From the very beginning, Walter Schutz felt Washington Island was the ideal place for learning and specifically as a place for Sievers School of Fiber Arts. He wrote in 1979, “What could be more ideal than creating in pleasant surroundings such as these?” Also, “…a positive cultural advance – the Island is ideally suited for this. I am convinced (Sievers) would not be as successful in other places…” and, from 1984, “I hope, too, that it will help you regard the Island with more reverence, help maintain its rustic, unspoiled atmosphere and above all keep it, as much as possible, the sort of place it is. It truly is ‘north of the tension line’ (and) opens the door to the […]
Visits and views
If you’d like a virtual visit to Washington Island and Hotel Washington with Wisconsin Public TV’s Wisconsin Foodie, we understand the episode filmed last summer will be broadcast (at least in our area) on Thursday, April 1 at 7:30 pm. If it is not scheduled on your local public television station, you should be able to view it via YouTube after it has aired. On April 15 (tentatively) is a second episode from the island, this time featuring the Island Café and Bread Company. Although the Island Café and Bread Company is no longer in business, we’re sure the feature will be as memorable as the meals, pizzas and pastries once offered there. We usually send an update on Washington […]
What’s happening at Sievers
Years ago, we submitted regular articles to the Washington Island Observer newspaper using this same headline. Topics ranged from Sievers enrollment, current hours, featured classes, the introduction of our new Facebook page (from a January 21, 2010 article), Sievers anniversary events as well as the notice of a new feature to our website, an online newsletter, which would be added in March 2008. Here we are, sending another blog post thirteen years later. How could the time go by so quickly? One newsworthy item that occurred on March 12 was a major upgrade to our Sievers Benchwork website by replacing the 2002 version with a entirely new look thanks to 3W Media Co. It is much more streamlined and user-friendly, […]
2021 Sievers Preview
February 1st will be here before we know it! That day, all of our 2021 classes will be open for registration and those class descriptions along with complete information will be available on our website. The site will be in “maintenance mode” soon, but available again for registration on February 1. Note: If you visit our website before February 1st, all dates and classes refer to last year. Featured on the cover of this year’s brochure is a Fair Isle sweater knit by Mary Germain. Thank you, Mary, for your beautiful knitted design! Our 2021 schedule (see link below) is not an exact duplicate of 2020, but since the overwhelming majority of classes were put on hold last year, we […]
More from Washington Island and other good things
We continue with more news and good things from Washington Island and Sievers. For some of the best nature photos, we like the Washington Island Art and Nature Center Facebook page which is sharing the birds, scenes and sounds of the moment. One of the events in May that will be on pause until next year is the W.I. Birding Festival. Lucky for us, the birds are still coming! A happy surprise greets drivers on West Harbor Road where about a dozen of these simple and meaningful signs along the roadside give a dose of good cheer. Last time we shared lodging news along with a taste of what restaurants are offering. Now we’ll look at shops (as listed by […]
Washington Island snapshot
Thank you so much for the kind comments we’ve received these past several days, especially from students who were enrolled in June classes. Many of them carry the same messages, including, “I totally understand”…”I support your decision”…”It is wise and necessary at this time”…”Be safe and well”…”Thinking of you”…”I’ll miss you”… and “Hope the Island is safe…”. Since you’ve asked and we’ve often shared Washington Island happenings at the beginning of the season, today we bring you a snapshot of life on Washington Island. Within the next few weeks, the Washington Island Ferry Line will add a new ferry, the Madonna, to their fleet. Built in Sturgeon Bay, the construction process has been chronicled in the Ferry Cabin News since […]
Anticipating, navigating and waiting
Dear Sievers Family and Friends, As spring arrives on Washington Island, we have always anticipated meeting new students, welcoming back those who are returning for class and greeting visitors in the shop. This spring, we, like you, are navigating our daily lives by placing the safety and health of those around us at the forefront. At the same time, we are all waiting to engage in the shared experiences that give us joy. Using the guidelines that are available, we feel the responsible thing to do at this time is to cancel our classes in June (Classes 1 through 7). The nature of our classes and dormitory housing, with groups of people working and living in common spaces, often using […]
An update
Hello dear Sievers friends, With the most recent “Stay at Home” order for Wisconsin extended to May 26, 2020, we want to let you know that we’ll be making a decision on our June classes (Classes 1 through 7) during the week of April 27. We’ll be posting that information here, on our social media sites and will be directly notifying any students registered for those classes via email or phone. We’ll also let you know about what’s “in store” for the Sievers Shop as we go forward. This is the time of year that we reflect back on our time spent together and at the same time anticipate seeing you come through the door. More than one student has […]
