Images provided by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, showing activities attendees will experience at the Maker’s Retreats June 12-14 and Oct. 16-18, as well as a photograph of the historic setting in which students will work and draw inspiration from.
Immersive arts and trades weekends focus on creativity, fun and hands-on learning from expert artisans
BETHLEHEM, PA—Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) announces the launch of the Historic Bethlehem Maker’s Retreats, two immersive, weekend-long crafts retreats in Bethlehem’s historic Colonial Industrial Quarter. The retreats, which are being offered June 12-14 and Oct. 6-18, will take place at the site of one of the first industrial centers in the nation, creating a unique environment for learning and exploring.
Designed for makers, artists and craftspeople of all skill levels, the Historic Bethlehem Maker’s Retreat invites participants to spend a full weekend immersed in centuries-old trades and contemporary creative techniques. Classes take place inside three historic structures on the 10-acre site: the 1782/1834 Grist Miller’s House, the 1869 Luckenbach Mill and the 1750 Smithy, a reconstruction of the original smithy at the site where blacksmiths once manufactured muskets during the American Revolution.
At the Maker’s Retreat, attendees will learn how to forge iron, create silver jewelry, experiment with natural dyes, shape clay with a master ceramicist and more. Class sizes are kept small to allow for personalized instruction, and no experience is necessary for any of the workshops. Students can choose up to five workshops from the list of more than 15 different offerings, and every participant leaves with all the work they have created.
Cost for the full weekend is $400 per person, with attendees also receiving a 20 percent discount off a stay at Historic Hotel Bethlehem, located adjacent to the Colonial Industrial Quarter. Built in 1922 by Bethlehem Steel President Charles M. Schwab, the hotel has been named the No. 1 Historic Hotel in the nation five years in a row by USA Today/10Best.
The Maker’s Retreats are made possible in part through funding from the Hotel Tax Grant Program through the County of Northampton Department of Community & Economic Development. In addition to the workshops, retreat registration includes a Friday evening welcome gathering and lecture and guided exploration of the Colonial Industrial Quarter. Retreat registrations can be made at historicbethlehem.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko,
