“Piecing it all together at the Villages Folk School”

 

     Saturday morning I prepared my camera, filled my go cup with coffee and started the van for my trip to Bentonsport and Joy Hanson’s “Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting class. Driving past the Inn and the Retreat instantly had me thinking about long ago and the incredible history in this area. My next thoughts were of Joy’s class and how it ties in with all the history of Van Buren County. The countryside reminded me of a patchwork quilt with the greens of the grass and buds on the trees, the black soil being prepared for planting that would soon be hidden beneath a bountiful crop. Each trip through the county is a new and exciting experience as the colors change and the display of crops produces an ever changing palette filled with beauty and wildlife.

     I arrived at the historic Mason House in Bentonsport and introduced myself to our student who had come from Boone Iowa to experience a Villages Folk School class and enjoy a stay at the Mason House. I always enjoy visiting the classes because I have a chance to learn from the instructors as they teach their students. Joy and her student, Sally Tanner, sat at the table covered with fabric pieces cut into hexagon shapes and carefully stitched each one over a piece of stiff paper cut in the same shape. She told me of how the women traveling westward in the wagon trains would spend their days such as this preparing pieces of fabric to be stitched into useful quilts for the cool evenings. It seems that everywhere I go in this county there is a constant reminder of history and how in many ways it has affected our lives today. The arts have evolved from family to family and artist to artist and still provide a lifestyle that allows creativity to shape our character.

     Living the arts in Van Buren County can and will provide the catalyst needed to blend our lives together in such a way that others will want to experience it. This is what keeps them coming back to the folk school classes and enjoying life here in the villages.

     You can enjoy this same excitement by taking one of our many Villages Folk School classes. Go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com and find the class that you have always wanted to experience. Call us today at 319-592-3700 and register for what may be the thrill of a lifetime. Enjoying a class with one of our gifted artist instructors will give you a first hand look at living the arts here in Van Buren County.


Villages Folk School class schedule for April and May:

7 Step Chair Caning, 16 April; Intermediate Knitting, 23 April; Beginning Blacksmithing, 23-24 April; Printmaking, 29-30 April; Raku Pottery, 7 May; Bonaparte Pottery Experience, 7-8 May; Blacksmithing (Tong Making), 14-15 May; Chair Caning with Fiber Rush Weave, 14 May; Portrait Workshop in Pastel & Oil, 14-15 May; Spring and Fall Birdwatching, 21 May; Painting the Landscape, 28 May.

     We invite you to take a class at the Villages Folk School and see what so many from around the Midwest and the state of Iowa are raving about. Call our office at 319-592-3700 and register today.