Waterford Craft School

Make by hand.

Mixed Media

Alika Middleton

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Art & Nature Exploration (Ages 6-10)

Alika Middleton is an artist and art educator who empowers her students to trust their own creative process. She has taught visual art for the last nine years in international and private schools ranging from early childhood to high school. She is the founder of Wild Wonder Creators, a program that brings creative arts and nature together in a playful and explorative way. As an educator, she values the importance of social-emotional learning by making sure all of her students feel safe, seen, and fully supported.

Jill Evans-Kavaldjian

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Block Printed Holiday Cards

Jill Evans-Kavaldjian has a background in painting and printmaking.

Her paintings, drawings, and mixed media work focus on the relationship between light, shadow, and form, and how these affect our sense of reality.

Her prints are bolder, with strong graphic elements and lighthearted humor. She has taught block print making workshops to students of all ages at the Waterford Craft School, and demonstrated and taught her craft in our booth at the 78th Waterford Fair.

Vyvyan Rundgren

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Barn Quilt Painting

Vyvyan Rundgren became interested in painted floor cloths (both on canvas and linoleum), which gave a new dimension to her life-long love of art. For eight years she was an instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk School in NC and also taught workshops throughout central Virginia. The painted floor cloth concept expanded to include floor quilts (fabric) and floor pages (paper). Her book, Floor Cloths, Quilts & Pages was released in 2015.

Vyvyan serves as an officer on the Board of Directors for the Art Guild of Greene County. Through the Art Guild and with the support of the Greene County Economic Development & Tourism she founded the Blue Ridge Barn Quilt Project and it has grown to be the largest barn quilt trail in Virginia, now having over 150 artworks on display. She not only paints many of the barn quilts, she also conducts workshops to teach others how to create their own.

Peggy Wertheim

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Traditional Marbling on Specialty Paper, Cotton & Silk

Peggy J. Wertheim, M.A.T. Surface Design Artist and Master Teaching Artist in marbling, silk painting, batik, shibori, and complex dyeing. Her 40+ year career began with textile color exploration and completion of a Master of Arts in Teaching from Miami University. Ms. Wertheim has exhibited at hundreds of juried and invitational shows and galleries simultaneously while offering workshops. This allows her to share her expertise and creativity with her love of teaching. In 2013, she was the only Teaching Artist in the USA selected to attend the prestigious Rauschenberg Foundation Power of Art Conference. She currently devotes herself to teaching workshops, private classes, and creating her Art to Wear and framed artworks.

Cory Ryan

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Pine Needle Basketry

For Cory Ryan, art was always a hobby and her therapy from a stressful IT job. She started with folk art and had a goal to learn something new as the years went by. She learned to make baskets with longleaf pine needles from a friend’s mother, who had learned from her mother! She is pleased to carry on this heritage craft tradition. She teaches a variety of classes, ranging from quilling to pine needle basketry, and is serving her fourth term as President of the Art Guild of Greene in Greene County, VA. Now retired from the corporate world, Cory creates art to display and sell at a local craft shop in Ruckersville, VA.

Grace Rochford

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Making A Floorcloth From Start to Finish

Grace Rochford originally made floorcloths just for herself, then was inspired to launch her company, Designs By Grace. She’s been making floorcloths for over 15 years, and has the added distinction of being one of our Waterford Landmark Artisans, who are the heart of the Waterford Fair and long-time supporters of the Waterford Foundation. She has taught numerous Waterford Craft School classes, inspiring many of her students to continue making floorcloths on their own. The process is contagious!

Gary Robinson

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Broom Making (for all skill levels)

Born in the west central mountains of Virginia, where he still resides, Gary Robinson learned the art of broom making in 1991 and has been making brooms full time since then. Gary’s brooms appeared in the historical drama Sommersby starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster and have been purchased by George Washington’s Mount Vernon for use in their portrayal of Colonial life. Over the years, demonstrating and teaching his craft has been one of the most fulfilling parts of his journey.

Gary has been a juried Demonstrating Artisan at the Waterford Fair since 1991. He is a Waterford Landmark Artisan, exemplifying excellence in craft and education, and for his commitment to the Waterford Foundation’s preservation mission. We recorded a conversation with Gary after his 2021 class, which is on our YouTube channel.