Northwest Stone Sculptors Association

2023 Women’s Hand Carving Workshop

2023 Annual Women’s Hand Carving Workshop
June 2nd - 4th 2023
Come join the fun of carving together, learning together and showing our work during the art walk.

Why Hand Tools :
It is quiet, peaceful, we can easily talk among ourselves and dust is limited. If you aren’t a hand carver, bring a partly finished piece you can rasp, chisel, or sand.
We have two set up locations adjacent to each other: There us room for 8 people to set up under the covered patio. This is on a sign-up basis, first come, first served. Please let us know of this preference. There is room for 8 canopies on the lawn. Folks have shared a canopy comfortably for this event.

Location: Old Alcohol Plant Inn, 310 Hadlock Bay Road, Hadlock, WA. (6 miles south of Port Townsend)

Hotel Reservations: Accommodations arranged separately and are paid for by the participants. Please see below for room types and rates available at the Old Alcohol Plant. The earlier you register, the more options are available to you for size, price and ability to pick a room that is good for sharing (if that is what you wish).

Weekend Agenda
Friday 11:00am – dinner time -
Sat. 9:00am – dinner time
Sun. 9:00am – 1:00pm

Continental Breakfast and coffee provided by NWSSA.
Lunches- On Your Own.
Dinners- Pot Lucks.

ART WALK: Saturday: 10AM-4PM

Save the Dates 2023

Links for these events will become live as registration & information becomes available

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 - Virtual Tool Workshop 6:30 pm via ZOOM
Please join us as we kick off a monthly virtual discussion focused on stone carving tools with Myles Schachter of 2Sculpt! Each month we will gather on Zoom. Myles will be spending the first half hour of our workshop sharing his knowledge on power tools. The second half will be open to all participants to ask questions, share and discuss. Zoom session starts at 6;30 pm. March topic TBD

Seattle Mineral Market Show May 20-21, 2023
MWSSA will have a display booth of stone sculptures at the 15th Annual Seattle Mineral Market Family friendly, free admission and free parking! Free rocks for kids and door prizes! at The Hangar 30 building at Magnuson Park @ 7400 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115

Women’s Hand Carving Retreat & Art Show June 2-4th 2023 Port Hadlock, WA
Our quiet, peaceful, 3-day hand carving event is a wonderful gathering of women artists on the grounds of the Old Alcohol Inn overlooking the bay. We can easily talk among ourselves. If you aren’t a hand carver, bring a partially finished piece you can rasp, chisel, or sand. Space will be limited to 17 experienced carvers & 4 new sculptors. RSVPs will be on first-come, first served basis. Click to Register

Summer Symposia:
Our symposia are open to all levels from beginners who have never carved stone before, to the hobbyist, to the professional sculptor. These events are one of the most supportive and inclusive environments you will ever encounter. Meet new people, renew old friendships, get inspired, pose your question, answer someone’s question, and fire up the creative spirit in a rich, sharing environment.
Extensive carving sessions are interspersed with informative classes and stimulating sculpting lessons during each of our events. Field mentors and instructors are available to help guide you through your challenges. Bring your gear (if you are a beginner, we have tools you can use), connect to our power, water and air sources and peruse the tools and variety of stones being carved and available for purchase from our on-site vendors.

JULY 8th-16th, 2023: Washington Summer Symposium At Camp Pilgrim Firs, Port Orchard, WA
Watch for registration to open soon for this eight-day symposium on the lovely grounds of Pilgrim Firs Camp in Port Orchard. Invited Guest Artists this year are James Horan, from Ireland and Tom Small from Friday Harbor, WA. We will have an expanded Beginner's tent, with handcarving and intermediate power tool instruction, the NWSSA general assembly meeting, campfires, inspiring conversations and, hopefully, you! Registration will be open mid-February. Please email the Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions in the meantime.

Saturday, July 15, 2023 11 am - 4 pm Sculpture Show at Pilgrim Firs, Port Orchard, WA
Visit with artists, and view 100 sculptures on display and for sale as our 36th Annual Sculpture Symposium culminates. This outdoor event is open to to public.

AUGUST 28 -SEPTEMBER 4th 2023: Suttle Lake Symposium in SIsters, Oregon
Suttle Lake Camp is our home for the week of our annual Stone Carving Symposium in Oregon!! Suttle Lake Camp is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains 14 miles west of Sisters. This year, we will welcome invited guest artists from Japan and Zimbabwe. Registration will be open by June. Questions? Contact Symposium Director Kentaro Kojima at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

AUGUST 19 & 20th, 2023 Evergreen Arboretum Sculpture Walk
In collaboration with the Everett Arboretum & Gardens, Schack Art Center and the Fresh Paint event we will be co-sponsoring a two-day Sculpture Walk at the Evergreen Arboretum in Everett, WA. The Fresh Paint event has attracted tens of thousands of people. Keep your eyes open for the “call for artists”. All members are invited to display your outdoor and indoor pieces at this event. We will be hosting a Soapstone Carving workshop for youth and are looking for volunteers for this event. We will send out a request for volunteer sign up closer to the date.

About NWSSA

feathers and wedges Our mission is to nurture the community of stone sculptors by developing educational opportunities, providing a support system to members, and facilitating interaction with regional, national, and international communities.To learn about becoming a member of Northwest Stone Sculptors Association (NWSSA) click HERE (or click on "Become a Member" at the bottom of the page).

NWSSA is an association of stone sculptors that was founded in 1984 by Meg Pettibone in Seattle. Our first symposium was in 1986 in the Methow Valley east of the Cascade mountains in Washington state. We have since grown to include stone sculptors and associates throughout the western US, Canada, and other parts of the world. We are a federal tax exempt status 501c nonprofit membership organization.