1 00:00:01,060 --> 00:00:05,120 Are you looking for an adventure right in your own backyard? 2 00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:09,000 Do you crave delicious food, refreshing drinks, 3 00:00:09,340 --> 00:00:14,280 and luxurious accommodations? Then look no further. Or listen, 4 00:00:14,420 --> 00:00:17,080 rather than all in a day's drive, 5 00:00:17,900 --> 00:00:21,840 the podcast that takes you on a journey through the great Commonwealth of 6 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:26,400 Pennsylvania history, the outdoors, hiking, skiing, 7 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:27,900 shopping, 8 00:00:27,900 --> 00:00:32,120 and more from the stunning landscapes and historic landmarks to the world 9 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:33,320 renowned attractions. 10 00:00:33,730 --> 00:00:38,720 We'll show you the beauty and wonder that Pennsylvania has to offer all of 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,280 this and more in just one day's drive. What are you waiting for? 12 00:00:42,740 --> 00:00:47,640 Hop in the car and join us for an adventure you'll never forget. And now, 13 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:48,470 your host, 14 00:00:48,470 --> 00:00:53,360 Matthew Dowling and today's guest on All In a Day's 15 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:54,560 Drive. Well, thank. 16 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,480 You for joining us here on All Day's Drive. Uh, 17 00:00:57,540 --> 00:01:01,640 I'm really excited because today I'm at Te Touchstone, uh, 18 00:01:01,740 --> 00:01:06,000 center for Crafts here in the mountain area. If you've never been here before, 19 00:01:06,510 --> 00:01:09,800 they sit on just a gorgeous piece of property, um, 20 00:01:09,830 --> 00:01:13,840 that is a little further back in the mountain than, uh, everyone normally gets. 21 00:01:14,220 --> 00:01:16,040 And, uh, right here at the top of the show, 22 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,960 I I wanted to give you a chance to kind of introduce yourself and, 23 00:01:19,180 --> 00:01:22,360 and tell us what your role here at Touchstone is. Sure. 24 00:01:23,530 --> 00:01:27,680 Thank you Matt. It's great to have you back on campus and good to see you, 25 00:01:28,180 --> 00:01:32,360 and thanks for inviting us to be on the podcast. Um, 26 00:01:33,060 --> 00:01:36,720 my name's Dean Simpson. I'm the marketing manager here at Touchstone. 27 00:01:37,230 --> 00:01:40,080 I've been here for, this'll be my sixth season. 28 00:01:41,380 --> 00:01:45,960 I'm an artist who grew up in the area. I live in Charro, 29 00:01:46,020 --> 00:01:49,760 not too far away, and I've always known of Touchstone, 30 00:01:49,940 --> 00:01:54,080 but I had never really visited until I came for my interview, 31 00:01:55,020 --> 00:01:58,080 and it's been a great place Now, uh, you know, 32 00:01:58,340 --> 00:02:03,080 you talk about knowing about touch tone. Touch tone is not a, 33 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,800 a new facility here. I, I believe the history, uh, 34 00:02:06,890 --> 00:02:11,640 dates back to 1972. So what don't you tell us a little bit about, 35 00:02:11,940 --> 00:02:15,800 uh, the organization's history and how it became, uh, 36 00:02:15,940 --> 00:02:17,760 to become founded here. Sure. 37 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,800 Tustin Center for Crafts started as Pioneer Crafts Council in 38 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,840 1972. It was a group of artists, 39 00:02:26,740 --> 00:02:31,280 way too many to mention who were encouraged by the state 40 00:02:31,620 --> 00:02:33,200 to, um, 41 00:02:33,330 --> 00:02:36,760 start an organization that would help to, 42 00:02:38,340 --> 00:02:39,173 um, 43 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,050 help to preserve traditional and contemporary craft. 44 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:52,490 They operated out of Mill Run in the Grange for about 45 00:02:52,870 --> 00:02:56,890 10 or 15 years before they moved to the current property here. 46 00:02:57,990 --> 00:03:02,880 Um, it was formerly Camp Donna Beck, 47 00:03:03,210 --> 00:03:06,480 which was a school for boys with dyslexia. 48 00:03:07,460 --> 00:03:09,320 And back then they, 49 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:14,160 there was a revolutionary woman named Diana Berry King who ran the school, 50 00:03:15,060 --> 00:03:19,760 and kids would come from all over the country and learn 51 00:03:20,010 --> 00:03:24,560 about, you know, learn to read. And it, 52 00:03:24,910 --> 00:03:29,640 it's that creative learning and energy that still 53 00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:34,160 exists here today. Camp Dunna is still in existence. Um, 54 00:03:34,250 --> 00:03:37,840 Diana visited us here the first year I worked here. 55 00:03:38,140 --> 00:03:41,280 She was in her nineties. Um, uh, 56 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,840 a neat little British woman who, um, 57 00:03:47,740 --> 00:03:49,960 stayed in a cabin overnight <laugh>, 58 00:03:49,980 --> 00:03:54,480 and she was on a tour of the country and just visiting places where she had 59 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,840 been. And when she left, she said, this will be my last visit. 60 00:03:58,260 --> 00:04:01,440 And she passed away a few months later. Um, 61 00:04:01,540 --> 00:04:03,640 but she gave us a PowerPoint. 62 00:04:03,660 --> 00:04:06,360 She showed us pictures of what it looked like back then, 63 00:04:06,780 --> 00:04:11,280 and it was great to our whole staff. Just really loved meeting her. 64 00:04:12,150 --> 00:04:14,480 Sure. So my next question is, 65 00:04:14,700 --> 00:04:19,680 how does touch tone approach its mission of advancing excellence in 66 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,920 the arts and crafts? We do that through a variety of ways. 67 00:04:24,620 --> 00:04:25,453 Um, 68 00:04:25,460 --> 00:04:30,200 the core of our programming are immersive craft workshops in 69 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:31,200 different studios. 70 00:04:32,380 --> 00:04:36,720 We also offer internships and residencies. 71 00:04:37,460 --> 00:04:42,080 So our interns are usually emerging artists who are either ready to 72 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,040 graduate or recently graduated. 73 00:04:44,340 --> 00:04:48,440 And this gives them a place where they can, um, 74 00:04:50,050 --> 00:04:54,920 learn the things, you know, learn to manage a studio, meet amazing artists, 75 00:04:55,020 --> 00:04:59,600 and launch their careers for the residencies. It's a place where, you know, 76 00:04:59,700 --> 00:05:00,533 as an artist, 77 00:05:01,140 --> 00:05:05,360 you just need time to get away and focus on your work. 78 00:05:05,900 --> 00:05:08,640 So residencies are a big part of that. 79 00:05:09,740 --> 00:05:14,160 And we also offer, um, scholarships to, 80 00:05:14,620 --> 00:05:17,160 um, a variety of, you know, 81 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,960 a variety of different types of scholarships and 82 00:05:22,180 --> 00:05:24,960 let me see, um, 83 00:05:26,310 --> 00:05:30,840 just special events, you know, things like the open house and, um, 84 00:05:30,950 --> 00:05:34,720 date nights and a lot of different ways. So, so you, 85 00:05:34,820 --> 00:05:36,240 you mentioned the Open House, 86 00:05:36,300 --> 00:05:38,840 and I know that's coming up very quickly for you guys. 87 00:05:39,260 --> 00:05:42,560 Why don't you give us some of the background about the Open house as well as, 88 00:05:43,060 --> 00:05:46,520 uh, where someone may be able to download some information or, 89 00:05:46,540 --> 00:05:50,160 or check on your website to learn about what will be happening at that open 90 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:50,993 house. Sure. 91 00:05:52,470 --> 00:05:55,320 Open House is scheduled for June 3rd this year. 92 00:05:55,710 --> 00:05:58,520 It's always the first Saturday in June. 93 00:05:59,660 --> 00:06:02,760 And we will have the whole campus open. 94 00:06:02,830 --> 00:06:04,960 It's completely free to attend. 