ADIRONDACK FOLK SCHOOL - Key Persons
Program Manager & Social Media Coordinator - Amy Fasulo started at the Adirondack Folk School as weekend help in 2017. Since that time, she has grown along with the school, taking on new responsibilities including Program Management and Social Media Coordination. Amy especially enjoys working with the wide variety of instructors at the school, and getting to witness them share their passion with our students. After growing up in Corinth, Amy attended North Carolina State University, where she attended as many sporting events as possible, but she couldn't stay away from the Adirondacks for long. In her spare time, or on her lunch breaks you might see her walking the trails that surround the Folk School or playing basketball on the town courts.
Barbara studied art at the University of New Hampshire and photography at the University of CA, San Francisco. Upon moving back to Taborton Mountain, Sand Lake, NY, Barbara took up residence on her great-great grandparents' homestead, and became interested in doing things the old way. Now a basket weaver and fiber artist, she teaches and shows her work as Meyers Forge Heritage Arts. Barbara's work focuses on the relationship between form and function, combining the graceful lines of the Shakers with the complexity and fluidity of twill patterns. Weaving with reed, wood splint, bark, and other found objects, Barbara creates original designs, hand-shaping each basket, revealing its unique dimensionality. Along with doing things the old way, Barbara is also a blacksmithing student at the Adirondack Folk School.
After becoming interested in bees and investing time as a hobbyist, Bianca chose to further her learning by volunteering and eventually working for a commercial beekeeper names Michael Palmer. While she still works for him, she has also become one of the owners of Vermont Bees LLC. Bianca has taught classes on being a woman in commercial beekeeping, honey bee queens, making elderberry syrup and garlic honey. She is currently studying in a course at Pennsylvania State University to better learn queen production and insemination.
Theresa has been creating botanical lampshades for more than 12 years. She first practiced and learned the craft at Lean-2 Studio in Adirondack where she worked for over 10 years. She is now the owner and head designer at Northeast Living Lights where her works of art include wall sconces, hanging pendants, and even chandeliers. All of her shades are made by hand using botanicals she finds here in the Adirondacks. Teresa's wall sconces and hanging pendants are crafted using the same technique and feature birch bark and driftwood accents.
Board Member - Cal splits his time between Hadley, NY and Manhattan, where he works in Innovation and Customer Experience at Pfizer. Buying a weekend getaway on the Hudson River 18 years ago gave Cal and his wife Annie a deep appreciation for the beauty and traditions of the Adirondacks. A maker and craftsman at heart, he was delighted when the Adirondack Folk School opened their doors in 2010. His first class had an immediate impact and he is happy to continue on the learning journey as well as contribute to the future growth and success of the school.
After seeing a video on how to make cutting boards, Ben decided it was something he just had to try! Equipped with only a chop saw and an orbital sander, he made two and was hooked. At Singing Hound Designs, he strives to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces, using mostly scrap or reclaimed wood.
Bob has been blacksmithing professionally since 1983. In 1989 he opened his own studio to pursue custom architectural projects. Primarily creating work for private homes he has developed a style that brings traditional joinery and forging techniques to contemporary design. Besides the custom architectural work he does, he is collaborating with woodworker Tom Kuklinski to develop a line of furniture and accessories developed around the symbiosis between wood and iron. Bob has demonstrated extensively and taught both at blacksmithing schools and at his own studio. To see some examples of Bob's work visit www.risingsunforge.com.
Beverly began weaving in 1996. Her hobby quickly became a serious study of decorative as well as utilitarian baskets. Her weaving has a strong foundation in hand shaping and she draws inspiration from Shaker and Native American designs. Beverly weaves in both Reed and Ash. She has taught at the Adirondack Folk School since it opened and derives great pleasure and inspiration from her students. Her website can be found at beverlycornelius.com.
David is a scholar of local Native American genealogy. He is of Mohawk, Wappinger, Mohegan, and Mohican descent. David is an engaging storyteller who has abundant knowledge of Native American history.
