STITCHING TOGETHER. The School of Heritage Arts, a collective which offers hands-on courses at the Cardinal Community Learning Center (140 W Elm St., Chippewa Falls) from wood carving, quilting, basket weaving (pictured), sewing and more.

Many young and middle-aged locals have admitted they don’t know how to sew a button onto a shirt or mend an unraveling sweater. Yet, a movement is quietly growing among area high school students and young adults who wish to learn and create what has lovingly been named “granny crafts.”

These granny crafts, in reality, are cultural traditions that have been passed down by previous generations and are among the skills this new generation is exploring. Youths are blending nostalgia with modern creativity and in turn, seeing mental health benefits as a positive effect.

I met up with Kathy Stockton-Behnke, President of the Valley Art Association (VAA), to learn more about the newly founded School of Heritage Arts. This collective in the Chippewa Valley offers classes in quilting, wood carving, spinning and other skills at the Cardinal Community Learning Center (140 W Elm St., Chippewa Falls).

As the number of older locals who have historically passed down these trades dwindles, the VAA aims to draw renewed attention toward creative heritage arts.

“About a year and a half ago I went the VAA Board to discuss the idea of starting a School of Heritage Arts, and the idea was to teach the arts that are not being taught by grandma anymore,” Stockton-Behnke said.

From there she approached Jennifer Schafer, a coordinator at the Cardinal Community Learning Center, to see if there would be space for future arts courses sponsored by the VAA.

“Our first class was a class on counted cross-stitch that I taught last spring,” Stockton-Behnke said.

At first, the challenge was finding local people willing to share their skills, she admitted. The School of Heritage Arts includes members of the area arts org, as part of their outreach into the Chippewa Valley. 

Today, instruction is offered on various creative heritage arts including embroidery, weaving, macrame, beading, rug hooking, spinning, basic sewing, counted cross stitch and more.

While these creative skills and art forms once seemed common place in the household, new programming efforts intend to keep them alive for future generations, Stockton-Behnke said.

The School of Heritage Arts displayed a sampling of their completed works at the Acoustic Café (505 S Barstow St., #A, Eau Claire) earlier this summer; future arts classes are in the planning stages and are usually scheduled for early afternoon or evenings to accommodate young working adults.

One look through the Cardinal Community Learning Center’s calendar shows an opportunity to learn floral embroidery from Paula Delfosse at 1pm on Oct. 12.

Since 2006, the VAA has connected Chippewa Valley artists, businesses and the broader community through collaborative efforts like the School of Heritage Arts. They currently provide funds to support classes in Chippewa Falls, so that the cost of the class supplies and instruction is accessible.

Future classes and links to register are posted on the Cardinal Community Learning Center website, along with the Volume One events calendar. To learn more or get involved, connect with the VAA via its website, valleyartassociation.org.