WSW ArtFarm Volunteer Needed

Wanted: A volunteer visionary! An art&agricultural auteur! A grand poobah of growing!

Here’s the deal: For several years now, The Women’s Studio Workshop has experimented with growing sustainable fibers for hand-made paper on its ArtFarm. Plants like abaca, flax and even iris greens make incredible art papers. Some are prized for their versatility and sculptural quality, others for the way they take ink and printing. These plants are also easy to grow, and quickly renewable, unlike most trees used for papermaking. Through trial and error, the ArtFarm has produced some beautiful, practical papers, but it hasn’t been easy—in large part because it’s been a farm on the move.

The original plot was located at Phillies Bridge Farm, then relocated closer to the Workshop on the property of the Williams Lake Resort. When that property was sold, the ArtFarm moved again, this time onto WSW property, up the hill behind the Workshop. It’s not a bad spot, but it needs work, and an experienced hand to help make it a fully functioning farm again. In short, we need help.

The catch is, with some big development projects in the offing, we can’t afford to pay an ArtFarm employee. This one will have to be a labor of love. We’re not picky though, and we’ll take whatever help we can get. If that means just a bit of advice and guidance from an experienced farmer/gardener/grower, great! If you could pitch in one day a week or help manage occasional volunteer crews, so much the better! What we really need is someone that can help us shape the vision for the ArtFarm so that we can make the most efficient use of resources and keep this unique project alive and vital.

If you, or anyone you know would be interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact Ann Kalmbach at 845-658-9133.

Thanks!