where natural history meets art
Art of Birds, clockwise from upper left: needle-felted Owls (Susi Ryan’s class); Flood Birds (carved by David Tuttle from trees washed out during the 2013 flood); Eagle quilt (Carol McDowell for the Birds of a Fiber exhibit); Northern Parula (wood carving by Bob Spear); Scarlet Tanager ornaments (carved by Dick Allen and painted by Kir Talmage); Wren (carving by Elizabeth Spinney)
Carve and paint a Wren with us and David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers on February 28, in a one-day workshop (9a.m. – 3p.m.). All levels — bare beginners to decades of practice — totally welcome.
Do bring tools and gloves if you have them; if you don’t, let us know. Dave often brings some knives, gloves, etc. to sell. Please bring your lunch; we’ll have snacks and coffee.
Great for Scouts, teens and adults. Under 12 must bring Whittling Chip card or parental permission. (Yes, tools are sharp!)
$25 for Museum and GMWC members • $35 for everyone else
Please email museum@birdsofvermont.org or call 802 434-2167 to pre-register.
This post, in a slightly different form, appeared first in our late summer 2014 issue of Chip Notes.
Carving, teaching about carving, and learning about carving continue to be at the forefront of the Museum’s activities.
Soap carving classes were held at local libraries and at the Museum this summer. We are always amazed what some people can do with a piece of soap. If you are online, look at our Pinterest board at http://www. pinterest.com/birdsofvermont/soap-carving/ for ideas.
In the past few months, Dave Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers has taught three classes in which beginning and experienced carvers created first Wood Ducks, then Killdeer, and (in September) a black bear.
Dave Tuttle has also carved “comfort birds” out of wood harvested from the flood-damaged area. These small carvings will be used as a thank you gifts to donors to Bridges to Birds.
Bob Spear has slowed down his carving, but on occasion we still hear him puttering about in his shop.
Board member Dick Allen recently finished the female Bufflehead. She joins the male, which he also carved, in the wetland diorama.
Come to a one-day carving class with David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers. We will carve and paint a Wood Duck. Wood blank, eyes, snacks, and coffee provided.
No carving experience required! Beginners are as welcome as experts. Do bring your tools and gloves if you have them; if you don’t, let us know. Dave often brings some knives, gloves, etc. to sell. Please bring your lunch.
Saturday, February 15, 2014 • 9am – 3pm in the workshop at the Museum
Great for teens and adults.
$25 for Museum and GMWC members • $35 for everyone else
Please pre-register by email or phone: museum@birdsofvermont.org or (802) 434-2167
Changes and updates will be posted on our website, at http://birdsofvermont.org/events.php, when possible.
Please come to our Snowy Owl program and our awesome Fall Festival. That too exciting? Take a Big Sit break, and watch birds for an hour or 12. Relax while admiring art by 3rd and 5th graders on exhibit all month long. There’s also a Bluebird Brooch Felting Class and a Gift Shop Sale.
Continue reading “October Events! Owls and arts, carvings and crafting, and a Festival!”
Nuthatch Carving Class with David Tuttle
Saturday, November 10 • 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Come to a one-day carving class with David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers. We will carve and paint a White-breasted Nuthatch. Wood blank, eyes, snacks, and coffee provided.
No carving experience required! Beginners are as welcome as experts. Do bring your tools and gloves if you have them; if you don’t, let us know. Dave often brings some knives, gloves, etc. to sell.
Great for teens and adults. $25 for Museum and GMWC members • $35 for everyone else. Call 802 434-2167 to pre-register.
Fabulous Fall Festival
Saturday, October 13 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Live birds, music, soap and wood carving, kids’ crafts, face painting, and more!
$2 / Free if you are 3 and under or show your Museum or Green Mountain Woodcarver membership card
Our schedule of events (but check when you get here to be sure):
10:00 Carving Workshop : Spirit faces in bark (2 hours; $10 fee but this includes all-day admission also)
11:00 Soap Carving
11:00 Live Music by Northeast Field (terrific Celtic music)
1:00 Live Bird Talk
2:00 Soap Carving
2:15 Face Painting
3:00 Nature Note cards
3:59 Announcing Winner of the Kids Raffle
All Day / Ongoing:
Chip Carving Class (with David Tuttle and a Great Blue Heron)
Saturday, September 29, 9am – 4pm
Try your hand at chip carving! We will be doing a heron and possibly some decorative bits under the expert tutelage of David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers.
Pre-register, please! Blank wood, morning coffee and pastries provided. Please bring tools (including chip carving knives), gloves*, and your lunch. The class will be at the Birds of Vermont Museum, in the workshop.
$35 (Members of GMWC or the Museum get $10 off!)
*Call us if you need help ordering knives or other tools.
Our Exploring Binoculars program today was a blast! Investigators ranged from about 7 to about 65 years old. It was a technical sort of program, more about how they work than about how to use them. We did a little demo/inquiry first, with light and lenses and prisms, asking “What might happen if …” questions and then doing that to see what really does happen. Fun seeing upside-down light bulb images on tissue paper become reversed on sweatshirts! (See that “how they work” link for what we did.)
Then we laid out some defective binoculars donated for the express purpose of disassembly (cleaning and reassembly optional). Continue reading “What happens when you take some binoculars apart?”
Saturday, April 21, 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Birds of Vermont Museum, 900 Sherman Hollow Road, Huntington, Vermont 05462
Ever wondered how binoculars work? Ever wanted to take some apart? Home-schooling and vacationing children are invited to join us at the Museum to find out more as we dissemble non-working binoculars, investigate optics, and consider how eagle eyes work.
Best for ages 8-16. Younger children should please bring an adult to help. Teachers welcome!
$10 members, $15 non-members. Fee includes admission for child and one accompanying adult.
Enrollment limited to number of defunct pairs of binoculars (feel free to bring your own ancient, damaged or just plain not-very-good-anymore pair). Registration is required. Register by calling (802) 434-2167 or emailing museum@birdsofvermont.org
The photo of disassembled binoculars is ©2011 Frank Lagoria (Flicker page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/binocwpg/ | email: flagorio@shaw.ca) and used by permission. Thanks, Frank!