Folly Tree Arboretum Storytelling Workshop
No more spots available for summer 2026!
Workshop dates:
Mon - Fri, June 29 – July 10, 2026
9:30am - 2:30pm
Ages 7-12
Screening Party - Weds, July 15 @ 11am @ Sag Harbor Cinema
Workshop description:
The Folly Tree Arboretum Storytelling Workshop is a project-based outdoor arts, performance, and filmmaking camp for kids ages 7 – 12 and takes place over two weeks. The Workshop guides kids to explore their own creativity through play, making, and discovering relationships between ecology and the arts. Participants will be inspired by outdoor exploration and an introduction to our gardens, trees, and pollinator insects. Project-based hands-on collaborative workshops will include improv games; storytelling exercises; narrative and abstract puppetry; mask, costume, and prop play; and include learning about the natural sciences throughout. In 2026, the workshop will focus specifically on storytelling and performing for camera, filmmaking, and the cinematic arts. The 10 day workshop culminates with a screening of the film project attendees have worked together to create!
The screening will take place at Sag Harbor Cinema on Wednesday, July 15th at 11am.
Our registration deadline was May 1st, our payment deadline was June 1st and our paperwork deadline is June 27th
Workshop tuition
Our tuition is $1400 for the two week experience with free screening at the cinema!
For scholarships or discounts based on financial need or multiple siblings enrolled, please reach out to us at isla@follytreearboretum.com. We are happy to discuss payment options based on your family’s financial needs. Or check the box on the registration form if you are interested in discussing financial need and we will reach out to you!
This tuition is a minimum to cover art supplies, teachers’ pay, equipment costs, cinema screening fees, and other necessary expenses. For those who can, we encourage donations beyond the base payment amount. Any amount donated beyond the basic tuition goes towards scholarships for families that cannot cover the full cost of the workshop. There are no guaranteed refunds for camp tuition once you have enrolled if your child does not attend.
Workshop policies
Upon registration, you will receive more information about payments, camp policies, and be required to sign a waiver as well as provide some paperwork on behalf of your child. Please see our behavior and inclusion policies here. Additional guidelines for kids, including how we approach nature on the property, as well as use of art materials and technology, will be shared with them on the first day of the workshop. You can view our Instructor handbook here.
Please also see the Folly Tree Arboretum general warning to visitors here, which reviews the inherent risks of visiting this special property.
Meet the Workshop Instructors!
Isla Hansen is an artist and Professor of Sculpture at the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University. She has taught arts and crafts, sculpture, and new media art to students ranging in age from pre-school to graduate school. Isla’s work in sculpture, installation, performance,and video has been exhibited at Guild Hall, the Mattress Factory, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Hammer Museum, Akron Art Museum, Columbus Museum of Art, MOCA Cleveland, and more. Isla has been the recipient of the Rauschenberg Foundation Artist in Residence and a Heinz Endowments Creative Development Award. Isla holds a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University. This is Isla’s fourth year directing the Storytelling Workshop!
Tucker Marder is an artist and founder / director of the Folly Tree Arboretum, a collection of over 250 rare and unusual trees intent on developing new and engaging environmental storytelling! Working in a wide range of mediums including puppetry, film and horticulture, Tucker uses humor and absurdity to promote an exuberant environmental ethic, countering pessimistic prevailing trends towards ecological hopelessness. He has exhibited at the National Aviary, Phipps Botanical Garden, and the Store Front for Art and Architecture. He received his MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 2016 and has been an artist in residence at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and SymbioticA at the University of Western Australia. Tucker is the founder of the Folly Tree Arboretum. This is Tucker’s fourth year helping out with the Storytelling Workshop as a part-time instructor.
Nikolas Diamant is an animator, performer, fabricator, and artist based in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Fine Art, and currently works in developing medical devices. He also makes wacky furniture, and puts on performances ranging from interactive set-building opera to food-paired comics. This is Nick’s third year teaching at the Storytelling Workshop!
Kate Salke is a visual artist based in East Hampton, NY. A 2023 Brown University graduate in Visual Art and Art History, her studio practice involves painting, printmaking, and paper mache. Outside the studio, Kate works as an artist assistant and workshop facilitator, including experience at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Camp Harmony. This fall, she is looking forward to a solo show with Laurel Gitlen (NYC) and a residency at In Situ Poly Culture (VT). She believes kids are the world’s best artists and is thrilled to join the Storytelling Workshop for her first year!
Sylvia Atwood is an artist and educator based in Providence, RI. She works as a TA at Brown University in the Sculpture Department after graduating from the program in 2023. She is also the operations manager for a history podcast. She has attended artist residencies at Bunker Projects (PA), Vashon (WA), and the Creative Reuse Center (RI), and has exhibited her work in Providence, Manhattan, Boston, North Carolina, and Ohio. This is her first summer at the Storytelling Workshop, and has spent past summers building sets for a PBS Kansas puppet show, running day camps at the Wilmington Community Arts Center (NC), and playing tennis. This fall, she is heading to UCLA for an MFA in Painting and Drawing. This is Sylvia’s first year as an instructor at the Storytelling Workshop!
Sean Flanagan is an educator, actor, and technology teacher based in East Hampton and New York City. He currently teaches K–8 technology at Springs School, where he helps students explore coding, digital art, robotics, 3D printing, animation, and creative problem-solving. Sean holds a BA in Culture and Media from The New School and an MA in Educational Technology and Learning Design from SUNY Empire State University. His work as a teacher and performer is rooted in storytelling, humor, curiosity, and helping kids use technology as a tool for creativity. This is Sean’s first year as an instructor at the Storytelling Workshop!
Phoebe Lloyd's focus as a performer, writer, and teacher is the incubation and evolution of new work, with queer performance as their guiding principle. Two short films which they wrote, produced, and starred in are currently in the running to be in the 2027 festival circuit. They write short stories, poetry, standup, plays, and screenplays. Since graduating from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama with their BFA in acting in 2023 they have originated roles in over six new plays. Find more about their past and future work at phoebelloyd.com. This is Phoebe’s first year as an instructor at the storytelling workshop!
