Marydell Studio, Nyack  2002-2004

featuring Hudson River, Hook Mountain, Wetlands, Woodland and Meadow

Udelco Studio, Orangeburg 2004-2007

featuring Clausland Mountain,Sparkill Creek and early Rockland County history

Old Mill Road Studio, Valley Cottage 2007-2009

featuring Lake DeForest Reservoir, Headwaters of the Hackensack River, and the Mud Flats

NOW!

Strawtown On-the-Road

With our new trailer we now bring our fun,

hands-on programs to you!

                - outdoor and indoor workshops 

                - in-school programs

                - community programs        

                - talks and presentations

                - parties and special events

Studio History

‘Strawtown Art & Garden Studio’ was founded in 2002 as a place for children to grow and to flourish through artful discovery of the natural world.

The idea behind Strawtown Studio began in 1997 when parent, former contemporary art dealer, and waterway environmentalist, Laurie Seeman, founded The Little Feet Hiking Club, with other parents from the Blue Rock School. While exploring the outdoors with children Laurie saw the how artful exploration can lead to making joyful, life-long connections with nature. 

In 1998 The Nature Place Day Camp hired Laurie as summer Art Director and she began to develop the Earth Art with Children program.

In 2002, Laurie took the programming further and founded ‘Strawtown Art & Garden Studio’ as a place to develop year-round Nature, Art & Science Programming for children and community.

Strawtown centers around the discoveries of children and the shared interests of all who take part in the programs. Over the years many different artists and educators have contributed to the program, adding to its dynamic success.

Clients / Organizations

Thanks to the hundreds of parents who have enrolled their children in our programs over the years, Strawtown Studio has been able to follow an independent, inspired path.  Our program content is a reflection of all of these people who have both participated in, and supported our programs.

In addition to working with individuals and private groups, Strawtown has created programming for, and with,

a number of organizations which include:

Schools:

Blue Rock School

Rockland Country Day School

Bank Street College / Tiorati Workshop

Orangetown School District

Cornell Cooperative Extension

School Water Symposium

Organizations:

Riverkeeper Organization

Highlands Environmental Research Institute

Hudson River Estuary Program with DEC

Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory

Orange County Planning Federation

Keep Rockland Beautiful

Homes for the Homeless

The Nature Conservancy /

Warhol Preserve

The Nature Place Day Camp

92nd Street Y Summer Camp

Palisades Interstate Parks

Ethical Culture Society

Bergen 4-H

Sterling Forest Partnership

Peter Cutul, Outdoor Educator, Historical Interpreter

Peter Cutul, Outdoorsman, educator, and student of nature. Peter has been involved with outdoor programming with children of all ages for the past ten years.  He has led biking and hiking trips including a 900 mile cycling trip for high school students down the Pacific Coast.  He is a graduate of Bates College (Lewiston, ME), where he majored in History and Anthropology, and of Regis High School (New York, NY). 

Five years ago Peter returned to the Hudson Valley and started working for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission putting together interpretative programming for Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, showcasing the site’s natural and historical assets.  He specializes in traditional American-rustic and North-East Native American skills, and wilderness survival skills.  In addition to having a love for the Hudson Valley where he grew up, he is an avid drummer and gardener.

Brittany Burgio, Estuary Educator

Brittany Burgio has taught environmental education for 6 years in Michigan and the Hudson Valley. She received her Bachelors in Outdoor Recreation, Leadership and Management from Northern Michigan University.

She currently works at Greenburgh Nature Center serving as Assistant Curator of Living Collections/Naturalist Educator. Prior to coming there she worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation/Americorps Program doing Environmental Education on the Hudson River. She also worked for a nonprofit nature center in Michigan, serving as Program Director of Environmental Education.

Community:

Palisades Community Center

Woodlander’s Gathering

Camp Hill Farm

Rockland Parent Child Center

Nyack Farmer’s Market

Scout Troops

Homeschoolers

Saddle River Library

Healing Communities:

Fire Department of NY - Bereavement Program

Mount Sinai Hospital - Camp Courageous

Hole-in-the-Wall Camp / Paul Newman Organization Orange County Veterans Administration

Nellie Lipscomb, Youth Staff Leader pictured on right

In 2008 Nellie Lipscomb joined Strawtown Studio as a Youth Staff member and has found great joy in working with children through the Summer Earth Arts Program, and year-round after-school classes. Nellie has aspirations for a career in social work with children, and through her devotion to facilitating educational and joyful experiences for children has found Strawtown Studio to be a perfect fit. 

Raised in Nyack and Piermont Nellie has never lived more than 100 yards from the Hudson River, and adventures in nature were a central part of her childhood. Nellie also has strong ties to the environmental movement in the Rockland area as her father works with Riverkeeper, and her mother was a co-founder of Help the Hook, for the preservation of Hook Mountain.

Through her work with Strawtown Studio Nellie has been able to integrate her enthusiasm for working with children and social/environmental awareness, and is delighted to be returning for another summer with the program.

Joanna Dickey, Assistant Director, Lead Artist / Outdoor Educator,

Native Plants & WIlderness Skills Specialist

Joanna Dickey has lived in the Hudson Valley her whole life. In 2003 she joined Strawtown Studio as Art Staff and has been developing and leading programs ever since.  With 12 years of experience working with children she is committed to encouraging and guiding children to explore the natural world in creative, fun ways.  

As an artist Joanna looks at nature for inspiration: patterns, designs, relationships, and forms.  She has a degree in Fine Art, and apprenticed with a master painter with whom she produced fine art, murals, and decorative paintings for four years.

Joanna has studied wilderness skills at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School, Practical Primitive, and the Nature Institute.  She currently specializes in native plant studies and has photographed many of the native plant species in her region. 

In 2009 Joanna received the ‘40 Under 40’ Award from the Rockland Economic Development Corporation for her work with Strawtown Studio and other community leadership roles.  She has exhibited artwork in over 25 exhibits and fundraisers in NYC and the Hudson Valley.

Matt Shook, Field Biologist

Matt is the Assistant Director of the Highlands Environmental Research (HEnRI) Institute, where he has worked since its founding in 2005. In 2010 Matt partnered with Strawtown Studio to create a pilot Art & Science summer program for underserved youth. The program featured state-of-the-art environmental field science together with environmental art.  Matt’s recent field science research includes study of rare turtle species, and eradication of invasive plants. He also brings a love of geology to the children.

In his work at HEnRI Matt is currently working with the Highlands Campaign to develop a set of indicators focused on measuring current water quality and forest health conditions throughout the four-state Highlands Region in order to further a public outreach program for land owners, municipal officials, State agencies, and public citizens. 

to learn more about the Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HEnRI), visit:

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~henrigeo/