Dave Oxford is an award-winning photojournalist based in Saratoga Springs, NY, working for the past 30+ years as a freelance/contract editorial news and magazine assignment photographer. His work has centered on Sports, Politics and Religion for many clients including The Associated Press, CNS, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, The New York Times, USA Today, New York Daily News, NY Post, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Evangelist, TIME, Sports Illustrated and many others. In his spare time, he turned his attention to wildlife and conservation issues. Now semi-retired he shoots for a few select clients while still producing wildlife imagery for stock, print sales and personal satisfaction. Dave is represented by Getty Images.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Member of the Adirondack School Board of Directors
Treasurer -David Riihimaki has been a member of the Adirondack School Board of Directors since 2015 and a resident of Corinth since 2003. He has worked as a commercial banker for Glens Falls National Bank since 2013, helping business owners in the Capital region with their financial needs. On occasion, Dave's wife, Meghan, and their children, Anna and Lila, can be found at the Folk School enjoying a slice of pizza from the on-site wood-fired pizza oven that Dave operates. The rest of the time, they make him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Dave got involved with the Adirondack Folk School because it provides hands-on engagement with great projects and wonderful instructors and helps him feel more connected to the Adirondack region.
Born in Cape Cod and brought up in Montreal, Canada, Caleb's educational background includes a graduate degree in Leisure and Environmental Resources Administration. He started his business TREMOLO in 1990 to make and sell traditionally-shaped wooden canoe paddles and canoes. He also teaches the traditional flat-water canoeing style. Caleb is a member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and has conducted many one-day paddle making classes and canoeing skills classes, as well as strip canoe making classes. He is Co-founder and Instructor at the Traditional Flat-water Canoeing Association. He is a demonstrator at major museums including the Adirondack Museum.
Board Member - After a ten-year career teaching English abroad, Dennis moved to Chestertown, NY in 1985 to teach English at North Warren Central School. He retired in 2002. Always interested in wood carving, he saw beautiful examples of chip carving one summer at the Fletcher Farms School in Vermont and then took classes there. He has been chip carving ever since. He teaches chip carving at AFS and joined the board in 2020. Dennis loves teaching this ornate style of carving for its own sake, but also loves introducing it to students because it is little known and little practiced even among experienced woodworkers. Teaching at AFS is helping him to help others discover chip carving. Being a board member gives him the opportunity to help influence the school's development. AFS has plans for expansion to accommodate increasing interest in the folk arts, and it is exciting for him to be part of this effort.
Krysta has a great deal of teaching experience, having taught at the University of Notre Dame, University of Kent in the UK, and now at Siena College in Loudonville, NY. At Siena, she is the producer for the Creative Arts Department, and teaches theatre courses and fiber arts courses. While she has a PhD in Theatre and Globalization Studies, she began learning fiber arts at home from her mother, then continued her education in the costume shop at the University of Notre Dame. She has continued to practice embroidery, knitting, sewing, crochet, and weaving throughout her career. Krysta teaches two fiber arts classes at Siena - one in knitting and another in embroidery. She has a number of publications and awards in various areas of creative practice.
Roberta is a soap maker, and has been making soap for over 5 years. Her soaps are sold at quite a few locations in Vermont, on her Etsy site, and produced for those wishing to add their own labels. She also does custom orders for weddings and special occasions. She deals mainly in cold-process soap making and uses natural additives. Roberta is also an avid homesteader and does quite a bit of preserving, canning, fermenting, gardening, candle-making, and animal husbandry.
