Teachers
Kellianne Smith, Zumba
Kellianne is an inspiring Zumba leader by night, and a child whisperer by day. She works in the Ithaca City School District and enjoys making DIY body products and reading.
Dara Hartley, Soft Circuits & LEDs
Dara Hartley is a Brooklyn, NYC-based UX Designer, educator and maker. She loves to make things using a mixture of high/low-tech processes, tools and materials. She also loves to eat sweets and go places. Check out her work at www.darahartley.nyc and follow along on instagram @itsamakersworld.
Annemarie Zwack, Textile Collage
Annemarie is a visual artist who specializes in engaging others in the creative process. She has a BFA in Painting, and works extensively in Community Built Public Art. After a trip to Morocco, she became mesmerized by the beautiful geometric patterning she encountered there. That trip inspired a deep dive into the American tradition of quilting, leading to a love of Art Quilting. Encouraged at being accepted into Quilt National, she went on to show her political Art Quilts in galleries in SoHo, and Washington, DC. Zwack is a mom, and loves living in the splendor of the Finger Lakes, a constant source of inspiring beauty! Check out her work at www.ZwackArt.com!
Emily Hirshorn, Rug Weaving
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.
Kristin Dutcher, Printmaking
Kristin is our local celebrity hair stylist, proprietor of Hair * Color * Art in Press Bay Alley! She loves to create art in many media, including printmaking! Kristin brings her joie de vivre to all she does, whether it's being a Circus mom or marching in the Coney Island mermaid parade in glorious regalia!
Natasha Keller, Garment Sewing
Natasha is the mastermind behind Clotheshorse Studio, a garment sewing school in the Finger Lakes. She believes in empowering sewists by helping us get past whatever is preventing us from feeling like we can make our own clothes. See Natasha's website for more on her amazing story and class offerings: www.clotheshorsestudio.com
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, Improvisational Quilting
Robin is the queen of functional sewing! She can whip up a quick tote bag or a Halloween costume in no time. A math and science teacher by day, she's a mother of three who is often inspired (forced??) into MORE CRAFTING by her daughter Iris.
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!
Graham Ottoson, Gourd Art
Graham is the proprietor of Gourdlandia, her very own Gourd art making world at Ecovillage! We are lucky to have her coming back for FLAIR 6.0. Graham has had as many art phases in her life as most people have hairstyles--including the Gingerbread House years, the Pysanka Egg years, and more! Ask her about her crafting endeavors when you get a chance. Graham is also a skilled gardener and a midwife, to boot.
Emily Reardon, Broom making
Emily Reardon is a mother, gardener, educator, and food preserver. Her spirit is alive when she can grow food, process it, and excite others about doing the same. Pickling is her favorite, but she continues to be inspired by the bounty to experiment with various forms of food preservation. Being new-ish to the area, Emily is truly excited to develop a strong community, one in which she can share her passion.
Shannon Booth, yoga
Shannon will be returning to her sixth FLAIR all the way from her hometown of Newport, Rhode Island! She teaches beach yoga there, among other types of yoga. She has had a variety of jobs in her past life, including English teacher in Japan!
Priscilla Reyer, Wet Felting
Priscilla has been crafting since she was a small child of 4. Her grandmother started her off with crocheting and sewing. She has since dived into all sorts of arts! She adores fibers, especially wool and silk. She likes to paint, do ceramics, dye fibers, felt, knit, and sew in her free time and with her classes as a school teacher. She raises sheep and chickens outside of Ithaca, NY.
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.