Heritage Crafts
Throughout 2025, we invited several local artists to lead crafting sessions in our parks. We made tiny terrariums, learned how to make natural dyes, crafted flowers out of both upcycled book pages and stained glass pieces, hand-dyed patches, and so much more!
Liz Betemps is an active volunteer and OSU Master Gardener Intern here in Clermont County. She has served as the past president of the Williamsburg Garden Club. Volunteering in a variety of roles as America 250 Liaison for the Village of Williamsburg and as a Board Member of Harmony Hill Museum, she is often out and about in her community. Liz was our first guest artist to lead a Heritage Crafts program with us back in January 2025! We made DIY terrariums with thrifted glass containers, and her joy and enthusiasm for plants added a little bit of magic to our mini terrariums.
Katie Grace is a scavenger, creatrix, & wild woman. As a nature-based artist, she works deeply within the wheel of the year to celebrate the earth and all her cycles. It is her intention to honor the spirit of nature by weaving wild magick into feral & sacred adornments. Her reverence and respect for the natural world shines through in her art and teaching. Katie led several programs for us including nature jewelry, black walnut dye, and natural besom-crafting at our women’s retreat!
Adrian Hawk is currently a visual arts specialist at Milford High School teaching drawing, painting, and sculpture. Her goal as an educator is to not only share the beauty and joy of art but to do it in a way that exposes students to ways that they can be good stewards of our planet and make responsible choices. Adrian’s art explores the protection and conservation of the Earth through a variety of media (branches, seed pods, old book and map pages, upcycled plastic, found objects, feed sacks, vintage postcards, leaves, wood, and red thread). She taught us how to create beautiful paper flowers out of old book pages for Heritage Crafts, and brought so many fun recyclable materials to work with that the classroom was buzzing with creativity.
Laura Waligorski, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is an artist who works predominantly with stained glass using the copper foil technique. Her art incorporates elements of nature, specifically plants and flowers, inspired to start The Glass Garden Club. Her passion for stained glass was ignited when she discovered it through online platforms, specifically through YouTube. From this experience, she has designed a unique workshops that introduces others to the beauty of this medium. Her love for stained glass is evident in every piece she creates, as she strives to capture the intricate details and textures found in nature. Laura has made her craft approachable and fun for everyone she teaches, and her classes have quickly become popular at the parks! She has led Heritage Crafts on stained glass bamboo and mushrooms, and a December Stained Glass Ornaments program for kids to enjoy as well.
Liz Mash is a silversmith, printmaker, fiber artist, and business owner. Her art honors nature by working with stones, metals and fire, natural fibers like linen and cotton to the natural dyes made from flowers and roots. Discovering lino block carving and printmaking led her to designing stamps, printing her own clothing, and upcycling thrifted garments to give them new life. Creating wearable and functional art is what built her brand: Lion Tooth Handmade. Now, she is sharing her printmaking with the parks! We had the pleasure of holding two Heritage crafts with Liz where we learned how to block print on hand-dyed patches and again on wrapping paper. Many participants left with a new hobby, inspired to create more with what she’d taught them!
Desire Mendoza is an aspiring artist born and raised in the Cincinnati area. From a young age she harbored a love for the arts, animals, and nature. In recent years she has started her own business called Decayed Desires, crafting handmade jewelry and oddities. She shared her talent with us for this month’s Heritage Crafts class, where registrants made their own butterfly memento mori frames!
For more information regarding programs similar to these, make sure to stay up to date with our socials and event calendar!
