Welcome to the Goldberry Arts newsletter! My name is Bethany Kern and my husband, David, and I run a bookstore called Goldberry Books, here in Concord, North Carolina.
The name Goldberry comes from a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Perhaps best known as Tom Bombadil’s wife, she is strong, mysterious, kind, and hospitable—worthy of a namesake!
We opened the bookstore in the fall of 2020; it was a long-time dream that has been warmly received in the community, for which we are very grateful. Alongside it, David hosts a couple of podcasts, including Close Reads (a bookclub type show) and Withywindle (a bookish podcast for kids). Over the years we have learned that the listeners of these shows are truly some of the most wonderful people in the world.
Now I’m heading up our newest development: Goldberry Arts.
Here’s some background. After studying for three years at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, I moved to Charlotte (married a guy) and graduated with a degree in Studio Arts from UNCC in 2010. Our family then began to (quickly!) grow. Creativity lay relatively dormant for several years while we focused on raising little ones. But teaching art study at our homeschool co-op has now ushered me back into the realm of the visual arts, and a decade’s worth of creative energy is pouring out into the development of Goldberry Arts.
Our current project is a series of seven art guides called Lumen, each of which will be a full book (with corresponding art prints) on teaching children the elements of art. Volume one (on Line) is in progress now and will be available for preorder this spring. More details to follow! (Lumen)
We also have a variety of Substack articles in the works. These are related to illustration, collections of visual artworks by theme, and more.
As a celebratory launch of this Substack newsletter, each person who signs up for it this week (today, 01/19 - 01/25) will automatically be entered to win a book (see photos below) on the Danish illustrator, Kay Nielsen. His beautiful work will be featured in our first illustrator article, tomorrow!
(Giveaway ends Wednesday 01/25 at 8pm EST).
You can enter the Kay Nielsen book giveaway by simply adding your email here!
We also post artwork each day over on Instagram at @goldberry_arts. [Art IG account]
As we find resources that help us and our children engage with beauty in ways that make us more human, we will pass them along. Join us! We would love to hear about ways you have enjoyed teaching the arts to your students - or what you need in order to do so.
We are excited about what the future holds and are honored that you’re interested in being a part of it!
—Bethany Kern
“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.”
― Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder
I’m so excited for this!
Hooray! This is going to be great!