We see ourselves as not only craftspeople, but as educators. We believe we have a responsibility to preserve our nation’s creative heritage and spread our knowledge to others. We always bring our potter’s wheel (and sometimes Janice’s spinning wheel) along with us when we attend shows, market fairs and other events, so that visitors can get a glimpse of how our work is made. There’s usually a crowd of rapt children around the wheel as Erich throws a pot, and he often offers them a chance to help shape or decorate what he’s making. Janice has a degree in art education and 16 years of experience as a classroom teacher, so she knows how to break down the complex art of making fabric into easy-to-understand steps for viewers.
It’s important to us that children acquire an understanding of how their ancestors lived, dressed, ate and worked in the early colonies. We welcome invitations from schools, libraries, historic societies, and other groups, to bring our living history presentation to your venue. The program can be tailored to your needs, but a typical classroom visit lasts two hours and includes a discussion of everyday life in the colonial period, a dress-up session in kid-size colonial clothing, hands-on butter churning, a demonstration of the spinning wheel and weaving loom, and a pottery-making demonstration. Please contact us at [email protected] or 860-376-3329 for pricing and availability of dates