Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced

Mosaics inspired by the natural world range from abstract to representational. We will work in the indirect method with instruction tailored to your individual needs. Beginning with an overview of materials, substrates and tools, students will move onto composing their mosaic. Key elements of mosaic design will be emphasized: Andamento (the placement of tiles), color, value, and texture. Under the instructor’s skilled guidance, you will bring your nature-inspired vision to life in mosaic.

Cynthia Fisher has been a professional artist for 35 years with a focus on mosaics. Beginning her career as an editorial and children’s book illustrator, Fisher’s work metamorphosed to constructing mosaics. At Big Bang Mosaics studio she creates installations for public, residential, and corporate settings nationwide. Fisher’s extensive body of work explores illustrative, painterly, and non-representational. Cynthia is a long-time supporter of our Center and we are over-the-moon to have her teach in this summer’s program.

Fee: $380 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced

In this introductory workshop, you'll learn the essential techniques for crafting classic trout flies, from the alluring wet patterns that mimic aquatic insects to the vibrant streamers that tempt larger fish. Whether you're a seasoned angler or a curious beginner, this hands-on experience will equip you with the skills to create effective and beautiful lures. Under expert guidance, you'll master the art of tying the Black & Olive Woolly Bugger, a versatile wet fly; the Black-Nosed Dace, a classic dry fly that imitates a small minnow; the Hendrickson, a dry fly designed for mayfly hatches; and assorted nymphs, essential for imitating underwater prey.

While basic tools and materials will be provided, students with their own vise, scissors, and bobbin are encouraged to bring them to maximize their workshop experience. Join us at Sugar Maples Center For Creative Arts and unlock a new dimension of fly fishing creativity!

Since childhood, fly fisherman, Judd Weisberg has been casting lines on the Schoharie Creek and far off destinations such as Montana, Wyoming, and Japan. Each fall, a tradition born in 1966 beckons him back to the vibrant currents of Moosehead Lake. Judd’s creativity flows beyond the riverscape. As an artist, Judd works in various media, exploring the essence of Nature. He recently collaborated with noted pianist, Yi-heng Yang, who teaches at Julliard, creating the "Woven Currents" series. Their collaboration was Inspired by the Schoharie's junction pools.

Learn more: instagram.com/fishwithjudd/

Fee: $120 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced

This workshop is your gateway to the captivating world of natural perfumery. We'll start by covering the fascinating history and methods of scent extraction, and then delve into the principles of fragrance structure, composition, and how scents interact with your unique skin chemistry. Embark on a sensory adventure with a guided sampling of the 13 olfactory families before experimenting with over 50 raw materials from our extensive library. Design and create your own, bespoke natural perfume/cologne to take home, using professional skeletal formulas as your roadmap. For a personalized touch, infuse your fragrance with decorative flowers and gemstones. This workshop is perfect for anyone curious about the art of natural perfumery and eager to express their creativity through scent.

Michelle O’Carroll received her BA in architecture and MA in Urban Planning from the University of Florida, She received her MA in Architecture from Columbia University. As an architect, she specialized in sustainable design and worked with clients to create wholesome living spaces and landscapes. After years of practice, O’Carroll realized that while the impact of our surroundings is significant, a building is really the outermost layer of a person. Health is a dynamic state of balance between the mind, body and environment, and the skin is the interface between these inner and outer worlds. Michelle founded the flagship NYC herbarium, Bios Apothecary in 2016 to address this more intimate scale of wellness.

Learn more: biosapothecary.com

Fee: $290 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration fee

Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced

The act of walking is one of the most basic constants of the human condition, and is often a solo endeavor of short duration, covering the “last mile” between destination points. But there are creative and cultural spaces where walking serves as a shared modality for deep engagement and contemplation, and where both an investigation and a heightened awareness of our internal and external environments is undertaken. In this research and practice-based workshop, we will explore as a collective, some of these cultural spaces as formed through the artistic practice of Dérive, and the act of creating and walking an outdoor seven-circuit classic labyrinth.

Christopher Kaczmarek is a New York based artist whose work spans both experimental and traditional practice. His work is often interactive and designed to guide the viewer towards a deeper contemplation about the active and passive roles they play in their inhabited environments (aka, Derive). Kaczmarek received both his MFA degree in Visual Art, and a MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History from SUNY Purchase, New York. He is currently Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Art and is Chair of the Department of Art and Design at Montclair State University. Kaczmarek has presented his work internationally, including Canada, Ireland, Greece, USA, China, Scotland, Spain, and South Korea.

Learn more: chriskaczmarek.com

Fee: $530 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced

Sugar Maples is thrilled to announce that for the first time in our history, we are offering an opportunity for those who would like to write. This will be a workshop with one of the country’s most special writers. If you are interested in writing about art, craft, or memoir, this workshop will infuse your thinking and writing with new ways of looking at our world of creativity. There will be discussions and exercises aimed at helping you hone your ideas, sharpen your vision, explore language, and experiment with the infinite ways of words. Learn how to construct and submit manuscripts for publication by journals, online media, and book publishers. Participants will have full access to our beautiful, sunny studio that’s replete with lots of table room, potters’ wheels, WIFI, art/craft library, and a supportive atmosphere. Note* You don’t have to be an artist to take this workshop!

Vince Montague received his Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from NYU in 1989 and soon after began publishing short stories in literary magazines. He also enjoyed a twenty-year career as an adjunct instructor of writing at colleges and universities around San Fransisco Bay Area. His late wife was a filmmaker and potter who died tragically in a car accident in 2009. During her lifetime, he never touched clay but after her death he began to study clay on his own. In 2014, he left his teaching career, reopened his wife’s ceramic studio and began making art for a living. Since that time, Vince has become a noted sculptor and ceramicist.

Montague’s stories and poems have been published in literary and academic journals, including California Quarterly, Westwind, The Florida Review, Talking River Review, Other Voices, Nimrod: An International Journal, and Green Mountain Review. He has been an artist-in-residence at Carrizozo AIR (New Mexico), Playa Summer Lake (Oregon), and Willapa Bay (Washington). His hybrid memoir, Cracked Pot, a broken chronicle of grief and art, was recently published by Latah Books.

Learn more: instagram.com/vincemontague

Fee: $325 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee