Instructor: Karen Zukas
Ages: 10 and Up !
Format: 2 hour workshop
Date: Wednesday, August 12
Time: 1:00 to3 :00
Course Fee: $35.00 ! Includes all materials. Looms, pins, flosses, scissors, instructions
Friendship Bracelets ~ Hand Weaving 3 ways !!
This workshop will teach you to make these sweet and lasting symbols of friendship. You'll choose your colors and will learn 4 basic styles, and will begin all of them and finish at least one bracelet during the class. You'll work free style, on a little loom and with a cardboard guide. The tradition is to make two, or to bring a friend and make an identical one for each other as a symbol of your lasting friendship. Given to one friend from another as a symbol of long-lasting companionship, the traditional rule of thumb is to have one friend tie the other’s bracelet on while the receiver makes a wish. The bracelets are to be worn until they fall off naturally, at which point the wish will be granted. Unbeknownst to many, friendship bracelets date back to ancient Central America. Some decorative knots associated with the bracelets can be traced all the way to China circa 481- 221 B.C. but according to most, Central America is the real birthplace. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until the early 1970’s that these babies made their comeback. That was the era when the matching bracelet wave crashed in the United States and flooded the streets of cities around the world.
Karen Charbonneau Zukas has been making all kinds of stuff for most of her life. She is a graduate of Tufts university and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston with a master’s degree in education from Western New England University. She is a recognized portrait painter and potter and former columnist for the Bulletin in Boston. She has been teaching various subjects, primarily advanced ESL, fine art, writing, test prep, debate and humanities; at universities, preparatory, public, private and international schools and community ed in Boston and now locally for over 35 years. She and her family moved back to the south coast in 2013. She is currently working on a book which is a series of short animal stories from her personal experiences. She is the proprietor of Peasantware Pottery in New Bedford and the founder of The New Bedford Art and Cultural Emporium at Kilburn ! Email: kczukas@comcast.net
Have your GPS take you to 101 West Rodney French Blvd. in New Bedford. Once there, please park on the far end of the building which is AWAY from the main entrance. You'll see an ORANGE door that says Mattress Handup, it is the last door of the entire building...Enter there and go up the stairs. At the top of the stairs...follow small yellow signs for NBACE. We're right around the corner behind the mural !!