Elkland School Studio

In 1996, Tom Sternal and I purchased the old Elkland School in Todd, NC. It was vacant and vandalized, all the glass broken, weeds growing up. It had also been condemned by the building inspector, we discovered, as we began reparations. We created a residence from three of the six old classrooms and cleaned up the other three for studios and storage. The old cafeteria and kitchen became a shop. Later, we added a new shop at the north end of the building, the entire space now totaling 8,200 square feet. Elkland School Art Center, a non-profit, was founded in the spring of 1997 to offer community art classes, followed by parades and puppet shows. Elkland Handwork, a for-profit art products business, developed in tandem. Today, the old school houses art studios for myself and my partner, Rick, as well as our residence.