95 00:06:06,130 --> 00:06:10,480 There will be demonstrations in all of the studios by some of our teaching 96 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:15,160 artists and friends of Touchstone. There will be hands-on activities, 97 00:06:16,060 --> 00:06:21,000 um, for kids and adults. So if you wanna, you know, try things out, 98 00:06:21,300 --> 00:06:23,040 you know, um, we're, 99 00:06:23,090 --> 00:06:27,120 we're planning to decorate bowls for empty bowls, 100 00:06:27,380 --> 00:06:31,600 and we also have an organization coming called Frontline Arts. 101 00:06:32,670 --> 00:06:36,920 They are a group of veterans who started a program 102 00:06:38,060 --> 00:06:42,960 for veterans that could help them process, 103 00:06:43,980 --> 00:06:47,040 you know, their, their time served, 104 00:06:47,420 --> 00:06:52,400 and they take their U uniforms and they cut them up into 105 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,640 pieces and they make paper out of it. 106 00:06:56,300 --> 00:07:01,280 And once they make that paper, they create artwork, um, 107 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:03,280 booklets, things like that. 108 00:07:03,700 --> 00:07:06,920 So they're gonna come and do a demo and talk about what they do. 109 00:07:07,710 --> 00:07:12,640 Another thing that we're real proud of at our open house is, 110 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:15,920 it's not just about Touchstone. We invite other, 111 00:07:16,500 --> 00:07:20,680 per other organizations that we partner with, um, 112 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:25,000 people like Go, Laura Highlands will be there and, um, 113 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:29,840 contemporary Craft, and they'll talk about the things that they do, 114 00:07:30,020 --> 00:07:33,240 you know, because it's, we're only stronger together, 115 00:07:33,900 --> 00:07:38,480 and that's really important to us. There will be artists, pop-up shops, 116 00:07:39,100 --> 00:07:42,240 um, throughout the campus, under tents, um, 117 00:07:43,030 --> 00:07:47,000 food available for purchase and, um, 118 00:07:48,830 --> 00:07:53,160 live music. We have a band coming. I'm not sure if I can announce that yet. 119 00:07:53,380 --> 00:07:55,680 But yeah, there's a band. And 120 00:07:57,460 --> 00:08:00,600 the one thing is our campus is very large and, 121 00:08:00,660 --> 00:08:05,280 but we don't want people driving on campus that day for safety reasons. 122 00:08:05,620 --> 00:08:10,400 We do limit the parking on campus to accessible parking 123 00:08:10,630 --> 00:08:11,463 only, 124 00:08:11,700 --> 00:08:16,080 but we have a shuttle that runs every 20 minutes coming back and forth from the 125 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,360 Christian Clay Winery. So it's real easy, you know, 126 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,320 to hop on the bus and come down, so. Sure. So, you know, 127 00:08:25,060 --> 00:08:27,120 you started talking about, um, 128 00:08:27,670 --> 00:08:32,600 some of the courses that are offered here and about your, your, 129 00:08:32,780 --> 00:08:35,240 uh, open house. Those are both, uh, 130 00:08:35,250 --> 00:08:39,960 types of trips that someone would plan in advance. Um, and we all know, 131 00:08:40,260 --> 00:08:43,560 you know, there are two types of, of planners for vacations and, 132 00:08:43,560 --> 00:08:47,280 and the chance to get out and see things. There are, uh, 133 00:08:47,330 --> 00:08:50,480 those that sit down with an Excel spreadsheet and figure out their, 134 00:08:50,930 --> 00:08:54,120 their day by day, uh, for the time that they're away. 135 00:08:54,460 --> 00:08:58,480 And then there are people that are, are a little more free range and just say, 136 00:08:58,500 --> 00:09:02,680 I'm gonna hop in the car today and go to Touchstone. Um, you know, 137 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:05,240 maybe I'm not signed up for a course that's happening here. 138 00:09:05,550 --> 00:09:09,960 What can those people do if they, uh, they come down to campus and without, 139 00:09:10,140 --> 00:09:12,200 you know, any previous planning? Sure. 140 00:09:12,940 --> 00:09:17,440 I'm definitely of the latter group <laugh>. I'm not a planner, 141 00:09:18,300 --> 00:09:20,960 but most of our workshops, you know, 142 00:09:20,980 --> 00:09:23,400 for our five day or weekend workshops, 143 00:09:23,460 --> 00:09:27,320 we do ask that people sign up at least two weeks in advance. 144 00:09:27,420 --> 00:09:32,040 That's for a lot of different reasons. One is that you have to get materials, 145 00:09:32,380 --> 00:09:37,040 we have to order materials, um, plus a lot of people do plan in advance, 146 00:09:37,220 --> 00:09:39,600 you know, um, but 147 00:09:41,340 --> 00:09:43,760 for anybody who's just, you know, 148 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:48,600 driving through the Laurel Highlands and wants another place to, to go, 149 00:09:48,940 --> 00:09:52,680 we have our galleries are open to the public. 150 00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:59,040 Um, our hours right now are Friday through Sunday from 151 00:09:59,180 --> 00:10:02,200 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM that might change. 152 00:10:02,380 --> 00:10:07,320 So it's best to check out our website@touchstonecrafts.org org g for the gallery 153 00:10:07,370 --> 00:10:11,800 hours. And our staff is here, um, 154 00:10:11,820 --> 00:10:15,280 during the regular office hours. So if you call in advance, 155 00:10:15,340 --> 00:10:19,640 we could always open up for you. If you also want to check out, 156 00:10:20,060 --> 00:10:21,280 you know, call in advance, 157 00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:26,480 we could maybe arrange a studio tour depending on what's happening on campus, 158 00:10:26,860 --> 00:10:30,320 and we could show you what's happening in the studios, 159 00:10:30,890 --> 00:10:35,720 maybe get a little demo going. So now we're in one of the galleries right now, 160 00:10:35,740 --> 00:10:40,040 and I understand this art installation behind us is relatively new, 161 00:10:40,660 --> 00:10:42,320 uh, for those people that are, you know, 162 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:45,440 watching at home or on their computer or their phone. Um, 163 00:10:45,660 --> 00:10:48,520 but why don't you tell them a little bit about this, uh, 164 00:10:48,530 --> 00:10:53,480 366 piece if I'm Yeah, correct. Uh, installation that you have here. 165 00:10:53,870 --> 00:10:58,200 Sure. 360 6 hooks. We're really excited about this exhibition. 