Dick Sargent, a master Blacksmith, has demonstrated and taught workshops nationally throughout his career. He has been a professional blacksmith for 40 years and has owned and operated his own forge since 1973. His focus is on high-end architectural work and reproduction hardware. Starting in a small shop in Vermont, he worked with Frank Grapes, and in 1974 partnered with Tony Millham who founded Star Forge in Newport, Rhode Island. For two years they produced a prodigious amount of reproduction hardware for period homes sponsored by the Newport Restoration Foundation. Dick then established his own shop in Vermont where he sold reproduction hardware through his own catalog. In the early 1990's he also began producing forged elements for other shops. Recently, Dick was the Blacksmithing Studio Department Head at Peters Valley School of Craft where he oversaw the studio and organized the blacksmithing educational program.
Caroline has been weaving rag rugs for five years, after taking classes from Hilary Cooper-Kenny. A significant portion of her "day job" is training new and existing staff on computer software. Weaving appeals to her linear, technical side - you have to be exacting in setting up the loom. But once you are weaving, you can be incredibly creative. Caroline chooses to make rag-rugs because recycling materials that would otherwise be thrown away fits with her practical nature.
Teresa (Teri) began weaving over 20 years ago, taking a series of lessons from an accomplished weaver in Manchester, CT. From there she attended a one-day a week, 4 year intensive weaving program at the Hill Institute in Florence, MA under the instruction of master weaver Jeanetta Jones. Over the years Teri has belonged to various Weaving Guilds and taken classes at conferences. She has taught dyeing workshops at guilds and has done weaving demonstrations at fairs and schools. More recently, while living in Colorado, as a member of the Wet Mountain Weavers Guild she participated in community weaving activities with local school children, taught different weave structures at meetings and sold her handwovens in their annual show and sale.
Chrissey believes in the priceless value of traditional skills and the need to pass them along to others. Her aunt taught her the art of soap making more than 30 years ago. Today, she has a small soap making business and is frequently featured at local farmers' markets. In addition to soap making, Chrissey is an avid spinner, weaver, flax-processor, and does pot-dyeing using materials gathered from the woods.
Seat weaving has been a part of Christine's life for over 25 years. Her repertoire includes the traditional 7-step caning pattern, pressed can, and splint weaving-including flat reed, hickory bark, and binder caning, Shaker tape, rush, and sea grass. Christine has demonstrated these techniques for a long time, working at the Great Sagamore Camp since 1999, doing chair caning for the public through the New York State Council of the Arts every year since, also at the 18th Century Day at the Philip Schuyler House in Schuylerville, NY, the Harvest Festival held in Shushan, NY, and at the Washington County Fair in Easton, NY.
Christine has also enjoyed and taught letterboxing for over 12 years, finding delightful nature trails, fascinating and unique sites as she searched for hidden treasures.
Janet received her degree from Ball State University and was a speech therapist for several years. During that time, she took classes in needlework at the Elsa Williams School of Needlework in MA. She taught needlework for several years and was a member of the Adirondack Artisans (a group of artists from the Adirondack area). More than 25 years ago, she studied floor cloth stenciling with a member of the Society of Early American Decorators. Janet and her art have been featured in several publications, including Early American Life Magazine's Directory of the 200 best craftspeople in the country. She has rugs in several state and federal historic sites, including the John Jay House in Westchester, NY.
Patricia is a former computer programming consultant and owner of her own consulting company. Her interest in gardening stems from her early years in the Adirondacks, watching her parents work with their rock garden, vegetable garden, and houseplants. She brings to the garden her love of growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and the excitement generated while watching a seed turn into a dinner dish. Patricia has been gardening in one form or another for as long as she can remember. She was introduced to the square foot method about 20 years ago and has used it ever since. Patricia has been a member of the Lake Luzerne community since childhood and as an active resident of our town. She hopes teaching at the Adirondack Folk School will be one more way she can give back to the area she loves.
Derek began a blacksmith apprenticeship at the young age of 14 at the Moses Wilder Blacksmith Shop at Old Sturbridge Village. He studied historic ironwork and has a traditional blacksmithing practice. He founded Resurrection Iron Works in 2011, where he forges traditional iron pieces for the public, museums and other institutions. Examples of his work can be found at Old Sturbridge Village, Coggeshall Farm Museum, The USS Constitution Museum, Fort Ticonderoga, and Genesee Country Village & Museum. All items are completely forged, filed and fitted by hand in order to achieve the highest quality reproductions possible.
