Penland Endowment Fundraiser w/ Crafting the Future

 
“Nothing opens up the mind like the glimpse of a new possibility.”
— John O'Donohue
 

Racial disparities in this country exist even in the world of craft, where it sometimes feels like we’re operating above the realm of normal society. However, nearly 80% of working artists in America are white. (stat taken from this 2014 Washington Post article by Roberto Ferdman)

As craftspeople and supporters of fine craft, we are grateful to be part of a passionate and generous community. For many of us, having the opportunity to attend a craft school at some point has played a crucial role in the development of our skills and essential relationships with peers and mentors. We want equal access to craft for people of color.

Through this fundraiser, we have pooled what resources we have and partnered with Crafting the Future to help create an endowment that will fund recurring opportunities for underrepresented and emerging artists to attend Penland School of Craft.

Our hope with this initiative is to perpetuate more equitable access to the transformative craft school experience that Penland has cultivated for nearly a century.

All participants in the sweepstakes will be entered to win one of the fourteen gorgeous pieces below made by artists in our community! Every $10 you donate counts as a separate entry. So if you donate $100, you get 10 chances to win a prize!

FUNDRAISING GOALS

We are seeking to raise a minimum of $30,000. If we reach that goal, Crafting the Future has agreed to push us over the edge to meet the endowment minimum at Penland of $45,000.

The more we raise, the better. Here’s why:

 An endowment fund of $45,000* will enable one student each year to attend a two-week summer session class as a work-study student. This scholarship provides full tuition, room and board for students with a strong commitment to service and a desire to be integrated into the behind-the-scenes life of the school.

An endowment fund of $65,000* will enable one student each year to attend a two-week summer session class with no work requirement. This scholarship provides full tuition, room and board, and the invaluable gift of focused, uninterrupted studio time.

 An addition of $10,000* (applicable to either work-study or full ride) will enable the scholarship recipient to receive a stipend. This is often what prevents people from accepting an offer of a scholarship as bills continue at home or material fees combined with taking time off of work stand in the way of pursuing studies.

THE SCHOLARSHIP

The scholarship is awarded to BIPOC artists pursuing the study of craft at Penland. Recipients are selected by Crafting the Future and partnering youth arts organizations. CTF will be maintaining and administering the scholarship from now until the end of time!

WHAT IS “CRAFTING THE FUTURE”

Crafting the Future is a collective of artists concerned about the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the fields of craft, art, and design. We formed in order to change our community. Working together and combining resources, we support the careers of young, underrepresented artists by connecting them to opportunities that will help them thrive.

Crafting the Future works to diversify the fields of art, craft and design by connecting BIPOC artists with opportunities that will help them thrive. 

Terrane Glass | Colin O’Reilly | @terraneglass

No. 12 Cocktail Set (Pitcher + 4 glasses)

The No. 12s combine facets & surface texture to create a comfortable, contemplative experience.  The pattern, born from hot glass cooling rapidly against cold steel created a captivating texture. Combined with the facets, every pour will beg you to ponder the wonders of life.

·      Pitcher Dimensions: 3.5” diameter x 6.25” height, 20 oz capacity

·      Glass Dimensions: 3.25” diameter x 3.75” height, 10 oz capacity

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Rusted Pulchritude | Deirdre McGrath & Aaron Margolis | @rustedpulchritude

A serving ladle with a hooked handle, carved by hand from locally sourced, Maine-grown maple wood. Accented with non-toxic artist oil paints and finished with a mixture of organic flax oil and candelilla wax.
12 1/2" long by 2" wide.

Chase & Scout Jewelry | Elle Green | @chaseandscoutjewelry

Sterling silver and spectrolite pendant by Chase + Scout Jewelry

·      Sterling chain length of 16 - 20” to be chosen by winner

·      Pendant measures 2.5” x 3” 

·      handcrafted in Austin Texas

Eric Cannizzaro | @eric.cannizzaro

A Continuous Arm Windsor rocking chair made from pine and oak using green woodworking techniques, finished with milk paints and shellac. 

·      parts split out from a log and shaped on the lathe or the shaving horse

·      steam bent single piece back/arm. 

Olander CO Embroidery | Anna Hultin | @olandercoembroidery

SUMMER PLAINS LANDSCAPE
This hoop is a part of my Colorado Plains Series where I am studying the textures and colors in the landscape on the plains of Colorado. This large oval hoop comes with a felt backing ready to hang or display on a shelf. All of my designs are original and hand stitched.

·      This hoop finished with a felt backing for stability

·      This is a hand painted and hand stitched 8"x12" hoop

Reid Schwartz | @reidschwartz

A carving oriented craft knife inspired by the ’not so uncrafy' folk traditions of Scandinavia and imbued with handwork and home-harvested materials from New Hampshire. The blade is wrought from repurposed bearing-steel, burned into the carved Hop Hornbeam handle, and complete with a pocket safe sheath of Birchbark - folded and bound with Hemlock root. 

