Whittling Klubb Student Continues Learning!
Marley Harmening has been learning woodworking styles in Whittling Klubb after-school classes at Vesterheim Folk Art School since she was 10 years old! This fall as a 10th grader in high school, she took her first adult class at Vesterheim with instructor Charlene Lynum and learned how to chip carve decorations onto wooden ornaments. This class was exciting to her for many reasons, but especially because she sat next to Rebecca Hanna as a fellow student. Rebecca has been Marley’s Whittling Klubb teacher for 6 years and now they are continuing their learning journey together!
Marley said it felt pretty cool to take a class with Rebecca and be at a level where she’s learning with her teacher. Marley has learned all types of carving in Whittling Klubb with both Rebecca and another instructor Stephanie Hughes – chip carving, relief carving, dragon style, kolrosing, acanthus carving, and figure carving. Her favorite right now is chip carving because she likes the geometric designs. In the class with Charlene, she was able to learn more specific information about tools and practice more techniques.
Marley said she likes to carve for many reasons. She feels it’s very calming, but she’s continually learning something new and she gets to meet really nice people all the time. She also likes woodworking because it’s easy to cover up mistakes or shift a design if something doesn’t go to plan.
Marley recently started learning rosemaling in the Vesterheim Rosemaling Klubb. She’s enjoying it but is still partial to carving. She appreciates Vesterheim classes because she’s involved in a lot of elective classes at school like orchestra and Spanish and she doesn’t have time in her school schedule for art. These classes fill that need for her.
Marley has been too busy to carve a lot at home lately but is hoping to change that this winter. She wants to continue to focus on chip carving and is currently making some Christmas presents – we don’t know who they are for, though! She hopes to sell her work in Vesterheim Museum Store someday.
Vesterheim offers afterschool programs in woodworking, rosemaling, outdoor fun, Norwegian culture and language, and fiber arts. Classes are regularly available fall through spring in 8-week sessions!
