learned the art of broom making in 1991 and has been making brooms full time since then. Mr Robinson’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
Mr Robinson has been a juried demonstrating artisan at the Waterford Fair since 1991.
Mr. Walker is an historian/educator and a true craftsman. He likes to tell the early American story by exploring the everyday experiences of everyday colonists to discover how their lives were shaped. He teaches a range of 18th century skills learned from working with museums and living history programs. The two classes he will be teaching at the 2019 Craft School will be based on specific 18th century artifacts.
The Cordwainer Shop was founded in the 1930’s by Edward F. Mathews. His son, Paul, carried on the shop tradition as main footwear designer, and except for a 4-year stint in WWII, shoemaking became his life’s work and joy. Many of his footwear designs are still produced at the shop today. Molly Grant now carries on the Cordwainer tradition of creating custom handmade leather footwear, and it has become as much a passion to Molly as it was to Paul. She specializes in teaching shoemaking workshops as a way to share this tradition of craftsmanship.
She is a member of the Bucks County Craftsmen’s Guild, the Bucks County Hand Weaver’s Guild and the PA Guild of Craftsmen. She has sold her work at various shows and galleries throughout the northeast (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, and Ohio).
She is president of the Penn-Jersey Basket Weavers Guild. As a group, they offer our members classes, workshops, and trips centered around their love of basketry. She also teaches basketry in her home studio and at various locations in PA. She teaches both children and adults.
Working over wooden molds, in the method of the Shakers, her baskets are traditional in shape and materials. She weaves both Shaker reproductions in ash and traditional, utilitarian baskets of reed. Native hardwoods such as ash and oak are used to make the rims and handles, and all of her baskets are lashed using ash. Each basket takes on its own character as it is woven in a quatrefoil. Twill or fancy lace pattern to appeal to both eye and touch.
Over the course of nearly three decades they have acquired an extensive knowledge of both traditional and modern building materials and methods. Their reputation for historically sensitive rehabilitation projects has been established from years of working on a variety of traditional building types and architectural styles.
Mr McGinn, company owner, apprenticed for nine years before forming his company. He holds a Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. This will be his third year with the Waterford Craft School.
He has long been an artisan at the annual Waterford Fair.
He’s been teaching his oven-building class since 2010. He’s taught it over 70 times and to hundreds of students in five states.
His workshop was selected to be on the program for the Kneading Conference in Maine in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He also presented a shortened version at the annual meeting of the Masonry Heater Association at Wildacres, North Carolina in 2018.
Her love of lettering began while working on commercial signage and has continued to grow over the years. She enjoys teaching all ages and has offered classes through the Loudoun County Adult Education Program, the Round Hill Arts Center, and privately. She works from her home studio, in Round Hill, mainly on weddings, commissions, and teaching.
She feels strongly that this art should be shared with as many people as possible… it’s useful, beautiful and fun!!!
Karen and her husband Stuart have long been Juried Artisans at the Waterford Fair.
After moving to the Washington DC area, Mike opened Aldie Glassworks, providing custom stained and leaded glass windows and restorations. Mike has taught many classes from his studion in Boston, as well as adult education course for various communities. Class topics include beginner, intermediate and advanced techniques, restoring reclaimed windows, lead came technique and creating stained glass patterns from photographs.
Ms. Baker is a Juried Artisan at the Waterford Fair and has taught classes for the past two years at the Waterford Craft School.
After exploring many visual media, she found her passion in jewelry and gems. She finds she can best express her artistic abilities by forming and shaping metal. All her pieces start as either a sheet of metal or length of wire and ends up as a piece of one-of-a-kind artisan jewelry.
She currently teaches metalsmithing at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center and Frederick Community College, Frederick MD. And is a member of the Washington Guild of Goldsmiths.
For the past 25 years Cochran’s has helped preserve masonry throughout the area.
Ms. Withnell has run Fiber Arts Summer Camps for Children and an after school fiber arts club at the elementary school where she taught before recently retiring, She has demonstrated hand spinning at the Great Yorkshire Agricultural Show in Harrogate, England. She teaches handspinning on drop spindles and spinning wheels at her studio in Westminster, Maryland.
Ms Withnell has been a juried, demonstrating artisan at the Waterford Fair for the past 10 years.
Ms. Foster has also been reproducing Gustav Stickley wicker lampshades for over 20 years which are sold nation-wide.
Ms. Foster will be returning to the Waterford Craft School in 2020 to teach splint seat weaving and caning. Throughout her career she has taught young and old, one on one and group classes.
