the spoon gathering
About the Spoon Gathering
An annual assembly of folk artisans with an emphasis on spoons — Hosted by the Milan Village Arts School
MVAS hopes to make The Spoon Gathering an annual event hosted in Milan at the Greater Milan Initiative playground. The event was started in 2007 by a group of craftsmen including three MVAS teachers: Frank Foltz, Jim Sannerud, and Fred Livesay.
As practicioners of various folk arts, the three hope to build a folk arts fellowship event around the hand-made spoon, a traditional symbol associated with family, food, fellowship, community, celebration, and commemoration in many cultures. Spoons also have practical uses for eating, measuring and mixing and have attracted a long tradition of fine workmanship by folk artists.
Dates: June 6, 7, 8, 2008
Location: At the old school playground in Milan, MN
(Milan, MN is at the intersection of Highways 40 & 7, thirty miles east of the Minnesota/South Dakota border)
Cost: Participation fee is $10 per person
Wood spoon enthusiast & craftsman, Norman Stevens, Storrs, CT will kick-off the second annual spoon gathering at 9:00 a.m. Saturday by sharing his interest in spoons and with an introduction to his international spoon collection.
Demonstrations
Bill Jaeger - Scandinavian figure carving
Dennis Chilcote - traditional broom making
Del Stubbs - sharpening
Frank Foltz - beginning spoon carving, kolrosing
Fred Livesay - spoon carving, birch bark boxes
Jon Strom - hand carved bowls
Karen Henderson - whimsical bark carving
Tom Dengler - Scandinavian shrink boxes
Tom Latane - decorative filing and chasing
...and other demonstrations throughout Saturday.
Event Details
- Registration begins Friday, June 6, at 1:00 p.m.
- Primitive camping on-site
- Potluck dinner, Friday evening
- Local Foods Dinner on Saturday at School cafeteria, $10, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
- There will be folk music (bring your instruments for music
opportunities throughout the weekend) - Jerry Ostensoe will be playing Saturday
- In case of rain…events will be held in the old Milan school gym
Contact the Milan Village Arts School for housing, activity, and restaurant options in the region. Milan is 40 miles west of Willmar on Highway 40 or 150 miles west of Minneapolis on Highway 7. Pre-registration is appreciated for purposes of planning. Do so by e-mail at mvas@fedteldirect.net or at 320-734-4807.
This is not a sales event, but an annual gathering of practicioners of wood carving and the folk arts for purposes of fellowship, artistic growth, and friendship. Please contact MVAS with questions and suggestions.