On Saturday, September 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Canterbury Shaker Village will host the Canterbury Artisan Festival, which includes wagon rides, craft activities for children and adults, demonstrations of traditional Shaker crafts and more. The festival also features agricultural demonstrations, a juried craft fair and farmer’s market.
“We even have two teenage brothers who have revived the old arts of blacksmithing,” said Nicole Laurin, special events and adult programs manager at Canterbury Shaker Village. “There are many stories to be told here, which makes this annual event so interesting to people of all ages.”
For Sara Petipas of On the Cusp Pottery in Concord, the festival represents a unique opportunity to demonstrate the craft of wheel throwing.
“I will be making mostly vases, but potentially other forms such as bowls, pitchers and mugs,” she said.
For Petipas, the most rewarding aspects of pottery making are the processes themselves.
”The acts of wheel throwing and glazing are very meditative,” she said.
The most challenging part is the fragility of the process.
“There are many points in the process when things could go wrong–damage in drying, trimming, firing and transport of the finished pieces,” she added.
As for why she has returned to the festival for the past 6 years, she said she simply loves it.
“I enjoy working outside among the beautiful buildings,” she said. “Canterbury Shaker Village is a beautiful, peaceful place that lends itself well to the creation and appreciation of craft. It’s just gorgeous.”
For Laurin, Petipas’ appreciation of Canterbury Shaker Village is often experienced by visitors, which makes this annual festival so important to their mission.
“This festival showcases the “dynamic and vibrant” atmosphere of this place,” she said. “It represents the best of what we have to offer here.”
One of 17 museums on the NH Heritage Museum Trail, Canterbury Shaker Village is located in the Merrimack Valley branch of the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail.
Additional branches include the Seacoast and Lakes Region. Stops on The Trail include Canterbury, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Laconia, Manchester, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Tamworth, and Wolfeboro.
To learn more about the Canterbury Artisan Festival, which takes place on Saturday, September 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visit www.shakers.org.
“We even have two teenage brothers who have revived the old arts of blacksmithing,” said Nicole Laurin, special events and adult programs manager at Canterbury Shaker Village. “There are many stories to be told here, which makes this annual event so interesting to people of all ages.”
For Sara Petipas of On the Cusp Pottery in Concord, the festival represents a unique opportunity to demonstrate the craft of wheel throwing.
“I will be making mostly vases, but potentially other forms such as bowls, pitchers and mugs,” she said.
For Petipas, the most rewarding aspects of pottery making are the processes themselves.
”The acts of wheel throwing and glazing are very meditative,” she said.
The most challenging part is the fragility of the process.
“There are many points in the process when things could go wrong–damage in drying, trimming, firing and transport of the finished pieces,” she added.
As for why she has returned to the festival for the past 6 years, she said she simply loves it.
“I enjoy working outside among the beautiful buildings,” she said. “Canterbury Shaker Village is a beautiful, peaceful place that lends itself well to the creation and appreciation of craft. It’s just gorgeous.”
For Laurin, Petipas’ appreciation of Canterbury Shaker Village is often experienced by visitors, which makes this annual festival so important to their mission.
“This festival showcases the “dynamic and vibrant” atmosphere of this place,” she said. “It represents the best of what we have to offer here.”
One of 17 museums on the NH Heritage Museum Trail, Canterbury Shaker Village is located in the Merrimack Valley branch of the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail.
Additional branches include the Seacoast and Lakes Region. Stops on The Trail include Canterbury, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Laconia, Manchester, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Tamworth, and Wolfeboro.
To learn more about the Canterbury Artisan Festival, which takes place on Saturday, September 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visit www.shakers.org.