WORKSHOPS & LINKS to more information about the Strawbale Studio and Sustainability!
See www.freewebs.com/strawbalestudio for the UPDATED Calendar
August 19 – 21 Weekend: Friday 7 pm through Sunday 5 pm.
SCULPTING SACRED SPACE ~ A Women’s Weekend Retreat
Hand-Sculpted Space is possible! In this nourishing rural setting, you will have the opportunity to explore how natural materials can be used to beautifully shape interior and exterior spaces. Imagine sculpting a niche, rounded corner or arched doorway. We will be spending some time in the Strawbale Studio, an enchanting thatched roof, sculptural building made of natural materials. This “Place for the Soul”, constructed primarily by 4 woman, with the help of many other, is an inspiring example of creating a sense of reverence. During the Retreat you will have a chance to shape a model or sculpture out of an earthen mix - - which you can take home with you. Both indoor and outdoor space will be explored, and the group will collaboratively create a space together. There will also be time for reflection, walks in the woods, or conversations. You are invited to bring words, images, music or objects which represent the sacred, or remind you of the kind of spaces and places you would like to have in your life.
Appropriate for the home-dweller, the artist or interior designer and the curious!
Weekend: $160/$140*. Discount s for 2 or more. Includes Friday Evening Slideshow, tour of the thatched-roof Strawbale Studio, all materials, all meals (vegetarian) & simple lodging. Friday Evening Slideshow only: $15. $50 deposit due 2 weeks in advance. * Discount if paid in full 2 weeks in advance.
Background of the presenter: Deanne Bednar is the co-designer/builder of the Strawbale Studio, a sculptural, thatched roof structure with strawbale walls & earthen plasters. She is an art & sustainability educator who has illustrated 3 books on natural building including The Hand-Sculpted House & The Natural Plaster Book.
August 19 - 24
"Sculpting Sacred Space ~ A Women’s Intensive Workshop
This 5-day in-depth experience includes the Friday through Sunday Weekend Retreat listed above plus deeper exploration into the materials and possibilities! It also includes a personal consultation on how you can apply these techniques to your own spaces, and a copy of The Hand-Sculpted House Book illustrated by the presenter ($35 value).
In-depth Workshop: $300/$250* Discounts for 2 or more. *Early Bird Discount: prepaid in full 2 weeks in advance.
-----------------------------------------------------------
August 31, Wednesday from 6:30 - 9 pm >"THREE LITTLE PIGS TOUR, Strawbale Video & Supper
Curious about natural building and the Strawbale Studio? Come visit this enchanting thatched-roof structure and learn more about the natural building movement. Also find out about the other activities at the Studio, posted at www.uheac.org/links.html, model-making, natural paints and plastering. Books/art for sale. Includes a vegetarian supper.
$25/ $20(early-bird discount) or bring a friend ~ 2 for $35 prepaid.
September 17 1-5 pm
-----------------------------------------------------------
NATURAL BUILDING DAY
Join us at the Strawbale Studio for a tour and join in the natural building process. The Strawbale Studio is a uniquely sculptural structure with a thatched roof and earthen-covered strawbale walls evoke medieval memories. Learn about earthen mixes, where to find them, and their various applications. Hands-on. 1-5 pm. Optional: Potluck supper and free evening videos on natural building. $20 if paid by September 10 or $35 at the door.
Checks to Deanne Bednar, PO Box 733, Oxford MI, 48371. Call or email to register and for directions. ecoartdb@aol.com 248 628 1887. br>
-----------------------------------------------------------
CHILDRENS PLAYHOUSE
October 21-22, 29 & 30. 10 am - 6 pm.
We will be constructing a Playhouse with several natural building techniques: Strawbale, cob, wattle and daub... Join us for a day or more. This construction will take place at the Oakland Steiner School in Rochester Michigan.
Fees: Donations gratefully accepted but not necessary.
