Laura Shay

I grew up in Skowhegan, Maine. It’s a small town located in central Maine surrounded by lakes and forest and, most importantly, only an hour from Sugarloaf Mountain where I’ve been skiing since I was three. The surroundings provided me with ample opportunity to go out and wander, just be a bit wild, to explore my surroundings. It’s the sort of place that attracts artists and craftsmen. My dad’s best friend is a sculptor and one of my best friend’s, Emmy, her mother is a potter, who was like a second mom to me over the summers. I got to dabble in crafts and didn’t realize how important those experiences would be for me until many years later. Back to Emmy, though. We had camps on a lake next to each other where we lived during the summer. We spent our days water skiing, riding bikes and causing general, fairly benign mayhem on the dirt road. Except for when she’d go away for two weeks to a camp in Montana. I never really understood why she went away. We had such a good life on the lake! But I was always a bit curious and now I have my chance…30 years later. I am very excited for the experience of connecting with young women and guiding them through woodworking, as well as experience the camaraderie of summer camp (Emmy didn’t have woodworking!)