Folk Art Guild Lecture on the Lawn Series

MIDDLESEX – The Rochester Folk Art Guild will present its third annual summer Lecture on the Lawn Series at their East Hill Farm, 1445 Upper Hill Road, Middlesex, beginning May 28. Lectures will take place on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. and will feature local artists and thought leaders.

The Guild is delighted to welcome the public to its picturesque East Hill Farm for this summer’s unique series. Topics range widely from Yates County history to local environmental initiatives, with a good dose of live performances mixed in. The series kicks off with a panel of Rochester Folk Art Guild artists who will talk about their work and lives at the Guild.

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• May 28 – Rochester Folk Art Guild Artisans: Life and Work on the Farm with David Barnet, Annie Schliffer, and Matthew Shubin. This panel will feature artists across various crafts at the Guild. Learn about what goes into the crafts made here, what it is like to live and work here, and how things have changed over time. A guided tour of the studios will follow the lecture.

• June 11 – Yates at 200: Life in Yates County in 1823 with Tricia L. Noel, Executive Director/ Curator of the Yates County History Center. Yates County is celebrating its Bicentennial this year. An idea of how life was in Yates County two centuries ago, covering topics such as business, farming, government, how people lived, what they ate, and what they wore, as well as what this area was like before the county was formed.

• July 9 – The Genesee-FLX Climate Action Strategy with Brady Ferguson, Director of Public Engagement at Climate Solutions Accelerator.

Launched in 2022 through a collective impact process, the Genesee-Finger Lakes Climate Action Strategy lays out actions to take in the next few years that will make our region healthier, more equitable, and environmentally sustainable, and put us on the path to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. An overview of the strategy will be shared, along with how individuals and organizations can support the implementation of climate solutions around our region.

• July 30 – WordStock Poetry Festival with Steve Lewandowski (of Rushville), GS Murphy (of Pittsburgh & Geneva), Bill Pruitt (of Rochester), Helen Ruggieri (of Olean), W. Williams (of Buffalo & Canandaigua). Five well-published poets will read their work.

• September 10 – An Afternoon of Poetry Spun into Song with Dead Metaphor Cabaret, Curt and Nani Nehring Bliss. Dead Metaphor Cabaret promises a reverent and spirited afternoon of poetry spun into song, conjuring voices familiar and obscure with adaptations of poetry from The Rubiyat and poets the likes of Elizabeth Bishop, Jane Kenyon, Margaret Atwood, Allen Ginsberg, and William Blake. Drawing from blues, cabaret, and art song, Curt and Nani use original musical interpretation to explore the fruitful territory that straddles the borders of music and poetry. Shows are curated within the tradition of the “adaptation musicale” common in 19th-century French salons, featuring selections of poetry adapted and arranged for voice, guitar, and whistle.

• September 24 – “Digging Deeper”: Building Intergenerational, Antiracist Community in Rural New York Through Conversation with Danielle Tcholakian, Public Library Worker and Community Facilitator. Digging Deeper is a program started in Naples, NY by a library worker and a teen patron who asked for a community program around antiracism, inspired by the work of the Finger Lakes Accountability Network (FLAN) in consultation with the non-profit Food for the Spirit. The program won a “Libraries Transforming Communities” grant from the American Libraries Association, and has brought together participants who engage in weekly discussions about antiracism that are co-led by teen facilitators and inspired by different books by Black authors. This talk will cover how the program was developed and what were found to be best practices for having these conversations, in the hopes that attendees might endeavor to have them in their own communities.

Lectures take place rain or shine. We will meet inside if it rains. All lectures will last approximately one hour. There will be opportunities to interact, with questions welcome and participation invited. Wooden benches are provided; your favorite lawn chair is welcome.

The Lecture on the Lawn series is free to the public, but donations are appreciated. At the conclusion of each lecture, attendees are invited to take a guided tour of the campus and browse the beautiful crafts created onsite and by local artists, which are on display in the East Hill Gallery.

[can cut] The Folk Art Guild is an intentional community and craft center with a mission to offer support and nourishment to all who are searching for a more conscious, creative, and responsible way of living. For over 50 years, Guild artisans have been producing fine crafts including pottery, woodworking, weaving, natural fiber clothing, and folk toys. Residents live on-site year-round, sharing meals and working together in an effort to live more sustainably. As a non-profit institution, the Guild offers education in traditional crafts through classes, residencies, and apprenticeships. The 350-acre farm is home to the East Hill Gallery, open May through October and displaying the work of Guild artists. Learn more at www.folkartguild. org

Folk Art Guild Lecture on the Lawn Series

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