Elkland School Studio

In 1996, Tom Sternal and I purchased the old Elkland School in Todd, NC. It was 5,000 square feet of vacant and vandalized, all the glass broken, weeds growing up. We discovered, as we began reparations, that it had also been condemned by the building inspector. A residence was distilled from three of the six old classrooms and the other three were adapted 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 Handwerke, 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.