Tinsmith and Metal Work An Amana tradition from the start Metalwork has been taking place in the Colonies from the beginning. These artisans are keeping that tradition alive with both traditional and creative products. A variety of crafts and skills that existed in the communal era survive today. Some of these crafts are located in…
Explore Art in Amana gifted painters and so much more Art can take a variety of forms but for many, when you mention the word they think of paintings. In the Amana Colonies, that’s a good place to start as we have several very gifted painters but there is much more. A native of the…
Story of the Amana Woolen Mill Weaving a connection from Germany to Amana One of the mainstays of communal Amana was the 2 woolen mills, one in Amana and the other in Middle Amana. These mills were a vital part of the financial success of the Amana Colonies and had their roots as far back…
Woodworking + Furniture Making Woodworking from Amana Craftspeople with Over a Century of Tradition From the village cabinet maker to the furniture maker to the home workbench Amana residents have a long history of making handcrafted wooden products during our communal past and that tradition lives on today. Many of the homes have workbenches where…
Broom and Basket Making Still woven by hand the colony way Broom and basket making in the Amana Colonies have a long history. When the Amana Colony people journeyed from Germany to Ebenezer, N.Y., and then (in 1855) to Iowa, they brought with them the willows for their baskets. These were not the type that grows wild…