A note from Peters Valley Executive Director, Kristin Muller…
November 25, 2020
Dear Friends,
Thanks to you, we have thus far successfully navigated the historic challenges of 2020. Our 50th Anniversary was not what we expected it would be. Still, the Peters Valley staff and board regrouped, pivoted, and fulfilled our mission all because of the generous support from our committed community.
We’d like to share some key highlights from this transformative time and ask for your continued support for what we are poised to do in 2021:
1. We are in the midst of restoration work to the Valley Brook Farm House, a project funded by the New Jersey Cultural Trust and the National Park Service
2. Bruce Dehnert, our Ceramics Head, is days away from completing the full rebuild of the Noborigama kiln
3. The Peters Valley website has been redesigned & optimized to showcase our virtual and in-person offerings
4. Our anniversary exhibition, From the Ground Up: Peters Valley School of Craft, at the Hunterdon Art Museum is now open to the public and has received incredible local and national press
5. We have connected with our community virtually, presenting 28 free online programs to over 2,300 viewers, a virtual Craft Fair, and a series of online workshops, eliminating barriers to the “Peters Valley experience”
This was all possible thanks to YOU and your sustained commitment to Peters Valley and our mission.
After a year of historic challenges, your appeal contribution is especially critical. We have an urgent need to raise $100,000 by December 31 and ask for your support to help us reach our goal.
In 2020, our 50th Anniversary year, we had hoped to both celebrate and build a strong financial foundation for the next 50 years. However, Peters Valley, like so many other arts organizations, was placed under an extreme financial burden due to the pandemic. After suspending our workshop season, donations from our friends and supporters have become even more critical to Peters Valley’s future; we truly rely on your support in order to impact lives through craft this year, next year, and well into the future.
We are deeply committed to artists and craftspeople. In 2021, we will continue to develop ways to put them to work and to promote the learning, appreciation and most of all, the practice of craft. We will foster creativity and curiosity, and offer opportunities for new audiences to gain access to making and makers through our programs.
Can we count on your support? We all have the capacity to help facilitate a safe and resilient future for our beloved Peters Valley. Today more than ever a financial gift to Peters Valley, regardless of its size, has critical and urgent impact. You can give anytime online or give us a call. We love to connect with you.
Please support Peters Valley and help carry it forward into a bright and creative future. Thank you in advance for your support.
Gratefully,
Kristin Muller
Executive Director
