Historic Places Days 2023
Discover the rich history of 19th century Knitting Mill on Shaw’s Creek during nationwide Historic Places Days July 8th – July 23rd, 2023. Presented by National Trust of Canada.
Attend Guided Historic Tours Friday to Sunday, or participate in array of Historic Arts & Craft workshops during these 3 weeks of heritage fun: Botanical Print on Silk, Blacksmith’s demos, Plein air drawing, Painting Architecture, Landscape Basics, Floral Embroidery, Beginner Proddy Class, Stitching Class, Jewellery Chain Maille, Rug Hooking to name a few. Launched with dress up event Midsummer Night Dream with the Mill open late hours on July 8, the educational program will immerse the whole family in period atmosphere.
Guided historic building tours at Alton Mill 1 hr tour, free admission:
Friday July 14, 21. - 3 pm
Saturday July 8, 15, 22 - 11 am - 3 pm
Sunday July 9, 16, 23 - 11 am - 3 pm
Group registration bri@altonmill.ca
Guided "Teaser" Tours with JayWalking Alton 15 min, free admission
Saturday July 8, 22 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday July 9, 23 2 pm - 5 pm
More information: JayWalking Alton
Saturday July 8
Midsummer Night Dream Opening Event 10:00 am – 06:00 pm
Visit the Mill in a historic, traditional or fairy costume and finish your summer dress for the magic Midsummer Night Dream by weaving and arranging natural flowers, ferns, wild grasses, and herbs into intricate Flower Crowns. Make it a perfect photo opportunity by the pond & the waterfall for Kupala Midsummer celebration or be a part of the dance circle with the sounds of harp, flute and violins.
10:00 am – 1:00 pm Botanical Print on Silk Workshop with Margaret Marcy/ Gosia Eco Design
Learn to create beautiful and unique botanical prints on silk using natural dye, real flowers, and leaves, taking home your own one of a kind 44” by 44” silk scarf.
Pre-register:
Register by e-mail gosiaecodesigns@gmail.com and pay by e-transfer .
Fee per student - $120+
More information: SILK WORKSHOP
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Create Midsummer Flower Crowns with wild grasses, ferns and flowers with Hildie Sausik . Learn to weave a flower crown by arranging natural flowers, ferns, herbs and wild grasses.
$10 fee per person at the door
More information: FLOWER CROWNS
2:00 – 4:00 pm - Stencil Plant on Paper Workshop with Margaret Marcy/ Gosia Eco Design
Learn to create beautiful and unique botanical prints pounding real flowers and leaves into paper, taking home your own Midsummer themed kind of artwork.
$10 fee per person at the door
More information: STENCIL WORKSHOP
10:00 am – 4:00 pm Blacksmiths’ Demonstrations of historic metal working techniques by Jason Duclos
Explanation of historic techniques and demonstration of keychains’ forging, making knives and other copper and iron custom creations on site in our very own blacksmiths studio.
Free
Workshops ‘Exploring Historic Arts and Crafts at Alton Mill’
Require pre-registration and booking by July 3, 2023
Sunday July 9
10:00 am – 4:00 pm Blacksmiths’ Demonstrations of historic metal working techniques by Jason Duclos
Explanation of historic techniques and demonstration of keychains’ forging, making knives and other copper and iron custom creations on site in our very own blacksmiths studio.
Free
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Landscape Basics Outdoor Plein Air Workshop with CJ Shelton
Our history is etched upon the land ... in this workshop you will learn some of the fundamentals of what makes a good landscape drawing, including choosing an interesting composition, creating a sense of depth, atmospheric perspective, how to simplify things into basic shapes and deciding what to make a focal point of your drawing.
Fee: $50+ per person
Email CJ Shelton at artist@dancingmoondesigns.ca with any questions, or use this link : https://dancingmoondesigns.ca/events/summer-outdoor-drawing-session-on-july-9-landscape-basics/
More information: LANDSCAPE BASICS
Saturday July 15
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm - Painting Historic Architectural Features Workshop with Lydia Panart using mixed media techniques. Learn as a group to paint a unique detail of the Mill’s architecture in monochromatic palette with earth tones, using gels, and acrylics mixed with sand to create a textural effect and give an old look to the overall artwork. 12 + , Pre-register, $125 plus HST individually or you can register as a pair and work on the same canvas
More Information: ARCHITECTURAL PAINTING
10:00 am – 4:00 pm Blacksmiths’ Demonstrations of historic metal working techniques by Jason Duclos
Explanation of historic techniques and demonstration of keychains’ forging, making knives and other copper and iron custom creations on site in our very own blacksmiths studio. Free
Sunday July 16
10:00 am – 4:00 pm Blacksmiths’ Demonstrations of historic metal working techniques by Jason Duclos
Explanation of historic techniques and demonstration of keychains’ forging, making knives and other copper and iron custom creations on site in our very own blacksmiths studio. Free
Wed July 19
10:00 am – 1:00 pm - On Location Painting with Zan Barrage
The key to painting outdoors is designing an exciting composition that is simple and effective. This is your opportunity to learn to design, simplify and compose your own image. You can use any of the following mediums in this class such as Watercolours, Oils or Pastels. Pre-register for 6 sessions on Wednesdays, $229 plus HST per person for all sessions
More Information: ZAN BARRAGE
Thursday July 20
10:00 am – 1:00 pm - Floral Embroidery with Hildegarde Sausik
Make a beautiful Floral Embroidery on fabric on a 7’’ inch diameter embroidery hoop, ready to hang. All supplies included. Beginners welcome 16+. Pre-register, fee per person $125 plus HST
More Information: EMBROIDERY
Friday July 21
10:00am – 1:00 pm– Stitching Class with Fiber artists Leslie Knight and Yvonne Iten-Scott.
Learn to create a traditional candle mat by stitching wool. Beginners welcome 12y+. Pre-register, fee per person $50 (tax included)
Saturday July 22
10:00am – 1:00 pm – Traditional Punch Needle Class Punch needle rug hooking emerged in the early 1800’s. It is considered a distinctly North American art form. In this class we will punch a trivet with a design of your choice. Cloth backing and wool yarns will be provided and a tool and frame can be borrowed for the class. There will be an option to purchase the tools after.
REGISTER
Blacksmiths’ Demonstrations of historic metal working techniques by Jason Duclos
Explanation of historic techniques and demonstration of keychains’ forging, making knives and other copper and iron custom creations on site in our very own blacksmiths studio.
Fee: Free
Sunday July 23
10:00am – 1:00 pm – Introduction to Traditional Rug Hooking with Leslie Knight and Yvonne Iten-Scott
The beginner rug hooking workshop will teach you to pull loops in straight rows and to create curves. Finishing techniques will be discussed so you can complete your project at home. A kit will be provided. Hooks & hoops will be available for use during the class and can be purchased for an extra cost after the workshop.
10:00 am – 4:00 pm Blacksmiths’ demonstrations of historic metal working techniques by Jason Duclos
Explanation of historic techniques and demonstration of keychains’ forging, making knives and other copper and iron custom creations on site in our very own blacksmiths’ studio. Free
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Drawing Trees Outdoor Plein Air workshop with CJ Shelton
Trees tell the story of the landscape and have been witness to our human history and helped shape it in all sorts of ways. In this session you will learn several simple techniques that will allow you to capture them all, the big and the small, from drawing their “bones” (their trunk and branches) to little tricks on how to draw foliage.
Pre-register, $50 plus HST per person
Email CJ Shelton at artist@dancingmoondesigns.ca with any questions, or use this link : https://dancingmoondesigns.ca/events/summer-outdoor-drawing-session-on-july-9-landscape-basics/
