Safety was stressed and clearly explained and demonstrated. Each instructor obviously knows their way around the workshop and the tools, and is very comfortable with teaching/guiding novices in their use. And each of you is as nice as can be – very pleasant to be around and very willing to help and coach as needed. I would certainly take another workshop if my schedule allowed. I’ve already spread the word about my experience and have had multiple people insist that I let them know if I hear of another Project Fielding workshop. – Charla Sweeley, 2016 Tooling Camp Participant
When I signed up for Project Fielding’s Tooling Camp, my last experience with hand tools had been in a childhood art class, and I was wary of anything more complex than a hammer. I’d been interested in learning more, but I hadn’t found a welcoming environment in which to do so. Project Fielding provided that. It was amazing to learn in a setting specifically for female-identified and gender variant folk, and the instructors Sara, Amber, Donesha, Billy, and Miriam had a knack for creating a comfortable, friendly learning atmosphere where I felt safe not just in working with these tools but also in being a beginner and asking questions. My confidence grew and grew over the course of the classes; I feel empowered to take on other building projects and learn more in the future. Project Fielding’s Tooling Camp was a joyful experience, and I would recommend it to others in a heartbeat. – Olivia Stovicek, 2016 Tooling Camp participant
I had such an amazing time in the Tooling Camp. The atmosphere felt so calm and supportive the whole time! I loved learning about how each tool actually worked, thereby giving me a much better sense of what I can do with them. I left the week feeling empowered to approach and use power tools with confidence, design and build my own project, and enter woodworking spaces feeling like I actually belonged in them! Thanks Project Fielding 🙂 – Kayla Ginsburg, 2016 Tooling Camp participant
Project Fielding helped me grow from a very nervous power tool user to someone who can pick up a drill with confidence. The instructors were inspiring and caring, and helped us navigate a new and (for me) scary world with kindness and patience. I couldn’t recommend Fielding more highly! – Maura Kinney, 2016 Tooling Camp participant
Because of this program, and thanks to my mentor, I have become more aware of meaning in art and daily life. -Nicole Matute-Villagrana, 2015 Creative Mentorship Program, Billy Dee – Teacher
Hello my name is Janay Tilley and I’m here today to give a brief statement on how Donesha and carpentry has made an impact on my life. I met Donesha when I was around ten years old. Not knowing a nail from a screw. In the beginning, it was very difficult starting out but she was always there every step of the way, guiding me through the different tasks that I had to accomplish. I always remember her saying, ” measure twice, cut once”. That’s sticking to me even still to this day when I help her with different projects such as building shelves and putting up a fence. You can always cut to bigger and go back to fix it, but if you make the mistake of cutting short then you will have to start over. So even now when I’m doing simple things I still hear her saying that! She has really given me the opportunity to experience the life of carpentry. From laying out the foundation to a house (my house) to painting. Little do she know, since day one, she has been my mentor. Keeping me motivated and focused on my future. It wasn’t always about carpentry with her, she also help me throughout life and without that motivation from her and my family, I really don’t know where I would be. So I thank not only her but others who are participating in this wood/carpentry workshop to help motivate others and to show them that your life is a foundation and it’s up to you on how you want to build it! -Janay Tilley, Donesha Thompson – Teacher
Building was always something I was interested in, but never really had the chance to pursue, since the days of shop class in suburbia were long gone by the time I started middle school. It wasn’t until I was in graduate school that I decided to enroll in a course that involved building. At the time, I had almost no experience using tools, aside from very simple tasks that required assembly and leveling, and no design experience whatsoever. I was pretty intimidated, and even a little scared! However, everyone was so welcoming and patient that I got over my initial fears quickly and felt comfortable and confident very soon. It was truly empowering to work alongside others to bring a design that started off as mere ideas into a real structure. Since then, I have installed shelves at home, built and modified a couple of small tables at home, and more. There’s still so much I have to learn, but now I know that it is both possible and attainable! I’m excited about building more and getting better. Now, I just need to buy my own saws… -Rachel Klimpton – Knowledge Lab Tea Pavilion Design and Build, Chicago 2015, Sara Black – Teacher
I came to the Handshouse Wooden Synagogue Replication Project and the Whole House Reuse Project feeling intimidated and like I didn’t know enough about building to be helpful. But the openness and skill and joy that Sara and other women brought to building immediately melted my anxieties. Seeing women in leadership positions on building projects allowed me to feel confident enough to contribute, to access my own stores of knowledge to be helpful, and (after the second project) to begin modeling leadership in building and arts-projects myself. I left each project with tangible physical skills but, more importantly, a newfound sense that I can build anything! – Kayla Ginsburg – Making History – The Wooden Synagogue Replication Project, Poland 2011 and Whole House Reuse, New Zealand 2015, Sara Black – Teacher
Learning how to properly and safely use wood shop and power tools has been most influential to developing myself as an artist. My new found skills have given me a boost in self confidence and have allowed me to explore and expand my interests with working with my hands. The independence and knowledge that I have gained in working in a male dominated field has provided unlimited opportunities for me that no one can take away. This has proved to be especially useful in deflecting unwelcome situations that could lead to being taken advantage of. – Priscilla Sahagun – Knowledge Lab Tea Pavilion Design and Build, Chicago 2015, Sara Black – Teacher
As a fourth year student in the visual arts at the University of Chicago who has been able to participate in three classes led by Amber Ginsburg, I can say that Amber is one of the best teachers I’ve had. She is remarkably in tune with the needs of her student and has a great ability to lead her students beyond the bounds of where they often understand their own capabilities to lie. With a wealth of technical knowledge, practical wisdom, and a keen sense of observation, Amber has taught me techniques of artmaking as well as how to see myself as an artist. She cares greatly for her students and is relentlessly encouraging – helping us make the best work we’ve ever made each time we start anew. I am confident that Amber will bring the same engagement and level of care to teaching the young people involved in her upcoming project Fielding! – Cambria Whitcomb, Amber Ginsburg – Teacher
I picked up a jigsaw for the first time when I was fifteen. It was so much fun. (It still is!) Learning to build and use power tools in particular has left a lasting impact on my life which is hard to measure or articulate adequately. Woodworking is so much more than learning to use tools. The woodshop is where I learned how to work collaboratively and how to communicate effectively and how to make friends. I learned that there are definitions of success beyond the academic, and that gender stereotypes are meant to be broken. In learning woodworking skills I learned that I am capable of building something bigger than myself on a physical and metaphorical level. I still use all of the skills that I learned when I was fifteen. I never get tired of spending hours making something in the shop even if things get hard or frustrating or I make a mistake. I know that it will all be worth it in the end when I’ve made something that I am positively proud of. – Cleo van der Veen -Antioch College Tea Pavilion lead builder, 2012-14, Sara Black – Teacher