Special Event Combines Art, Nature & Education
Woodson Branch Nature School brings art and nature to the community.
Woodson Branch Nature School will hold an Open House on April 7, 2018, from 2-8 p.m. at its 30-acre farm in Marshall, NC. Visitors will tour the school farm, experience some of the school’s innovative, nature-based curriculum, and enjoy the dedication of an on-site community art installation by Asheville-based ceramic artist Josh Copus.
Open House visitors may enjoy the creative efforts of Woodson Branch students and learn about the wide range of subjects offered that “nurture the whole person.” Among the day’s events both on the farm and in the forest, where much of the school’s teaching take place, will be a scavenger hunt, visiting with farm animals, student exhibits, delicious food, and local music. There will also be a raffle to raise money for the school, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
At 6 p.m., attendees will witness the dedication of the Chimney. The brick factory that Copus used to make the bricks for the art project will be in operation during the event, allowing guests to inscribe their own hand-formed bricks.
“We are excited to share our amazing school and its farm environment with the community,” said Debbie DeLisle, head of the school and Executive Director of its non-profit parent, Madison County Community Learning Centers. Woodson Branch Nature School is an independent nature-based farm, art, and forest school for kindergarten through 8th grade. Founded and operated by Madison County Community Learning Centers, the school is situated on a 30-acre farm in Marshall, NC, and offers students an innovative experiential learning environment.
Designed to promote an ethic of personal, social and environmental stewardship, the hands-on curriculum includes English language arts, math, science, history, the humanities, and physical education, and non-traditional subjects such as food preparation, agriculture and horticulture, animal care, forest time, art and handwork, conflict resolution, financial management fundamentals, and mindfulness and daily reflections practices.
For more details, visit www.madisoncclc.org. For more information about the ceramic artist, visit joshcopus.com.
