Arts & Ancestry 2026
Honoring our past with an exploration into craft inspired by heritage arts. Gather, make, and create connections.
SERIES: July - October, 2026, 6 - 7:30 PM
Final 2026 meet-up, OCTOBER 22nd!
Take time to create in the company of others. Bring your personal handwork/art/craft projects to work on over this 1.5-hour casual get-together with other crafters of all levels of experience. Work with your hands while enjoying conversation and treats, with time to reflect using creative prompts based on the arts-and-ancestry theme.
For our final Arts & Ancestry meet-up this season, Jenny Wren will be returning to provide a special demo and craft project: From Heirloom to Holiday: Doily Christmas Ornaments.
Give a treasured piece of handmade history a new life on the Christmas tree! In this hands-on workshop with local artist Jenny Wren, transform a vintage crocheted or lace doily into a beautiful, one-of-a-kind ornament. Using fabric stiffener, glitter, beads, vintage jewelry, and other embellishments, you'll create a delicate, snowflake-like decoration that catches the light beautifully.
Bring a doily of your own, or choose one from a selection (vintage doilies, brooches, and embellishments are available for a small additional cost). Participants are encouraged to bring a small piece of jewelry or other meaningful treasure to incorporate into their ornament!
Basic materials are provided at no charge.
No previous experience necessary. Come make something beautiful and give an old handmade treasure a new place in your holiday traditions!
Jenny Wren is a Vermont artist and maker inspired by the natural world and the stories held within handmade objects. Her work includes miniature sculpture, needle felting, portraiture, painting, and other creative forms that explore connections between nature, memory, and imagination.
Since founding Wrenhouse in 2005, Jenny has shared her creativity through original artwork, miniature-inspired designs, and her well-loved Vermont maple and wild blueberry lip balms. She celebrates the joy of making and the beauty of handmade art in all its forms.
“Arts & Ancestry Circle” series, general highlights:
A resource board to share notes on favorite spots, tips, tricks, suppliers, etc.
A show-and-tell table for you to share the amazing work you've been gifted from your ancestors and friends
Leave-one/take-one table for any supplies/materials you wish to donate for others to use; or pick something up for an upcoming project of your own!
Materials and instructions to get you started on a new project (for those not bringing their own)—chicken scratch embroidery, cross-stitch, free-stitch, and our community project board will be at your fingertips
The women of “The Big House” have been knitting, crocheting, stitching, mending, beading, drawing, painting, scrapbooking, journaling, writing in-community for 160 years. Let’s continue their traditions and the handwork heritage of our own pasts in one another's company.
Arts & Ancestry is FREE, including supplies for experimenting with new mediums and techniques. Location: our circle will meet in the museum, on the veranda, or in the carriage barn, depending on the space required to accommodate participants, the session’s materials/techniques, and the weather. RSVPs required.