Sweet Bird + Famous Dave's Jewelry Camp for Grown-Ups
Make something meaningful.
Have a ridiculously good time.
CAMP TAMARACK | HAYWARD, WI
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
If your answer requires a little digging, it’s time for camp! Remember making things just for the joy of it? Staying up telling stories? Coming home with new friends and something you couldn’t wait to show everyone? Let’s do that again. This time, with better tools. And barbecue.
Join me, Sweet Bird, and “Famous Dave” Anderson at his private lakeside home and retreat for a week of jewelry making, storytelling and good old-fashioned fun. For the first time, Dave is opening his pole barn studio to our intimate camp of 12 curious souls. I’m so giddy, I can barely keep my soldering hand steady.
You may know Dave as America’s Rib King, but he also knows his way around a jeweler’s bench. From the 1970s through the late ’80s, he practiced silversmithing and sold his jewelry at American Indian powwows across the country, where he also began serving barbecue. Clearly, the man has always understood the power of a good flame.
Dave and I met at a workshop I taught and discovered that storytelling is at the heart of both our creative lives. It’s why I call my work Wearable Shrines of Intention: jewelry that holds a memory, honors a turning point or reminds you what matters. Now we’re bringing decades of making, teaching and storytelling together to help you express your own story.
Come curious. Come as you are.
Whether you’re picking up jewelry tools for the first time or looking for fresh direction in an established practice, there’s a place for you here. Bring your questions, your imagination and your willingness to play. Perfection can stay home. It’s terrible at campfires anyway.
A week to make, play and reconnect.
Dave’s pole barn studio is equipped for sand casting, enameling, plating, lapidary work and more. Together, we’ll explore techniques that give your ideas form, color and personal meaning:
- Wearable Shrines of Intention — Translate your memories, hopes, and personal story into jewelry with meaning.
- The Art of Attachment — Explore ways to combine treasured found objects with precious metals.
- Stone Age — Learn techniques for cutting and polishing your own cabochons. Yes, you get to play with rocks.
- The Art of Breakfast — Discover how pancake dies can bring efficiency and beautiful shapes to your work. Syrup optional. Actually, please keep it away from the tools.
- Enameling — Explore how color can deepen the beauty and intention of a piece.
- The Power of Storytelling & Branding. Join daily conversations with Dave and me about finding your voice and sharing the story behind your work.
Off the clock. By the lake.
Settle into cabins, spend your days creating, then gather for lakeside campfires, stories and s’mores. And yes, there will be barbecue by Famous Dave himself!
The lake invites a little slowing down, whether that means time by the water or heading out for a paddle. Rumor has it, Dave’s pontoon enjoys a sunset cruise, too. We intend to investigate.
Take home more than what you make.
Our hope is that you leave with fresh skills, new friendships and a clearer sense of what you want your work to say. Give yourself a week to follow your curiosity, laugh a little louder and remember how good it feels to make something with your own two hands.
Here’s to making the world
a little more beautiful,
a little more meaningful—
and a whole lot more delicious.
Blessings,
Famous Dave + Sweet Bird