Oliver Pratt | @oliverpratt_handcraft

This bowl was turned green on a foot powered pole lathe. Turning the bowl before the wood has dried means that the bowl moves while it dries and ends up having a beautiful organic shape rather than the completely round bowls you get when turning dry wood. 

·      Open form, tulip shaped eating bowl

·      7 3/4" at rim

·      White Birch with dark green artist oil for color

Matt Repsher | @repsherceramics

Wave Lantern

3 7/8" h. x 5 3/8" dia

Retail: $430

Wheel thrown and carved with colored slip inlays on the exterior. Corked base to protect table surfaces. Intended to be illuminated with a candle.

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Armando Veve | @armandoveve

Title: The Knitter

Medium: graphite and colored pencil on paper

Size: 12.5 inches x 10 inches 

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Heart & Spade Forge | Jed Curtis | @heartandspadeforge

Set of hand forged No.10 & No.14 skillet, along with No.12 baker. Made from carbon steel for a slick, polished cooking surface which is easy to season and clean. Crafted in Roanoke, VA. 

Erica Moody | @ericaemoody

Serving bowl and spoon, made in collaboration by Penland instructors Matt Kelleher, potter, and Erica Moody, metal craftsman.

·      Pottery bowl with lid: 5.25" dia x 3.75" total height.

·      Spreader of pressed brass and charred maple handle.  Approx.  6" long

·      Pieces uniquely made for each other, for serving your favorite blended accoutrements like hummus, soft pates, whipped butter, and...

Brien Beidler | @bhbeidler

Hand bound by Brien Beidler in Bloomington, Indiana. Jam-packed with love, this is a handmade blank book measuring 6.25 x 6.25 x 1 inches.

Bound in black goatskin with sterling silver tooled board edges. With time, the silver will turn to a metallic black hue.

Eva Leach | @evaleachpottery

Description: 3-piece dinnerware set with pitcher and serving bowl (four place settings - 14 pieces total). Red stoneware fired in a reduction atmosphere to 2345°F

- Bowls are 6" diameter, serving bowl is 9" diameter

- Dinner plates are 10" diameter

- Pitcher is 10" tall and can hold 48 oz (1.5 qts), tumblers can hold 10oz

Heartwood Forge | Will Manning | @heartwoodforge

Hand forged in Jonesborough, TN using antique wrought iron salvaged from a California bridge laminated over a ball bearing carbon steel core. Handle is made from African Blackwood end cut from a Paris clarinet factory w/ a mahogany burl furniture makers scrap bolster.

  • 5” blade / 10” over all

  • 96 grams

Crafting the Future Endowment Scholarship Sweepstakes

OFFICIAL RULES

No purchase or donation necessary to enter or win. Making a donation will not increase your chances of winning. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Promotion Period:
The sweepstakes begins on Friday, August 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM ET and ends on Sunday, September 13 at 11:59 PM ET.

To Enter:
Participants may enter the sweepstakes by making a donation to the Crafting the Future Endowment Scholarship Fund at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=HDpcpn.

To enter without making a donation to Penland School of Craft, please submit by mail a handwritten, self-addressed, and stamped envelope to Will Manning, 405 East Main Street, Jonesborough, Tennessee 37659. Envelopes must be post-marked by September 13, 2020.

Sponsor:
The sponsor of this sweepstakes is Will Manning of Heartwood Forge. By participating in the sweepstakes, each entrant unconditionally agrees to abide by the official rules and the decisions of the sponsor, which shall be final and binding. The sponsor is responsible for the overall administration of the sweepstakes.

2020 T-Shirt Pre-Order / Chefs Knife Giveaway

It’s time for the annual chefs knife raffle and I’m excited to announce the arrival of new Heartwood Forge artwork. This year’s shirt design will be sold via preorders as raffle entries. Unlimited entries are allowed, so show your family some love and get them all outfitted. A winner will be drawn and announced on June 8th. Shirts will ship around July 4th.

ABOUT THE ARTIST Lovingly designed by my friend, Wilson Kemp. Check out this Baltimore-based artist - he’s a solid dude and very talented freelance visual artist & illustrator. Support him. He is on Instagram @wilson.wk.

ABOUT THE SHIRTS Printed in Liberty, Maine using water based ink on certified organic cotton that has been grown, milled, cut, sewn and dyed domestically. These are my favorite shirts; they are ethically & environmentally sound and they get better with age. We’re only printing once, so when they're gone, they're gone. Available in black or hand-tie-dyed mellow-spiral. Each tie-dye will vary slightly and is one-of-a-kind.

OFFICIAL RULES: Enter as many times as you like. Each shirt ordered counts as an entry. *International shipping not included*

WHEN IS THE WINNER DRAWN? I’ll draw a winner on June 8th and the winner will be contacted via email or phone once selected. Drawing will be held on Monday, June 8th, 2020.

