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Art
in The Farms: An Allerton Folk School
Embroidery 101: Cherry Blossoms & Dogwood
with Billie Theide
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn a variety of hand embroidery stitches and create a unique craft item at Embroidery 101: Cherry Blossom & Dogwood Sampler on Tuesday, March 31 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.
Instructor Billie Theide will introduce students to the history of embroidery and samplers. Students will learn how to transfer designs to fabric, choose different threads and yarns, and create a variety of stitches, as well as how to finish and care for embroidered samplers.
$110/person. Registration will close March 24 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Billie Theide is a former chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is Professor Emerita. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler and ceramicist. Her work is in public art collections around the world including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the Racine Art Museum, among others.
She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Theide has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
Basket Weaving: Touch of Spring
with Bonnie Rideout
Experience Level: Beginner
Create a functional and unique piece of spring décor at Basket Weaving: Touch of Spring on Friday, April 3 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.
Instructor Bonnie Rideout will lead students as they start by inserting and securing spokes into a wood, slotted base. Students will then learn about twining, shaping and how to add a matchstick border. The baskets will be celery green and natural colors with pretty pip berries adorning the front.
$65/person. Registration will close March 20 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Bonnie Rideout wove her first basket in 1994 and quickly caught the “basket bug.” She created a business — Bonnie’s Baskets in Decatur — in 2006 to teach others to weave. She is also a traveling instructor and has taught weaving in 18 states.
Find out more about Bonnie on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Etsy pages.
About The Farms
The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.
Wooden Planter Workshop
with Lou Ann Koebel
Experience Level: Beginner
Take wood boards and transform them into a decoration for your garden at a Wooden Planter Workshop on Saturday, April 4 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in The Woodshop (located behind The Studio).
Instructor Lou Ann Koebel will help students build a small (20” x 9”) wooden planter from just a few boards of 5/4 treated deck material. The finished project will be suitable to hold pre-planted hanging baskets and designed to coordinate with any garden décor.
$150/person*. Registration will close April 1 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
*Students should bring:
— Safety glasses
— Cordless Drill
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Lou Ann Koebel has had a strong passion for woodworking since high school, and during the summer attends workshops at Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Indiana.
About The Farms
The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.
Quilting: Meditative Slow Stitching by Hand
with Billie Theide
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn to make a beautiful hand-pieced and hand-stitched quilt from scraps of fabric at Quilting: Meditative Slow Stitching By Hand on Tuesday, April 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.
Instructor Billie Theide will help students explore hand-piecing and hand-quilting a quilt in a unique way by stitching from the outside in. The class will also explore the rich cultural history of meditative slow stitching.
$120/person. Registration will close April 1 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Billie Theide is a former chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is Professor Emerita. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler and ceramicist. Her work is in public art collections around the world including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the Racine Art Museum, among others.
She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Theide has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
Learn to Spin Yarn (April 9)
with Stephanie Block
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn the basic mechanics of using a spinning wheel to make your own yarn at Learn to Spin Yarn on Wednesday, Feb. 11 and Thursday, April 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.
After a brief introduction from instructor Stephanie Block, students will have time for hands-on spinning practice and the opportunity to spin alpaca fiber into yarn using Ashford scotch tension Traditional or Traveler wheels. Discussion of fiber production and preparation methods will also be included.
$130/person. Registration closes one week before each course begins, or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Stephanie Block is the co-owner of Sundrop Alpacas near Bement. She has been producing popular yarn from her own alpacas for more than nine years. Stephanie’s spinning style is self-taught, and she is continuously learning so that she can share that knowledge with others.
Abstract Acrylic Painting
with Erin Boggs
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn to use acrylic media to express yourself at Abstract Acrylic Painting on Thursday, April 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.
Instructor Erin Boggs will help students learn about mark-making, how to choose colors, laying and composition to create an abstract painting on paper.
$60/person. Register here. Registration will close April 2 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Erin Boggs began taking art classes online during the covid lockdown and enjoyed it enough to continue on her own. She paints both small and large pieces on paper and canvas, and sells her work at both The Vault Art Gallery in Tuscola and Beyond Normal in Lexington.
Teen Ikebana: Spring Design
with Rachel Wooters
Ages: 13 - 18
Teens: 13-18 years
This April, teens are invited to slow down, observe, and create through an introduction to Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, inspired by Allerton’s gardens and spring landscape at Teen Ikebana: Spring Design on Saturday, Apr. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Greenhouse.
Guided by artist and floral designer Rachel Wooters, students will work with a curated mix of Allerton-approved seasonal garden florals, wild spring flowers, branches, sticks, stones, and foraged materials to create designs that are completely unique to the park and the season.
$30/person (Ages 13-18). Registration will close Apr. 4 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Sarah at sputman2@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Rachel Wooters is a Central Illinois-based artist and educator with a passion for creative expression through florals, ceramics, and community connection. A graduate of the Master Program at Makeup Designory (MUD), Rachel brings a refined eye and a hands-on, intuitive approach to every workshop she leads. Her classes—ranging from floral arranging to pottery—invite guests to slow down, play, and explore their personal creativity in a welcoming, artful environment.
Geometric WoodArt Workshop
with Jenna Musgrave
Experience Level: Beginner
Create art on wood at Geometric Wood Art on Monday, April 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Library.
Join instructor Jenna Musgrave of Gravy Studios as you stain and paint a large-framed wood piece in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Students will choose from a variety of stains and paint colors to create a unique, 3-diminsional framed piece to take home.
$75/person. Register here. Registration will close March 30 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.
By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.
About the instructor
Jenna Musgrave is the owner of Gravy Studios in Rantoul and an experienced workshop leader specializing in laser-cut wood décor and guided paint parties. Her events combine creativity with community and are designed to be fun, stress-free and beginner friendly.