Summer Camp @ The Stevie – Smelling for Mental Wellbeing

Spanish lavender is one of the aromatic herbs that usually repel deer. (Photo by Linda McMahan)

Reconnect with your creativity through Summer Camp at the Stevie, a five-part workshop series that invites adults (age 16+) to experience art making through the senses. Set in the Wende Museum’s Stevie Artist Residence garden oasis, each Sunday workshop explores one of the five senses through a different creative practice, from watercolor painting and basket weaving to ceramics, scent making, and traditional food preservation.

Inspired by the spirit of summer camp, the series encourages participants to slow down, notice the world around them, and engage with natural materials in meaningful ways. Together, we’ll observe the colors of the landscape, listen through handmade instruments, weave with plant fibers, create fragrances from botanicals, and preserve seasonal ingredients, discovering how creativity can deepen our relationship to the environment and one another.

Designed for artists and beginners alike, Summer Camp at the Stevie celebrates making by hand as a pathway to mindfulness, curiosity, and community. Whether you attend a single workshop or join us for the full series, you’ll leave with new skills, meaningful connections, and a renewed appreciation for the beauty found in the natural world.

SCENT | Smelling for Mental Wellbeing: Aromatic Smelling Salts for Olfactory and Mental Health with Hana Tisserand, of the Tisserand Institute

Explore the importance of our sense of smell for health, from an early biomarker of cognitive decline to a simple tool for mental wellbeing. This hands-on workshop covers the evidence base for inhalation aromatherapy and the power of aromatic anchoring, and includes a quick smell test. Participants will blend customized smelling salts to take home. All materials will be provided.

Hana Tisserand is the co-founder and director of operations and communications at the Tisserand Institute, the global leader in evidence-based essential oil education. She oversees the creation of course content and curricula, moderates live webinars, and teaches her own classes. Her background in French and English translation and in adult education gives her a distinct perspective on how information about essential oils is sourced, processed, and communicated. She has worked at the Tisserand Institute for over a decade, and her love for science, essential oils, perfumes, and fragrances runs even deeper, as does her appreciation for fine teas and coffee.

For more info go to WendeMuseum.org, or click on the side-box ad on our webpage.

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