SAPFM has coordinated with Winterthur educational staff to plan our contribution to several of their 2024 programs, described below. We need volunteers to help us execute our plan!
SAPFM has coordinated with Winterthur educational staff to plan our contribution to several of their 2024 programs, described below. We need volunteers to help us execute our plan! This partnership will demonstrate to Winterthur visitors how woodworkers & furnituremakers might have created and used benches & woodworking tools to produce both ‘ordinary’ items and a range of other things including finely made furniture.
Winterthur staff have chosen four programs that are spread across the scheduled dates, as shown below. These programs are intended to be offered as ‘family friendly’ activities for museum visitors:
1. Spring Fling (March 26-29, and April 2-5)
Join us during spring break to celebrate the things that make the season special. Play games, make crafts, hear stories, and see demonstrations that explore the new life emerging at Winterthur.
Notes for SAPFM volunteers: This is a ‘drop-in & visit’ program during the weeks of Spring Break for the Pennsylvania and Delaware school systems. This particular activity has a spring-theme in mind. Volunteers from Winterthur & SAPFM will perform hands-on demonstrations of things / activities that could provide insight for children or parents on how or finishes are created and why they are needed on furniture or other wooden objects. Demonstrations of how to apply wax or shellac finishes as they were done in the 1700’s, 1800’s and early 1900’s seem to fit and could be fun for parents & children. Painted decorations might also fit into this activity, and other activities might come to mind as we finalize this program content over the first three weeks of March. Propose something you can safely demonstrate in front of kids and parents, and it will be considered.
Because the demonstrations are intended to be done by 1-3 people per day from either one or both organizations, people can volunteer to help on specific days. SAPFM volunteers can offer what we know alongside Winterthur staff volunteers; the number of ideas that can be used are subject to space limitations and staffing available per day.
2. Enchanted Summer Day (June 8)
Enjoy one magical day of family fun in Winterthur’s award-winning children’s garden. Don your fairy wings, wizard capes, and elf ears. Make crafts, dance along the Fairy Flower Labyrinth, and play among the Story Stones.
Notes for SAPFM volunteers: This is a single day event with an expectation of 800+ people coming though, based upon similar events in the past at Winterthur. This event usually includes a wand-making station, and it would be really supportive if there were several SAPFM volunteers who can fairly quickly turn or shape a basic wand stock (potentially a 12” long dowel) into a special wand for each child using hand tools, or a shave horse, or a lathe (pole lathe, anyone?) to make kids' fancy (or fantasy) wands. Other activities are being considered, and the wand activity was a big hit in this program in the past. The number of volunteer hoped for is 1-4 people from Winterthur and/or SAPFM, who can create wonderful wands with their knowledge, hands, and tools.
3. Terrific Tuesdays (Tuesdays in July and August)
Crafts, games, and demonstrations inspired by the artists and makers of Transformations that introduce art, history, and science to kids ages 3-10 and the adults they bring with them.
Notes for SAPFM volunteers: Over the course of the 9 Tuesdays in July and August, Winterthur is presently planning to build a scaled down version of one of the Dominy Shops benches that sits in the Gallery exhibit. The intent is to build 1 or 2 benches for use in future programs related to the Dominy Exhibits. The program designers’ hope is that kids can have an opportunity to try out some woodworking tools and even do some of the work on the project. In doing so, the kids involved (and perhaps their parents) can see how a bench construction begins with lumber, tools, & hardware and ends up with at least one, very likely two benches – one scaled for adult users, the other a smaller but very similar bench. Why two? The age range of the children expected to participate won’t likely be able to see over an adult size bench, so they would be at a disadvantage if only adult benches are available. The program’s intent is to allow children to see how people bring together their skills, tools, hardware, and a work bench to combine all these elements to produce useful things.
This particular program, if it successfully brings people the understanding needed to appreciate how things are made, satisfies a large portion of the purpose of Winterthur’s existence – as well as SAPFM’s commitment to provide education in this area of human activities. Winterthur intends to provide both seasoned (and if needed, green lumber), what tools they have in their collection that are similar to those in the Dominy woodworking shop, and space to carry out the build. These aspects are being examined at this time.
One key objective is to give children and parents some training by experienced woodworkers on how tools, materials, knowledge, and workspaces are integral to building many of the things that people have needed over centuries of human activity. SAPFM volunteers and Winterthur personnel are encouraged to help move this project forward on some or all of the designated Tuesdays. Volunteers from Winterthur may be designated to help with teaching children about what the ‘workers’ are doing may also be involved with the actual construction. Volunteers from SAPFM who are willing to lead others (including Winterthur volunteers) in teams for specific activities or instruction in use of tools, determining the suitability of lumber, identifying what hardware is needed, and determining the order of construction steps would be especially appreciated by Winterthur’s staff. This project will build 1-2 benches, if possible, that may be needed to move one or more programs that may be launched later in 2024 or 2025, so completion is a target for success.
4. Handcrafted! (August 31)
Celebrate Labor Day Weekend with us! See demonstrations and meet craftspeople who practice traditional handcrafts that date back to preindustrial America.
Notes for SAPFM volunteers: ’Handwork’ is the theme of the day, so as many members as are interested would be welcome to set up anything and everything they want to share with those who come to experience the activities. The ‘Handcrafted’ program has been hosted at Winterthur for several years, although the mix of artisans and the space used for demonstrations – even the event title – have been varied to see what attracts attendees. This particular event has been supported by SAPFM members several times, and the SAPFM attendees tend to dazzle kids and make adults curious. Many of the visitors wind up seeing things for ‘a first time ever’.
This year, Winterthur is looking to expand the size and scope of activities in conjunction with what the Museum’s span of interests and the contents of their collection that can be seen by the public.
If any SAPFM member sees something in the above program activities that generates participation interest, that is why we hope you are reading this! Whether you just want to ‘put up your volunteer arm’ or you need more information and want to discuss possible participation, send me an email and I will get back to you.
Charlie Driggs
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