PENNSBURG PA – Two craft workshops, scheduled in Pennsburg for Sept. 19 and Sept. 25 (2026) respectively, are intended to help local residents better understand life in the region more than 300 years ago.
The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary St., plans to conduct a seminar there Saturday (Sept. 19) from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Its participants can join instructor Denise Wilz in making a redware sgraffito plate.
Then on Sept. 25 (Friday), in a second workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., instructor Karen Wychock will help those who attend to create a small market basket.
Unfamiliar with Sgraffito?
Wilz explains the sgraffito technique was used by 18th- and 19th-century Pennsylvania German potters. With it they created expressive designs in their folk-art pottery.
Sept. 19 workshop participants have the option to sgraffito 7-inch or 10-inch up to three redware plates coated with white clay slip (as time permits). All the sgraffito tools and books for ideas are provided. No prior experience is required. Those who attend may bring a bag lunch, if they prefer.
The class costs $60. A materials fee also will apply, of $38 for a 7” plate or $50 for a 10” plate. Payment by credit card via phone or a check is acceptable. However, workshop size is limited. Those interested can register by calling 215-679-3103; or sending an e-mail to info@schwenkfelder.org.
Fancy A Basket Instead?
Baskets were essential in the colonial period for gathering, marketing, and everyday household tasks. They proved to be indispensable tools in both town and farm life, Wychock says.
She will help Sept. 25 workshop participants create a small market basket using traditional techniques. Working over a wooden mold, each basket will be woven from natural reed. Each also will be finished with sturdy oak handles, and pre-bent reed rims.
The workshop costs $120 person, with all tools and materials supplied by the instructor. The work can be wet, so those who attend should bring an apron or towel. Again, payment by credit card via phone or a check is acceptable. Workshop size also is limited. Register by calling 215-679-3103; or sending an e-mail to info@schwenkfelder.org.
See A Newly Enhanced Exhibit, Free!
The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center is the largest museum in the region, with a mission to share stories of the Pennsylvania German experience. Admission to the center is free Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 4pm.
Currently three of its exhibits explore life during the American Revolution, and one of them has just been enhanced.
“A pair of beautifully crafted pistols by William Henry of Nazareth, Northampton County PA, dated circa 1780 to 1785,” has been added to the center’s exhibit, “Southeastern Pennsylvania Longrifles—The Early Years.”
The pistols are on loan, courtesy of the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University. They will be on view through Oct. 18 (Sunday). Visitors can receive a take-home, full-color guide for the exhibit that also is free.
Our entertainment reporting covers the arts and culture, shows, exhibits, performances, festivals, and community-related activities within, or that affect residents of, Montgomery, Berks, and Chester PA counties. Find more entertainment articles here. Also, see and join the Pottstown Arts and Cultural Alliance group on Facebook.
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