When my Appel Farm days came to a close, almost 14 years ago, I never imagined the long-term impact that the camp would have on shaping the kind of adult I would become. The very qualities I came to love as a teenager at Appel Farm found a home in my adult mind and heart: the spirit of cooperation, respect and camaraderie; appreciation for the arts and the artists; and the embracing of personal growth through learning. It is for this reason that I am going to return as a guest artist this coming summer – to give back to the community, which gave so much to me.  And the truth is, I’m really excited. Summer can’t come quick enough!

Appel Farm was my home during the summers of 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. Piano was my major, and I think I tried just about every minor available in those four years (and now know a little bit about lots of different fine arts - a perfect example of why Appel Farm rocks!).  Thanks to my experience as a piano major at Appel Farm, I considered pursuing music as a career.  But music was destined to become a hobby, as I always knew I wanted to be an Architect.

When other little girls played “Dress-up”, I played “Architect”. My siblings will vouch for this. They were the clients, and I drew them pretty pictures of their made-up houses. I held fast to this dream and majored architecture in college, while also earning a minor in piano studies. My years of apprenticeship in architecture firms culminated in the completion of the Architectural Registration Exam, and I am now a Licensed Architect in the state of NY.

And if you’ve actually read this far into the article, I bet you’re wondering why I’ve given you all this background information. Here’s why: When I got back in contact with Appel Farm recently, I mentioned the idea that architecture be represented among the fine arts, and suggested I could return as a guest artist to teach the subject. I’m happy to say they took me up on the offer! It will be a fun “first” at Appel Farm, for sure.

We have a very exciting project planned for the week of July 6-12, and are encouraging campers to get involved. No experience necessary, so don’t be shy! There will be architecture workshops open to all campers, as well as opportunities for visual arts and photography majors, and creative writing minors to participate in a focused architecture project that will culminate in an exhibition.  This is a great opportunity to learn something new about your environment, yourself, and pick up new skills that will remain with you long after camp is over.

Architecture is typically overlooked, yet we all are intimately involved with buildings on a daily basis. We all know about architecture in a fundamental way, but there aren't many opportunities to study it outside of a college curriculum.  I'm looking forward to giving campers that chance.  Stay tuned – more detailed information about the architecture project will be coming to you in the May edition of the Appel Core. Thanks for reading, and see you this summer!

Appel Core On-Line

Check out the Appel Core March 2008 issue! Our 2007 campers and staff will receive a copy in the mail, but for all you former campers and friends of the farm who missthe Appel Core, check out Appel Core On-Line for all the latest camp news. Current campers may want to check it out too, since it's in color, and has more features!

Refer a Friend to Appel Farm!

Every year Appel Farm welcomes new campers into the Appel Farm family, and year after year, our best source of new camp families is you…our current camp families and camp alumni.  We so appreciate your help in spreading the word, and want to make it easy for you to let your friends know about Appel Farm! If you know of a young person who would benefit from the Appel Farm experience, please let us know who they are, and where they live so we can send them a packet of information. Refer a friend here.