Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFTS
go weaving at an appalachian craft school
PENLAND, NORTH CAROLINA
I WILL FIGHT THE MAN! As we all should…and perhaps get in a two-
weeker [at Penland] once again.
—Chris Taylor, an artist who takes classes at Penland
12 |
Penland School of Crafts is not the kind of place where you can just wake up one morn-
ing and decide to take a class there the next week. If you haven't submitted your application
for spring, summer, or fall classes by the end of February, it's likely you won't win one of the
coveted spots. In fact, so many folks try to enroll in the hundred-plus classes offered by the
venerable school each year that they've been forced to institute a lottery. You send in your ap-
plication for the one-, two-, two-and-a-half-, or eight-week pottery, glassblowing, metalwork-
ing, weaving, dyeing, or woodworking classes and cross your fingers.
The good news is that if you
do
get in, you are guaranteed an amazing experience. Neo-
phyte weavers, for example, work alongside folks who make their living at weaving. Best of
all, you'll be part of the Penland community, which is so tight that enthusiasts have started
their own unofficial website (http://penlandforum.org) to stay in touch, organize rides back to
Penland (nearly all participants' perpetual goal), and share work and photos.
Located in an idyllic valley in the Blue Ridge of western North Carolina, Penland encom-
passes 400 acres, only 15 percent of which are developed. It has 14 teaching studios and more
than 40 historic and contemporary buildings.
START YOUR OWN PENLAND LIBRARY
Besides having its own series of illustrated master-class books (
The Penland Book of
Jewelry
,
Ceramics
,
Word-working
, etc.), Penland has inspired many others, includ-
ing the inspiring history
The Story of the Penland Weavers
by Bonnie Willis Ford,