166 00:10:58,380 --> 00:11:03,120 I'm just gonna look up the date real quick. It will be here until 167 00:11:06,790 --> 00:11:11,200 June 30th. It just opened up. We just finished in installing, 168 00:11:11,510 --> 00:11:15,480 it's an artist named Matt Jenkins from Manitoba, Canada, 169 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:20,040 and he challenged himself to make a hook every day for a year. 170 00:11:20,660 --> 00:11:24,720 And it was a leap year, so that's why there's 366. 171 00:11:25,980 --> 00:11:28,920 Um, we are working with aana, 172 00:11:29,130 --> 00:11:33,760 which is the artist in Blacksmith Thing, association of North America. 173 00:11:34,290 --> 00:11:36,760 Their headquarters now is in Johnstown, pa, 174 00:11:37,620 --> 00:11:41,200 and they are touring this exhibition around the country. 175 00:11:42,300 --> 00:11:46,920 And this is the last stop in America, and it will go to Canada after that. 176 00:11:48,070 --> 00:11:52,920 When you look around the room and see the variety in these hooks 177 00:11:53,220 --> 00:11:58,040 and the amount of work that went into them. It's amazing. Um, 178 00:11:58,250 --> 00:12:02,200 every day I walk in here and I find a new one that I, I love. 179 00:12:03,140 --> 00:12:07,560 Um, and it's very inspiring. So now, 180 00:12:07,820 --> 00:12:10,320 you know, we were talking before, uh, 181 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:14,080 before we started recording off camera about, um, 182 00:12:14,930 --> 00:12:18,720 about this being an immersive experience. And, uh, 183 00:12:18,740 --> 00:12:21,440 one of the questions that I had just drafted was, um, 184 00:12:22,220 --> 00:12:26,920 was how do you compare to other, uh, institutions or, or, 185 00:12:27,500 --> 00:12:30,640 uh, places of learning, uh, that are similar? 186 00:12:31,060 --> 00:12:33,200 And the answer to that is that, uh, 187 00:12:33,210 --> 00:12:36,400 there really isn't anything similar to what Touchstone offers, 188 00:12:36,700 --> 00:12:41,160 at least not in this part of the United States. Um, you know, 189 00:12:41,340 --> 00:12:45,360 so being that this is that type of a immersive experience, 190 00:12:46,140 --> 00:12:46,670 um, 191 00:12:46,670 --> 00:12:51,600 many people may believe that you have to be at a certain skill level to sign 192 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,880 up for one of the workshops. Uh, and the instructor may be, uh, 193 00:12:55,950 --> 00:12:59,400 instructing above the participant's head or, or something of that nature. 194 00:12:59,780 --> 00:13:04,480 How does Touchstone make sure that people from multiple skill levels can 195 00:13:04,770 --> 00:13:08,840 enjoy that full immersion, uh, experience? Sure. 196 00:13:10,230 --> 00:13:14,400 What we mean by immersive experience is that when you're here, 197 00:13:14,940 --> 00:13:17,800 the only thing you need to think about is your craft. 198 00:13:19,020 --> 00:13:22,840 We have a chef on staff. If you purchase meals, you know, 199 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:24,680 you don't have to stop and make lunch. 200 00:13:24,740 --> 00:13:28,960 You don't have to wonder where you're gonna order dinner. You're, 201 00:13:29,140 --> 00:13:31,000 you can stay on campus. 202 00:13:31,300 --> 00:13:35,280 We have cabins and dorms and some people camp, 203 00:13:35,940 --> 00:13:40,080 and there's also a lot of places very, very close by. 204 00:13:40,420 --> 00:13:45,200 So I would say about 70% of the people stay on 205 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,160 campus, but other people do, um, 206 00:13:48,310 --> 00:13:51,640 stay off campus and their experience is just as good. 207 00:13:52,860 --> 00:13:56,760 If you're staying on campus, our workshops run from nine to five. 208 00:13:57,060 --> 00:14:01,160 You take a break for lunch, you take a break for dinner, and then this, 209 00:14:01,230 --> 00:14:03,720 there's open studios in the evenings. 210 00:14:04,230 --> 00:14:08,000 Some people are just by five o'clock, they're over it <laugh>. 211 00:14:08,460 --> 00:14:12,400 But some people want to continue and they go back in the studio and they work 212 00:14:12,410 --> 00:14:13,880 until about 10 o'clock at night. 213 00:14:15,340 --> 00:14:20,080 You're also on campus with people who are working in 214 00:14:20,090 --> 00:14:21,000 other studios. 215 00:14:21,340 --> 00:14:25,600 So there's campfires at night and you sit around and you talk about what you 216 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:26,433 learned. 217 00:14:27,190 --> 00:14:31,720 I've seen classes where there were absolute beginners 218 00:14:31,950 --> 00:14:35,800 sitting next to professional artists, and they do well. 219 00:14:37,190 --> 00:14:41,360 It's, it, you know, having that, you know, 220 00:14:42,430 --> 00:14:46,760 give and take between different levels of experience is really great. 221 00:14:48,090 --> 00:14:52,360 There are some classes that are more advanced, so on, in our, 222 00:14:52,380 --> 00:14:56,640 on our website and in our catalog, we do list the level. Some, 223 00:14:56,750 --> 00:14:59,520 some are for all levels, some are for advanced. 224 00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:05,080 So we wanna pay attention cuz we don't want anybody to have a bad experience if 225 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:09,320 it's over their, you know, over their comfort level. 226 00:15:10,580 --> 00:15:14,920 But, you know, by immersing, you know, like most people put their phone down, 227 00:15:15,270 --> 00:15:17,200 they, they just, you know, 228 00:15:17,270 --> 00:15:20,640 concentrate on what they're doing in the studio and it, 229 00:15:21,150 --> 00:15:25,840 it's life changing. So we've d discussed, uh, 230 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,280 kind of the, the point of view from a participant's perspective. 231 00:15:29,970 --> 00:15:34,640 Let's talk a little bit about artists residencies and internships that are 232 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:39,280 available at Touchstone and the impact that they may have on 233 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:40,520 emerging artists. Yeah, 234 00:15:41,450 --> 00:15:46,080 right now we have nine resident artists on campus. 235 00:15:47,190 --> 00:15:51,200 They arrived on Friday and they're here for two weeks. 236 00:15:51,950 --> 00:15:55,960 They're from Pittsburgh, they're from DC area. 237 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:01,840 I think the farthest one came from Nova Scotia. Um, they're, 238 00:16:02,660 --> 00:16:03,000 you know, 239 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:08,000 looking for a place where they can just get away and focus usually 240 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:10,640 on something new, you know, um, 241 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,240 I was in the studios yesterday just looking at what they're, you know, 242 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,600 they're planning and most of them have like, 243 00:16:19,090 --> 00:16:21,840 ideas that they would never have time to work on at home. 244 00:16:22,180 --> 00:16:26,640 So that gives them an opportunity to get away and focus for the 245 00:16:26,750 --> 00:16:27,583 interns. 