Carl Heilman II has been photographing the wild Adirondack landscape since 1975, working to capture on film both the grandeur of this special region, and the emotional connection he has felt as well. As a full-time professional photographer, his work has been published in many regional and national publications including: books, magazines, calendars, posters, and prints. Carl has also produced several multi-image programs on the region that have been shown all around NY State, as well as on PBS. His most recent show, ‘Wild Visions', available on video, is a program about our relationship with the wilderness and our spiritual connection with the Earth. His program ‘Adirondacks: A Wilderness of Waterways' is shown daily at the Adirondack Park Visitors' Interpretive Centers. Carl Heilman's photography was recently published in a book by Rizzoli. This celebrated panoramic format book, ‘Adirondacks: Views of An American Wilderness', includes panoramas and standard format images from all over the Adirondack Park. His latest books include ‘Contemporary Landscape Photography', ‘The Landscape Photography Field Guide', and ‘The Adirondacks'. More information about his work can be found on his website, www.
Russ has had an interest in blacksmithing since he was a child, and has been able to fully explore the art more recently. After starting with a coal forge in his garage in 2013, he has been fortunate to work with and apprentice under amazing and talented smiths. Russ's focus is on artistic blacksmithing and decorative ironwork, with some knifemaking on the side.
Jim, of Great Sacandaga Designs, has been building rustic and traditional furniture professionally since the early 90's. His designs are outstanding works of arts, as well as functional treasures. Jim lives and works in one of the three octagonal log cabins that he built with his family in the 70's and 80's on the South Shore of the Sacandaga Lake in Day, NY. Jim's furniture is seen regularly at the Rustic Furniture Fair held at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, NY. If there is an unusual or large custom piece of Adirondack rustic furniture to be created, more times than not, people will seek Jim out for these one of a kind pieces . . . and they won't be disappointed. Earlier in Jim's life, he was an alternate on the US Olympic Kayak Team. While missing the final cut by a tenth of a second, Jim was recently inducted into the Canoe, Kayak, and Cycling Hall of Fame in Utica, NY.
Board Member - Jim Schreiner of Great Sacandaga Designs and master-level woodworker, is a former National Team Kayak racer who has been building rustic and traditional furniture professionally since the early 1990's. Jim works and lives in one of three octagonal log cabins that he and his family built with his family in the 1970's and 1980's on the South Shore of the Sacandaga Lake in Day NY.
Carol comes to us all the way from Raleigh, NC and loves everything related to quilting. With too many years of quilting experience to count she has taught several classes on various techniques and projects at local quilt shops and weekend quilting retreats in the Raleigh area.
Cheryl is a recent retiree from teaching chemistry at Paul Smiths College for 30 years. A resident of Saranac Lake, she loves the world of medicinal mushrooms. She has team taught mushroom courses at Paul Smiths College, where she taught the medicinal portion. She has team taught medicinal mushroom workshops at the Paul Smiths VIC and has given talks about mushrooms to the Saranac Lake Free Library and the Local UU Church. She was a member and co-advisor of the mushroom club at Paul Smiths College and she harvests medicinal mushrooms locally to make tinctures and grows her own oyster mushrooms for personal use.
Board Member - Karen Goldberg grew up in the flatlands of Ohio, graduated with a BA in math from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MAT from Harvard University. Karen began her teaching career on Long Island where she met her husband, Bob; and her daughters, Alison and Kerri, were born there. They discovered Lake Luzerne while visiting relatives in the area and bought a two-room camp on the Hudson River in 1978. They spent every summer in the North Country and gradually expanded their tiny camp into a summer home. In 2010 when the Adirondack Folk School opened its doors, they had found our people! Bob and I have volunteered at the School in many capacities, taken many classes separately or with other family members, and have seen our tiny School expand like our tiny house. We are truly fortunate to have this gem in our very own town.
