Meet Our Instructors:

Farm Pickings

News and Updates from Sanborn Mills Farm

— April 26, 2023 —

Our Refurbished Woodshop

Over the winter, the woodshop at Sanborn Mills Farm, housed in the Horse Barn opposite the Main House, was completely refurbished and is now outfitted with the latest lathes, power saws, and other equipment to accommodate our growing woodworking workshop series. The photo here shows just a portion of the woodshop as it is now — this is a state of the art facility that will be the envy of woodworkers across the region. For our workshop participants, the refurbished shop offers the opportunity to learn new skills and hone existing talents on equipment that will take projects to the next level.

The refurbishing and new equipment and tools installation was managed by operations manager Kevin M. Schurman and his operations team. They did extensive research, including an on-site visit to the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, founded by Peter Korn (author of “Why We Make Things and Why It Matters”), in Rockport, Me. Kevin says he and the team took the best ideas they found and used them to specify tools and to lay out the woodshop for maximum benefit to students and faculty. The result is one of the best-equipped and designed woodshops in New England.

See our full schedule of 2023 woodworking workshopsby clicking here.

Meet Our Instructors:

Lisa Curry Mair,

Sarah K. Benning,

Kate Hanlon

Author of the book“Floorcloth Magic”and a 2016 special guest on the television program “This Old House,”Lisa Curry Mairis the owner of Canvasworks Designs and specializes in floorcloth designs. She is also a muralist and has painted murals for museums and commercial businesses as well as private residences. Her two-day workshop,“Art Underfoot: Painting Canvas Floorcloths,”will take place at Sanborn Mills Farm June 7 and 8. For more information and to register, click here.

A native of Baltimore, Md., and a graduate of both the Baltimore School of the Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah K. Benning got interested in embroidery when she worked as a nanny after college. Eventually, she was able to build a business as an artist. She’s inspired by mid-century design as well as the forms and shapes of houseplants. Her three-day workshop at the Farm, “Mixed Media Embroidery: Paint and Fiber,” is scheduled for June 9-11. Click here for more information and to register.

A printmaker, Kate Hanlon has a special love for the white line woodcut, a technique developed by artists in Provincetown in the early 20th century. Now in the 21st century, Kate continues the tradition and her award-winning prints are included in public and private collections. About white line prints, Kate says, “I was intrigued by their luminous colors, simplified yet sophisticated designs, and low-tech approach.” She taught herself the technique and by researching everything she could find about those early Provincetown artists. She comments, “A visual artist’s voice can be found in their imagery, and much can be conveyed without the need for the spoken word. We may be delighted by design, shape and color while gleaning important cultural and social clues in the choice of subject matter.” Her two-day workshop at the Farm, “White Line Wood Cut,” will be held July 15-16. For more information and to register, click here.

The Sanborn Mills Farm Scholarship Program

To help make our workshops more accessible to all, Sanborn Mills Farm is now offering financial scholarships for workshop attendance, housing, and meals. Full and partial scholarships will be awarded on the basis of financial need of the applicant and their commitment to the mission, vision, and values at Sanborn Mills Farm. Scholarships provide access to our highly regarded multi-day workshops and engaging residential experience when registration and/or lodging fees are out of reach of prospective attendees, especially when combined with the cost of transportation and being away from home/work lives.

Supporting first-time workshop attendees and applicants to the draft animals’ workshops are priorities in 2023.

More information and a downloadable scholarship application are available here on the Farm’s website.

Questions? Email Lea Rossignol at lea@sanbornmills.org or call the office at (603) 435-7314.

Photo Credits

Top photo by Lea Rossignol.

Instructor photos courtesy the instructors.

Other photography by Steve Bjerklie.