246 00:16:27,900 --> 00:16:32,720 That's probably my favorite part of Touchstone is the 247 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:37,360 opportunities for artists. I was a fine arts major in college. 248 00:16:38,070 --> 00:16:43,040 When I left college. I didn't know how to be an artist. I knew how to paint, 249 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,960 I knew how to make, but I didn't know how to make that a career. 250 00:16:47,940 --> 00:16:52,000 Our interns are usually in their, 251 00:16:52,660 --> 00:16:57,520 the end of their college career or maybe they chose not 252 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,320 to go to college and they studied under somebody. 253 00:17:01,380 --> 00:17:05,360 So this gives them a chance to, first of all, 254 00:17:05,590 --> 00:17:08,480 meet amazing instructors that come from around the country. 255 00:17:09,010 --> 00:17:13,760 These artists that teach for us, they're doing it. They're, 256 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:18,000 they're professional artists. They, um, so these people, 257 00:17:18,230 --> 00:17:22,160 they're the interns, these are the people they look up to. 258 00:17:22,620 --> 00:17:25,600 So they get to work with them, they get to help them. 259 00:17:26,350 --> 00:17:28,960 They also get to teach. We, 260 00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:32,040 we get them to teach our date nights and our youth, 261 00:17:32,150 --> 00:17:36,640 some of our youth programming and some of the other things we offer, um, 262 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:39,960 they get an opportunity to sell their work in our galleries. 263 00:17:41,620 --> 00:17:46,440 And I've seen since I've been here how that launches their 264 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,520 career. There's, I, you know, 265 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,920 probably a dozen or so that have come back to teach workshops here after being 266 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,800 an intern. So, you know, 267 00:17:56,980 --> 00:18:01,640 not everyone on campus is a participant for one of touch tones programs, 268 00:18:02,180 --> 00:18:06,920 um, because you are opened up to some facility rental experiences 269 00:18:07,220 --> 00:18:11,800 and you have the, uh, ability to customize, uh, 270 00:18:11,810 --> 00:18:15,920 those facility rentals, uh, into what type of experience that, 271 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,320 that you may have. So let's say you were coming up, uh, with a, 272 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:24,560 a for a corporate retreat and they want to do something hands-on in one of the 273 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:28,640 studios. That's something that you guys could, could assist with, uh, 274 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:29,640 from what I understand. 275 00:18:30,220 --> 00:18:34,960 So tell me a little bit about how the facility rentals and and CRE 276 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:40,160 creative retreats cater to groups looking to incorporate these hands 277 00:18:40,260 --> 00:18:43,000 on studio activities into their events. Sure. 278 00:18:45,300 --> 00:18:47,880 Our, our Creative Retreat program is something, 279 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,720 we're just launching this this year. We've experimented a little bit with it. 280 00:18:53,340 --> 00:18:55,880 It first happened when, um, 281 00:18:55,980 --> 00:19:00,960 our director and I were involved in a cohort with Americans for the 282 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:04,040 Arts. It's a, an arts group in, 283 00:19:04,140 --> 00:19:08,600 out of DC and they provided training to arts 284 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:13,480 organizations in Pennsylvania on marketing. And, um, 285 00:19:14,940 --> 00:19:19,000 we met with our cohort at different places 286 00:19:19,820 --> 00:19:24,680 and we learned a lot and it was great way to connect with 287 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:29,480 other people, but there was always something missing, you know? Um, 288 00:19:30,220 --> 00:19:33,920 we didn't open up as much as we could. Well, 289 00:19:34,100 --> 00:19:38,040 we had everybody come to Touchstone and they stayed overnight. We did a, 290 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,440 a project in the blacksmithing studio. 291 00:19:41,380 --> 00:19:45,720 And then after that we went and had our training, had our meetings, 292 00:19:45,860 --> 00:19:50,800 and it was amazing how people's creativity and their minds opened 293 00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:55,240 up because you had this shared experience of making something with your hands. 294 00:19:56,020 --> 00:19:56,960 So that was the, 295 00:19:57,700 --> 00:20:02,160 the impetus for this whole program where we know 296 00:20:02,670 --> 00:20:07,200 what the arts can do and we know that employers want 297 00:20:07,330 --> 00:20:09,640 creativity in their workplace. 298 00:20:10,340 --> 00:20:13,160 So we started offering it to other organizations, 299 00:20:14,620 --> 00:20:17,320 and you can come here, 300 00:20:17,660 --> 00:20:20,760 we have lots of different spaces we could accommodate. 301 00:20:20,940 --> 00:20:25,720 We have a group coming this Friday with 26 people and they're gonna do 302 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:27,760 a, a ceramics project together. 303 00:20:28,300 --> 00:20:32,640 We have another group coming Saturday to do a mosaic project together. 304 00:20:33,620 --> 00:20:38,600 And you could wrap a little creative element into it and 305 00:20:38,790 --> 00:20:40,280 also have a meeting space. 306 00:20:40,900 --> 00:20:44,360 So it kind of gets you out and gets you with your colleagues. 307 00:20:45,140 --> 00:20:48,960 So many people work from home and you don't really get to meet, you know, 308 00:20:48,980 --> 00:20:53,200 the people that you work with, but this brings you here. It, um, 309 00:20:53,910 --> 00:20:58,240 gets you connected and opens your mind. 310 00:20:58,620 --> 00:20:59,453 And people, 311 00:20:59,570 --> 00:21:03,480 we've found that people work a lot better together after something like that. 312 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:03,940 Yeah. 313 00:21:03,940 --> 00:21:08,880 So let's talk about the kind of natural beauty and resources of the 314 00:21:08,910 --> 00:21:11,400 area. Um, the experience here at, 315 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:15,120 at Touchstone wouldn't be the same if you were in downtown Pittsburgh, 316 00:21:15,260 --> 00:21:16,320 say for instance. 317 00:21:16,780 --> 00:21:21,080 So let's talk a little bit about the beauty of the Laurel Highlands and why you 318 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:24,480 think it's important for someone to be able to come, 319 00:21:24,710 --> 00:21:29,280 come out here and be among the trees and the bubbling Brooks and and so forth 320 00:21:29,740 --> 00:21:31,360 to create their art. Sure. 321 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:35,240 I live about 40 minutes away. 322 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:40,680 I almost every day I stop to just take pictures 323 00:21:41,020 --> 00:21:43,040 of how beautiful it is. 324 00:21:43,150 --> 00:21:47,840 Like there's mountains on some days that I didn't see before. You know, it, 325 00:21:47,930 --> 00:21:52,520 we're very lucky to live, to have this place where, where, uh, 326 00:21:52,620 --> 00:21:55,880 in such a beautiful place. We are on 150 acres. 