​Since its beginning in 1948, ACRA has offered a mix of artistic, intellectual, and physical activities for residents, especially through its summer program. It also puts on many events throughout the year, including holiday parties, Fourth of July Games on the Green, and pancake breakfasts in the woods. ACRA continues to draw on the talents of community residents to provide inspiring programs and enriching experiences.

The exhibition continues through October 2019.

Post by Sadie Somerville and Liz Jones-Minsinger. Photographs by Sadie Somerville.

The Arden Craft Shop Museum will be closed on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. We will reopen at 1pm on Sunday, November 25th. 

The Arden Craft Shop Museum will close on Sunday, October 7, so we can install our new exhibition, "They Gave Us Good Leave to Wander: Celebrating 70 Years of ACRA." The museum will re-open on Sunday, October 21, at 1pm for the opening of the new exhibition. We hope you will join us then!

​It was a friendly, relaxed affair for all ages to enjoy. All you had to do was bring food, a donation for the band, and a playful attitude! Thanks to Jeff for the brilliant idea and pulling it all together. 

​--Sadie Somerville
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‘Grass on the Green: a Pickin’ Picnic

Sunday, July 15th from 4:00 PM to 8:30 PM –ish.

Location: Arden Green.

All the Ardens are welcome hither for a family-friendly, covered dish picnic on The Arden Green followed by two sets of Americana, folk, & bluegrass music at The Field Theater. Music will be provided by the award-winning, quintessential Colorado front-range bluegrass band, FY5. Come and enjoy fun, food, fellowship, and foot-stompin’ music with your neighbors on the beautiful Arden Green. The Arden Craft Shop Museum proudly co-sponsors this event with Jeff Martin.

This event is free to all; however, donations will be collected to support the band. The recommended minimum donation is $10.00 per person. The band will receive 100% of all donations.

Due to the capacity of The Field Theater, “reservations” are required for the music portion of the evening. You may also RSVP to the Arden Craft Shop Museum by email (ardencraftshopmuseum@gmail.com) or via our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Arden-Craft-Shop-Museum-104328559601614/​). 

Please be prepared to walk to and from this event. Parking on The Green is not permitted. “Carpooling” or “Shuttling” your belongings to and from The Green, dropping-off, then parking elsewhere and walking back to The Green may be worthwhile.

The Fun: Bring your frisbee, your bocce balls, your croquet set, or the lawn game of your choice. Games, and perhaps volleyball, start about 4:00 PM with food following as folks bring their dishes and the buffet tables get set up.

The Food: We ask that everyone prepare and bring a covered dish, serving utensils and beverage (other than water). Also bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on to eat. Plates, cups, napkins, and eating utensils will be provided, along with water.

The Music: The concert will feature the preeminent, quintessential Colorado bluegrass band, FY5. Music will begin by 6:30 PM and should be done by about 8:30-ish. Donations will be collected to support the band, and 100% of donations go to the band.

Colorado’s FY5 proudly swim in the deep currents of American music, playing new songs, well informed of country and bluegrass traditions, but not bound to them. Featuring thoughtful arrangements, strong singing and musicianship, the band strives to connect to listeners with stories of common struggles and big ideas. While their sound evokes timelessness, it is decidedly contemporary, well-traveled 21st century sensibility that informs their songwriting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em14lufFHXs

Bring your dancin’ shoes and join our neighbors for a fun, foot-stompin’ evening. Can’t wait to see y’all there!

*This is a SHINE ONLY event. In the event of rain, snow, or tornado, ‘Grass on the Green will be cancelled.
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The Arden Craft Shop Museum will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, to observe the holiday. We will be open again on Sunday, July 8, from 1pm to 3pm.

The Arden Craft Shop Museum proudly presents...

"'This Isn't Hull House': Life at Arts and Crafts Communities in the Long-Twentieth Century"

A lecture by Dr. Thomas A. Guiler, Assistant Professor of History and Public Humanities at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

Sunday, April 15, 2018, at 4pm at the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden, Delaware.

In response to the trauma of industrialization and urbanization in the late-nineteenth century, the Arts and Crafts Movement took America by storm. Art exhibits, factories, workshops, and societies dedicated to handicraft, worker dignity, and the promulgation of beautiful art to the masses sprouted from California to Boston. Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, Elbert Hubbard, William Lightfoot Price, and Frank Stephens were so enamored with the movement that they decided to build entirely new worlds—intentional communities—dedicated to pursuing those ideals. Arden, Rose Valley, Roycroft, and Byrdcliffe not only produced beautiful handcrafted furniture, ceramics, textiles, and books, but also created a vibrant community-life, involving lectures, costume parties, classes, theater, and even baseball, where big personalities fell in love, clashed bitterly, and strove to form an alternative way to live in an industrial society. This presentation will examine the social and cultural lives of these communities, the individuals who inhabited them, and, in some cases, how these communities interacted with each other. But Arden, Rose Valley, Byrdcliffe, and Roycroft are not time capsules frozen in the early-twentieth century; they continue to be lively places for art, craft, and community. As such, this lecture will examine the long history of these communities to demonstrate how that history and spirit lives on in the present.


This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Donations to the BWVC are gratefully accepted.
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ACSM00031. ​Fiske Warren, Eleanor Stephens, Inky Stephens, Will Price outside the Founder's House, ca. 1910s.

​Interested in learning more about ACSM's photographic collection and how to find the images you're looking for? Please join us for a FREE workshop on Wednesday, March 28th, at 7:30pm at the museum. We will discuss our collection and the best ways to search for photographs in our on-line database. Please feel free to bring your laptop and any questions you may have!