Board Member - Kathleen Fagan grew up in RI and graduated from Colgate University in 1978 with a BA in history. Her husband Chris (yes, this was back in the day and they married right after graduation) and she went overseas where he played professional basketball in Holland and France. They settled in Niskayuna in 1987 with their two daughters and Kathleen had a long career in sales and marketing in higher-education publishing. They bought a vacation home in Bolton Landing in 2014 and shortly thereafter Chris was diagnosed with ALS. He passed away in December of 2019 and Kathleen moved permanently to Bolton Landing in 2020. She took the Wee Lassie canoe course with AFS and understood immediately what a huge asset the school is to our local community and the wider region.
John has over 30 years of hands on experience in woodworking, from furniture making and restoration, to functional and ornamental turnings. John has been a turning instructor for the Capital Region Arts Center for several years. He is a member of the Northeastern Woodworking Association and holds a leadership role and is a board member for the Adirondack Woodturners Association. John is also a member of the International Association of Penturners and the American Association of Woodturners. His work is featured in private collections throughout the region.
An award-winning playwright, Annie Marks has been helping people share their stories for over twenty years. Her work has been produced both off and off-off Broadway, and she has facilitated numerous writers groups and workshops in New York City and elsewhere. She holds an M.A. in English from Indiana University - Bloomington and a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Wake Forest University. She is a member of the Dramatist Guild.
Board Member - Mary Stevens has returned to the Adirondack region after a few years in North Carolina, spending quality time with two little granddaughters. Born and raised in Suffern, NY and graduating from SUNY Cortland where she met her husband, Mary has lived in upstate New York, western Massachusetts, and the Hudson Valley, where she and her husband raised their two children, Sarah and Daniel. Mary has worked in a number of educational, municipal government and non-profit organizational positions, including Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board and Village Board (Deputy Mayor) as well as Assistant to the Director at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, NY. She was the Program Manager at the Adirondack Folk School from 2011 through 2018, where she worked very closely with instructors, getting to know their special talents, and is excited to participate in a different capacity as AFS continues to grow and flourish.
Nancy Miller has been creating versatile yet uncommon jewelry since 1993. She takes full advantage of the unique characteristics of pure silver metal clay that accepts textures readily, forms fluid curves, and invites spontaneity during the design and construction processes. Nancy has received awards for her jewelry at Colorscape Chenango and Art on the Mountain shows. She developed and continues to coordinate a jewelry program for seriously ill children at the Double H Hole-in-the-Woods Ranch, a camp founded by Paul Newman and Charles R. Wood. The program has the full support of the Precious Metal Clay (PMC) Guild and Rio Grande. Nancy was an invited presenter at the 2006 PMC Conference. You can find out more about Nancy at her website, here.
Weaving since 1988, Dona started teaching classes in 1992 throughout NJ at school campus', local basketry guilds and at various galleries. Having won numerous awards, Dona has also been recognized on local TV, in newspapers, magazines and articles in several basketry newsletters. Not slowing down after moving to Tunbridge, VT in 1996 she has continued to teach classes across the country and also holds classes at her quiet and secluded "Country Spirit Basket" studio on her property with her husband Warren. Dona does not focus on one style of basketry or one medium. She also enjoys the gifts of nature which she shares with students, for example through the use of birch bark. Warren and Dona can be found harvesting birch bark on their property where Dona is accredited with teaching over 85 birch bark designs and more than 135 reed baskets.
Felting is a hobby that Leah developed after retiring from teaching at the elementary level for 35 years. It addresses her urge to problem solve and be creative. Around 6 years ago, Leah taught herself how to use carded wool and wire armature to create various kinds of woodland animals. She has mainly focused on birds and mammals that she might see in her own backyard. but through various requests, she has broadened her range of different animals. Leah has sold her work at the Ballard Craft Fair in past years.