327 00:21:56,220 --> 00:21:59,880 We have about 10 to 15 acres that are in use. 328 00:22:00,540 --> 00:22:05,120 So it's very green right now, which is great. Um, 329 00:22:05,540 --> 00:22:07,280 it changes, you know, 330 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,720 like in the winter it's just as beautiful with the snow and the fall. It's, 331 00:22:11,980 --> 00:22:16,840 you know, gorgeous. But there's so much around us too. 332 00:22:17,350 --> 00:22:21,920 Like sometimes, like our painters this week that are resident artists, 333 00:22:22,620 --> 00:22:27,520 one just came back from Ohio pile. Um, we've had classes where they, 334 00:22:27,750 --> 00:22:32,160 they go down to Yi Glass to get their glass or, um, 335 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:36,720 they go to Nemacolin or, um, falling water to, 336 00:22:37,420 --> 00:22:39,680 um, paint and draw. 337 00:22:40,260 --> 00:22:44,160 So it's a beautiful place once people get here. 338 00:22:44,670 --> 00:22:48,800 They fall in love with it. Our interns, I know like 339 00:22:50,380 --> 00:22:54,440 at least three or four of them over the last couple years have relocated to the 340 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,960 area because they loved it so much. Um, yeah, 341 00:22:59,140 --> 00:23:00,160 so there's a lot to do. 342 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:05,160 There's a lot to see and it's all here right in our backyard. So. So, you know, 343 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:09,640 there are a number of different mediums that you guys work with here in 344 00:23:10,060 --> 00:23:12,800 at Touchstone. Um, what do you think is, 345 00:23:12,940 --> 00:23:17,520 is the most popular craft that is being done on campus here 346 00:23:17,740 --> 00:23:22,040 is, or, um, you know, alternatively, what's the most unique? 347 00:23:23,430 --> 00:23:24,880 Sure. Right now, 348 00:23:25,660 --> 00:23:29,800 the most popular classes are ceramics for us. 349 00:23:31,300 --> 00:23:34,680 We have, um, I believe there's about 350 00:23:36,430 --> 00:23:40,120 15 different ceramics classes happening throughout the season, 351 00:23:40,860 --> 00:23:44,680 and there's three or four that are already full, um, 352 00:23:45,070 --> 00:23:45,960 with a wait list. 353 00:23:46,820 --> 00:23:51,600 And in ceramics they teach a variety of things 354 00:23:51,710 --> 00:23:56,000 like from basic wheel throwing to more advanced techniques. Um, 355 00:23:56,180 --> 00:23:57,840 we do wood firing, 356 00:23:58,060 --> 00:24:02,600 we do electric kiln firing and also gas 357 00:24:03,390 --> 00:24:05,520 kiln firing. Um, 358 00:24:06,250 --> 00:24:10,920 we're doing a rco firing class this year that 359 00:24:11,140 --> 00:24:15,360 that's when you fire in, um, 360 00:24:15,630 --> 00:24:19,680 like in a garbage can and you set a fire and you put your pots in there. 361 00:24:20,700 --> 00:24:25,560 Um, so there's, that's our number one studio right now. 362 00:24:25,580 --> 00:24:29,320 Number two is probably blacksmithing. 363 00:24:30,270 --> 00:24:34,560 It's our blacksmithing studio is world renowned. 364 00:24:34,910 --> 00:24:36,040 It's amazing. 365 00:24:36,660 --> 00:24:41,320 It has 12 coal forges plus an instructor forge their two power 366 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:42,360 power hammers. 367 00:24:43,300 --> 00:24:46,920 And we teach a variety of courses in there. 368 00:24:46,980 --> 00:24:50,680 And anything from like your basic, um, you know, 369 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,880 learning your skills to maybe something a little more specific like tool making. 370 00:24:56,870 --> 00:25:01,240 Like if a blacksmith needs a tool, they go make it themselves. They don't, 371 00:25:01,420 --> 00:25:06,120 you know, they don't go buy it. But there's also some, 372 00:25:06,660 --> 00:25:11,600 um, kitchen utensil classes coming up and some bladesmithing classes. 373 00:25:12,940 --> 00:25:15,040 We also have small metals, 374 00:25:15,340 --> 00:25:20,240 so we have a whole section of campus that we've called Metal 375 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:21,313 Mountain, 376 00:25:21,420 --> 00:25:25,840 and that's where the blacksmithing studio in the small metals and jewelry studio 377 00:25:26,100 --> 00:25:31,040 is. And in that class, in that, um, 378 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:35,280 studio, we'll teach, um, enabling or, 379 00:25:36,660 --> 00:25:41,200 um, like they're doing a really cool class that's, 380 00:25:41,860 --> 00:25:42,693 uh, called Mo, 381 00:25:43,730 --> 00:25:47,040 where you meld different level, 382 00:25:47,790 --> 00:25:49,320 different metals together, 383 00:25:49,540 --> 00:25:53,480 and you come up with this beautiful wood green when you're finished. Um, 384 00:25:55,510 --> 00:25:59,330 and then we also have a drawing and painting studio 385 00:26:00,750 --> 00:26:04,890 that's becoming more and more popular. Uh, 386 00:26:05,150 --> 00:26:08,330 we do some plan air painting, which is the, um, 387 00:26:08,330 --> 00:26:12,970 the practice of painting outside. We'll do watercolor oils, 388 00:26:14,030 --> 00:26:17,050 um, acrylics a variety of mediums. 389 00:26:17,830 --> 00:26:21,250 We have a glass studio where we do some stain glass classes, 390 00:26:21,790 --> 00:26:26,370 or lamp working and bead making. We don't do blown glass, 391 00:26:26,670 --> 00:26:27,610 but we, um, 392 00:26:27,710 --> 00:26:32,130 do have a class where they're gonna make small objects like a blown glass, 393 00:26:32,660 --> 00:26:36,530 glass, um, special topics. 394 00:26:36,750 --> 00:26:41,250 Now this is probably where I'm most excited about. I'm a painter myself, 395 00:26:41,630 --> 00:26:45,120 but I do love doing other things. 396 00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:50,480 But we have an educator's retreat happening in, um, 397 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,480 the end of June. We have Cheryl Capaz coming to do a puppet making class. 398 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,040 Cheryl's puppets are well known around Pittsburgh. 399 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:04,040 If you've ever gone to first night, they're the big ones that, you know, 400 00:27:04,820 --> 00:27:06,360 are marching down the, 401 00:27:06,660 --> 00:27:10,520 the parades and she's gonna teach people to make those puppets. 402 00:27:10,620 --> 00:27:14,520 And at the end of the week they'll have like a puppet parade. Um, 403 00:27:14,910 --> 00:27:18,160 it's gonna be a cool class. So I'm excited about that one. Well, 404 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:23,000 we have to get our break in to recognize today's sponsors and when we come 405 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:24,800 back we'll have just a couple moments left. 406 00:27:25,260 --> 00:27:28,800 And I want to get the information about your open house out there one more time, 407 00:27:29,300 --> 00:27:32,960 and also take just a moment to talk about sustainability. So stay with us. 408 00:27:33,210 --> 00:27:35,640 We'll be right back here on All In a Day's Drive. 409 00:27:36,700 --> 00:27:39,400 You are listening to All In a Day's Drive. 