Around campus Tag

03 Jul

Posted at 11:24h in Events, Stories: Gardening & Homesteading
[caption id="attachment_16959" align="aligncenter" width="630"] The morning after the bloom, a bee visits the Tina James Magic Primrose.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16955" align="alignright" width="333"] The fresh Evening Primrose blooms at dusk[/caption] Our Tina James Magic Primrose plants have been putting on quite a show for the past few weeks at dusk in the Vegetable Garden and behind the Painting Studio. The tightly wound yellow blooms dramatically open as night falls (around 9 p.m.). Before the show starts, visitors walk around the plant to see if they can guess which bloom will lead be the leading note of the overture. Excitement and anticipation is high and it is easy to feel giddy, like a little kid again. The sepals (the green outside of the flower) peel down the flower and the tightly wound yellow trumpet begins to relax and open. Within seconds, before your very eyes, the blossom opens fully and settles into a large bright yellow flower with a delicate, sweet smell. It's is like watching time-elapsed photography in real time; it's just incredible. Each bloom only lasts through the night until mid-morning of the next day, attracting pollinators like bumble bees and butterflies during the morning and large humming bird-sized lunar moths at night.

16 Sep

Posted at 17:44h in Stories: Book Arts, Stories: Paper Art
[caption id="attachment_15589" align="aligncenter" width="600"]03_01_15_keane_erin_ba_2977_ret Excitement is building in our Book & Paper Arts classes as the new studio construction is underway![/caption] Next time you drive down Brasstown Rd., take a gander at the field by the Painting Studio and you will see construction in progress for our new Book & Paper Arts Studio. The Folk School is approaching the end of the campaign for the new Book & Paper Arts Studio. We have been able to raise $483,490 out of our $508,000 goal and we hope to finalize the funding needed for this project in the coming months. The School has already broken ground on the structure and we plan to have the studio completed in 2017. [caption id="attachment_9578" align="aligncenter" width="600"]BookArts-NewStudioRendition-WEB An artist's rendition of the new Book and Paper Arts Studio by Harris Architects.[/caption] “The new studio literally opens the doors to expanded class offerings, with increased light and physical space to spread out on new workbenches, with square footage for new equipment we have dreamed of for years. In fact, the FS was awarded a grant to buy much-needed new equipment, including a letterpress for printmaking, a pulp vat and Hollander beater for papermaking, and an industrial rack for drying all kinds of papers and prints, to name just a few! There is much more awaiting you in this new building, and we hope to be opening the doors next year. I would like to thank all of the campaign donors for your generosity and commitment to expanding our corner of this unique school.” –Dea Sasso, Resident Artist of Book & Paper Arts, Printmaking, Marbling, & Calligraphy

24 May

Posted at 11:27h in Instructor Voices, Stories: Gardening & Homesteading
I just finished teaching a weekend class on pollinators and gardening at the Folk School. My class was a great group of folks. We learned about seeding starting and growing native milkweeds for monarch eggs and caterpillars, planting flowers, native shrubs and trees for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, the challenges of neonicotinoids and herbicides. The weekend exhibited beautiful May weather! Enjoy our photo album: 13265881_1561794134115085_2642922861034997978_nJohn Clarke in the Folk School bee yard, showing the class the old bee hives, plus two brand new Russian bee colonies installed from the Beekeeping Class three weeks ago with Virginia Webb. Russian bees seem to be more varrora mite resistant than our beloved Italian honey bees.