Send Sandy to Weave at Penland
Dear Friends,
It's happening.
On September 23 I will drive south to the beautiful western NC mountains and find my way back to Penland School of Crafts. There I will begin by helping to get all the accommodations ready for the two months ahead. I will be living in a dorm room with about 20 other artists and spending 20 hours each week helping out in the dining hall with the work-study crew, staff, and intrepid core students. The rest of the timewill find me in the textilhe studios, communing with newfound friends, doing yoga (an aspiration), or walking the trails. I will of course also be sending out many thank you cards to my wonderful donors - YOU.
I plan to leave this site up for now.
Love and creative vibes to you all,
~Sandra Luise
Here is my original campaign description:
If you are reading this, Thank You! It means you care about me and my art-and-craft-making journey, and want to help me fulfill the dream of spending 2 months at Penland School of Crafts. Yes! I got accepted for a work-study position, which means I will work 20 hours/week in the dining hall and get a lower tuition rate. HOWEVER, the cost is still much more than I have at the moment, which is why I would SO appreciate any amount of donation from you.
When the class ends, I will resume teaching art at the Boys and Girls Club here in Richmond. Yay!
With your help,
I hope to raise $4000
by September 25, 2016
in order to attend a class in the TEXTILE STUDIO!
(I use all caps because you know how excited textiles make me. It is QUITE an exhillerating prospect. )
The $4000 will cover the tuition of the class, travel expenses to and from North Carolina, and the rest is for the 8% fees charged by GoFundMe. They will charge me, not you, so you can choose the exact amount you wish to donate. Feel free to call me with questions!
Here is how I will use the $4000:
$3500 Penland work-study tuition
$180 gas money for driving
$320 total amount GoFundMe will take out for fees
Thank you so much for your donation --- any amount will be much appreciated!!!
In addition to my eternal gratitude, if you send me your address or include it in your donation, you will receive a unique handmade card made with printmaking skills I learned at the first Penland course I took.
Here I am happily printing at Penland during the 2-week class I took in June 2016. The class was a jump-start to my new path focused on making and teaching art/crafts. I absolutely loved every minute I got the spend at Penland, soaking in every bit of wisdom and wit from my fellow students and amazing teachers Susan Webster and Stuart Kestenbaum. 
Here are some cards I made with the gelatin monotype printmaking technique I learned from Susan:
Questions you may have:
Wait, you already took a class at Penland? Why do you want to go back?
I want more: more learning and experimenting with materials, more communing with fellow makers, more time living in a setting where everyone knows the value of using hands, heart, and mind to make objects of interest, beauty, and/or function.
The printmaking class was a spark in my life, a spark which has kindled into a farmer's market card-selling business, and an interest in gelatin printing.
I hope this longer class will re-ignite the roaring fire of passion I have for creating and learning about textiles - making them, investigating their history and cultural significance, and everything about them. I want to learn techniques I can teach to the children at the Boys and Girls Club here in Richmond. I want to learn so much it will take me years to explore all the possibilities.
What class will you be taking?
It is called "The Thread Between" and will be taught by Rachel Meginnes. Here is a link to the course blurb from the Penland catalog:
http://penland.org/classes/fall/fall_8.html
Funny story about Rachel and me: we both studied weaving with Nancy at Earlham and through her we both apprenticed with wonderful rug-weaver and natural dye maven Susanne Grosjean in Maine. When I started working with Su, she kept telling me about Rachel, her best apprentice ever. Imagine my joy when I finally met Rachel last spring, and we figured out the whole story. It took 12 years for our paths to cross, and I'm so thrilled at the prospect of getting to know her as a teacher, artist, and all around awesome human being.
When is the class?
Sunday September 25 until Friday November 18, 2016.
I will work for them on the Saturdays before and after, as part of the work-study program.
Where is Penland School of Crafts?
It is near Asheville in the beautiful, misty mountains of western North Carolina! Here is a map:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Penland+School+of+Crafts/@35.7409828,-82.5055673,10z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xce3c1e2a5d430de1!8m2!3d35.9447029!4d-82.1160677
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