The Roycroft Inn is pleased to announce the first Little Journey for the 2025 season

The Roycrofters-at-Large (RALA) and The Roycroft Inn are pleased to announce the first Little Journey for the 2025 season of the Little Journeys speaker series, and a change to the format of the RALA Little Journey series for 2025.

Beginning in February, the Little Journey speaker series will be presented in two parts within The Roycroft Inn Complex on South Grove. The evening’s program will begin with a relaxed start cocktail hour at 4:30 pm in the Library Bar before attendees to the lecture will move to the Roycroft Chapel for the presentation beginning at 6pm. Those who wish to dine following the lecture will receive 10% off of their dinner at The Roycroft Inn that evening beginning at 7:15 p.m. by mentioning Little Journeys when making a reservation.

Roycroft Renaissance Master Sculptor Henry Schmidt will present a Little Journey on sculpture and function on Wednesday, February 5 with a visit to the work of the late Wendell Castle, renowned sculptor and furniture maker. Castle, whose prestigious career was centered out of Rochester/WNY, played a pivotal role in bridging the gap between art and craft. His innovative designs transformed furniture into more than just functional objects, elevating them to sculptural works of art. Castle was widely published and was the recipient of multiple awards throughout his decades long career, including a National Endowment of the Arts, and is often referred to as the father of the art furniture movement.

He is referred to in Roycraft: Western New York Craft and its Inclusion in Contemporary Crafts Curriculum by author and educator Megan Westenfield, “When viewing Castle’s wood furniture designs, one notices his modern, clean approach, and a slight resemblance to the art of Pablo Picasso.”

Castle died of leukemia in 2018. In his Little Journey to Castle, Schmidt will highlight a tour he took through Castle’s Rochester, NY studio before Castle’s passing, offering an inside look at the essence of Castle’s creative process and his distinctive approach to furniture making. Along the way, Schmidt will also share his own reflections on how cultivating a unique artistic vision can elevate one’s craft, fostering both personal growth and transformative progress in the creative process.

As a RALA Little Journeys, this presentation is offered at no cost, but requires advance registration. Tickets are needed for entry to The Chapel. Reserve your space by visiting ralaweb.com. Active RALA Patrons and Members who cannot attend in person will have the option to join via member livestream.

Membership opportunities and tickets for the 2024 Goodie Box Fundraiser will be available at the evening’s event prior to and immediately following the meeting and presentation. This event will mark the final local opportunity to purchase opportunities for the 2024 Goodie Box Fundraiser before the national drawing on February 23 in Asheville, North Caroline, at the National Arts & Crafts Conference. This year’s Goodie Box, RALA’s annual fundraising initiative, is valued at over $9,000 and includes marked work by over 20 Roycroft Masters and Artisans. It is the largest Goode Box in RALA history, and the centerpiece is a Copper Jewelry Box by Master Metalsmith Ronald VanOstrand. The design features chased ginkgos and a tooled leather interior designed by new Roycroft Artisan in Leather Tom Ciminelli.

Henry Schmidt is a Master of Sculpture with a BFA in Painting and Illustration from Syracuse University and Master of Education in Art and General Studies from SUNY College at Buffalo. His career path has included art education, commercial illustration, graphic design and being Art Director at WKBW-TV, 1982-1989. From 1989 to 2013 Schmidt worked at Fisher Price Toys, starting as a product art manager and retiring as director of product art and sculpture. Since 2014, he has created art within his own firm, Henry Schmidt Art & Design, and is an artist-in-residence at the Buffalo Maritime Center, involved with the development of the Buffalo Maritime Foundry. Schmidt has been a Roycroft Master since 2020 and is an exhibiting member of the Buffalo Society of Artists. He has exhibited his work in a number of group shows, including at the Artists Group Gallery in Buffalo, NY (2018, 2017) and the Burchfield Penney Center (2016, 2012). Schmidt has also completed commissioned works, including the 155th New York Infantry Regiment Monument to commemorate the Civil War regiment. The monument has been incorporated into the Naval and Servicemen’s Park at the waterfront. A ticketed studio visit event with Schmidt will be announced later in 2025. This event will be free to attend for RALA Members and Patrons.

RALA’s Little Journeys connects Roycroft Artisans with the community by offering artist talks, demonstrations and lectures in the Masters’ mediums that educate and create opportunities for collectors and members of the Roycroft community to connect with the modern Roycroft artists, and serves as a homage to Elbert Hubbard’s original Little Journeys, small trips to artists of note that shared intimate glimpses behind their process and lives. For years, this series was an important part of RALA’s presence on South Grove, and offered “show and tell” by Masters and Artisans, Artisan Forums and visiting nationally known speakers. After resurrecting this series, in February 2024, RALA is proud to celebrate a year of “Little Journeys 2.0” in formal sponsorship and collaboration with the series’ birthplace, The Roycroft Inn.

Information on the Roycrofters-at-Large events and membership options can be found online at www.ralaweb.com. Follow the Roycrofters-At Large Association’s social media pages at Facebook and instagram, @roycroftartisans, for updates and information.