Lizzie Wilford graduated from Dickinson School in 2016 with a Studio Arts diploma. As a scholar, she was excited in regards to the School Farm. She turned associates with numerous scholar farmers and was a loyal supporter, attending each Pizza on the Plaza and different Farm-sponsored occasions on campus. Following commencement, Lizzie acquired the possibility to additional contain herself in farm happenings because the Schooling and Outreach Coordinator. She was trying ahead to the stability between out of doors and indoor work that the place supplied and located herself happiest when she was outdoors, serving to on the farm, getting her fingers soiled, and taking part in with the animals.
She says her path since graduating Dickinson has been something however straight and slim. Following her EOC days, Lizzie joined fellow DCF alum Megan Moody within the Adirondack Mountains – at Craigardan, an artist residency program that additionally boasts a small farm on their property. Her work week was break up between farm and property chores and private artwork tasks. As a former TA within the Dickinson clay studio, she was excited to get to work with ceramics once more. Throughout this time, Lizzie additionally began working for an additional native farm, working their farmer’s market as soon as every week. On the finish of her residency, Lizzie continued working full-time for the native farm, attending 5 markets every week and dealing with wholesale deliveries by means of October 2018. She was completely satisfied to remain within the idyllic Adirondacks and acquired to deliver her golden retriever alongside for the trip.
Lizzie then transitioned into building with associates from Craigardan, and later into maple operations, working with a neighborhood farmer whom she linked with by means of the farmer’s market circuit. As their supervisor, she oversaw the sugar bush made up of over 1,500 sugar maple timber. When there was a leak or hole within the tubing system (this might occur on account of quite a lot of causes – one being a pesky fisher cat, which she recommends trying up in case you’ve by no means seen one earlier than), she was answerable for finding the issue space. Her golden retriever sidekick by no means did not help her endeavors and cherished any alternative to return play within the snow along with her. One other perk of this job was serving to out within the precise syrup-making!
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She’s dove into flower farming and gave jobs as a barista and HVAC technician a shot. She’s even labored for herself as a private landscaper. Earlier than shifting again to Maryland the place she’s initially from, Lizzie returned to Craigardan as a particular tasks supervisor, serving to them with numerous constructing tasks on their newly acquired property.
In Maryland, Lizzie spent 10 months working at a local plant nursery and small farm earlier than getting employed as a Center Faculty Artwork Instructor in a neighboring county. She’s very completely satisfied on this present place and appears ahead to someday pursuing a graduate diploma in Schooling. In her spare time, she enjoys driving her bike, being on the water, creating artwork, and taking part in along with her two cats, Pickle and Porkchop.
When requested to share her favorite Dickinson School Farm reminiscence, she says, “Throughout senior week of my senior yr we had a live performance on the School Farm and it was one in all my favourite bands on the time (Parsonsfield). I used to be surrounded by my associates and classmates with good meals, good beer and good music and we have been sitting on the framing of the timber-framed barn. I used to be sitting with one in all my classmates who had been a scholar farmer however was shifting away after commencement and he simply checked out me and mentioned, “you might be so very fortunate to be spending the following yr right here,” and man was he proper. I’ll without end be thankful for my time with the School Farm and I at all times look ahead to returning and visiting.”
