Teachers
Laura Nelkin, Knitting with Lights
Laura Nelkin is a prolific and innovative knitwear designer and pattern maker. She is known for her complex but accessible designs that challenge knitters to think about their stitches in a new way. Taking inspiration from her home in the gorges Fingerlakes Region of Upstate New York, Laura loves incorporating elements into her designs that reference the landscape around her. She loves to share her enthusiasm for knitting with others. When she isn’t designing or knitting, Laura loves to work on her handmade wardrobe, garden, whip up yummy feasts, travel, and spend lots of time outside. Her somewhat feisty alter-ego Lola is usually the one who shows up at FLAIR, so beware and ready to laugh!
Renee Baum, Leatherwork 101
Renee comes to us from Uncle Joe's Saddlery and Forge, where she crafts beautiful purses, bags, and horse equipment! She loves living in the Finger Lakes region, and taking advantage of the natural beauty that surrounds us, especially Seneca Lake.
Emily Hirshorn, Basketry
Emily is an educator, dog lover, traveler, and all-around crafty gal from Philadelphia, PA! She loves trying out new techniques and has mastered a variety of art forms, including mosaic tile and printmaking. Emily has been enjoying upstate New York for years, ever since she attended Colgate University as a student. She currently works for the Penn Museum as an educator and a devoted dog mama to Rodney.
Kristin Dutcher, Wood Burning
Kristin is the creator of Hair-Color-Art, an amazing hair salon in downtown Ithaca. In her spare time she has been known to swallow fire! In this workshop, the only thing burning will be the beautiful wood projects. Kristin is also the mother of three wonderful minions, and occasionally she's a mermaid, too.
Christina King, Intermediate Sewing
Christina is a mask maker extraordinaire! Before the debacle of 2020, she also loved sewing amazing bags, clothing, and you-name-it! She is the mother of two eager crafters....well, one might consider himself more of an eager hockey player.
MaryAnn Carroll, Enameled Jewelry
MaryAnn, a retired special education teacher, has been creating jewelry for over 14 years. Her interest started in a local bead shop stringing beads for gifts. After a time of making new jewelry to match work outfits, she began to branch out to metal and then to ceramic. Loving the rustic look, she found that there were not too many beads out there to match her style, so what better thing to do than to create them yourself? Creating her own personal ceramic beads led to a successful side business selling handmade beads through Etsy. Experimenting with different styles evolved into creations using copper wire, industrial tubes, enamels and, of course, ceramic beads Those materials alone open up a world of variation in jewelry styles. MaryAnn loves teaching and sharing her ideas with those curious to learn them and encourages students to get creative during her classes.
Bryn O'Brien, Woodworking
Our lone man at FLAIR, we have granted Bryn a special dispensation because we all love wood! Bryn is a carpenter and stone mason by trade, and has been working with wood since he was a kid. You can find his coat racks and art caddies for sale at Handwork on the Ithaca Commons. Bryn is also a lover of boats and the father of two adorable children, chiefly due to his wife's beautiful genes.
Robin Wilburn, Improv Quilting
Robin has been sewing for most of her life! She's a Virginian math teacher by day, crafter by night. She has three teenagers to keep her busy, including one that has mastered improv quilting! Her challenge is keeping her fabric stash well stocked for Iris's creations.
Carlee Norberg and Alida Dean, Dried Flower Wreaths
Carlee and Alida live and work on Plenty of Posies cut flower farm in Newfield, NY. They love laughing together while picking flowers, arranging bouquets, and making dried flower wreaths on the farm, and they can't wait to share their skills with you!
Shannon Booth, Restorative Yoga
Shannon comes to us from the smallest state in the union--Rhode Island! A Newport native, she teaches yoga on the beach, among other places. Shannon is the oldest of four sisters and tries to deny her celebrity status as a Booth girl.
Kelly Diemond, Jewelry Making
Kelly is a Jewelry Maker, Artist and Curious Creative, who teaches classes, workshops and retreats around CNY. She's happiest with paint smeared hands or when pounding metal into pretty shapes. She loves bringing people together to create and watching what was only imagined take form and become tangible. When she isn't torching metal or getting lost in her studio, she can usually be found with her family + mini-dachshund, boating, paddle boarding, watching movies or having a good glass of wine.
Emily Reardon, Broom Making
Emily is back for her seventh FLAIR! She comes to us from the Hudson Valley, where she loves exploring nature with her indomitable daughter and husband when she is not turning the youth of America into biologists. Emily loves all things making, from fermenting to bread baking to gardening and broom making!
Rachel Nascimento, Introduction to Sewing
Rachel learned to sew as a child and is a pro at handling our childish attempts at conquering the sewing machine! She is a beloved local teacher and mother of three who has been known to swim across lakes and run marathons, too.
Graham O, Holey Gourd Revival
Graham is the creative genius behind Gourdlandia, a gourd workshop and studio here in Ithaca, NY. She loves a vast array of crafts, and has had as many artistic phases as most people have haircuts. Gingerbread houses and midwifery are among her secret talents, and her asparagus bed is second-to-none!