Ernest's career spans 32 years. At 14, he helped his father build a dry laid retaining wall that still stands today. Ernest was an apprentice through high school and college. Upon graduating, he started his own business, Ernston Land Co. He has been involved in hundreds of residential and commercial masonry projects from walls to patios, fireplaces and chimneys to constructing solid stone arches. Ernest has used all types of stone and has been associated with many challenging stone constructions. Ernest also enjoys skiing and snowmobiling and spending time with his wife and two-year-old son.
From an early age, Matthew was fascinated by blacksmithing, knives and swords. As a young teen he made his first knife from an old file under the direction of his grandfather. Using his early exposure to knifemaking and his training in machining, Matthew began teaching himself the basics of blacksmithing and bladesmithing. In 1998, he formed MP Metalworks and began selling his work at Renaissance Fairs throughout the northeast. In 2005, Matthew formed Falling Hammer Productions along with Jamie Lundell and Peter Swarz-Burt. Falling Hammer Productions designs, manufacturers and installs interior and exterior ironwork for homes in CT, NY, NJ and MA. In 2007 they formed Dragons Breath Forge, a subsidiary of FHP to produce and market swords, knives and armor. Since 2007, Matthew has been teaching blacksmithing and bladesmithing at the Brookfield Craft Center, the Guilford Arts Center, Peters Valley School of Craft, and New England School of Metalwork, along with private lessons in his own shop. In 2015, Matt won the first ever episode of History Channel's Forged in Fire. Watch Matt's Home Forge Tour from season three.
Secretary - Patricia worked as a mainframe computer programmer and owned her own consulting company for 25 years, working at many major companies in the New York and New Jersey area. She has been involved with the Adirondack Folk School since before it opened and has served as a board member, secretary, teacher and volunteer, but her favorite role is as a student. Patricia's taken over 50 classes so far and has no plans to stop. She says there's no place else where she can have so much fun learning a huge number of wonderful skills taught by amazing teachers. Patricia also hopes that her involvement in the Adirondack Folk School will be one way she can give back to the area she loves.
Eric has taught box making workshops for 12 years. He is a partner at the Home Shop in Charlotte, MI, which supplies woodworkers worldwide with instruction and materials for making Shaker oval boxes. Coming on board as a junior in high school 16 years ago, Eric has made a career serving the needs of craftsmen near and far. He has taught at the Nantucket Historical Association's 1800 House, Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts, the Northwest Indiana Woodworkers Association, the Porcupine Mountains Folk School, and the Anderson Center for the Arts.
Program Support & Gift Shop Coordinator - Roberta Games is a long-time AFS instructor and volunteer and has joined the staff and as Program Support and Gift Shop Coordinator. Roberta is a Hadley, NY resident in the southern Adirondacks and loves hiking, kayaking, and just being in nature. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience along with her love of nature and artistic expression in artisan crafts. Roberta, an artist and crafter herself, is a former preschool teacher, bookstore manager and retail visual merchandiser and has recently started writing a small wildlife column in our local Sacandaga-Edinburg Newsletter. She especially enjoys interacting with both students and instructors, assisting them to have the best experience learning and creating in their classes.
Ron Nichols started blacksmithing in the early 90's, being especially active since 2003, focusing on traditional joinery work and 14th-century chasing and repoussé. His passion is teaching beginning blacksmithing and passing on the craft at every opportunity. He is President of Rutherford County Blacksmith Association in TN where he teaches weekly Green Coal classes. Ron has led classes, workshops, and demonstrations at John C. Campbell Folk School in NC, New York State Designer Blacksmiths, Prairie Blacksmith Association in Nebraska, Artist Blacksmith Association of North America (ABANA), the Snap-On-Tools Convention at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN, his personal forge in Brentwood, TN, and numerous other forges across the Southeast.
