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.
Laura Rowley, Handmade Books & Papermaking
Laura is a teaching book artist from Trumansburg, NY. She studied bookbinding, letterpress printing, and papermaking at Wells College and The University of Alabama where she earned her MFA. Laura is the founder of Illuminated Press, a small business dedicated to sharing these crafts. This mission is pursued through collaborative projects and by teaching community classes at universities, public schools, after-school programs, libraries, community art spaces, small businesses, and more.
Emily Hirshorn, Shyrdak Rugs
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.
Renee Baum and Ariana Marmora, Leatherwork
Ariana Marmora channels her leather work experience through many generations of family shoe makers. She has worked tirelessly along side her father on many a project and has learned the traditional ways. Ariana's alter ego is a do-gooder for people in need in the greater Brooklyn area.
Renee Baum never thought sewing would be a career yet that's where she is much of the time, in front of a sewing machine, sometimes cursing. She learned cloth sewing at a young age from her mom and now leather sewing from her saddle maker husband, Joe Chicone. Together they make up Uncle Joe's Saddlery and Forge.
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!
Amelia Greiner Safi, High Tea
This will be Amelia’s 4th FLAIR. A lot of her creative energy goes into cooking and searching out recipes to try and tinker with. Making treats for family or company is a favorite hobby. She’s been concocting her own tea blends for 15 years to feed her tea habit, and looks forward to bringing these pursuits all together for FLAIR in 2019. Separately from these culinary endeavors, she lives with her husband and two young boys just outside of Ithaca, daydreams about travel, time outside and her garden, and is faculty in Cornell’s Master of Public Health program.
Natasha Keller, Skirt Design
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
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!
Sarah Gotowka
Sarah Gotowka is a practicing textile artist and instructor. She owns and runs Luna Fiber Studio, a fully equipped weaving studio in Trumansburg NY. She has been weaving since 2005, and has been growing natural dyes since 2010. Since moving to the Ithaca area she has taught workshops at Cornell University, Ithaca College, The Johnson Museum of Art, Wells College, New Roots Charter School, The Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, The Craftstitute, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Trumansburg Middle School.
For more information on Sarah Gotowka please visit:
http://saagoto.com/
www.lunafiberstudio.com
Graham O, 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 fifth 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, Nuno 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.