The Joy of Making
Save the Date and join us for The Joy of Making: Artistry, Handicrafts, and Creativity in a Digital Age from July 25-27, 2024, in Wilmore, Kentucky!
Artistry, handicrafts and creativity in a digital age
The joy of making
Join us at our 2024 annual gathering from July 25-27, 2024, in Wilmore, Kentucky! This conference will be a time of exploration and growth as we unpack Charlotte Mason’s ideas on handwork, life skills, and the joy of making. We’ll study the impact of creative work and discuss how artistry connects to many areas of the feast, sometimes in surprising ways. Our sessions will honor the old and embrace the new, and of course, we’ll live out what we teach as makers of beautiful and useful things! We hope to see you there!
From Thursday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, we will gather to listen, discuss, and explore Mason’s thoughts on the joy of making in a number of diverse sessions, including keynote talks, practical immersions, workshops, and fireside chats.
The entire conference will be surrounded by the beauty of the Kentucky bluegrass, the local history and handwork, and the warmth of food, conversation, and community. (And, if you can't make it in person, we have plans for you too!)
Participants--including teens ages 13 and older! --will experience lively discussion and community throughout the conference and leave not only knowing and experiencing Charlotte Mason better themselves but also knowing better how to offer a Charlotte Mason education (including some fascinating handicrafts) to others.
"Again we know that the human hand is a wonderful and exquisite instrument to be used in a hundred movements exacting delicacy, direction and force; every such movement is a cause of joy as it leads to the pleasure of execution and the triumph of success. We begin to understand this and make some efforts to train the young in the deft handling of tools and the practice of handicrafts. Some day perhaps, we shall see apprenticeship to trades revived and good and beautiful work enforced. In so far, we are laying ourselves out to secure that each shall "live his life"; and that, not at his neighbor's expense; because, so wonderful is the economy of the world that when a man really lives his life he benefits his neighbor as well as himself; we all thrive in the well being of each."
~Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education p. 328
sessions
Pre-Conference Events
Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Bluegrass and dive deep into some of Charlotte ideas and practices in these intimate pre-conference events.
Session Descriptions
Browse the wide variety of sessions below to explore during the conference. Full abstracts will be posted soon!
Charlotte Mason & Handicrafts: How Making Contributes to Compassion & Community
Use Your Tools
Q & A With Timothy Willard
Starting a Mason School
Creativity Required: The Case of a Hispanic CM Educator
Fledging: Mason’s Wisdom for Parents with Children Learning Outside the Home
Hospitality + Home Design as a Creative Endeavor
Let's discuss a Monograph: A Feast of Living Ideas in a World of Bytes
Blue Orchard Bee Meetup
Who is Mason and What is a Relational Education?
Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live
Book-making for Teens
Method of a Lesson: Bridging CM Philosophy to Practice
The Storied Life of the Child - Storytelling as an Act of Imagination
Charlotte Had a Wireless: Incorporating Digital Tools in Creative Ways
Connecting to Cultures through Handicrafts
Picture Study: A Delightful Gateway
Living Latin Primer: Incipiamus!
Nature Journaling from From Zero to Adult
When the “Method” isn’t Working
Nurturing Hospitality in our Homes through Handicrafts
Beauty Amidst Concrete: Delighting in Urban Nature
Charlotte Mason and St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Joy in the Little Things
Broad & Varied Feast of Literal FOOD: Feeding Children as Persons Who Learn to Love What’s Good for Them
From Cultivation to Construction: Gourds As An Educational Springboard
From Concept to Reality: Wooden Replica Knives
Considered Masterly Inactivity: Peace for the Parent, Growth for the Child
Glimpse into a 5th/6th Grade Class
Starting a Bilingual or Bicultural CM Education
Sol-fa - Not So Scary
Growing in the Knowledge of God
Eve Anderson Tea & Activities
Crafting Affrilachia: How Identity, Culture and Place Come Together
Student Work Displays
Making a Life Q & A with Melanie Falick
Becoming a Family Story-Keeper
Crafting Beauty: Elevating Your Home Atmosphere with Digital Arts
CMI Teacher Training & Accreditation
What is a Living Book, What is a Modern Living Book, and How Does Knowledge Work?