410 00:27:39,790 --> 00:27:43,520 Stay with us while we top off our tank and order an mt o. 411 00:27:43,980 --> 00:27:48,600 The journey across Pennsylvania will continue right after this pit stop. 412 00:27:57,410 --> 00:28:01,590 Is your business using analog strategies in a digital marketing world? 413 00:28:02,170 --> 00:28:02,820 If so, 414 00:28:02,820 --> 00:28:07,430 then contact Matthew or Rebecca Dowling at Coordinated 360 for a 415 00:28:07,430 --> 00:28:11,430 professional consultation where we bring in-depth knowledge and functional 416 00:28:11,460 --> 00:28:13,350 expertise with a holistic perspective. 417 00:28:14,190 --> 00:28:18,910 Coordinated 360 provides digital marketing, paid ad and media buying services, 418 00:28:19,170 --> 00:28:23,870 web design, social media management, video production, and more for businesses, 419 00:28:23,900 --> 00:28:28,390 organizations, and political campaigns with decades of experience. 420 00:28:28,580 --> 00:28:33,030 Matt and Becky at Coordinated 360 can help you craft your unique message 421 00:28:33,410 --> 00:28:38,310 and share it with the world. 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Again, 452 00:30:46,630 --> 00:30:50,710 that is donate.commonalities.online on the worldwide web, 453 00:30:51,130 --> 00:30:54,830 buy our host a cup of coffee or help pay for airtime at donate dot 454 00:30:54,830 --> 00:30:55,950 commonalities. Online. 455 00:31:00,030 --> 00:31:04,030 Coordinated 360 is comprised of three main divisions, marketing, 456 00:31:04,100 --> 00:31:07,510 political consulting, and event management. 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At Bright Stripe personal service has always been a must. 480 00:32:28,050 --> 00:32:31,670 We strive to be the premier asphalt ceiling and striping company in the region. 481 00:32:32,220 --> 00:32:34,990 Matt George, the owner of Brighttree llc, 482 00:32:35,210 --> 00:32:38,070 brings experience from his construction and maintenance company, 483 00:32:38,510 --> 00:32:40,040 mountain Creek Construction and Maintenance. 484 00:32:40,550 --> 00:32:44,200 Matt has provided excellent customer service to many happy businesses and 485 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:45,033 homeowners. 486 00:32:45,140 --> 00:32:48,600 Bright Stripe is the premier provider of seal coating or pavement ceiling. 487 00:32:48,900 --> 00:32:52,520 The process of applying a protective coating to asphalt based pavements to 488 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:56,440 provide a layer of protection from the elements, water, oils, and UV damage. 489 00:32:56,910 --> 00:32:59,840 They also specialize in driveway and parking lot. Crack ceiling. 490 00:33:00,290 --> 00:33:04,000 Crack ceiling is the process of applying a protective coating to asphalt based 491 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:04,833 pavements. 492 00:33:04,900 --> 00:33:09,040 Bright stripe also abides by all safety laws and standards in line striping and 493 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,920 layout for a no obligation estimate, contact Bright Stripe at 494 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:16,520 7 2 4 4 3 7 6 0 9 0. 495 00:33:18,340 --> 00:33:20,920 You are listening to All In A Day's Drive. 496 00:33:22,340 --> 00:33:26,440 And now it's time for our special segment adventures with Kelly. 497 00:33:27,330 --> 00:33:30,480 Kelly is a woman with many hats. She's a wife, 498 00:33:30,700 --> 00:33:35,640 mother of two and a speech language pathologist hailing from southwestern 499 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:36,553 Pennsylvania. 500 00:33:37,060 --> 00:33:40,840 She moved away for a few years before returning home to start her family. 501 00:33:41,300 --> 00:33:46,200 And boy did she explore the United States during that time from sea 502 00:33:46,300 --> 00:33:51,040 to shining sea. Kelly's adventures were nothing short of spectacular, 503 00:33:51,620 --> 00:33:53,960 but you know what? Since returning home, 504 00:33:54,390 --> 00:33:58,400 Kelly's perspective on her hometown and the surrounding areas has shifted 505 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,760 dramatically, she can't stop daydreaming about her next adventure, 506 00:34:01,790 --> 00:34:05,640 whether it's exploring a new place or simply getting lost in the woods. 507 00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:10,320 And now she's here to share all her wonderful travel tips and insights with us. 508 00:34:10,700 --> 00:34:15,520 So let's buckle up, get the kids in the car seats, fill up our tanks, 509 00:34:15,740 --> 00:34:20,440 and join Kelly and her family on this exciting ride all in a 510 00:34:20,530 --> 00:34:24,280 day's drive where the fun never stops. 511 00:34:46,730 --> 00:34:47,340 Hello. 512 00:34:47,340 --> 00:34:49,120 I'm Kelly of Adventures with Kelly, 513 00:34:49,260 --> 00:34:51,400 and you're listening to All In A Day's Drive. 514 00:34:52,420 --> 00:34:57,080 I'm a mom in southwestern Pennsylvania and I like to get my family out and 515 00:34:57,150 --> 00:34:57,983 explore, 516 00:34:58,540 --> 00:35:02,920 and I'm here to share some things I learned along the way to help you plan your 517 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:03,753 adventures. 518 00:35:04,700 --> 00:35:08,560 So today I'll be talking about a recent trip to the national, 519 00:35:09,100 --> 00:35:13,720 to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh to meet up with some friends. Um, 520 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,080 before I get into the Aviary, 521 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:19,760 I just wanted to quickly explain the special group friend group of mine. 522 00:35:20,380 --> 00:35:21,213 Um, I'm a, 523 00:35:22,130 --> 00:35:25,430 I'm from Southwestern Pennsylvania and I'm a speech language pathologist. 524 00:35:25,730 --> 00:35:30,390 And I spent five years as a traveling speech language pathologist, 525 00:35:31,290 --> 00:35:35,950 moving from state to state and exploring a lot of the United States. 526 00:35:36,770 --> 00:35:41,520 And I left with a friend who's an occupational therapist and she convinced her 527 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:43,640 friend who's a physical therapist to join us. 528 00:35:44,340 --> 00:35:49,200 And so we just had a lot of fun moving around and living together 529 00:35:49,230 --> 00:35:54,160 when we could and meeting up when we could and we met other travelers and, 530 00:35:54,460 --> 00:35:56,440 um, it was a really fun time. 531 00:35:56,660 --> 00:36:01,320 But now we've all actually recently moved back to Pennsylvania and some of us 532 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:06,160 have started families and we all live on the outskirts 533 00:36:06,180 --> 00:36:09,560 of Pittsburgh, so Pittsburgh is a really nice place for us to meet up. 534 00:36:10,220 --> 00:36:13,400 So we're always looking for kind of, um, 535 00:36:14,290 --> 00:36:19,160 activities that are good for a larger group and for a 536 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:22,840 variety of ages and kids and adults. And, um, 537 00:36:23,380 --> 00:36:28,200 we had our date scheduled and we were hoping for 538 00:36:29,670 --> 00:36:33,960 nice weather, but it was going to be a rainy day. And, um, 539 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,600 I wanna thank my friend for helping plan this activity. 