by William Crum
The lost arts of stone carving, wood working, blacksmithing, spinning and embroidery are preserved by an organization in Kansas City, Kan.
The Institute for Historic and Educational Arts, a not-for-profit organization, teaches the lost arts. The organization was founded in 1996 by Mike and Marsha Nave.
At the Kansas City Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs, the institute displays blacksmithing, embroidery and spinning.
“We teach a lot of things out here,” Mike Nave said. “We would go out to schools and churches and teach, however sometimes that gets to be a little bit hard.”
Bringing all the equipment to a site can be a challenge, he said.
“This year we have two new classes; one of them, for example, is tent making and the other is sail making,” Nave said.
He said girls were more eager to learn the skills than boys. Currently, a girl apprentice is studying blacksmithing, he said.
For more information about the Institute for Historic and Educational Arts, call 913-621-4940 or visit the website at www.historicarts.com.