Board Member - Sandy has been involved in the non-profit world for 2 years. She is an active Board member of the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne and President of Amorak youth in Hudson Falls. Originally from NYC, Sandy is and entrepreneur with a background in accounting, sales, marketing, and tourism. She was on the startup team of Chrysalis Records in Los Angeles before moving to New York City where she started and ran a technical placement firm. She and her husband Bob purchased an Inn and shops on Block Island where they had a summer home and did historical renovations. After moving to CT, Sandy and Bob opened Seaport Sofware in Stonington where she was involved in sales and marketing. With Jim Mandle, she helped open the doors of the Adirondack Folk School.
Howard has over 13 years professional honing experience as proprietor of The Perfect Edge, and over 30 years teaching experience at all levels, including women-only classes. He has taught at places including the New England School of Metalwork, the Guilford Art Center, and can also be found on Youtube, sharing his knowledge. Howard has a degree in Geology, and studied metallurgy at Northeastern University. He has had ongoing bladesmith training over the past 20 years and had been making blades since 1973.
Linda started weaving baskets in the fall of 1987, shortly after moving to Northern NY. Her interest in weaving quickly expanded to designing, teaching, exhibitions and juried shows. She has won numerous awards for her baskets. Linda enjoys working with a variety of materials, including reed, bark that she harvests, waxed linen, beads and other various materials. While much was self-taught, she has attended several conferences to learn other techniques and how to work with other materials. She feels there is always more for one to learn. She is known for her intricate patterns, eye for color and incorporating different materials in her designs. Linda teaches throughout the United States for various guilds, conferences, art centers and organizations. She enjoys sharing her basketry knowledge and experience with her students. It's rewarding to see their progress and excitement with what they have learned and made. See some of Linda's work at www.adirondackbasketry.com.
Board Member - Sheila Flanagan is an owner and cheesemaker at Nettle Meadow Farm and Cheese Company located in Thurman and Lake Luzerne New York. Sheila is originally from Stamford, Connecticut and earned Bachelor's degree at Macalester College in St. Paul Minnesota, a Master's degree at San Francisco State University and a J.D. at Golden Gate University, also in San Francisco. Sheila was a partner at two highly regarded law firm in Oakland, California before pivoting to attain a long-term dream of artisan cheese production and domestic animal care with her partner Lorraine at Nettle Meadow Farm since 2005. Since that time, Nettle Meadow has grown 20-fold and received more than 25 national and international awards for their hand-made bloomy rind, washed rind and fresh cheeses, as well as ecological awards and recognition. Perhaps more importantly, Nettle Meadow has managed to rescue and care for more than 200 non-productive farm animals over the last decade or more. Most recently, Nettle Meadow has begun an expansion into the old Hitching Post location in Lake Luzerne where they will be able to grow larger in the unique log structure that is the Hitching Post while offering a tasting room and expanded retail location and spread the joy of great cheese even wider around our region and beyond. Sheila also keeps her legal mind active by serving as the town justice in Thurman and her community agricultural and rural economic awareness current by serving as a director of the Farm Service Agency for Warren County.
Paul has been a fly fisher for over 15 years and is the president of the Capital District Fly Fishers. He has taught fly tying and casting for the Capital District Fly Fishers for a number of year and was a featured tyer at the Goldstocks Annual Cabin Fever Days and The American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, VT, and can often be seen at the fly fishing booth at the Saratoga County Fair. In addition, Paul teaches rod repair, as well as tying flies for earrings and pins.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Steve
Steve is a knowledgeable and skilled blacksmith with many years of experience. He volunteers as smith-in-residence at the Fort Klock Historic Site in St. Johnsville, NY and demonstrates blacksmithing for the Adirondack Folk School and other non-profit groups. He enjoys reproducing historic cooking implements and tools.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Artist
Board Member - Susie Brandt is an artist and teacher who grew up downriver and around the mountain in Queensbury, NY. She now divides her time between the Adirondacks and Baltimore, Maryland where she is on the faculty of the Maryland Institute College of Art. A self-described "textile generalist," she brings an abiding interest in forging communities through craft to the Adirondakc Folk School.
