The Latest from Roycroft Campus: “Grounded By Nature” and Upcoming History Courses

 

The Roycroft Campus is currently featuring artists Diane Castle Babcock and Marsha Van Vlack at the Neil and Barbara Chur Family Gallery at the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora, NY for a joint art exhibit entitled, Grounded by Nature – and it’s open to the public until April 19th. In its fifth year of operation, the Chur Family Gallery is located in the Roycroft Power House and offers a venue for artists to showcase their work that is steeped in the tradition of head, heart and hand craftsmanship.

Diane Castle Babcock has been a printmaker for thirty-five years, owned her own picture framing business, worked in galleries and museums, and was a visiting artist with Young Audiences of Rochester. She taught Art at Adirondack High School in Boonville, NY, retired in 2017, and now devotes much of her time to printmaking. Diane is currently a juried member of the Arts & Craftsman Guild.

Marsha Van Vlack has been working with clay for the past 40 years, and particularly enjoys low fire Raku and saggar firing techniques. The influence of natural forms are continually present in her work. She teaches at the Wellsville Creative Arts Center, and is honored to have been a Roycroft Master Artisan and named a Master Craftsman for the 100 American Craftsman at the Kenan Center.

 

 

Meanwhile, the ongoing popular Roycroft History Course will return for spring 2019, where classes will benefit from a different guest speaker leading each class Thursday evenings at 7:00PM in the Museum on the Roycroft Campus. The following classes have been verified for the month of May:

 

Alexis Jean Fournier – The Roycroft “Court” Painter – Thursday, May 2nd at 7pm in the Museum on the Roycroft Campus

Alexis Jean Fournier was a historic resident of East Aurora, and Elbert Hubbard’s appointed art director of the Roycroft Campus. Fournier’s artwork hangs throughout the town including the library and Elbert Hubbard Museum, and most famously the murals that hang in the Roycroft Inn. Grace Meibohm, owner of Meibohm Fine Arts and dealer in Fournier artwork will offer this presentation on a painter who created a legacy at the Roycroft and around the community.

 

Western New York: Epicenter of the American Arts & Crafts Movement – Thursday, May 9th at 7pm in the Museum on the Roycroft Campus

Was Buffalo the epicenter for the start of the American Arts & Crafts movement, even narrowing it down to the specific day on when it began? Art History adjunct professor and Campus Program Director, Alan Nowicki will explore how the Western New York region may be viewed as the national capital for design, production, and innovation in American Arts and Crafts and examine how people like Hubbard, Stickley, Grueby, Rohlfs, Wright, Newcomb and Rookwood all converged in Buffalo to launch this new form of decorative arts.

 

The Roycroft and Self-Sufficiency – Thursday, May 16th at 7pm in the Museum on the Roycroft Campus

The Arts and Crafts movement on Elbert Hubbard’s Roycroft Campus involved more than printing beautiful books and producing exquisitely crafted wares. Behind the scenes, the ideals of self-sufficiency and nature awareness were put into practice. From energy to furniture, food to lighting, naturalist and educator Mary Jo Graham, will discuss ways in which the Roycroft community practiced self-reliance and conservation of resources, many of which make perfect sense in our modern era.

 

Stickley: An Insider’s Look – Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm in the Museum on the Roycroft Campus

We welcome back Stickley historian, Mike Danial for an interactive and fun presentation which offers attendees a chance to delve into a wide berth of topics and questions Arts & Crafts enthusiasts come to ask. Design, construction, finishing, etc. It’s kind of choose your own presentation event. From historical to contemporary, images to slides, Mr. Danial will cover a range of topics which you never quite know where it will lead to next. This fun, educational, and lighthearted event is not to be missed.

 

For further information on this and other events on the Roycroft Campus, please call (716) 655-0261, 7 days a week from 10 am – 5 pm or visit www.roycroftcampuscorp.com.

 

The Roycroft Campus Corporation (RCC) is a not for profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the Roycroft Campus, a National Historic Landmark in East Aurora, New York.  From 1897 to 1938, the Roycroft Campus was one of the most successful and well-known centers of the Arts & Crafts Movement in the United States, consisting of a community of over 500 artisans and craftspeople led by writer and charismatic leader, Elbert Hubbard.  The RCC’s mission is to inspire visitors to experience the creativity, ideals and future of the Arts & Crafts Movement and to further promote and preserve the Roycroft Campus.