Willowbank „Stonesthrow“ Stone Festival from September 30th to October 2nd near Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada

Willowbank „Stonesthrow“ Festival 2016.

Featuring courses and lectures on traditional building methods, live music, an artisan market and a dance / Lecture by Dominion Sculptor Phil White

The Willowbank „Stonesthrow“ Stone Festival will run the weekend of September 30th to October 2nd with additional certification courses on Monday October 3rd. It will celebrate stone and its influence as one of the first and most basic traditional building materials. The venue is Queenston, 5k north of the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

This year’s festival will feature a slate of short courses and lectures on traditional building methods, live music, an artisan market and a dance.

Stonesthrow will kick off with an opening lecture by Dominion Sculptor Phil White on Friday September 30th at 1pm at Willowbank’s lower campus: 5 Walnut Street in town.

As Canada’s Dominion Sculptor, the only position of its kind worldwide, Phil designs and carves statues, portraits and decorative pieces to commemorate Canada’s history, people, events and character on Parliament Hill and other government buildings. He is part of a tradition and an evolution of parliamentary sculpture. Admission is $10, with tickets available at the door.

The opening lecture will be followed by a public dance at 7pm featuring a live local band and local food and drink. Admission is $10 with tickets available at the door.

This year’s stone festival builds upon previous festivals with great short course offerings on topics related to stone and other traditional building methods. This year’s offerings will include:
* Introduction to Dry Stone Walling (2 days) w/ Master wallers Dean McLellan and Phil Dolphin;
* Introduction to Stone Carving (1 day) w/ Danny Barber of Smith and Barber Atelier;
* Advanced Stone Carving (2 days) w/ Nicholas Fairplay, Master Stone Carver;
* Introduction to Plastering (1 day) w/ Johnny Doran of Acanthus Heritage Plastering;
* Historic Mortars and Lime Burn (2 days) w/ Keith Blades, Stone Conservationist;
* Introduction to Blacksmithing (1 day) w/ Lloyd Johnston, 5th generation Blacksmith.

For those who are looking to gain their UK Certifications in dry stone walling, Monday October 3rd will feature both Level 1 and Level 2 certifications by Dean McLellan and Phil Dolphin.

Apart the courses and the program, the festival gives an opportunity to wander about our Willowbank’s campus on Saturday, October 1st with artisan market and an open air musical line up along with food trucks and craft beer.

Located on a historic campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Willowbank is pioneering an ecological approach to heritage conservation and renewal. Through the Willowbank School, which offers a Diploma in Heritage Conservation, and the Willowbank Centre, which promotes community engagement, it is developing an innovative way of thinking about the past, in order to create a more sustainable future, as said on the webpage

Willowbank „Stonesthrow“ Stone Festival, September 30th to October 2nd, 2016, Queenston, Ontario, Canada

Canada’s Dominion Sculptor, Phil White (Video)

(13.08.2018)