President - Tanya has two decades of non-profit experience, and is currently the Executive Director of The Lake George Arts Project. Tanya has a BFA in Art History from U Albany, and a MA in Arts Administration and Museum Education from Skidmore College. Tanya is a past Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Scholarship Award Winner and has been an Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Award Panelist, as well as an exhibition juror and guest speaker for many local and regional arts organizations. Tanya lives in Hadley with her husband, their four year old daughter, a feisty Akita mix, Odin, and the sweetest cat in the blueline, Meepers. Before she had a toddler, Tanya enjoyed doing yard work, woodworking and gardening. Tanya fell in love with The Adirondack Folk School while participating in an open forge night and when she has time again will be signing up for a blacksmithing class.
Executive Director - We are pleased to introduce you to Terri Cerveny. Terri comes to us with 30 years of experience in fundraising, campaign planning and leading teams with some terrific organizations in the Capital District including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Albany Medical Center Foundation, and Union College. After moving to Lake Luzerne full time in 2019, Terri has become very involved with several organizations in this community including AFS, Luzerne Music Center, Nettle Meadow Artisan Cheese Company, and the Maxfield Community Food Pantry. Please join us in welcoming Terri to her new role with AFS.
Art has been teaching and demonstrating tinsmithing for over 12 years. Drawing on his experience as an American history teacher for over 35 years, he is able to combine teaching and craftsmanship in a way that makes learning fun. Art specializes in 17th and 18th Century reproductions. He can often be found at French and Indian War and Revolutionary War reenactments peddling his wares to soldiers and their wives. Art's work can be found in the gift shops at Fort William Henry, the Old Stone Fort, and the Mabee Farm, as well as gift shops throughout the Capital District. He also has extensive experience cooking over open fires with a variety of cast iron ware and tin roasters. He claims he can cook anything over an open fire that can be cooked in a modern kitchen. Read more about Art, here.
Bob has over 36 years of experience producing 17th, 18th and early 19th century iron, including building hardware, hearth equipment and household items. Bob has worked on many restoration projects for clients including museums, architects and designers, as well as many individuals throughout the country. Bob is one of only three practicing smiths in the country to have made a spit jack, a geared clock like device used to turn a spit in front of a fireplace. In 1995, Bob sold his first spit jack to Sturbridge Village for their daily use. In 1991 he was given an award for "Best Traditional Work" by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and New England Blacksmith. Bob has demonstrated and lectured on traditional iron work for various Blacksmithing groups, Historical Societies and AIA Connecticut.To learn more about Bob's work, click here.
Colleen has been teaching Studio Art classes in NY State public schools for 25 years, and adult level clay classes at a community art center for the past 8 years. She has received several art awards within the school districts and her community has granted her "Artist of the Year". She has experience teaching Drawing. Painting, Color Theory, Watercolor, Sculpture, and more. Her passion for clay is where she most enjoys creating; both hand-building and wheel throwing. She is known to be a painterly glazer, as she strives to perfect color on clay forms.
John has been a stained glass artist from his home studio since 2017. Generally self-taught, he makes part of his living selling Tiffany-style and mosaic stained glass art and home décor items on Etsy, Amazon Handmade, and at craft fairs. In 1995 he earned a teaching certificate from the University of Colorado in secondary education. John has been a high school substitute teacher and volunteer math tutor for Literacy NY.
More than 10 years ago, Dennis pursued an interest in wood and chip carving. He has studied his craft with master carver Wayne Barton. He has "chipped" more than 200 pieces that include plaques, Christmas ornaments, jewelry boxes, tea boxes, hearth stools, rocking chairs and candle holders. Dennis serves on the Board of Directors of North Country Arts, which sponsors three galleries in Glens Falls, New York and Chestertown, New York. He has exhibited his work in various galleries in the Adirondack region.