WORKING HANDS - EXHIBITION May 3 - JUNE 27

We are excited to announce "Working Hands", an exhibition of artwork by some of the talented BVACC teachers. Please join us at the opening reception on Sunday, May 3, 2:00-5:00pm at the BVACC building at 124 Main St, Morris, NY. The show will then will run May 4- June 27, 2026 during normal hours of operation at BVACC.

Representing a wide variety of media and styles, this group exhibition showcases the talent of some of the teaching artists at the Butternut Valley Arts & Crafts Center (BVACC). Whether self-taught or formally trained, each artist has developed mastery of their medium through years of dedicated practice. Collectively, the work in this exhibit exemplifies the human imperative to explore the limits of what our hands can do to create functional, expressive, and unique works of art. This program is supported by the Community Fund of Otsego County and The Village Printer  in Oneonta. We thank them for their generosity!

For more than 50 years, the BVACC has offered creative opportunities for community members in Morris, NY. In this inaugural exhibition, we are proud to display the skill and artistry that support our mission to proliferate arts and crafts, generate opportunities for creative experiences, and expand education in the arts within our community.  

MJ Brunschmid (quilt making) - ​​Mary Jane (MJ) Brunschmid is a local folk artist who grew up on a fifth generation dairy farm in Otsego County in Upstate New York. Passionate about rural country living, Brunschmid handcrafted useful items from an early age, supplying the Country Store at the Otsego County Fair every year. Quilting is more than a hobby for Bruschmid, whose work embodies this folk artform. In addition to making quilts, Brunschmid was a travel hostess and guide for Oneonta Bus Lines, feeding her love of road trips.

Dee Hazlett (acrylic painting and silk thread weavings) - Dee Hazlett graduated with a degree in art from Hartwick College in 1981 with a specialization in tapestry. In addition to working in food service and raising a family, Hazlett took classes with Marilyn Roveland at the BVACC. She has received formal recognition of her work, including winning 3rd prize in the Community Arts Network of Oneonta's Grass Roots Exhibition in 2016.

Bill Henderson (wood sculpture) - Bill Henderson has been a casual whittler since he was a child. He received formal decoy training in 1990, learning the traditional North American folk art of carving waterfowl as floating decoys and decorative art. Drawn to whittling in 1998, Henderson enjoys working with simple tools. He is self-taught and continues to learn more about carving through online resources and experience.

Glen Noto (primitive and folk art painting)- Glen Noto's artwork reflects his interest in history. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees in history, Noto taught history and coached sports for decades before pursuing his interest in primitive and folk art painting. Noto took courses with renowned folk artists Janet and Charles Munro at the Seminars in American Culture, hosted by the Fenimore and Farmer's Museums in Cooperstown.

He draws on his lifelong passion for American history, the Civil War, and baseball for subject matter for his paintings, and is inspired by the beauty of central New York, the prints of Currier and Ives, and his excitement for Christmas. Noto has exhibited his work at the Fenimore Museum and in the Butternut Valley Alliance's On the Trail of Art.

Kristin Stevenson (cold wax and oil painting) - Kristin Stevenson is a mixed media artist working primarily in cold wax and oil.
She studied cold wax medium with Rebecca Crowell at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland; oil painting with Timothy Joseph Allen in Rome, Italy; and woodcut printing with Peter Rockwell in Rome, Italy. She received formal training in art and design (ceramics) from Bristol City College in the UK; and most recently worked with beloved local ceramicist Elizabeth Nields in Upstate New York and master printmaker Rhea Nowack at SUNY Oneonta. She has shown her work in the US and Europe in solo and group exhibitions, and in regional and national juried shows. Her work has been published in a literary magazine and can be found in many private collections around the world.

Jim Whitaker (broom making) - Jim Whitaker grew up on a farm and has been a broom maker for 35 years. He is a plant science graduate of SUNY Cobleskill and holds a BA from SUNY Oneonta and an MA from SUNY Albany. He has worked at The Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown and Hanford Mills in East Meredith, and has done demonstrations at other museums. He lives in Morris and continues to research the history, folklore, and popular culture of broomcorn.