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Instructors: Diane KeeseeJoin us for a hands-on workshop where you’ll create a beautiful scarf using dyes extracted from natural sources such as indigo—one of the most historically significant dyes in early American craft. As the nation marks its 250th year, this class offers a unique opportunity to connect with the skills, materials, and traditions that shaped daily life in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Instructor Diane Keesee will explore the historic uses of natural dyes in early America, from the role of indigo in colonial trade to the ways communities relied on local plants for color long before synthetic dyes existed. You’ll learn how to identify dye-producing plants in your region, along with responsible harvesting practices that honor both the land and the traditions passed down through generations.
Participants will be guided through preparation and dyeing techniques using natural mordants and modifiers—methods that would have been familiar to early American artisans. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have created your own naturally dyed scarf and gained a deeper appreciation for the heritage skills that helped color the fabric of American history.
Celebrate this milestone year by learning a craft that connects past and present and share these time-honored techniques with friends and family. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $79 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $71.10
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7/11/2026 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
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Instructors: Jack Hobe Learn how to draw the birds in your backyard in this workshop taught by naturalist and wildlife illustrator Jack Hobe. Discover tricks for capturing birds on paper before they fly away, using easy-to-learn gesture sketching techniques. While the focus will be on black -and-white drawing, Jack will also walk through pointers on how to simplify birds’ feathers, wings, tails and feet. Songbirds can be challenging and feisty subjects to draw, but Jack’s passion for birding and art will help you demystify feather patterns, movements, form and behavior. Stay cool and comfortable in the Copeland House throughout the session, making it an ideal space to settle in and sketch. No art or drawing experience required—all skill levels are welcome! Paper for sketching, lead pencils with sharpener, and a Prismacolor non-photo blue colored pencil are included in the class price. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $49 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $44.10
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7/18/2026 1:00 PM-3:00 PM
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Instructors: Shelly SilvaCyanotype, also known as sun prints, is a camera-less photographic process that uses light, chemistry, and nature to create striking blue-and-white images. In this hands-on class, explore how this historic technique invites close observation of plants while celebrating form, texture, and the fleeting beauty of the natural world.
Begin with a brief introduction to the history of cyanotype, then use the sun itself as a UV light source to create your own prints using plant materials harvested from Mt. Cuba’s gardens. As you arrange leaves, stems, and flowers, you’ll learn how composition, exposure, and light interact to produce unique and expressive images—no photography experience required.
You will leave with finished cyanotype prints and a deeper appreciation for the intersection of art, science, and plants. This creative experience offers a new way to engage with Mt. Cuba’s landscape, turning observation into lasting works of art.
All supplies are provided. Please note the use of chemicals may stain, so wear appropriate clothing. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $79 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $71.10
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Instructors: Sara SetzerCreate beautifully patterned silk scarves inspired by Mt. Cuba’s landscape, in this immersive, one-day workshop. Using leaves and other natural materials, explore botanical printing techniques that highlight the subtle relationships between plant form, color, and fabric.
Join Sara Setzer, a local fiber artist, and learn how to bundle and wrap fabric for clear, expressive prints, and discover how color shifts in the dye bath, how mordants influence results, and how different fabrics and techniques shape the final design. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the broader world of plant-based art and natural processes an approach that connects seamlessly with Mt. Cuba’s other offerings in gardening, ecology, and nature-inspired craft.
By the end of the day, you will complete two full-length silk scarves, each reflecting a moment of exploration and creative connection to the natural world. Keep one and gift one! This workshop is ideal for those who enjoy learning through making and are curious to explore nature from an artist’s perspective.
We recommend you bring your lunch, and there are snacks for sale on site. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $105 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $94.50
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Instructors: Sara SetzerCapture the essence of Mt. Cuba’s vibrant pollinator life while learning the foundational techniques of three dimensional needle felting. Local textile artist Sara Setzer guides participants in creating detailed wool sculptures of moths, butterflies, and bees using natural fibers and beginner friendly methods.
This workshop draws inspiration from the keen observations of Mt. Cuba’s Pollinator Watch volunteers—those dedicated community scientists who spend their days moving through the orderly rows of research plants, clipboard in hand, noting every buzz, flutter, and hover. Their careful tracking of which flowers attract the most bees offers a window into the hidden rhythms of the garden, and these real world insights help inform the colors, shapes, and textures you’ll bring to life in your felted artwork.
Leave with your own hoop framed piece of original art, ready to hang and admire. No experience is needed. Bring your lunch and enjoy a relaxed, creative session rooted in both craft and conservation. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $65 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $58.50
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9/20/2026 10:00 AM-1:00 PM
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Instructors: Margaret Saylor September is the moment — the woodland floor at its most generous, brackets and boletes and chicken-of-the-woods each a small architectural event. This workshop is about learning how to look, to see, and to draw.
Drawing is how you truly document what you found — a study that required you to look long enough to understand what you were seeing. Cap shape, gill structure, the particular heft of a stipe — these are the things a sketchbook captures and a memory loses.
The morning begins with a guided fungi walk on Mt. Cuba's grounds, where you'll make field notes and quick sketches in the landscape, including a short exercise drawing mushrooms within their habitat. Studio drawing follows, using wild and cultivated specimens sourced — fresh material you can handle, compare, and observe at your own pace.
You'll leave with a completed sketchbook spread, a practiced eye for fungal form, and skills you can bring back to the field on every future foray.
All skill levels welcome. Some drawing experience is helpful but not required. Please bring your lunch. A materials list will be provided upon registration. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $85 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $76.50
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9/25/2026 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
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