Grace

May 2, 2022

Dear Peters Valley Friends,

Happy Springtime! We hope that this season is as exciting for you as it is at Peters Valley. We’re busy opening up and preparing our campus once again to greet you. Studios are getting their annual deep cleaning after the quiet winter months. The phones are ringing with students ready and eager to sign up for classes.

Thanks to generous support of our donors, in just the last several months, we’ve upgraded gas forges in blacksmithing, purchased new computers for the offices, hired for several artistic and administrative positions, welcomed artists to campus for fully funded residencies, and have been finalizing – a new strategic plan for the organization.

The year ahead will be full of more exciting initiatives and developments. Your continued support will help us reach our goals. You can now help build the future of Peters Valley today with Springtime support.

This summer we’re happy to continue our partnership with GlassRoots in Newark, NJ and will welcome a new cohort of students to campus. We will be awarding stipends to NJ-based artists negatively affected by the pandemic funded by the NJ Arts and Culture Renewal Fund. Our Artist Lecture series and our Friday Night Instructor Presentations will continue to be offered virtually– continuing to give greater access to Peters Valley’s programs and artists. And as always, so many students will come to learn new skills, meet new people, and create amazing memories on campus this year.

While we pursue these exciting initiatives, we always seek to continue to improve our campus and the visitor experience at Peters Valley. We plan to make several important and urgent investments in the coming months; today we ask for your support of Peters Valley and our operations in order to make these investments.

We still need funding for:

• A new Facilities truck to replace our failing truck that also operates as our plow in the winter
• Stand-by generators for the Thunder Mountain Studios & Ceramics Studio to ensure we can continue to run workshops in the event of a power outage
• A walk-in refrigerator/freezer for the dining hall to replace our failing unit
• New flooring for the soldering room of the Fine Metals Studio
• New equipment for the Wood Studio, including an edge sander and planer
• College student scholarship opportunities

Let’s pull together to realize our goal of making these investments. Can you support Peters Valley with a gift today? By making a tax-deductible donation you are helping us grow, improve and expand the impact of Peters Valley’s mission. Because of you, we can continue to teach, support, and inspire artists through craft every day.

We thank you– our members, donors, artists, students, instructors, volunteers, and friends– for your commitment and support of Peters Valley.

With gratitude,

Kristin Muller

Executive Director

We are excited to share that the New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund has awarded a $43,125 grant to Peters Valley School of Craft to help New Jersey artists recover from the financial devastation of the pandemic. Applications are now open and will be received through June 1. New Jersey artists can learn more about eligibility and apply here.

Peters Valley will act as an intermediary grantor, awarding individual grants of $1,000 to $2,000 to artists who have been impacted by the current industry-wide slowdown due to COVID-19 and other sector disruptions as well as those affected by weather-related disasters. 

We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund to help support our state’s individual craft artists during this most challenging time.

The stipends we will award through this grant will provide critical support to allow artists to get back on track, whether the funds are used to pay bills, put food on the table, purchase materials needed to create work, apply to shows, ship work, cover booth fees, lodging and travel expenses at shows, or to promote their businesses. 

We will collaborate with arts organizations such as the Furniture Society, GlassRoots, and the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council to help spread the word and reach as many eligible artists as possible.

The New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund (NJACRF) was established to ensure the survival and strength of the state’s arts and culture nonprofit sector during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The school’s grant is part of the $592,501 awarded to fifteen nonprofits that will act as intermediaries, regranting funds to artists, teaching artists, and history professionals around the state. The Fund is hosted by the Princeton Area Community Foundation. 

For our final GlassRoots Fellow guest blog post, Serenity Sewell writes about her time at Peters Valley, and how she’s grown since being here. Serenity will be a business major in college and she says that her artwork, “expresses my constantly evolving feelings, emotions, and outlook on life as I take steps to become the person I want to be.” In this post, she talks about the way she’s seen skills translating from one class to another and what classes have sparked her excitement the most. 

“Hi, I’m Serenity, and this experience has been quite a journey. A beautiful, raw, natural journey but a journey nonetheless. After this week, we have one more week left and then I’m going back home, no longer as a GlassRoots fellow at Peters Valley. After being here these past weeks, it’s so strange thinking about not being here but I also really want to go back home. I really miss my dog and, being the youngest fellow here, I’m excited to start college.
 

