Arts & Ancestry 2026
Honoring our past with an exploration into craft inspired by heritage arts. Gather, make, and create connections.
AUGUST 20th, 2026
6 - 7:30 PM
(Series extends July - October, 2026)
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 creatives and aspiring creatives. Work with your hands while enjoying conversation, tea, and a nibble, with time to reflect using creative prompts based on the arts-and-ancestry theme.
8/20, SESSION #4 details:
Faithful Friends: Needle-Felted Pet Portraits with local artist Jenny Wren!
For those participants wishing to try the art and craft of needle-felting, work with Jenny for this beginner-friendly fiber arts workshop inspired by the historic Park-McCullough House and its Victorian doghouse, built for the Park family’s dog, Abe!
Learn the basics of needle felting while creating a small embroidered-hoop portrait of a beloved animal using wool. Bring a photo of a pet—or another meaningful animal from family memory—and explore a contemporary approach to this heritage craft. *All materials are provided.
As we work with wool and simple, accessible techniques, we’ll reflect on the enduring relationship between humans, animals, and the handmade traditions that have carried their stories across generations.
This is a relaxed, welcoming space to make, reflect, and create by hand. No prior experience is needed—just a photo of an animal and a willingness to explore wool as both material and memory.
Artist Bio — Jenny Wren
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.local artist and craftperson Jenny Wren will briefly present her work and dive into a
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.
Put Arts & Ancestry on your calendar and make the space to create! 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 for each gathering. DATES: August 20, September 10, September 24, October 8, October 22. Reserve your space for one or all!
