kudzu christmas trees
instructed by beth phillips
Bring the natural world into your holiday decor!
Make your own stylized, open weave holiday tree from wild-harvested, invasive, kudzu vines and bamboo. We will also make Kudzu peace wreath ornaments from foraged, local tree branches and Kudzu vines. A $20 materials fee is due to the instructor at the beginning of class. The instructor will supply a set of fairy lights for each student.
This class is limited to participants 18+.
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This class has a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 12. If the minimum is not met, participants will be refunded. This workshop is non-refundable after supplies have been purchased and the registration deadline passes.
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Please email Mary Bell, Program Director, at mbell@kentuck.org with any questions.
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Kentuck workshops are non-refundable after the registration closes. If you would like to cancel before the deadline passes, please email mbell@kentuck.org or call 205-758-1257. If the class does not meet the minimum by the registration deadline and the workshop is cancelled, all participants will be refunded their registration fees.
details:
Age Range: 18+
Dates: November 11, 2023
Times: 1-4:00 PM
Location: Kentuck's Georgine Clarke Building
Tuition: $75; $20 Materials Fee to be paid to the instructor
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meet the instructor
Beth Phillips
Beth Phillips was raised on a dairy farm in southern Tennessee, and, as she was nearing her high school graduation, Beth knew that she wanted nothing more than to move to the city and leave the country behind. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts, Beth moved to Atlanta and began working in galleries and art education centers, which put her own work on the backburner.
By the time Beth was in her mid-30s, she had moved to Birmingham’s “wonderful eclectic” Southside neighborhood and was a mother to two young children. Living on a dead-end nestled against a kudzu-covered, hilly lot, Beth and her two children spent their time outside exploring. Beth’s children showed an interest in what could be made from the extremely long, fast-growing kudzu vines that made their way into their backyard. They began wrapping sticks and making wreaths, and, although her kids lost interest after a few days, Beth began using kudzu as a sculpting medium, creating very large figurative work that filled their backyard and gained the attention of a local neighbor who invited Beth for her first exhibition! Beth’s constant experimentation with kudzu has led her on a twelve-year journey—learning about kudzu and its benefits and how to best manipulate the vines. Her work is now free-form and open weave in her one-of-a-kind spheres and lampshades, and, when lit from the inside, gives a dramatic display of like and shadow. Beth also draws on inspiration from nature, fairy, and goddess imagery to create her figurative sculptures that celebrate the Divine Feminine and the wild, raw beauty of the nature world.
Beth Phillips moved back to the country and calls Rogersville, Alabama her home with her guitar-playin husband, 3 dogs, 3 cats, and two adult children who come back to visit from time to time. Her work can be found online at , at Homegrown Art Gallery in Sheffield Alabama, and Kentuck’s Gallery Shop in Northport, Alabama as well as numerous private collections throughout the US.
This workshop is sponsored in part by the Alabama State Council on the Arts.