Directions: Livernois, south of M 59 and just north of South Blvd. on the west side of the street.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, November 6,2005
EARTH SCULPTURE WORKSHOP 10 am – 12 pm
NATURAL PAINTS WORKSHOP 1 pm – 5 pm
Curious about natural building materials? Learn about materials you can use in your own existing house to make it more nurturing and natural. In the morning, learn to make an earthen mix from local soils, and shape your own model or sculpture. Bring some food to share for lunch. In the afternoon experiment with milk paint, egg paint, beer glaze and alis on a board that you can take with you. Includes a tour of the enchanting Strawbale Studio Natural Building Project which features a thatched roof, a sculptural interior & solar electricity. Come for either or both parts of the day.
Earth Sculpture $18, Natural Paints $25 or both for $35 due by Oct 28. Group rates 20% discount. Checks made payable to Deanne Bednar, PO Box 733, Oxford MI, 48371. Call or email to register and for directions. ecoartdb@aol.com 248 628 1887.
See schedule of Natural Building activities at www.uheac.org/links.html
Mailing Address:
Deanne Bednar
P. O Box 733, Oxford, MI 48371
Checks or money order made out to Deanne Bednar
Workshop deposit of 20% due 1 week in advance, or full payment 2 weeks in advance for discounts. Also call 248 628 1887 to register.
Strawbale Studio Upcoming Events Calendar
-----------------------------------------------------------November 12 & 13, 19 & 20 (10am-5pm)
ROCKET STOVE WORKSHOP br>
Come help construct a heated bench using a Rocket Stove design. Efficient, hand-built, flexible design. Bring food to share. Payment due 1 week in advance. Call 248 628 1887 or email (ecoartdb@aol.com) to register.
Fees: Introductory price $25. Discount if you bring a friend: 2 for $40 !
For this fee you can participate in one or all of the days.
Ianto Evans, co-author of the book "Rocket Stoves ~ A Revolution in Wood Heating" (and a triple Leo!) writes: "Rocket Stoves are the ultimate in efficiency, reducing wood to carbon dioxide and water vapor, with a little ash. Coupled with heat storage in a cob bench bed or floor they provide gentle heat for up to two days without an all night smoldering fire that poisons the neighbors and heats mainly the sky. They are quite safe for small children as there are no dangerously hot surfaces. Rocket stoves work by burning wood in a completely new way than providing all their heat for cooking, toasting, baking, or heating water or people. They keep you snug. And previously unskilled people can build them of local and recycled materials at almost no cost. Rocket stoves incorporate the heat storage of a $10,000 mass stove, the convenience of a woodfired cookstove, the efficiency of a pellet furnace and limitless flexibility in design, all without moving parts, fans or motors. Are they a new idea? Relatively: we developed them without publicity about 20 years ago. Now they are increasingly popular in North America and Denmark, where traditional brick masons have adopted them to fit into artistic homes."In a message dated 10/27/2005 8:54:46 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, davsebo@yahoo.com writes:
Agenda: We intend to build the "core" part on Saturday, November 12, perhaps finishing enough on Sunday, November 13 in order to do a trial burn before we install the "heat mass" part. The heat mass part on the stove is perhaps the simpler part, and will be done probably mostly the second weekend (November 19 & 20). The second weekend we could do a simple mock-up of part of a rocket. To learn how to build, the first weekend should be more helpful.
Some folks will be staying overnight. Let us know what days you will be attending. Send your payments to Deanne Bednar (see below) one week in advance.
Call Dave Sebolt, 734-747-8860 or call/email Deanne with additional questions.
-----------------------------------------------------------
November 30, 2005. THREE LITTLE PIGS TOUR, Supper, and Strawbale Video. (6-9pm). Curious about natural building and the Strawbale Studio? Come visit this enchanting thatched-roof structure and learn more about the natural building movement. Take a tour of the thatched roof, Strawbale Studio, enjoy a tasty vegetarian meal, then watch the video: The Strawbale Solution! Lots of books and resources on display.
