We are currently closed to the public during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This means that we are not having any visitors for our hiking trails or Liquidambar Art Gallery Showings. While we are closed, we are expanding our offerings so that when you are able to return, you will not pick up where you left off, but be shown new adventures…
We do hope that you choose to find other ways of safely exploring the outdoors, and taking in the fresh air and richness of nature, at one of the many beautiful parks open in the area.
If you are a private buyer and looking for an art piece from Sassy Shadows Pottery, or Nature of Reaction, please email us and we can set up a consultation or video tour to find your perfect piece!
We urge everyone to follow the precautions set forth by the CDC and other science authorities to prevent the contraction and spread of COVID-19.
We are enjoying an incredible beginning of Autumn since the equinox. The acorns of all types are abundant, indicating a ‘Mast Year,’ which come in irregular two to five year cycles. This is said to indicate a rough winter ahead, with the excessive production of nuts helping the squirrels to stock up for the winter ahead. Really this could be due to a number of factors, such as temperature, rainfall, pollination, and other things. It remains a mystery, yet we like to think of our happily stocked up creatures of the forest, and ensured offspring of the beautiful oaks.
What are you noticing that is different outside this year?
Join us on March 30th, April 6th, and/or April 13th!
Each spring, the rich ecosystem in the coves and hollows of Sequatchie Valley awakens with enthusiasm.
Emerging ragwort, buckeye, bloodroot, trout lily, trilliums, redbuds, and dogwood blossoms dazzle the eyes of the adventurous as expert naturalists, ethnobotanists, and foresters guide groups of hikers through the wilds of the Southeast Tennessee bioregion.
1:00pm: Continue with a two-hour walk through the forest below the bluffs, discovering native flora.
3:00pm: Take part in a more rugged hike along Hick’s Creek and up the canyon.
The suggested donation to participate in the Springtime Wildflower Hikes is $8. Family rates are available. Thank you for your consideration!
WHAT TO BRING: Sturdy boots/shoes Long pants Water bottle Light lunch or snacks Camera, ID books, & journals
All ages are welcome!
As we are a wildlife refuge area, we do ask that pets stay at home.
While you’re here… Be sure to visit the Liquidambar Art Gallery, where you will find pottery, paintings, glass works, and sculptures created by local and resident artists! Complimentary wine and cheese provided.
Carol and Johnny are back from their adventures in warm and beautiful Puerto Rico! They are energized and ready to dive back into art, trails, building, gardening, and general sustainable living! So come out and see us before the Great Floods next week keep us all inside.
Creek @ S.V.I. Entrance
The creek is flowing beautifully and the gallery is full of fabulous art, from functional pottery to kaleidoscopes, books on sustainable living, and paintings.
Check-in/registration for events is at the large art desk on the left side of the Liquidambar Art Gallery.
We will be open all weekends through spring. Watch for the dates of the Spring Wildflower Hikes, our next public event. The set dates for the Hikes are March 30, April 6, and April 13. For more information see the Springtime Wildflower Hikes event page, or the Liquidambar Blog!
The mysterious art of Patrick Ironwood will be on full display when we reopen, and the trails are now clear of leaves. We expect good weather and the creek will be running nicely.
But call/contact us for times before coming out. We are here today and will probably be around all weekend, when we expect better weather, with sunshine on Saturday. With all this rain, the creek will be running strongly along the Hemlock Grove Trail.
Walking on our forest trails will relieve that holiday stress and will give the kids a chance to run, yell, and get dirty.
Support your local artists and S.V.I. at the same time! 10% of sales in the Gallery help support the educational programs here.
Call for info on our work, programs, and open hours. We will probably be open from 11am till 4pm on December 21-24, but check first.
Call Carol at: (404) 698-5444.
Patrick Ironwood will be at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, GA this Friday-Sunday, so visit him there to experience his eerie and spectacular art. You will find the perfect gift for that special person.
Christmas Market at Lower Level North Point Mall Fri, Dec 21 – Sun, Dec 23: 8am – 8pm. Come out for a weekend of shopping, food and great Christmas fun. Visit with unique artists with great gift ideas.
Patrick and Carol will be in their studios at the Gallery producing new works this weekend.
Temperatures will be a bit lower, so it will be good hiking. There are lots of muscadines ripening at the Moonshadow vineyard, so plan to do some picking and snacking on the trail.
All books will be 50% off! We have books on natural building, including cob, cooking, fermentation processes, and gardening for children.
Place: Sequatchie Valley Institute between Dunlap and Whitwell, 45 minutes from Chattanooga.
Registration includes nutritious meals, all workshops & children’s programs, and rustic camping. Work trade is available. Please contact us for details ASAP.
Bring the family for 3 days of camping in a beautiful natural setting surrounded by forest, bluffs, nature trails, and hand-crafted solar-powered homes and meeting places. For our 20th year celebration, we welcome back Sandor Katz, our friend and the award-winning author of “The Art of Fermentation” as our keynote speaker.
Share in a sustainable outdoor lifestyle and help prepare, then eat delicious meals under the forest trees. Take part in workshops covering food preservation, cooking methods, diet choices and nutrition, the truth about fats, native forest foods, mushrooms and medicines, wood stove and cast iron cooking, and fermented foods, including kefir, kombucha, mead, sauerkraut, sour dough, and more.
Instructors from a wide background of expertise and experience will explore the political, social, and ecological implications of food, nutrition, and agriculture in an accessible way. This will include Urban and High Tunnel Greenhouse food production, and community development.
Explore your body-mind-environment connection with the workshops “Movement and Awareness,” and “Qi-Gong and Embodiment,” which will be right at home on such a unique setting.
The immersive outdoor children’s program will include planting a Three Sisters Garden, hiking on forest trails, outdoor Highland games, a Kid’s Trade Blanket, and learning about good food, plants, critters, and the forest.
In the evenings we will share fire circles, including mead, music, and a variety show. Come prepared with instruments and skills! The large boulders nearby make for interesting and pleasing acoustics.
For events, check-in/registration is at the large art desk on the left side of the Liquidambar Art Gallery.
Be sure to stop in the Liquidambar Art Gallery (also on Facebook & WordPress). You will discover skillful works of fine art and craft displayed by local and resident artisans, including ceramics by Sassy Shadows Pottery; paintings by Michelle Kimmons; and kaleidoscopes, flameworked glass, and electroformed mixed-media sculptures by Nature of Reaction.
Workshops and programs at the Sequatchie Valley Institute are intentionally affordable.
Sequatchie Valley Institute 1233 Cartwright Loop, Whitwell, TN, 37397
The Sequatchie Valley Institute is a a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization promoting education and research in sustainable green living, ecology, and art. We offer opportunities to experience and learn about living in harmony with nature by providing:
three hundred acres of forest with trails, protected forever by the Land Trust for Tennessee; great for hiking, picnicking, and finding some old-fashioned peace and quiet
education, research, and art programming
tours for kids, scouts, and adults: Permaculture gardens, forest trails and solar hand-crafted homes
workshops and programs emphasizing healthy natural and sustainable living
a tree-top retreat center available for meetings, weddings, and other events
Liquidambar Art Gallery presenting fine art by local artists