540 00:36:37,740 --> 00:36:41,760 She came up with the idea because I just wasn't getting to planning that week, 541 00:36:42,180 --> 00:36:45,920 but she had suggested the aviary and I had never been, 542 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:50,680 this was my first visit and I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't know what a 543 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:55,280 Navy area was. Um, but it, and if you're like me, 544 00:36:55,300 --> 00:37:00,040 you don't know it's a place that houses or showcases 545 00:37:00,130 --> 00:37:03,640 birds. It's sort of like a bird zoo in my mind. 546 00:37:05,220 --> 00:37:07,440 And if I compare it to the Pittsburgh Zoo, 547 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,520 I would say it's smaller and we actually really like that. 548 00:37:12,220 --> 00:37:15,280 And it's more indoors as, um, 549 00:37:16,540 --> 00:37:20,800 the Pittsburgh Zoo Zoo is more outdoors, although it has indoor parts. But, um, 550 00:37:21,230 --> 00:37:25,640 yeah, it was, it was a good rainy day activity. And, 551 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:31,560 um, as somebody who doesn't live in the city, you know, 552 00:37:32,150 --> 00:37:33,040 when I go to the city, 553 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:37,560 I get a little stressed out about where to park and finding my way around. 554 00:37:37,940 --> 00:37:42,720 And so it's, it's ideal for me if I can just park if, you know, 555 00:37:42,720 --> 00:37:47,480 we can just park one time and access sort of a variety of 556 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,280 activities without, you know, 557 00:37:49,710 --> 00:37:54,560 getting kids in and outta the car and paying multiple times and that sort of 558 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,520 thing. So this, 559 00:37:56,900 --> 00:38:00,720 the National Aviary is located on the North Shore in Pittsburgh 560 00:38:01,700 --> 00:38:02,600 and, um, 561 00:38:04,820 --> 00:38:08,600 you can go on their website and I'm sure there's a lot to learn about. 562 00:38:08,620 --> 00:38:13,280 I'm sure there's lots of events and memberships and, 563 00:38:13,700 --> 00:38:13,980 um, 564 00:38:13,980 --> 00:38:18,800 you can add animal encounters onto your admission ticket. 565 00:38:19,620 --> 00:38:20,260 Um, 566 00:38:20,260 --> 00:38:24,760 we didn't do that today that during that visit some of our kids weren't old 567 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:28,880 enough for that. Um, but we did, uh, 568 00:38:29,420 --> 00:38:32,520 add a $3 Nectar cup, um, 569 00:38:32,580 --> 00:38:36,640 to feed some rainbow LoRa Keets. And that was really fun. 570 00:38:37,220 --> 00:38:38,360 So the, 571 00:38:38,780 --> 00:38:43,600 you kind of hold the nectar cup and the birds come out and land on your shoulder 572 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:44,960 or your wrist or whatever and, 573 00:38:45,460 --> 00:38:49,800 and they drink the nectar outta the cup and fly away. So it was really fun. 574 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:51,640 My kids really enjoyed it. Um, 575 00:38:52,780 --> 00:38:56,440 I'm sure you can spend all day there and learn a lot. I, 576 00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:01,440 I didn't learn too much because I was catching up with friends and also, um, 577 00:39:02,350 --> 00:39:05,760 chasing around kids that were going in opposite directions. 578 00:39:06,420 --> 00:39:11,280 But de there were definitely people of all ages enjoying themselves. Um, 579 00:39:11,300 --> 00:39:13,760 we saw some feeding, 580 00:39:13,940 --> 00:39:17,480 we were able to see the staff feed the penguins. You can, you know, 581 00:39:18,140 --> 00:39:20,760 see some feedings throughout. Um, 582 00:39:21,060 --> 00:39:24,640 I'm sure there's lots of lots of things to do there. Um, 583 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:28,760 but it was a really good time just to spend a few hours with some friends and 584 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:33,280 the kids really enjoyed it. Um, one of my favorite things about it, 585 00:39:34,210 --> 00:39:36,240 again, back to parking just one time, 586 00:39:36,380 --> 00:39:40,560 I'm also a fan of walkability and, uh, 587 00:39:40,940 --> 00:39:43,680 we were able to walk to lunch. 588 00:39:43,710 --> 00:39:48,440 There's lots of eateries around the area. If it were a nice day, 589 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:51,840 I think it would be really great to pack a picnic and, 590 00:39:52,140 --> 00:39:55,240 and visit the park that's right next to it. The park looks beautiful, 591 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:58,000 there's a playground, but it was really rainy. 592 00:39:58,100 --> 00:40:02,080 So we went to lunch and we picked the Federal Gallery, 593 00:40:02,210 --> 00:40:03,280 which is a food hall. 594 00:40:04,020 --> 00:40:08,720 And I'm a big fan of food halls because everyone can go pick what they want and 595 00:40:08,720 --> 00:40:12,600 you can, you know, share or taste different things. Um, 596 00:40:12,900 --> 00:40:17,600 I'm sort of a foodie, so there was a really nice selection there. 597 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:22,280 I got a poke bowl and my husband got some street tacos. 598 00:40:22,380 --> 00:40:27,320 Our friend got some lemongrass curry and in the middle was a 599 00:40:27,340 --> 00:40:32,280 bar with craft beer options and cocktails and cocktails 600 00:40:32,460 --> 00:40:35,520 and it was delicious. It was, it was really good. 601 00:40:36,180 --> 00:40:39,440 So lots of good places to walk around and eat. And if you, 602 00:40:39,580 --> 00:40:43,280 if your kids are up for it and, uh, you really wanna make a day for it, 603 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,240 the Children's Museum is right next door too. And we love the Children's Museum. 604 00:40:47,700 --> 00:40:52,600 So we had such an enjoyable trip to visit friends at 605 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,840 the National Navy area in Pittsburgh. Um, you know, 606 00:40:56,840 --> 00:41:00,920 if you have suggestions of where we should go next, let me know. Uh, 607 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:02,160 thanks for tuning in today. 608 00:41:03,340 --> 00:41:07,640 Thanks for joining Kelly on this adventure here on All In a Day's Drive. 609 00:41:08,460 --> 00:41:11,560 You can learn more about Kelly and her adventures by visiting 610 00:41:12,460 --> 00:41:15,480 www.adventureswithkelly.com, 611 00:41:15,980 --> 00:41:18,840 or connect with her on your favorite social media platforms. 612 00:41:19,130 --> 00:41:23,840 Today we've been exploring the beauty and wonder of Pennsylvania from the 613 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:28,240 stunning landscapes to the historic landmarks and world renowned attractions. 614 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:32,080 Pennsylvania truly has it all, and the best part, 615 00:41:32,620 --> 00:41:35,320 you can see it all in just one day's drive. 616 00:41:35,940 --> 00:41:40,840 So let's buckle up and join us as we journey through this incredible state from 617 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:45,600 Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to the breathtaking vistas of the Pocono Mountains. 