Opportunities at Guild School

Rustic chandelier in the adobe roombox prototype for Guild School class 2013.

Rustic chandelier in the adobe roombox prototype for Guild School class 2013.

Whether student or teacher, attending Guild School is a great opportunity; I’ve been lucky enough to be there as both, sometimes in the same year. This year I’ll be there as a teacher, but I fully expect to find learning opportunities as well, you can’t be amongst a group of 250 or so creative people and not learn something.

My forte, in years past, has been textiles, folk art rugs made from felted wool and embroidery, and petitpoint accessories,

Kiva-style fireplace with banquette and built in woodbox in the corner of the adobe roombox.

Kiva-style fireplace with banquette and built in woodbox in the corner of the adobe roombox.

shoes and sweetbags patterned on those of the 17th century. I do like to try my hand in other media, and so this year finds me teaching a class in the construction of an adobe room box. I’ve spent many wonderful vacations in the American southwest, fascinated by the art and architecture, and since textile teachers have been in plentiful supply at Guild School, I decided to branch out and try something different.

The structure is moderate in size, not quite a 15″ cube, and will be finished solely

Handmade paneled door on adobe roombox.

Handmade paneled door on adobe roombox.

with hand tools. Stylistically, it represents a turn of the 19th/20th century building featuring a double-hung, glazed window on the front wall, and a more rustic, unglazed window on the back wall. We will construct the rustic window in class as well as the distinctive front door. Students will have the opportunity to carve the traditional vigas for their ceilings or to use squared beams as was also frequently seen in the southwest. A banquette runs along the back wall and contains a built in woodbox and supports the corner kiva-style fireplace. As time allows, we will add in other details found in adobe homes such as a niche in the wall for a favored piece of art or devotional figure and a rustic hanging

Small wall niche, a common feature of adobe architecture.

Small wall niche, a common feature of adobe architecture.

candelabra.

At present the class is quite small, a great opportunity for me to stretch my skills teaching a class using different techniques and fun, ‘get your hands dirty’ materials that don’t come wound on spools. For my students, its a chance to be in a class with a low student to teacher ratio, and to know they will be able to customize their projects as they desire while learning more about adobe architecture the many and varied ways it was utilized in the homes of the American southwest.

More about other Guild School opportunities in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

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