Prairie Apprenticeship Center

"Prairie Walker" & "Prairie Dancer",
two limited edition sculptures supporting the
Prairie Apprenticeship Center Project

By purchasing one of these limited edition sculptures, you will help in the development of the Prairie Apprenticeship Center. You may know that I have directed a no-cost apprenticeship in the furniture arts. Many men and women have undertaken the apprenticeship on their way to practicing woodworking and metalworking professionally or as serious amateurs. Rarely would one of my graduates have been able to afford the tuition of a similar program or school, yet they leave here with a post graduate level experience. They are enabled to pursue a career and very often end up sharing something essential with the community at large.

The Prairie Apprenticeship Center project is the next step in this on-going 18-year experiment. It's a logical, obvious step, but a big one, and so I'm asking for your help to bring it all together. Please consider purchasing one of these sculptures and help us realize this project. [If you are not in the market for sculpture, then any supporting gift of $100 or more will get you a fine Orth Furniture T-shirt! See below.]

A bit more about the center. The Prairie Apprenticeship Center will be the new location and focus for the apprenticeship. I have acquired the property and the magnificent timberframe building that I hope will be the new center. This building and its location in the rural prairie just northwest of Chicago will bring together all aspects of the apprenticeship and place it appropriately in an open, natural context where students can focus on the concrete, transformative connection between nature and themselves that craft is all about. The building sits on 10 acres of field, stream, and woods, near the house where Sarah and I now live. The building's soaring timber frame structure makes it especially suited as a place of learning & inspiration. It has room enough for a metalworking area on the lower level. The middle level is suited wonderfully as the main woodworking shop and bench room. The loft is perfectly suited as an office, library, and design studio. The building requires about $150,000 in structural restoration and development. The apprenticeship and studio are currently operating out of a small outbuilding that is adequate, but limits the number of students to one at a time. So things are functional and working well, but the new Prairie Apprenticeship Center will allow the work and student participation to flourish. An alternative to restoring the timberframe will also be considered. It would be less expensive to build a new pole barn structure to house the Prairie Apprenticeship Center. This is not a bad solution, and it will allow us to proceed even if funds are more limited.

To raise the funds for the restoration and/or building, I've designed two limited edition sculptures titled "Prairie Walker" & "Prairie Dancer", that I am offering in several sizes. Whether you would like a small table top sculpture or something of significant scale for your garden, please consider joining the founding circle of the Prairie Apprenticeship Center by making a purchase. If you have interest please contact me at davidorth@OrthFurniture.com.

There are several other ways to participate in this project. Please consider helping in whatever way inspires you!

Buy David's expensive T-Shirt: A T-shirt design signifying your utter hipness and association with Orth Furniture! A gift of $100 will land you one of these fine statements.

Link to my Website: If you have a website of your own, please consider making a link to my website with a short description of Orth Furniture. This helps potential buyers find us and moves us up in search engine relevance. Make up some phrase that describes Orth Furniture for you and link it to our home page (www.OrthFurniture.com).

New tools: Several well worn woodworking and metalworking tools need upgrading. Students are hard on tools! Currently we are in need of a heavy duty woodworking bandsaw, a mid-sized vertical/horizontal metalcutting bandsaw, a TIG welding unit, and a plasma cutting unit. You may know of suitable used tools that could be donated or perhaps you would like to donate funds toward these purchases.

Building and architectural trades: Perhaps you'd like to donate your skills in the building arts. Many skills will be necessary to make this project fly. Architectural skills, concrete foundation people, plumbers, electricians, masons, carpenters, general contractors, ... did I leave anybody out? If you have it in your heart to help us with this project you will enjoy the benefits of our eternal gratitude and be included as a founding supporter of the project.

David Orth
20817 Bunker Hill Road
Marengo, IL 60152
davidorth@OrthFurniture.com
815-943-4099