Cottage Courses are artist-taught workshops created in the spirit of sharing unique methods and skills within our community. Founded by Natalie Baxter and Polly Shindler, these all-level courses connect participants with artists and practitioners who bring their own spin to learning and creating. Course offerings are related to our artists' own practice, sharing their ideas and work throughout these casual gatherings. Hopefully these courses will empower participants to create and innovate on their own, while making some new friends along the way.

Polly Shindler is a painter in Millerton, NY. Her paintings depict domestic life, interior scenes, as well as urban and rural landscapes. During the pandemic, she taught herself how to paper mache so she could translate some of her ideas into 3-dimensional space. These objects have become an extension of her painting practice. Polly received her M.F.A. in Painting from Pratt Institute and her B.A. in History from University of Massachusetts. Her work has been exhibited at galleries and art fairs around the country and internationally in Brazil, Spain, and London.

Natalie Baxter is an artist working primarily with fabric to create soft sculptures and quilted wall hangings that playfully push controversial social and political issues. Most recently, she has been incorporating found and discarded domestic fabric and objects in her work. Natalie received her MFA from the University of Kentucky and her BA in Studio Art from The University of the South; Sewanee. Her work has been exhibited at galleries, museums, and fairs internationally. After frequenting the Wassaic Project residency, she moved her home, studio and family to Wassaic, NY.