Honestly, I was completely overwhelmed the entire first week. After the first day of my bookbinding course, I went back to the house where we’re staying, and I cried. Trust me, bookbinding is definitely not horrible. I really enjoyed it, and Scott McCarney was an amazing instructor. I tried to call my mom, but she didn’t pick up, and that’s when I realized that I was frantically looking for a sense of normalcy. A feeling that told me that I was still home, that the people I knew and loved would wait for me. But I wasn’t home because life doesn’t stop. No matter where we are in the world, life doesn’t stop, and you can’t conquer time and growth. Time is something that everyone has but the way we utilize it is what makes us different. 
 

I guess if I wasn’t here, I would’ve utilized my time in a way that wouldn’t have resulted in any growth at all. But being here really put my understanding of “growth” to the test. Each week, I had to utilize little bits and pieces from previous weeks’ courses. Right now, I’m taking a woodworking course with Jay Kreimer and saw cutting rules from the fine metals course I took with Luci Jockel from a few weeks prior still apply. In Jay’s class, I’m doing a lot of sanding as I did with my pieces in the blacksmithing course I took with Jon Hadden during my second week here. My brain literally didn’t have a chance to stop growing. If I would’ve zoned out completely, for even a moment, I probably would’ve accidentally sawed off my hand or something. But in other classes, it was easy for me to focus completely because I felt so determined. In Kulvinder Kaur Dhew’s painting basics course and Dominique Ellis’ woodcut reductions course, I just lost myself in my own excitement of creating and my drive to complete pieces that I would love.

But I guess I can’t completely say that my growth is completely due to my efforts because I’ve met some wonderful people here that have taught me so much. Even though they probably didn’t realize when they were teaching me something, I’ve learned lessons from people that have helped me realize things I struggle with in my personal life. I’ve learned so many lessons that I’ve started a personal book. It’s almost like a little diary, but it consists of the lessons I’ve learned and the things I’ve had to unlearn. This has truly been more of a mental health journey for me, an experience that I needed to help me better understand my spot in the universe and how to find a sense of happiness in this chaos that we call life. The lives we live and the things we see consist of atoms. Atoms, and electrons more specifically, have entropy. Entropy, randomness; life just throws random situations at us and how we react determines the results. You can either learn to live with the random stuff life throws at you or you can drive yourself insane trying to organize it all. I guess this is one of those random situations that I wouldn’t have imagined myself in. If there’s one thing that a lot of my courses have taught me, it’s to not think too hard; just do, create! There’s beauty in entropy! Some things don’t need to be organized, dissected, and understood to be beautiful and appreciated for the “mess” that it is.”

Continuing with our GlassRoots blog takeover series, here is a note by current fellow Inique Bristol on her experience at Peters Valley so far:

“Hello everyone! My name is Inique– Unique with an I– and I make things. I’m so grateful to GlassRoots and Peter’s Valley for this opportunity! During my time here at Peters Valley, I’ve taken bookbinding, blacksmithing, fine metals and fibers. While I’ve genuinely enjoyed every class I’ve taken, fibers with Shannah Warwick has taken the cake (you can check out her work here)! To be able to create not only art, but wearable art has been an unforgettable experience and I can’t wait to bring all my new skills back home and apply it to my own work. With my time here so far I’ve grown to learn that there are genuinely no mistakes in art. With every piece you create, you are the narrator and your art is the story, and when you’re an artist, the stories never end.”

This week, we hear from Myia Graham on what her experience as a Fellow through the GlassRoots/Peters Valley program has been like:

“Hello, hello, is this mic on? Hi, so let me introduce myself; I’m Myia, one of the five GlassRoots fellows. Peters Valley is the most relaxing, energizing, and helpful place with a wonderfully supportive community. Even though I’ve only been here for three weeks I can accurately say the next four will be even better.

My first two weeks here were in woodworking and I had the pleasure to make a cloud inspired bookshelf and cloud and moon shaped coffee table while learning some cool introductory skills and making even cooler furniture.

My third week was weaving on a floor loom and man, just hearing those words was intimidating. What is weaving? What is a floor loom? Is this easy? Is this like knitting? I’m bad at knitting. But the class was so fun and creative. And not intimidating at all. We weaved for hours making colorful and loud (no, like physically loud) patches of fabric that can be bracelets, floor mats, or patches for clothing. And I can honestly say I’m really grateful we have clothing; we truly don’t deserve it and all the work that goes into making a simple fabric.

