using traditional
techniques such as decorative motifs and grain painting.
- Jim King and Lynn Sommer: Friends and artists: False Grain Painting and Fraktur
Jim and Lynn met in the 1970’s at Goshen College. Their mutual love of art and history has woven in and out as they have each explored various medium. Their shared interests have found them on self-designed fieldtrips to Mennonite historical sites, folk art museums, and fine art museums. Together they value and learn of their heritage through art forms. They share visual art ideas for their respective congregations. On occasion, they teach a shared fraktur/grain painting class where the participants leave with a framed original fraktur.
Tina Mickley: Fiber Artist, Spinning and Weaving:
Tina was introduced to spinning, weaving and natural dying some 45 years ago, while working as a costumed interpreter at a National Historic Site. There, she learned to spin both wool and flax, using period equipment. She went on to do production weaving for a local mail order company, teach beginning spinning and weaving classes, spin on a Sheep to Shawl team and now manages and teaches a spinning class for the Lancaster Spinners and Weavers Guild. Since coming to Landis Valley, she has been growing and processing her own flax. Her focus is on historic textiles and historic textile production.
- Joe Schott: Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum Farm Manager
Joe Scott has been farming since he was a teenager, first on a dairy farm and later milking goats. While working his own farm he has also been a research farm operator for DeKalb for 12 years, worked in nutrient management for Go-Mor for 7 years and then has been at Landis Valley since 2002. Joe learned historical sheep shearing because of his wife’s connection to a spinning guild and then was asked to demonstrate at Old Sturbridge Village where they had been visitors and members. He went on to volunteer doing demonstrations and teaching staff at Colonial Williamsburg. He has been a part of the Association of Living History and Farm Museums (ALFAM) for decades and taught workshops on many topics including sheep shearing, draft horses, plowing, etc. Landis Valley Museum has been growing fiber flax for demonstration for more than twenty five years.