Images from the community workshop….

Last weekend, over 50 community members from all over central Vermont attended our two community lantern-making workshops at Thatcher Brook Primary School in Waterbury. It was a beautiful, fun and convivial atmosphere – here are a few photos from the day…

Participants made vellum lanterns this year – a change from the last 6 years…

some pressed autumnal flowers and leaves into contact paper…

Jane and Aida show off their gorgeous lanterns…

Mariah and Louisa work on their colorful creations…

Victoria and Sandy painted with liquid watercolor

Lovely lanterns in time for the parade…

Lantern Fever takes over Thatcher Brook Primary School

For the past few weeks, TBPS students from Pre-K to 4th grade have been working with excitement to complete their lanterns for this year’s River of Light in Waterbury. Pre-K to 2nd grade students have been working with MK Monley, art teacher at Thatcher Brook. 3rd and 4th graders worked with Gowri Savoor to make individual flower-pot lanterns which will be overflowing with wild vegetation and fantastical flora, come parade day.

The youngest lantern-makers pressed autumnal leaves and petals into their adorable lanterns

1st and 2nd grade students experiment with vellum

Community members assist with lantern workshops

Flowerpots begin to take shape

A very tame looking house-plant

Papering the flowerpots

Students work together to complete their amazing creations

River of Light in Waterbury 2016!

Hello and welcome to this year’s River of Light in Waterbury lantern parade! We are delighted to announce that this year’s parade will be taking place on Saturday December 3rd 2016! Workshop info. coming soon! In the meantime, please enjoy our poster – this year’s theme is ‘Everything Botanical: Wild Vegetation and Fantastical Flora!” We look forward to seeing your beautiful creations!

Community Workshops 2015

We have reached the end of our community workshop program for 2015 – it’s been a fantastic ride filled with creativity and excitement for this year’s parade.
We held workshops in 3 locations: Waterbury, Stowe and Bolton with close to 60 attendees. Images from the Waterbury, Stowe and Bolton workshops below!

It was a busy day at the Helen Day Art Center

David Moody close to finishing

Bolton art teacher Kim Aucter with her beautiful luminary

Bolton workshop participants

Ryan and Katie at the Stowe workshop

Emily gets into the swing of things

Shelby and Livia at the Stowe session

focus and concentration from Seth and Aida

Waterbury got off to a serious start

Steve and Alice worked together to make their lanterns

using bug drawings as reference material

Jo Ann and Reese make some beautiful luminaries

Thatcher Brook Teachers get creative…

The teachers at Thatcher Brook Primary School were invited to an after-school lantern making session earlier this week; incredibly, 26 teachers showed up to create a luminary for this year’s River of Light – an all-time record!
But Mandy Couturier has to win the prize for the most inspired take on the theme of BUGS!, with her depiction of some beetles 🙂

Mandy’s beetle mania

Teachers’ after-school workshop

 

Emerging artists at Thatcher Brook Primary School

A selection of 3rd and 4th grade artists  at Thatcher Brook Primary School had the opportunity to design and build some large-scale lanterns this week. They went through the entire creative process; brainstorming, drawing, designing, collaborating and finally building. Modifying lanterns built during previous workshops, our talented crew came up with a spider, a ladybird, a dragonfly and a butterfly.

Team butterfly

Team dragonfly

Emerging artist lanterns

team ladybird rising to the challenge

team spider hard at work

the spider grows..

Community Workshop Program 2015!

This year’s free Community Workshop Program! If you are interested in attending one of our workshops, please find details below…

1. Community Workshop 1: Waterbury
Date: Saturday November 7th 2015
Place: Thatcher Brook Primary School, Waterbury VT
Time: 10am -3pm to include an hour break for lunch

2. Community Workshop 2: Stowe
Date: Saturday November 14th 2015
Place: Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, VT

Time: 10am-3pm to include an hour break for lunch

3. Community Workshop 3: Bolton
Date: Saturday November 21st 2015
Place: Smilie Memorial School, 2712 Theodore Roosevelt Hwy, Bolton, VT
Time: 10am-3pm to include an hour break for lunch

Please note that for the above sessions:
– Workshops are free to attend
– All tools and materials will be provided. If you have a pair of hand-held
pruning shears, please bring them along, it will be useful to have a 
pair of your own
– Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult. This 
activity is not suitable for children under 6
– There will be a limit of 20 participants
– Donations will be welcome

For further information or to book your  place, please contact Gowri Savoor on
tel: 802 778 0334 email: info@gowrisavoor.com

Kim and Jody at the Burlington workshop, VT

Lantern-making in the Community

The last of our community workshops ended on Saturday. Over the course of 3 weeks, we created over 60 lantern structures in workshops taking place in Montpelier, Stowe and Waterbury VT. We had a great turnout at each of our community sessions, with participants ranging in age from 4 to 86. Some of the lanterns have simple forms, others are more complex and reflect the houses and buildings of Vermont – but each one is beautiful and quite unique. The Art + Architecture students at Norwich University are working steadily on their interpretation of St. Basil’s Cathedral – more will be revealed soon!

Union Elementary taking shape at Union Elementary!

deep focus in Montpelier

Montpelier workshop

Rachel and Miranda at NU

the towers of St. Basil’s take shape

testing the paper samples at night

Liz Kennedy at HDAC

Fun and focus in Stowe

Jen and Alison finishing their lanterns at HDAC

Gowri gives a little direction

some fantastical lantern houses were made in Waterbury

Clair and her father George work together in Waterbury

Lantern-Making Residency at TBPS, Waterbury 2014

The lantern-making residency at Thatcher Brook Primary School has just drawn to a close. 3rd and 4th graders worked with artist Gowri Savoor to make some beautiful lanterns based on a simple saltbox house, in keeping with the theme of Our Town. The students really enjoyed working with the willow–we realized that 4th graders have made a lantern and attended the lantern procession every year that they have been in school, since starting in Kindergarten. Here are a few images from the 2-week residency.

3rd and 4th graders make saltbox lanterns

Kindergarten lantern style

Pre-K lanterns are adorable this year

1st & 2nd grade lanterns in progress

3rd and 4th graders make saltbox lanterns

lots of support from friends and family members

getting to grips with the willow

the papering is going well

Artists’ Lantern-Making Workshop 2014

A couple of weeks ago, we had a fantastic artists’ lantern-making workshop. With close to 3o artists, art teachers and other creatives from all over Central Vermont and beyond, we worked for two days straight in the TBPS gym to make some incredible structures to reflect the theme of ‘Our Town’. By Sunday evening, we had a variety of lantern forms including a covered bridge, two lighthouses, a giant shuttlecock, maple trees, the Seminary Arts building, Union Elementary and the Chrysler Building.  Here are a few images from the weekend….

Betsy Fram and her hometown lighthouse

Getting started with close to 30 artists

Jyles works on a train

Rebbie Carlton and MK discuss lanterns

Sarah-Lee works on a maple tree

Angelo gives some instruction to team shuttlecock

Jan and Jack work on Waterbury train station

Union Elementary takes shape with Valeria and Kristina

A covered bridge and maple trees – very Vermont