Gourdlandia — Attraction in Town of Ithaca

Visited yesterday at the recommendation of an Eco Village resident. It was a truly amazing time with Graham- who showed us-and described- her whole process from gourd growing, to weathering, to washing, to making whatever the shape of the gourd strikes in her imagination. Even the shop is a work of art built for her by her husband. The gourd vines look like early squash plants/vines right now but in a month will be hanging like it shows in the picture on the the shop's Website. They will be harvested for design and finishing NEXT year, while the ones that were weathered from last year's harvest will be used to produce new art. She does workshops and I intend to go back for one. What ever you conjure up in your mind as "gourd" art will fall far short of the finished beauty of this gift...

We absolutely loved our visit and workshop at Gourdlandia! Graham is so warm, fun and artistic, encouraging everyone to explore their own ideas while ready to help if you seek her opinions. We did not understand why she predicted at our arrival we were going to have a party in the bathroom of her workshop until we took turns to try out our nightlight creations :)). We are already planning our next visit: walking in the gourd gardens and the eco-village - one of the...

Gourdlandia is our happy place. My adult children and I found it one year while visiting the area and then had to back again! Graham is the most genuine , fun loving and amazing person- and she is the heart and soul of Gourdlandia- with Otto too , of course! She is an inspirational artist and and an excellent teacher. She creates a welcoming atmosphere for artists and for those like me - not so artistically inclined- she provides patient guidance and...