I’m excited for my next couple of weeks here at Peters Valley and for all things I can make here. See you at the end of the summer.”

Our second cohort of GlassRoots Fellows arrived from Newark last week and we are excited to be able to continue our series of blog posts with these talented artists. First up, we have Manny Ogbonnaya. Here’s what Manny has to say about his first couple of weeks at Peters Valley:

“It is day 11 of my time at Peter’s Valley. The switch from the city to the country can do wonders for the mind. This week I am taking a woodworking class, my second one so far, and it has been an amazing experience from day one, watching rough sketches and pieces of wood transform into something tangible and functional. I guess in a way, that is how most art is. It has been really nice to in a way disconnect from the day-to-day routine and pick up a new one solely focused on a singular task.

I truly am excited for the next five weeks; it is quite breathtaking to see how many skills one can pick up in a day. Personally my favorite thing about woodworking is how many little tricks and tools exist. It is a very problem-solving oriented craft, from using the tools that already exist to build the tools you, need to creating the final project, it is quite fascinating. I also really like how many different approaches there are to solving one problem; asking three different people will often provide three different solutions.

It has also been quite the experience meeting so many different people- each week meeting a completely different class- I think only experience can truly prepare a person for that. All in all, it has been great. I am excited for the weeks to come, I believe I will come out of this program a much better person. I am very grateful to GlassRoots and Peter’s Valley for the opportunity.”

As we wrap up this first series of guest blog posts from our GlassRoots Artist Fellows, Joshua (Red) Jackson has written an incredibly moving post about his experience at Peter Valley:

“Have you ever had a dream you felt you couldn’t make come true?
That’s easily a massive part of my life, and for a while, I’d even accepted that as a massive part of growing up. I’d consigned myself to the things I was currently able to do, over my personal wants in pursuit of success and fulfillment. This went on for about 7 years. So you could probably understand how huge it is when I say my 7 week stay at Peter’s Valley restored 7 years’ worth of unfulfilled dreams.

Let’s start simple. I come from a middle-class family, and a nerdy one at that. I remember watching Lord of The Rings with my 2 siblings, and having swordfights, or watching dwarves make incredible treasures.
And at some point, you think to yourself “I want to make that”.
And then you google it, find out how, and realize the current you can’t afford it.
Rinse and repeat.

It was Covid that broke the cycle. Promotion with my employer, gone. Physical access to friends and family, gone. Unemployment came into play, so bills and groceries were covered for the most part. But it also highlighted the fact that I had no idea what I would do after this–I had no college degree, would be in-between jobs once again, and student debt was still throwing jabs.
So, no financial crisis, no friends, no family, no job, and no degree–in the middle of a social distancing pandemic. My world had essentially stopped. And just like that, I suddenly had time to think about what mattered to me.

Enter Peter’s Valley.
From the moment I saw the trailer, I wanted to come here more than anywhere else in the world. I came out here with the highest expectations, and was met in kind–the freedom to create.
From woodworking to blacksmithing, from fine metals to precious stones, almost every possible resource was available to me. The resources alone were half the battle–I had all the bait to go fishing, but no idea how to fish.

Which brings me to the teachers–experts in their field, every time. Whenever I brought out some dusty idea that I’d tucked away for years in the “Give Up” vault, I was almost never met with a “you can’t”. And when “I couldn’t”, they would explain why, and help me find another way to make that dream manifest.

I’ve learned refining processes, different mediums to shape my thoughts, and made new and endearing friends all the while. I’ve visited auctions and learned the value that others place on your art. And as we speak, my drawers are filled with dreams that I never thought would leave pencil and paper.

I’ve got new skills now. New associates too. And new dreams to come with them. I’m still positioning myself to accomplish those, but they’ll be my steps down the creative path set before me. I hope to show my family the new reaches of my capabilities–and then the world maybe.

I’m infinitely grateful for the time I’ve spent here.
And even more grateful for the staff and assistants that made that time worthwhile.
Apparently 70% of the nation’s vaccinated now. Which means my world’s starting to turn again. And I have a hunch I’ll be ready for when it does.”

We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet these six talented artists and welcome them to campus this summer. We are sad that their time at Peters Valley is coming to an end, but look forward to seeing what their future artistic careers hold! Next week we’ll welcome a second cohort of Fellows from GlassRoots and, like the first cohort, they will have the chance to share their experiences through guest posts on the blog. Stay tuned!