618 00:41:46,010 --> 00:41:49,560 We'll show you why Pennsylvania is a must visit destination, 619 00:41:49,900 --> 00:41:54,760 and now back to today's adventure here on All in a 620 00:41:54,770 --> 00:41:55,603 Day's Drive. 621 00:42:00,590 --> 00:42:04,170 Thanks for staying with us on All in Today's Drive. I'm your host Matt Dowling. 622 00:42:04,420 --> 00:42:08,290 Today we are touch tone center for crafts. And before we went into break, 623 00:42:08,290 --> 00:42:12,370 we said we are going to, uh, kind of highlight or announce your open house, 624 00:42:12,370 --> 00:42:17,370 which is fast approaching one more time. And then I, I want to talk about how, 625 00:42:17,950 --> 00:42:21,450 uh, touchtone is implementing changes on campus, 626 00:42:21,540 --> 00:42:26,290 maybe to be a little bit more sustainable, uh, because you guys wanna be, 627 00:42:26,290 --> 00:42:26,650 and I, 628 00:42:26,650 --> 00:42:30,490 I know you wanna be good stewards of the environment that you have here to use. 629 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:35,850 Sure. Open us, find out more@touchstonecrafts.org. 630 00:42:37,070 --> 00:42:39,370 We also have a YouTube channel, so if you wanna, 631 00:42:39,590 --> 00:42:42,810 if you can't make it out and you want to like see campus, 632 00:42:43,030 --> 00:42:46,650 you could always go to our YouTube channel and watch campus tours. 633 00:42:47,910 --> 00:42:51,090 We started a couple years ago during covid, 634 00:42:52,190 --> 00:42:55,770 we couldn't have an open house, so we did a virtual one. 635 00:42:55,910 --> 00:43:00,010 So there's tons of recordings that you can watch. Um, 636 00:43:00,390 --> 00:43:03,170 the open house is really the best day of year to visit the campus. 637 00:43:04,060 --> 00:43:06,490 There will be, um, 638 00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:11,210 last year we had over 500 people attend and it'll, 639 00:43:11,340 --> 00:43:15,850 it'll be a great day as far as being su sustainable. 640 00:43:16,350 --> 00:43:20,250 We just completed a, um, 641 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:22,330 visioning plan for Touchstone. 642 00:43:22,950 --> 00:43:27,730 It was part of our 50th anniversary last year, which we're still celebrating. 643 00:43:29,270 --> 00:43:32,930 And we sat down with our 644 00:43:33,980 --> 00:43:38,610 major, you know, like our board of directors, our staff, 645 00:43:39,280 --> 00:43:43,850 some of our participants were pulled and just looked at what the 646 00:43:43,850 --> 00:43:48,610 organization is now and where we see us ourselves for the next 50 years. 647 00:43:49,950 --> 00:43:53,650 And a lot of fun stuff came out of those conversations. 648 00:43:54,950 --> 00:43:58,090 We, um, worked with, uh, 649 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:01,130 Fred BK from La Cuatro, bci. 650 00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:06,170 He's an architect and he helped us envision what campus could look like in 651 00:44:06,170 --> 00:44:10,290 the future. We use 10 to 15 acres. 652 00:44:10,590 --> 00:44:14,650 We still wanna keep, you know, the, the rest of the property, 653 00:44:17,070 --> 00:44:19,250 um, untouched. However, 654 00:44:19,750 --> 00:44:24,170 we plan to do some walking pads that are non-invasive 655 00:44:24,670 --> 00:44:28,890 and they would allow people to experience 656 00:44:29,460 --> 00:44:33,600 their art in in nature. Um, 657 00:44:35,890 --> 00:44:40,560 other things came out of the vi the visioning plan include like creating 658 00:44:40,870 --> 00:44:45,520 another space where we could involve the community more. 659 00:44:46,340 --> 00:44:49,440 Um, most of our campus is kind of sectioned off, 660 00:44:49,900 --> 00:44:54,360 so you could come here to the, to the galleries and the lodge to visit, 661 00:44:55,460 --> 00:45:00,360 but we're envisioning that to be another location that is, um, 662 00:45:00,750 --> 00:45:03,920 more accessible to people. Um, 663 00:45:04,340 --> 00:45:08,000 sustainability and being good, um, 664 00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:10,840 stewards of the land are very important to us. 665 00:45:11,620 --> 00:45:16,120 We started about three years ago, a nature themed week, 666 00:45:16,890 --> 00:45:19,720 which I believe it's in August this year. 667 00:45:20,700 --> 00:45:25,680 And each of the workshops have a nature themed to 668 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:28,440 them. We'll do we, 669 00:45:28,460 --> 00:45:32,880 in the past we've done botanical illustration in the ceramics class. 670 00:45:32,940 --> 00:45:37,800 One year they went and they dug clay right from the ground and they used that to 671 00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:42,120 make their pots. Um, this year we have, 672 00:45:42,620 --> 00:45:47,320 uh, a another botanical illustrator coming who draws birds. 673 00:45:48,220 --> 00:45:49,840 So you will, you know, 674 00:45:49,870 --> 00:45:53,920 look for the birds around campus and you'll study them and you'll create art, 675 00:45:54,260 --> 00:45:55,760 you know, based on that. 676 00:45:56,660 --> 00:46:00,960 And we work with Powder Mill Nature Reserve. They come out, 677 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:04,760 they stay on campus with everybody. They take us on nature walks, 678 00:46:05,500 --> 00:46:08,120 and it's amazing. Like every day is different, you know, 679 00:46:08,150 --> 00:46:12,440 like you don't know when you're gonna see a snake or, um, you know, 680 00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:15,120 what you're gonna see when you turn over a rock in the creek. 681 00:46:16,020 --> 00:46:18,600 But they help us, you know, 682 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:23,560 understand where what we have and what we're lucky to 683 00:46:23,560 --> 00:46:26,360 appreciate. Um, in blacksmithing, 684 00:46:26,390 --> 00:46:31,200 they'll they'll create artwork that is more organic 685 00:46:31,550 --> 00:46:36,000 looking and it'll be based on things that they may have found around campus. 686 00:46:36,740 --> 00:46:41,680 So, well, fantastic things happening here at Touch Tone Center for crafts. 687 00:46:41,950 --> 00:46:44,080 Make sure you stop by and you see them. 688 00:46:44,300 --> 00:46:48,080 We wanna thank you for being on all of a Day's Drive today, and, uh, 689 00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:50,520 thank you everyone else for listening. Thank. 690 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:55,240 You, man. This has been all in a day's drive. Don't waste a moment of time, 691 00:46:55,770 --> 00:46:58,440 start planning your adventure in Pennsylvania today. 692 00:46:58,860 --> 00:47:02,560 All in a day's drive is a production of Coordinated 360. 693 00:47:03,100 --> 00:47:06,000 All rights reserved. For more information, visit 694 00:47:07,020 --> 00:47:12,020 www.coordinatedthreesixty.comorwww.matthewddowling.com. 695 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:18,640 Portions of today's program may have been underwritten in some way by the 696 00:47:18,640 --> 00:47:21,800 attraction location or venue discussed on the show. 697 00:47:22,310 --> 00:47:26,800 Rebroadcast of this program may be done free of charge for the use of promoting 698 00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:28,920 tourism in southwestern Pennsylvania.
18May, 2023
