Posted on by

Photo of the Week: Canoe Launch

Thirteen canoes in 2.5 weeks—the class poses on the water in their handmade boats. Photo by Nadia Massoud.

This past session, Gerald Weckesser came to Penland to teach a skin-on-frame canoe building workshop. Over the course of 2.5 weeks, the boats took shape in the wood studio, first as steam-bent ribs, then as fully lashed frames, and finally as Dacron-skinned vessels ready to hit the water. On the final morning of the session, the class strapped their new creations onto their vehicles and headed to the lake for a maiden voyage. The water was calm, dappled sunlight lit up the boats like lanterns, and nobody capsized—a fitting end-of-session celebration, indeed.

Happy paddling, canoe builders!

Penland’s Gary Jobe loads three canoes onto his truck outside the studio.
Each canoe is sized for a single person and is light enough to be maneuvered with ease.
Students made quick double-sided paddles from plywood to use on the lake.
Gerald poses with one of the canoes by the shore of the lake.
Gerald Weckesser, canoe building instructor and A+ canoe model. Photo by Nadia Massoud.

Posted on by

The Penland Workshop Experience in 2-1/2 Minutes

We are excited to have a beautiful new short video thanks to the folks at Myriad Media in Raleigh. Last fall, Myriad spent a week at Penland using the campus as a location for a short, scripted piece they are hoping will become the pilot for a web series set in a place kind of like Penland.

Spike Hoban interviewing Kathleen Kennedy
Director Spike Hoban interviewing instructor Kathleen Kennedy.

After the actors left, the crew stayed for a few more days, conducting interviews and shooting activity in the studios. Then with lots of careful editing, sound mixing, music composing, tweaking, and more editing, they produced a lively 2-1/2 minute look at the Penland workshop experience.

Thanks to Sean, Spike, Max, and the whole crew at Myriad for this excellent piece of work. (Full screen recommended.)

YouTube: The Penland Workshop Experience

 

Posted on by

Photo of the Week: Steel Feather

This steel feather was designed by sculptor Roberto Giordano and created by Roberto and the members of his fourth session workshop in the iron studio. It’s currently sitting on the lawn near The Pines. In a few weeks it will be installed behind the new Northlight building. It will live there until the 2019 auction when some lucky buyer will take it home.

Here’s one of the students working on it during the workshop.

 

Here’s Roberto working on something else.