Continuing our series of guest posts by our fabulous first cohort of GlassRoots Fellows, Gerald Abreu writes about his experience at Peters Valley below: 

“I’m writing this post during my 6^th week here at Peter’s Valley. I’ve taken seven classes thus far, and truthfully, this has been a fantastic experience. I came to Peters Valley without knowing what I wanted to do in life. I was lacking any extensive or formal training in the arts beyond the few high school classes I took, so I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to really enjoy myself. But I was surprised to find how encouraging the people here are. The teachers, assistants, art fellows and staff members are all very patient and approachable. 

Despite my numerous errors during my tenure here, I’ve heard nothing but positive reinforcement. And despite how short the classes are, I was able to learn a lot due to the phenomenal teachers. Nothing was too hard or out of reach to achieve.

My roommates are also great, interesting people that have done a lot in enriching my stay at Peters Valley.

Even though I still don’t know entirely what I want to do in the future, I’m glad to have decided to come here and leave my comfort zone. I’d like to thank everyone I’ve met here for being such great people. And I hope that more folks reach out to Peters Valley to learn more about art, nature, or themselves. It’s never too late.”

One month into his GlassRoots fellowship, Erlea Dani Jimenez writes about how Peters Valley has opened his eyes up to new mediums and ways of making:

“My experience at Peters Valley has been absolutely thrilling! This experience has helped me gain a new perspective on the arts world. My first introduction to the arts world came from GlassRoots, a small but rapidly growing nonprofit located in Newark, NJ, my hometown. Being introduced to the vast sea that is the art world, I only learned how to swim through experience, not a strictly regulated education. I went to a science oriented public high school, and sadly to them that meant that art was not focused nor even really mentioned in most of the curriculum. As a result the only real experiences I’ve had with formal art were through GlassRoots and the glass world, but now thanks to Peters Valley that has changed!

 I’ve only been here for one month, but in that time, I’ve taken six classes all with focuses on different mediums and new, but related, skill sets. In this new experience, I am thinking about ways in which I can interlace mediums e.g. using basket weaving and chasing as a means to create jewelry. I had never imagined that I’d have that thought, let alone imagine the amazing breadth and depth of knowledge gained through this program. The GlassRoots-Peters Valley Fellowship is allowing me to create and explore new unseen realms of art. It’s given me inspiration to change my focus in life to embrace the different art mediums and the art world in a brand new way.

 I am from a lower middle class family and didn’t have much growing up, meaning I couldn’t experience the world of the arts without some kind of scholarship. If I needed to pay for an arts program, chances were I wouldn’t take it. However, thanks to this program, I am going through a radical mind shift. I am viewing the arts as a method to learning more about science, technology, business, nature, friendships and professional relationships. I am also viewing it as a strong educational tool. This feels like what I wanted college to feel like; a place where I can learn, create fond memories, craft stories, experiences and art, and begin to understand my place in the world. I have always had these kinds of considerations in the past with GlassRoots and glass art, but now that I have a larger range of artistic experiences, I feel as though I can understand the world more clearly. I can now see possibilities that have always felt locked away behind a door. Now that I have the key, I realize it was only me locked away inside, and the world Peters Valley has shown me is so much more vast and freeing.”

This post from Adelin Figueroa is the second in our series of guest blog posts with our current GlassRoots Fellows:

“A couple of years ago I was trying to discover what my art meant to me. I was fresh out of high school and became an art fellow at a craft school. During that time, I discovered what my art was all about. My paintings captured my inner turmoil and traumas and injected them into the minds of world. Since that time, I came to find life, peace, and truth. Now on a new journey in a new craft school, Peters Valley has given me the opportunity and a launch to once again discover my new life as an artist. Exploring all kinds of mediums, I now have endlessways to communicate what I have learned on my journey of finding life and embrace myself as an emerging Christian artist.

Clay speaks in ways different from sculpting with found objects or working with wood. Its process speaks more to me than the final product. With little to no experience throwing clay, Bruce has helped me quite a lot with handling clay, pulling clay, coning clay, and shaping clay. The clay is pushed down and pulled up with such force but the final product displays something so delicate, refined, and beautiful. A masterpiece. And in the same way, I too am being molded like clay in the hands of the Creator. I am excited to unveil new mediums and creativity during these final weeks left at Peters Valley that I would not have been able to do without the GlassRoots fellowship. This is just the beginning of my journey to creating loud art.”