Smartphone Photography
Freedom through Education and the Charlotte Mason Method
The Joy of Making History: Teaching our Children to Think and Create like a Historian
The Promises of Poetry
All Children Welcome to the Feast: Inclusion in the Mason Classroom
"A Living Speech": Principles for Teaching a Second Language
Resilience Built Through Making
Handwork Lessons Inspired by Our Own Backyards and Neighborhoods
Exams: Looking for Growth
Science in a Mason Education: Relationship with Things
Diverse by Design: Leveraging Digital Tools to Create Beauty and Cultivate Belonging in your Family and Community
The Door In the Wall: How Narration, Handicrafts, and Living Ideas Help Teen Entrepreneurs
Recycled Creations
The Marriage of Art & Picture Study
Education As a Life: A Portrait of PNEU Member Mary L. G. Petrie Carus-Wilson
Life Long Learning = A Life of Creativity
Schedule
We'll release the detailed schedule to attendees as the event gets closer. Until then, here is a general schedule for the conference:
Pre-Conference Events
2:30pm - Welcome & Keynote 1
5:00pm - Dinner
6:15pm - Keynote 2
8:00pm - Fireside Chat
7:00 - 9:00am - Breakfast
8:30am - Matins
9:00am - Keynote 3
10:30am - Breakout Round 1
12:00pm - Lunch
1:30pm - Breakout Round 2
3:00pm - Eve Anderson Tea & Lecture
5:00pm - Dinner
6:30pm - Keynote 4
8:00pm - Evening Activities
Artistry, Handicrafts, and Creativity in a digital Age
Conference Location
Travel & Accomodation
Plan your visit to the visit to the Kentucky Bluegrass! Conference activities will take place at Asbury Theological Seminary, which is less than a day's drive from much of the eastern and midwestern US and southeastern Canada. Travel, lodging, and local attractions are suggested here. Why not add a few days to your trip to explore the area? Meals options will be posted in the coming months.
Getting to Asbury
- Main Conference Location: Asbury Theological Seminary
- Closest Airport. Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, KY (LEX), closest airport, a 25 min drive to campus.
- Other Options. Louisville International AirportCincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport
Local attractions
Nearby Lexington is the perfect host city for a conference focusing on artistry and creativity, with many museums and local arts centers. Here are just a few of the places you won’t want to miss.
- Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center - is an arts and entertainment center located in the heart of Lexington featuring diverse galleries from local artists.
- University of Kentucky - Fine Arts Museum - with more than 4,000 items in their permanent collection, every art admirer will find something to behold.
- Take the Lexington Mural Challenge - discover all the street art Lexington has to offer, from high-profile commissioned artists to anonymous painters, you’re sure to find some thought-provoking pieces.
- Loudon House - a National Parks Historical Site in Lexington, gothic revival, home of the Lexington Art League.
- Take a one hour drive south to the Kentucky Artisan Center, a free museum where all artwork is locally made. Enjoy lunch in their cafe. Located in Berea, KY.
- Drive a bit over an hour to the Wendell Berry farm and Bookstore!
- Drive about two hours to visit the Red River Gorge or Mammoth Cave National Park!
- Three hours away is the UNESCO Cultural City of Paducah, KY - the quilting capital of the US and home of the National Quilt Museum.
Lodging
- On-Campus Lodging. Due to summer renovations, we have a limited number of apartments and dorm rooms available on campus. Book here.
- Comfort Inn, Nicholasville, KY - Double Queen and King rooms available. Free hot breakfast included. 10-15 minute drive to campus. Call to reserve your room, and mention the CMI Conference at Asbury Seminary for a special rate of $69/night.
- Holiday Inn Express. Nicholasville, KY -Double Queen and King rooms available. Full buffet breakfast included. 15-20 minute drive to campus. Call to reserve your room, and mention the CMI Conference for a special rate of $141/night.
- Shaker Village Inn, Harrodsburg, KY - We have blocked the East Family Dwelling for our guests in this beautiful historic village ~15 minutes from Asbury - please call to reserve your room, rates of $147/night.
Other places to stay
- The Hampton Inn Nicholasville - Brannons Crossing
- AirBnB has many beautiful options in the area, a particularly great option for groups.
- Check out these charming cabins and find other unique camping/glamping spots on hipcamp.com
- Outdoor lovers, adventurous spirits, and RVers might consider Cummins Ferry RV and Campground where you can bring your own camper or rent one of theirs, located on the beautiful Kentucky River (40 mins drive to campus).
more information
FAQ
We’d love it if you could join us at Asbury, but if you can’t, we still have something special for you. Virtual Tickets will be available on May 1st. For $49, you'll get access to all five of the keynote sessions, a selection of breakout sessions, a virtual swag bag, a special giveaway for virtual attendees, and more. Groups are welcome to host their own Joy of Making party and watch together! Sign up here to be the first to receive updates on this option!
Refund requests received by June 1, 2024 will receive a refund minus a $30 cancellation fee. After June 1, we are unable to provide refunds. However, tickets are transferable as long as the transfer request is received by June 15.
Great! You can find information about accommodation options above on the conference page. If you are coming with a group, we recommend booking a local airbnb or reserving several hotel rooms near each other. If you are flying into town for the conference, we have limited apartment lodging available on Asbury's campus which you can apply for here. Reach out to conference@cminst.org with additional questions.
Yes! We'd love to have you as part of our team of volunteers! Whether greeting attendees at the door or helping with tech or photography, your presence and support would mean the world to us. You can fill out the volunteer application here!
If you are a teen or enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, you are welcome to attend at the discounted student rate! There are a limited number of teen registration available for the teen track at the conference.
We’re excited to hear of your interest. Please read through the Call for Proposals document and email conference@cminst.org with any further questions.
Meal options will be posted closer to the conference date. Many lodging options include a free breakfast, but we plan to share lunches and dinners together as these times for conversation are a critical part of the conference!
our sponsors
Interested in sponsoring? We love to highlight relevant organizations and individuals for attendees and the entire international community influenced by this conference. Reach out to conference@cminst.org for more information.
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