Fees: $25/ $20(early-bird discount) or bring a friend ~ 2 for $35 prepaid. Payment due 2 weeks in advance. Call or email to register.
--------------------------------------------------------------
See www.freewebs.com/strawbalestudio for the UPDATED December 2005 Calendar
-------------------------------------------------------------- January 21, 2005. REED COLLECTION WORKSHOP & THATCHING DEMONTRATION (9:30am-5:30pm). A day-long introductory experience in thatching. Tour the Strawbale Studio, experience a small thatching demonstration, then we will go out in the marshes and collect reed grass! A combination of indoor and outdoor activities. Bring your own food for lunch, and perhaps a thermos of hot chocolate!
Fees: $45 for the day. 20% Discount for more than one person. Payment due 2 weeks in advance. Call or email to register.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Workshops (Dates to be determined -- call or email to express interest!)
THE "F" SERIES: Felting, Foraging, Fermentation, and Fun! Winter, 2005-6. Learn basic felting skills (which can even be applied to felting with cat or dog fur!), foraging (learn about local edible plants and their culinary/medicinal uses), fermentation (winemaking!), and fun (videos, etc.)
WINTER WEEKEND RETREAT: Storytelling, Song, and Natural Crafts Weekend.
RADIANT FLOOR INSTALLATION, Spring 2006. Learn about and help construct a hot water system in the floor of the Strawbale Studio which will be heated by a woodstove and a solar hot water system.
CHILDREN'S COTTAGE: Start-to-Finish Building Project, Spring 2006 (also see our project in Rochester October 21-22 and 28-29). This project will take place on site.
REGIONAL NATURAL BUILDING DESIGN CHARETTE to design a small natural home with clear and easy construction details, suitable for this climate.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
**Schedule a workshop, retreat or presentation for your group, or suggest/help organize a class you would like to see happen!**
LINKS on Natural Building & Sustainable Living:
CALENDAR of activities at the Strawbale Studio:
www.uheac.org/links.html
CASE STUDY on the Strawbale Studio by the State of Michigan Energy Office:
www.michigan.gov/documents/CIS_EO_Inside_case13_41027_7.htm
OLD STRAWBALE STUDIO WEBSITE:
http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/vines/7729/
INFORMATION ON STRAWBALE BUILDING:
www.strawbale.com
MICHIGAN RENEWABLE ENERGY DEMONSTRATION CENTERS: www.warmtraining.org/medc/
DETROIT GREEN MAP: An interactive map of sustainable and green sites, businesses and organizations. www.detroitgreenmap.org
SUSTAINABLE DETROIT: sustainable sites, organizations & businesses & a
CALENDAR of EVENTS in the Detroit area: www.sustainabledetroit.org
Check out the Calendar of Activities below and visit the website www.freewebs.com/strawbalestudio for more information and updates.
Deanne Bednar writes: My background is an educator, (Middle School Art and Sustainable Futures class) artist and musician. I have illustrated three natural building books: The Cobbers' Companion, The Hand-Sculpted House and the Natural Plaster Book, and have done much practical and sculptural work on the Strawbale Studio. I am currently the coordinator of the programing at the Strawbale Studio, teaching introductory workshops on earthen sculpting, natural paints and plasters and natural building. I am also creating "Earth Art", which explores our place in nature and the whole of Life.
I am exploring how to live in a way that enhances Life, that supports this awesome, rich and diverse world. I like to share earth-skills with others, learn together and help network those things which are reverential and sustainable. As a member of the Detroit Green Map team, I am seeking to bring forward to awareness inspiring places, businesses and organizations that are already present and ready to serve. In the construction of the Strawbale Studio and "Earth Art", I seek to connect myself and others directly to hope and beauty.
(This is the original art work from which reproduction are made. 
LABYRINTH
The face on this earth art has the quality of warm, unconditional love which radiates from a relaxed and full smile. Made to hang on a wall. See front view in Credentials and Profile box above. t