The Fabulous EFMLS Wildacres Workshop Experience
Fall 2022
By Helen Serras-Herman
The Eastern Federation of Mineralogical Societies (EFLMS)
Wildacres Workshop takes place twice annually at a wonderful and very
unique gathering place called Wildacres Retreat in North Carolina, near Spruce
Pine and Little Switzerland, about an hour north of Ashville. The
Wildacres Retreat sits hidden away amongst tall trees on top of Pompey’s Knob
at the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains at 3,300 feet elevation. Over 80
different groups of artists, musicians, and writers visit Wildacres every year.
Wildacres
Retreat, The
Wildacres Retreat is located at the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina
The Fall 2022 EFLMS Wildacres Workshop will be held September
5-11, 2022. The week starts Monday afternoon with dinner, and finishes Sunday
morning after breakfast. The first EFLMS Wildacres workshop was held in 1973,
almost 50 years of continuous excellent education.
Wildacres
Lodges and paths – Photo by Andrew Herman, The Wildacres lodges blend into the natural background;
walking paths offer
serene moments.
The name “Wildacres” reflects the natural environment- the mountain laurels, rhododendrons, wild flowers, birds, chipmunks, large colorful moths, and all other wildlife that call the 1,600 acres home. It is a sanctuary for wildlife and artistic endeavors. The buildings usually buzz with students and teachers, but there are many walking paths and sitting areas that offer serene and quiet moments of solitude and reflection. A favorite zen moment is to sit in the rocking chairs at the beautiful, large flagstone porch and gaze at the layers of blue ridges, and far away, the observatory on top of Mount Mitchell. Rain and thick fog often adds an eerie atmosphere, and deepens the mystery of the place.
Rocking
chairs & fog at Wildacres, A favorite
zen moment is to sit in the rocking chairs and gaze at the layers of blue
ridges, often covered by thick fog, which adds an eerie
atmosphere.
The retreat includes two lodges for sleeping
accommodations, a library, an outdoor amphitheater and an indoor auditorium for
lectures and musical performances. Room accommodations are rustic and simple,
but very clean and efficient. All rooms have private baths. All buildings are
heated, but without air-conditioning, only ceiling fans. There are no TVs or
radios anywhere. Three fabulous meals are served daily at the huge dining hall.
Workshop participants and instructors gather around large round tables and
share stories of the day, their creations, or background.
Many gather daily at the spacious lobby, also the
best spot for the Hughes satellite-provided internet access. You know that you
are in a remote area, when your cell phone is not working, except in a couple
spots around the property, also depending on your cell phone carrier. As stated
in their flyer, “all facilities at
Wildacres are designed in an attempt to blend the graces of modern life with
the beauty of the wilderness”.
At the dining room’s entrance lobby, a wonderful
collection of minerals and gem sculptures, many of them made of North Carolina
minerals, offer a glimpse of the local mineral wealth.
Mineral art
collection, A wonderful collection of minerals and gem
sculptures offer a glimpse of the local mineral wealth.
The Workshops
Lapidary
class, The lapidary class is a favorite workshop
During the week, various workshops are offered. They include
cabbing, faceting, intarsia, various jewelry-making techniques, scrimshaw,
gemology, and gem tree making. Classes vary every session, broken into two
semesters, some lasting two days, others all four. Classes start on a Tuesday
and end on a Saturday, with Thursday being a day off, when field trips and nearby
museum visits take place, or students simply rest. A tailgate
with a chance to buy or sell hobby related items, an auction where everyone has
fun, and a show-and-tell of the week’s creations also take place, all forging
lasting friendships and memories.
Bead
weaving class, Various
jewelry-making techniques are offered. I took the bead weaving class.
The EFLMS Wildacres Workshop’s objective is to introduce participants to new and different lapidary and jewelry making art forms that they may not have encountered before or may have not ever thought to take on. Even if the class may not be something you want to further pursue, you can now at least appreciate the time, effort and skill that each of these art forms require.
Speaker-in-Residence
Besides the hands-on workshops, at every EFLMS session an invited Speaker-in-Residence gives six lecture presentations during the week. As the speaker coordinator, I am very happy to announce that the Fall 2022 Speaker-in-Residence will be Dr. Tim Morgan.
Tim
Morgan holds a Ph.D. in history, and taught history at the Christopher Newport
University in Virginia from 1971 until he retired in 2005. He is currently a
GIA gemology student, an active member of the Washington DC-GIA Alumni, a
dedicated gem and jewelry researcher, and gem dealer.
Tim
Morgan has been the Potomac Gemology Class’s instructor since 2017, held at the
Potomac Community Recreation Center in Maryland. He works tirelessly to enhance
the classes with new presentations and specimens, and is beloved by all his
students. Tim also served as director for the Washington D.C. Bead Museum for
two years (2007- 2008).
Tim
Morgan was the Speaker-in-Residence for the EFLMS Wildacres Workshop in 2017,
and returns with new talks about lesser known gemstones, including apatite,
chrysoberyl, zoisite, and spinel. He will bring a wealth of knowledge and examples
to fondle and examine up-close. Tim also taught the gemology workshop during
the Spring 2022 Wildacres session. He is married to Michelle McMurty, a wonderful
jewelry artist and gem lover, who is always by his side.
Speaker Tim Morgan, The
Fall 2022 Speaker-in-Residence will be Dr. Tim Morgan accompanied by his wife Michelle McMurty
Plan on attending
The Wildacres experience is a fabulous one. The cost for the
week of classes, room and board is unmatched as much is sponsored by the
Wildacres’ Blumenthal Foundation (www.wildacres.org). The
setting is incredible, the views are breathtaking, the serenity of the place is
inspiring, classes and instructors are great, and the camaraderie is
mind-blowing. I have been honored to be the Speaker-in-Residence three times
and have incredible memories.
I hope that you will be able to join the Fall 2022 EFMLS Wildacres
Workshop. You have to be a member of any gem and mineral society across the
country affiliated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
(AFMS). Some clubs may even offer a scholarship for your attendance. Strict
Covid-19 precautions are enforced. For information and registration please
visit www.efmls.org/wildacres/.
Helen
Serras-Herman, a 2003 National Lapidary Hall of Fame inductee, is an acclaimed gem
sculptor with over 39 years of
experience in unique gem sculpture and jewelry art. See her work at www.gemartcenter.com and her business Facebook page at Gem Art Center/Helen Serras-Herman
*All photos by Helen Serras-Herman, unless otherwise noted*
