Press Releases 2007

New Folklife Center Workshops

CONTACT: Janet Peterson, Marketing and Public Relations Director
TEL: (856) 825-6800, Ext. 108
FAX: (856) 825-2410
E-MAIL: jpeterson@wheatonarts.org

DOWN JERSEY FOLKLIFE CENTER AT WHEATONARTS ANNOUNCES
NEW WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES

MILLVILLE, NJ – The Down Jersey Folklife Center at WheatonArts announces five new workshops and classes starting this month and continuing through June.

Bobbin Lace Making with Laura Friesel. February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13 and 20. Six-week class. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Intermediate level. The class is limited to six people. Registration Fee: $95.00 per person. The kit is not included in this fee. Bobbin lace is a form of off-loom weaving that originated in the early Renaissance in northern Italy in the area around Milan, probably by nuns. It was an offshoot of embroidery work that involved removing threads from a solid piece of fine fabric and whipping together those threads that remained to produce a light, airy fabric. Instead of working with a sheet of fabric and removing threads, bobbin lace involves working with threads that are wound individually on small wooden baton-shaped implements called bobbins. There are many different designs in bobbin lace. Friesel will teach Italian, French, German, Russian and Hungarian designs. There are two major ways of working these designs. One is in a style called Tape Lace, which was adapted throughout many countries in Europe because it is quick and easy to make. The other is the Milanese style, a far more complicated enterprise made, as the name suggests, only in the area of Milan. The Milanese style is still based on parallel lines, but the Tape, or Braids as the Milanese call it, is much more highly ornamented. The threads are still supported only at the edges as in Italian tape.

Hearts-A-Ticking Pin Workshop with Merry May. March 17 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Two-hour workshop. Basic sewing ability required. The class is limited to 20 people. Registration fee: $10.00 per person. Kit fee: Additional $5.00 per person. It features a unique button "chain" which adds movement to your one-of-a-kind pin. Participants should bring a pair of sharp scissors for cutting fabric and the fee for the kit.

Wool Penny Rug Class with Merry May. March 17 from noon to 6 p.m. Six-hour workshop. Basic sewing ability is required. The class is limited to 15 people. Registration fee: $30.00 per person. The kit fee is an additional $30.00 per person and it is paid directly to the instructor. The kit includes all wool for the project, needle, pattern, fabric glue stick, and perle cotton. Kits will be available for purchase, but only if you reserve them at least ten days in advance of the workshop. Otherwise, a supply list will be sent to you if you provide your name, address and/or e-mail and a phone number at least ten days before the workshop. To reserve your kit, call May at 609-628-2231 and leave your name and telephone number. All participants must bring a pair of sharp scissors for cutting fabric.

Ukrainian Embroidery Class with Vera Nakonechny. April 14, 21, May 5, 19, and June 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Five-week class. All levels welcome. The class is limited to eight people. Registration Fee: $60.00 per person. The kit is included in this fee. Nakonechny will teach a variety of designs and embroidery techniques originating in different regions of Ukraine. They will include: “Hlad” - satin stitch; Square and round “ochka”; “nightingale’s eyes”; Protiahanka” - faget stitch; Drawn work or needle weaving; and Ukrainian cut work.

Folk Music Appreciation with Jim Albertson. March 8, April 12, and May 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Three-week class. All levels. Class limit: 15 people. Registration fee: $10.00 per person. The class is an appreciation of folk music survey using recorded and live examples of folk songs and tunes. Participants may at times join in singing or bring their own examples of recorded music to demonstrate to the group. The first session will be "The Old Folk" usually described as Traditional, Passed by word of mouth, Varietal, Authorship unknown, Clichéd, Informal, and often Utilitarian. The end of the session will explore the Harry Smith Anthropology of American Folk Music as a lead into the next session "The Great Folk Scare of the Sixties." The Popular Folk Revival includes pop culture, so-called "Folk Singers,” “Singer/Songwriters" and "Hootenanny" Bands. Pop Folk hits and Pop culture idols and icons will also be examined. The last session will be "The New." It will offer examples of contemporary singers and bands who present "Roots Music”; old folk material wrapped in a new package such as “New-grass" and "Celtic." Participants will be encouraged to e-mail any questions or suggested discussion points in advance of the session so that appropriate materials may be gathered in time to explore the suggested points of interest.

To register for a workshop or for more information, call 1-800-998-4552 or 856-825-6800, extension 109, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WheatonArts strives to ensure the accessibility of its exhibitions, events and programs to all persons with disabilities. Provide two weeks notice for special accommodations.

The DJFC is a division of Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Inc., a non-profit arts organization. The DJFC receives support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of Cultural Affairs in the Department of State; Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. The DJFC is further supported by residents and groups with an interest in the traditional art and culture of southern New Jersey.

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