Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a thriving community known as Hens Foot Corner (also at one time or another, the Corner
and Bevans), the buildings were condemned in the 1950s when the federal government de-
cided to build a dam and recreation area.
Politics being what they are, the dam never got built (the Delaware River is still the
largest undammed river in the United States) and the picturesque buildings sat vacant un-
til 1969 when Rosamond DeGelleke, wife of the park's superintendent, enlisted a group of
area crafts people to teach mountain handicrafts. The old buildings then took on a new life as
dorms, studios, and galleries.
KILN BILL
The anagama kiln, a unique wood7burning kiln, at Peters Valley Craft Center is lar-
ger than most people's living rooms. Measuring 63 feet long and 8 feet wide, it's
one of the country's biggest anagama kilns.
Anagama
is Japanese for “cave kiln,”
and this monster at Peters Valley is modeled after the medieval kilns that originated
in Shigaraki, Japan. Anagama firing is known for its natural ash glazes and the ex-
citement of the long firing. Firings can be anywhere from three to eight days, and
somebody has to throw wood in the anagama kiln every ten minutes or so for up to
six days to maintain the final optimal temperature of roughly 2400° F.
Shiro Otani, a famous potter from Shigaraki (he has been designated a “living
treasure” in Japan, the highest honor bestowed on a Japanese artist), gives work-
shops at Peters Valley. The center also offers the Open Studio, where folks can
throw or build anything from delicate teacups to large-scale sculptural works for fir-
ing in the huge kiln.
Although Peters Valley, like other arts-and-crafts schools, offers some weeklong classes,
their specialty is shorter two-and three-day crafts classes. “Because we're located so close to
New York,” says director Jimmy Clark, “we've found students want to get in, get out, and
master a particular skill. Take the woodworkers, for example. They don't want to come and
build a whole cabinet. They just want to learn a particular type of joinery.”
“We found that one size doesn't fit all.” Clark adds.
Even the five-day courses are unconventional. While most craft schools run from
Sunday or Monday through Friday, Peters Valley offers five-day workshops that start on Fri-
days and end the following Tuesday. The center also offers classes in each of its eight spe-
cialties for beginners who have never taken a class before.
Peters Valley can sleep only 30 to 40 students, but is happy to set you up at one of the
park campgrounds or at nearby B&Bs. Three square meals are served each day in the dining