WHEN DO YOU SHIP THE SHIRTS? Shirts will ship when they are back from the print house - with an estimated delivery to our HQ by July 4th.

ABOUT THE KNIFE: This hand forged san mai French chefs is made from layers of antique bridge wrought iron and ball bearing carbon steel that have been forge welded together. San mai construction is a traditional Japanese technique and in my opinion, a sensible way to make a knife - the soft cladding allows the edge to be protected while being harder than a single-steel knife. The soft cladding also makes subsequent sharpening faster since more of the material removed is soft. The full tang handle is dressed in African Blackwood (source: clarinet factory in Paris) with a B&W ebony bolster. This knife is covered by my guarantee as though you purchased it from my newsletter.

HOW TO ENTER: Simple, purchase any quantity of the new shirts. Number of shirts = number of entries.

Click link. >>> PURCHASE HERE TO ENTER <<< Click link.

over $100,000 raised for restaurant workers in need

Though we are all facing difficulties and struggling to find a new sense of normal, restaurants have been some of the first and hardest hit by the recent COVID-19 disaster. For two weeks, I fumbled around my shop worrying about the impacts the coronavirus spread would have in my community. In a weird daze after reading heartbreaking emails from some of my customers as their businesses and jobs vaporized, it became clear that my normal needed to change. I needed to get involved.

I had an integral petty / line knife (forged from Hitachi 1086 carbon steel, Tacoma truck springs) almost complete that I decided to raffle it off – donating all proceeds to an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers, the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. I’m no stranger to donating to causes I believe in but this fundraiser evolved into something I could have never imagined. 

In the first couple days of posting the knife raffle, we pushed close to $1,000 in donations. And after shoutouts from both Sean Brock & Jason Knight Knives, we pushed right past $2000! I had more than achieved my personal goal. But before long, I had other wonderful artisans wanting to contribute. my friend Colin (owner and glass blower at Terrane Glass) & Jed (blacksmith and owner at Heart and Spade Forge) really boosted this from a simple knife raffle to an artisan raffle. It seemed I had just finished uploading these additions when my friends Erica Moody, metalsmith & the Wrights of ME Speak Design, reached out almost simultaneously.

With the goal of raising funds for those in need and raising awareness of the far reaching havoc the financial impact of COVID-19 is having, we foresaw that one big artisan raffle would have the biggest impact. So it was decided that a lucky winner would take it all.

Before long my life was consumed with organizing and connecting with other donors, which makes me so grateful for the craft community that has welcomed me. Talented friends across the nation reached out. Chair makers Eric Cannizzaro & Curtis Buchanan both insisted on donating as well as Butter Pat Industries, Eating Tools, Tom Beckbe, Irongrove Tool Co., Blackswan Handmade, Brien Beidler & Heather Ashton. We eventually even welcomed chef and auther Samin Nosrat’s contribution to the raffle, as well as the Instagram sensation The Tiny Chef Show, who offered his own personal cutting board and bottle cap frying pan.

The outpouring of support this raffle garnered was heartwarming and served as a great focal point in my personal life.  It felt like this fundraiser assumed it’s force that took over and we couldn’t have stopped it if we tried! Everyone who was involved, entrants and donors alike, we were all acting with our hearts  - being the change we want to see in the world. Over the course of the two weeks, we raised over $53,000 which continued to inspire more giving. 

The day after our raffle ended, Ann Ladson took over part two with many of the same donors and overflow from the first one, she raised an additional $10,000 for Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. And right when that raffle ended, Mill Scale put together a third raffle which raised an additional $41,000. Totaling over $100k directly for restaurant workers in need.

The shear amount of love and support I have witnessed has made me tear up and laugh out loud countless times. What is most importantly learned here is that I had a thought to do something small because that’s where I’m comfortable. But I acted on my heart.  Others did the same and before long, it had turned into something I would never image possible. Together we are greater than the sum of our parts.

In a post-COVID world, I hope we can act on our hearts more often, making the change we want to see in the world. And it’s never too early to start… If you feel the need to do something to help others, no matter how small, please just do it. You never know how it could inspire others to do the same.

Thank you for participating, thank you for the love.

Update: Tallahassee Magazine published a digital vignette of the project here. 

Tom Beckbe / Chris Hastings / Heartwood Forge Collab

When Alabama outdoor clothing purveyor, Tom Beckbe came to visit with James Beard Award Winning Chef Chris Hastings, we all put our heads together to work on some knives and found time to enjoy copious amounts of food together. All photos are shot by William Hereford.

The experience of having such a burgeoning outdoor clothing designer and this top chef in my shop was both extremely hectic and terribly fun. What an honor to work with this team. With that many folks handling so many knives, we definitely lost some blood during their stay here, but we all walked away happy. William and Saint Hereford were a photography dream team. Until next time…